subject: Why Working Your Shoulders Is A Good Idea [print this page] This article looks at what makes up the shoulder muscles and why incorporating shoulder exercises into your work out routine is a good idea. Specific exercises will be covered in a later article.
The muscles of your shoulder are called the deltoidsor delts. The sit, a bit like a cap on top of your shoulder. You can have a look at them by holding out your arm. These muscles are made up of the top deltoid at the top of the shoulder which is used to elevate your arm; the front deltoid is, as the name suggests, on the front of the shoulder and is responsible for the arm moving inwards; the back deltoid at the back of the shoulder is there to move the arm backwards.
The ball and socket design of your shoulder is what allows it to move so freely. The end of the arm bone is perfectly shaped to fit snugly into the shoulder socket. This joint works on the same principal as the hop joint but it has much more freedom of movement. To stop the ball from slipping out of the socket you have what are known as the rotator-cuff muscles. These muscles are located underneath the delts. They are oft neglected in exercises and is the main reason rotator-cuff injuries occur. Your arm would not be able to twist when the elbow is straight if it were not for these muscles. They are heavily used during throwing motions which is why you see a lot of baseball pitchers suffering from injuries to this muscle group.
When you are working out you chest and back, your delts are also getting a workout but you should also isolate the delts in your workout program and you will see the following benefits:
1) You will notice a difference in almost every arm motion you make and weight that you lift. This extends beyond the gym and into every day life. Everyday activities like shoveling snow will be easier and you will feel the benefit in your other weight training exercises.
2) Prevention of injuries. As was mentioned earlier, shoulders are in use all the time whenever the arm is moving so if you are putting stresses on them by doing chest exercises, you can easily cause injury to the shoulder muscles whether you are just getting out of bed, or splitting firewood.
3) Increased self-confidence. Sculpted shoulders are a great way to boost your self esteem whether you are at the beach or in the boardroom. People always notice good shoulders and having well trained and healthy specimens at the top of your arms can you give you a little spring in your step - a chemical-free boost.
Hopefully this has given you an informative introduction to the shoulder muscles.
