Anterior Deltoids: What They Are and Why You Should Train Them
Your anterior deltoids, more simply known as your front shoulders, are important for a lot more than just looking good in a tank top. They’re essential for pressing movements and contribute heavily to both your overall upper body strength and a well-rounded physique.
This guide will give you a complete overview of anterior deltoid training, including the anatomy of the muscle, the best exercises for targeting it, how to program your workouts, and practical tips to maximize your gains. We’ll cover both compound movements and isolation exercises to ensure you hit your front delts from every angle.
Training for strength versus hypertrophy (muscle growth) versus endurance requires different approaches. You’ll need to adjust your exercise selection, sets, reps, and rest periods to align with your specific goals. So, whether you’re aiming to bench press a house, sculpt boulder shoulders, or simply improve your shoulder health, this article will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to succeed with exercise for anterior deltoid development.
Deltoid Anatomy and Function
The deltoid muscle, which gives your shoulder its round shape, is actually made of three parts, or “heads”: the anterior (front), lateral (side), and posterior (rear) deltoids. Each of these contributes to different shoulder movements.
The anterior deltoid’s main jobs are shoulder flexion (lifting your arm in front of you) and internal rotation (rotating your arm inward). It also helps you bring your arm across your body.
While this article focuses on anterior deltoid exercises, it’s important to remember that balanced shoulder development is key. You don’t want to only work your anterior deltoids. Neglecting the lateral and posterior deltoids can cause muscle imbalances, which can lead to injuries.
Compound vs. isolation exercises for anterior delts
When you’re trying to build muscle, you can choose between compound exercises and isolation exercises.
Compound exercises
Compound exercises work several muscle groups and joints at the same time. Bench presses, overhead presses, and incline presses are all compound exercises.
Compound exercises can be very effective for building your anterior delts because they allow you to lift heavy weight and work multiple muscles at once. Compound exercises build a base of strength and help your muscles grow.
Isolation exercises
Isolation exercises focus on a single joint and muscle group. Front raises and cable front raises are examples of isolation exercises.
These exercises let you target your anterior delts directly, which is useful if you have an imbalance or weakness you’re trying to address. Isolation exercises can also boost muscle definition and hypertrophy, or muscle growth.
Putting it all together
The best approach is to include both compound and isolation exercises in your workout routine. Prioritize compound exercises to build strength and mass, and then use isolation exercises to target specific areas you want to work on.
Best Anterior Deltoid Exercises: A Comprehensive Guide
Want to build up your anterior deltoids? Here’s a rundown of some of the most effective exercises to target them.
Vertical Pressing Exercises
These exercises involve pushing weight upward in a vertical plane, which directly engages the anterior deltoids.
- Barbell Shoulder Press: Press the barbell straight overhead, making sure it’s aligned over your traps. Pro Tip: Keep your core stable and move the weight in a controlled manner throughout the exercise.
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: This allows you to work each anterior deltoid independently, which promotes balanced strength. Pro Tip: Use a full range of motion and don’t use momentum to swing the weights up.
- Arnold Press: The rotational movement in this press targets all three deltoid heads. Pro Tip: Control the rotation and don’t use too much weight.
- Cable Shoulder Press: Press the weight slightly in front of your body (think of a high-incline press) to maintain constant tension on the anterior deltoids. Pro Tip: Adjust the cable height to best target the anterior deltoid.
- Military Press with Hanging Bands: Attach resistance bands to the barbell to increase the resistance at the top of the movement. Pro Tip: This variation can help you improve your lockout strength.
- Landmine Press: Press the barbell up and away from the landmine anchor point. Pro Tip: This exercise allows for a more natural pressing angle.
Horizontal Pressing Exercises
These exercises involve pushing weight away from your body in a horizontal plane. While they primarily target the chest, they also engage the anterior deltoids.
- Smith Machine High Incline Press: Set the incline bench to 75 degrees and press the bar out in front of your shoulders. Pro Tip: Focus on controlled movements and proper form.
- Smith Machine Incline Bench Press: Set the incline to 45 degrees to target the upper chest and anterior shoulders. Pro Tip: Make sure the bar touches your upper chest at the bottom of the movement.
- Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press: This is good for combining anterior delt work with chest work. Pro Tip: Squeeze the dumbbells together throughout the exercise.
- Close Grip Flat Bench Press: Perform a bench press with a narrower grip to emphasize your triceps and anterior deltoids. Pro Tip: Keep your elbows tucked close to your body.
- Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press: Perform an incline bench press with an underhand (supinated) grip. Pro Tip: This variation can increase activation of the anterior deltoid.
Front Raise Variations
These are isolation exercises that directly target the anterior deltoid.
- Cable Front Raise: This is an isolation exercise with constant tension that directly targets the anterior deltoid. Pro Tip: Keep a slight bend in your elbow throughout the exercise.
- Cable Crossbody Front Raise: This trains each shoulder individually, focusing on controlled movement. Pro Tip: Adjust the cable height to optimize anterior deltoid activation.
- Dumbbell Front Raise: This can be done standing or seated, but cables are generally better for maintaining tension. Pro Tip: Don’t swing the weight; focus on lifting it in a controlled manner.
- Barbell Front Raise: This adds more load to front raises, which increases the intensity. Pro Tip: Use a weight you can manage and maintain proper form.
- Battle Ropes: Alternating waves or slams can activate the anterior deltoids. Pro Tip: Maintain good posture and core engagement.
Upright Rows and Bodyweight Exercises
These exercises offer alternative ways to engage the anterior deltoids.
- Upright Rows: Pull the barbell up towards your chin, keeping it close to your body. Pro Tip: Be careful with this exercise, as it can cause shoulder impingement for some people.
- Pike Push Ups: Perform push-ups with your hips elevated, forming an inverted V shape. Pro Tip: This variation emphasizes the anterior deltoids.
- Handstands: Holding a handstand position requires significant anterior deltoid strength. Pro Tip: Practice against a wall for safety.
Programming anterior deltoid exercises
How you schedule your anterior delt exercises into your overall workout routine will depend on the type of workout split you’re using, your experience level, and your goals for your physique.
Training splits
Here are a few options for working your anterior deltoids into your weightlifting schedule:
- Body part split. Devote an entire day to training your shoulders. This will allow you to focus on the anterior deltoids.
- Upper/lower split. Incorporate exercises that work the anterior deltoids into your upper body days.
- Push/pull/legs (PPL) split. Include anterior deltoid exercises on your “push” day, since your anterior deltoids are involved in many pushing movements.
Rep ranges and load
The number of reps you perform will depend on your personal fitness goals:
- Strength. Perform 1 to 5 reps using 85% to 100% of your one-rep max (1RM). Focus on compound exercises like the barbell shoulder press.
- Hypertrophy. Perform 6 to 15 reps using 70% to 85% of your 1RM. Do a mix of compound and isolation exercises.
- Endurance. Perform 15 to 30 reps using 30% to 70% of your 1RM. Choose lighter weights and focus on controlled movements.
Volume and frequency
If you’re new to weightlifting or at an intermediate level, aim to do 10 to 12 sets per week for direct front delt training, spread out over 2 or 3 sessions per week.
If you’re an advanced lifter, you may want to do 10 to 15 or more sets per week. Adjust the frequency of your workouts based on how quickly you recover and your individual needs.
Stretching and Myofascial Release for the Anterior Deltoid
Stretching your anterior deltoids can give you greater flexibility and range of motion. It may also lower your risk of injury. Here are a few stretches to consider:
- Arm circles
- Shoulder flexor stretch
- Reverse shoulder stretch
- Doorway shoulder stretch
You can also use myofascial release techniques to loosen up your anterior deltoids. Try a lacrosse ball or foam roller to release tension, improve muscle function, and reduce soreness in the area.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
It’s easy to make mistakes when targeting the anterior deltoids. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Over-Reliance on Isolation Exercises: Compound exercises are key for overall delt development. Don’t only do isolation exercises.
- Using Momentum: Avoid swinging the weight, especially during front raises. Slow, controlled movements are much more effective.
- Neglecting Other Deltoid Heads: The anterior deltoid is just one part of your shoulder. Make sure you’re also training the lateral and posterior deltoids for balanced development.
- Overtraining: Like any muscle group, your anterior deltoids need rest to recover and grow. Don’t train them too frequently.
Final Thoughts
The anterior deltoids are important for pressing movements and for well-rounded shoulders. The best way to train them is with both compound exercises and isolation exercises.
To get the most out of your anterior delt workouts, you need a well-designed program that includes the right rep ranges, load, volume, and frequency.
Most of all, you need to be consistent. If you stick with your training program and always pay attention to your form, you should see significant improvement in your anterior deltoids.
If you follow the guidelines in this article, you should be able to train your anterior deltoids effectively and achieve your shoulder goals. Be sure to listen to your body, adjust your training as needed, and enjoy the process of getting stronger!