Shoulders are my probably my favorite muscle group.
I also think they’re undervalued. Although the Jessica’s (Biel and Garner) have done a lot to popularize a strong shoulders, I still get asked frequently “How do I tone up this part?” while someone points to the back of their arm/ tricep area.
What people often don’t know is that the key to “toned” arm is not huge triceps, it’s defined shoulders that make arm appear smaller by comparison.
Think about it, if you add a bunch of size to your arm (nothing wrong with that if you want it), it’s only going to make the back of the arm appear thicker. Losing fat will help decrease the size of the arm and then increasing the size of your shoulder will create a great shape.
Now that you’re hopefully onboard with building up your shoulders, the most overlooked shoulder muscles is the rear delt. Not only does developing this muscle look great, it’s important for opening up the shoulders for good posture.
Here are two great ways to hit your posterior delts:
I’d recommend adding in the Machine Rear Delt Fly one day a week and the Dumbbell Bent Over Fly on another day. Do both for 12-15 reps for the first 3 weeks, then bump up the weight and do sets of 8-10 for 3 weeks. Then repeat that cycle aiming to get stronger.
Do you work your rear delts? What do you think is the most neglected muscle group?