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Developing the shoulders is an important aspect of bodybuilding. In addition to looking amazing when doing a double back bicep pose, they make you look terrific when standing. If you develop your side deltoids in proportion to the biceps, the arms and biceps look large and well defined.

The shoulder region includes the posterior, medial, and anterior deltoid muscles. If you are including the whole shoulder girdle, then the rotator cuff muscles as well as the upper trapezius are included.

The deep rotator cuff muscles connect several parts of the thoracic region to the back, side, or front of the humerus. Upper trapezius muscles are the muscles that run from the back of the neck; extend to the medial deltoid, then downward to intersect with the middle trapezius. Going further back on the shoulder, below the lower portion of the upper trapezius, is the posterior deltoid muscle. The outer part of the shoulder is a where the medial deltoid lies, with the anterior deltoid muscle being visible outside of the pectoral muscles.

Each shoulder has a specific function when lifting the arm. The anterior deltoid is responsible for bringing the arm forward, inward and for rotating the arm. The medial deltoid allows the arm to move away from the side. The posterior deltoid comes into play when the arm moves back or rotates outward. When the scapula is moved upward toward the ears, like shrugging your shoulders, the upper trapezius muscle does the job. Lastly, the muscles of the rotator cuff stabiles the arm during movement and allow the arm to rotate.

There are a number of exercises that will effectively build the shoulder area such as the military press, lateral raises, lying lateral raises, the Arnold press, behind the neck press, and bent-over lateral raises. The upright row in addition to bent-over rows will also help you build the shoulder area to magnificent proportions.

The key to building massive shoulders is to understand how the shoulder works and keeping it healthy. Nothing will halt your progress faster than an injury in the gym, so clearly injury should be avoided. One of the most common injuries is to the rotator cuff muscles. The muscles that make up the rotator cuff are not large strong muscles. In order to prevent any injuries try incorporating some band work into your shoulder workout.

To minimize injuries be sure that you are using the right amount of weight. You should be able to have control of the weight through the entire movement. If you find that you can only do partial reps or you need to shift the weight around, then the weight is too heavy. Using too much weight puts too much stress on the shoulder and is likely to cause injury. Be sure that you can maintain the proper technique and use the full range of motion before increasing the weight.

While developing the muscles in the shoulder does require some work, bodybuilders agree that the payoff is worth the effort. Everybody’s body will develop at a different rate, so experimentation and determination is important.