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229 ARTICLESDeltoid Exercises: The Best Moves for Your Front, Side and Rear Delts, How Many Sets per Week and an 8-Week Plan for the Gym and Home
The deltoid has three heads, and each one has its own main exercise: the overhead press for the front delt, lateral raises for the side delt, and the bent-over reverse fly and rows for the rear delt. To grow, your shoulders need about 10 sets per week for each head, and your presses and rows already cover part of that. Below: which exercises to choose based on muscle activation studies, how to count your sets, an 8-week plan for the gym and home, and how to keep your traps out of lateral raises.
Seated Cable Row: Step-by-Step Form, Which Grip to Use, Muscles Worked and How Much Weight to Start With
A seated cable row is a pull toward your waist while you sit with your feet braced against a footplate and your torso upright. Your lats and the muscles between your shoulder blades do most of the work, with your biceps and rear delts helping. Below: step-by-step form, which handle and grip to pick, how far you can lean, the single-arm version and home substitutes, mistakes you can feel, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Dumbbell Fly: How to Do It on a Flat or Incline Bench, What Elbow Angle to Keep and How Much Weight to Use
A dumbbell fly is a chest exercise where you lie on a bench, lower the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc and bring them back together over your chest. Your elbows stay slightly bent and barely change angle, and the pecs do most of the work. Below: flat and incline bench form, the right elbow angle, how low to go, how the fly differs from a press, what to do instead, the mistakes you can feel, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Lateral Raises: How to Do Side, Bent-Over and Front Raises Standing or Seated, What Weight to Use and How to Stop Your Traps Taking Over
A lateral raise means lifting your arms, nearly straight and holding dumbbells, out to the sides up to shoulder height. You'll also see it called a side raise or a side lateral raise. Below: form for side, bent-over and front raises, standing and seated, with a band and on a cable, what to do about your traps, the mistakes you can feel, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Assisted Pull-Up Machine: How It Works, How to Use It and How Much Weight to Set as a Beginner
An assisted pull-up machine, often called a Gravitron, helps you do pull-ups and dips: you kneel on a pad, and a counterweight takes away part of your body weight. Below: how to set the weight and why more plates make it easier, pull-up form, which grip to choose, an 8-week plan for women and men, and a simple rule that tells you when you're ready for the bar.
Overhead Press: Step-by-Step Standing Barbell Form, Muscles Worked, Grip Width and How Much Weight to Use
The overhead press, also called the military press, is a standing barbell press from your upper chest to straight arms overhead, with your body rigid and your legs doing nothing. Your front and side delts do most of the work, your triceps finish the lift at the top, and your abs and glutes hold your torso still. Below: step-by-step form, which grip to use, how standing differs from seated, dumbbell and behind-the-neck presses, how much to load in each, the mistakes you can feel, strength standards, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Step-by-Step Form, Muscles Worked, Bench Angle and How Much Weight to Use
A seated dumbbell shoulder press means pressing two dumbbells from your shoulders to overhead while you sit on a bench with a back support. The front delts do most of the work, the side delts help, and the triceps finish the lift at the top. Below: step-by-step form, which bench angle to use, what research found when it compared seated and standing presses, how it differs from the military press and the Arnold press, the mistakes you can feel, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Bent-Over Row: Step-by-Step Barbell Row Form, Overhand vs. Underhand Grip, Torso Angle and How Much Weight to Use
A bent-over row means pulling a barbell to your lower belly while your torso holds a fixed forward lean: your back stays still, and your shoulder blades and arms do the moving. Your lats and the muscles between your shoulder blades do most of the work, and your biceps help. Below: step-by-step barbell row form, how to find the torso angle that fits your mobility, what overhand and underhand grips change, how a barbell row differs from a one-arm dumbbell row and a T-bar row, mistakes you can feel, your lower back in numbers, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
Bicep Curl Form: How to Do Bicep Curls With a Barbell or Dumbbells, Muscles Worked, Strict Curl Standards and How Much Weight to Use
A bicep curl is bending your elbows against a barbell or dumbbells while your torso and elbows stay put and only your forearms move. The biceps brachii does most of the work, with help from the brachialis and brachioradialis. Below: barbell and dumbbell form, which grip and bar loads what, strict curl rules and standards, the mistakes you can feel, and an 8-week weight plan for women and men.
How to Do Dips: Chest vs. Triceps Form, Muscles Worked, and How to Get Your First Dip on the Assisted Machine
Dips are one of the few upper-body exercises where your arms hold your entire body weight, and you can keep making them harder without a barbell: first with body weight, then with a dip belt. They work your triceps and lower chest, with help from the front delts and the muscles that hold your shoulder blades. Below: step-by-step form, the difference between chest dips and triceps dips, how to get from zero to your first rep with the assisted machine and negatives, 8-week plans with body weight and added weight, mistakes you can feel, and a detailed look at your shoulders.