Building Shoulder Strength: From the Inside Out

A key to developing strong, powerful shoulder muscles is to work on strengthening the shoulder from the inside out. As the deltoid muscles become stronger, more weight can be lifted, which benefits muscle hypertrophy. It is important to develop the muscles that make up the rotator cuff as well as the various deltoid muscles. This should help to prevent any shoulder issues down the road, as well as decrease the risk of injuries.

Four Rotator Cuff Muscles

The rotator cuff muscles perform internal and external rotation and help to stabilize the shoulder capsule. They are commonly referred to as the SITS muscles:

Supraspinatus
Infraspinatus
Teres minor
Subscapularis

Deltoid Muscles

There are three heads that make up the deltoid muscle. The front muscle, known as the anterior deltoid, is responsible for helping the arm move forward. The middle or lateral head is needed to move your arm out to the side, as well as up and down. The third head is found in the back part of the shoulder is the posterior deltoid and it moves the arm backward.

Anterior Deltoid
Medial or Lateral Deltoid
Posterior Deltoid

Here are a few exercises that can be used to strengthen each of the respective muscle groups discussed in this article.

External Rotation

Internal Rotation

Cable Lateral Raise

Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Machine Reverse Fly

Final Thoughts

This group of shoulder exercises, selected by Jefit, will build shoulder strength if the time is put in. These exercises will overload the deep internal and more superficial muscles of the shoulder and eventually will adapt and become stronger over time.

Stay Strong Together

Try the award-winning Jefit app which comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app also has ability to track data. It also offer audio cues, and has a feature to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals.

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Michael Wood, CSCS

Michael Wood, CSCS, is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Content Manager for JeFit app. Michael is a former Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Connecticut and Exercise Physiologist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. He is the Founder of Michael Wood Fitness, named twice to "Top 100 Trainers in America" by Men's Journal and voted Best of Boston by Boston Magazine. Michael previously taught at the University of Connecticut and Boston University. He is the author of TBC30: 6 Steps to a Stronger, Healthier You.

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