Stop Doing This For Your Front Delts!

You might think it’s a waste of time, but I’m going to explain why you need to train front delts. In this edition of “AX JEFF”, Jeff Cavaliere and Jesse Laico will answer the viewer’s question about whether or not you need to train your front delts.

There are plenty of social media influencers that have argued that training your front delts is a waste of time. Where does this idea come from? Well, they like to present the argument that you get enough front deltoid stimulation from all the compound pressing movements you do; such as the bench press and the overhead press.

Is that true?

Well, they are correct about the fact that the front delt is involved in these exercises, but if that is the logic they are presenting, then why would you train the triceps? As a matter of fact, when it comes to compound pressing exercises, like the bench press, when someone hits a plateau, it’s usually not the chest that isn’t strong enough – it usually turns out to be the front delts or triceps that are the weak point. If getting stronger on the bench press is your goal, then it would be wise to isolate these muscles to breakthrough that plateau.

The next objection comes in the form of muscle imbalances. There is a thought that people have overly developed or dominant front delts compared to the rest of their shoulders. I have to ask another question; are you really front delt dominant or are you lacking in the side and rear delts? We know that the rear delts are responsible for the appearance of fully developed shoulders, so it would make sense to give them more attention as opposed to removing front delt exercises altogether.

And finally, there is the thought that training the front delts is dangerous and can lead to injury. Well, it can be if you choose the wrong exercises at the wrong time in your lifting journey. Exercise selection is key and I will get to that later.

So, I can safely say that you still need to train your front delts and here’s why…

When it comes to strength and hypertrophy, getting stronger front delts will allow you to be stronger on your compound lifts, which will help to increase size of not just your front delts, but other muscles as well. When it comes to training athletes, it’s important to note that strength directly correlates to performance. The only athletes I would say need less front delt work than anybody would be someone that throws overhead, such as pitchers and quarterbacks.

Developing every muscle in the shoulder girdle, that includes the front delts by the way, will lead to healthy shoulders overall. This comes from range of motion and muscle contribution from all muscles involved. This includes exercises that hit not just the shoulders themselves, but scapular muscles as well, such as the traps and rhomboids. But in the end, the front delts are part of the shoulder girdle and to keep healthy shoulders, you need to give them some direct attention.

When it comes to compound lifts, some people just don’t have the mobility for it. Anyone with severe kyphosis will not be able to properly raise their arms overhead, effectively eliminating the overhead press from their program. Performing compound exercises in a poor starting posture will lead to weaknesses and limitations on performance.

Aside from that, if your goal is aesthetics, why wouldn’t you train the front delts to make them grow? You need direct stimulus to grow them optimally. Not everyone is blessed with genetics that make them pop without any direct work. If you are one of those people that doesn’t have perfect shoulder genetics, you will be required to isolate them to make them bigger and stronger.

So, how often shoulder you perform front delt work if you need to make them grow? I would argue that 1-2 exercises done for 3-5 sets per week. You can include them on your next shoulder day if you are following a bro split, an upper day if you are following upper/lower, or if you are doing push/pull/legs, then you would include them on your push day. You don’t need a ton of front delt exercises thrown in, but having them there to be hit directly will benefit you.

What front delt exercises do I recommend you include in your programming? Be sure to watch the rest of the video to find out what front delt exercises you should be doing in order to build bigger, stronger, and healthier shoulders.

How To Train Your Front Dets – http://athleanx.com/x/train-front-delts
Subscribe to this channel here – http://bit.ly/2b0coMW

if you are looking for a step-by-step workout program with a meal plan included, be sure to head over to athleanx.com and use the program selector to find the program that best matches your current training goal and ability levels.

For more videos on how to build the most muscle possible, make sure to subscribe to this channel here on YouTube and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.