Shoulder Exercises for Women - Two Delt Workout Ideas for Women

Regardless of how intense you want to go with this program, I recommend that you do a complete shoulder workout, targeting front, medial and rear delts. Many people focus solely on front delts, which is silly, since you know you're going to get a lot of front-delt work while training chest. Why prioritize the part of the muscle that's getting the most attention as it is?

You must concentrate on all three heads of the deltoid muscle, as that's the only way to create the illusion of wider shoulders and a smaller waist. Here are two approaches to doing just that.

The Hardcore Way

Begin with the most basic exercise - behind-the-neck military presses. Do three sets of 10 reps with as heavy a weight as you can handle. I can't tell you how much weight to lift; that's up to you to assess. This set and rep parameter applies to all exercises in the hardcore program for shoulders.

Once your shoulders are cooking along nicely, move on to upright rows - an excellent alternative to shrugs. Personally, I don't believe that women should do shrugs at all; traps are not particularly feminine. If you do your upright rows properly, you will get the upper back/trap/ medial delt tie-ins you're after without overdeveloping your trapezius.

I like to do my upright rows with a wider-than-normal grip - this places more emphasis on the medial delts, while still enhancing overall delt size and strength. To further isolate the medial delts, the best exercise is the trusty side lateral raise. Keep the form strict, don't cheat and always lift heavy.

Finish with two rear-delt exercises for the area that's the most difficult to stimulate for most women. Rear-delt machine flys and bent lateral raises are both very effective. It's amazing how many rear-delt machines have popped up in the gym over the past few years.

If you're into this hardcore mode, train shoulders every four or five days. I suggest you experiment with everything before deciding what stimulates and pleases you the most.

The Moderate Way

If you'd rather take the easy road, then perform three exercises instead of five. Ease back on the amount of weight you use and increase your reps to the 12-15 range.

Start with behind-the-neck military presses on a Smith machine, followed by machine side laterals. Finish with rear-delt flys on a rear-delt machine that has a chest pad for support.

If you opt for the moderate route, a once-per-week frequency should get the job done. Based on the vibe I'm getting from you, however, I have a feeling that doing this once per week is not going to appease your hunger for training satisfaction.