The shoulder muscles consist of the anterior part, the medial and the posterior part. The muscles in the front of the shoulder namely the anterior muscles are the ones that are used most in upper body exercises. Therefore it is important to remember that just focussing on this area will lead to overworking of the muscles which can prove to be detrimental. A variety of weight training exercises should be practised for the proper building of the shoulder muscles. The number of reps for each exercise should be performed correctly to view results.

Seated military press is the most common of the shoulder exercises. While sitting upright on a bench or shoulder bench press push the barbell upward until your arms are completely stretched above your shoulders. Make sure that your grip is wider than your shoulder width grip. After bringing the barbell back down to either your front or the back of your head repeat the same. Seated dumbbell press is similar to the military press however you use the dumbbells instead of the barbell. Bring the dumbbell up to your shoulder level while sitting on a bench. Your feet should be your shoulder width apart and your palms facing forward. After making sure that your elbow is directly under the dumbbell push your arms upwards until they are fully stretched above your shoulders. Bring the dumbbells back down and repeat.

Side lateral raises focus on the side deltoids. Stand upright while placing your feet apart at about your shoulder width. Lift the weights up until slightly higher than shoulder level. Slowly lower them back and repeat. Your palms must be turned downwards so that the shoulder muscles are focused upon. L laterals is slightly different from the side laterals. Stand in the same position that you would for the side laterals. Bend the elbows to 45 degree angle then raise them up until your arms are parallel to the floor. Bring your arms back to the original position and repeat the exercise.

The results of any exercise depend on your genetics. Only after looking at your body type and capability should you place goals for yourself. Unrealistic expectations could not only lead to disappointments but can also be injurious if the body is put through more than it can handle. The right exercise routines that focus on the specific areas that you want to develop will lead tremendous results. However performing these exercises without knowledge of how often to perform and the specific technique used will not yield proper results.