Work the Backside

Shoulder exercises are a great part of resistance workouts. But did you know that the shoulders have three heads? While working out many of us face a mirror, and many only train what they can see, which is the front and middle heads of the deltoid muscle (shoulder). But the back side of the shoulder or deltoid needs attention, too. Otherwise, you will be unbalanced. Most of your strength will be in the front of your shoulders, which can set you up for a rotator cuff injury. Another little known fact is that the rotator cuff actually has a big attachment in the back of the shoulder.

A good exercise to target the back of your shoulders is bent-over shoulder raises.

• Sit on the edge of a workout bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet flat on the floor. Bend forward at the waist so that your upper body is parallel or close to parallel to the floor. Let your arms hang straight down under your chest. Exhale and raise the dumbbells out to the side until they are parallel to the floor.
  Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position. Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout the entire movement. Be careful not to lift your torso when you raise the weights.
  
• The rear deltoids are a small muscle group. You will not be able to handle a lot of weight, so this won't be the move where you will be dropping huge dumbbells to the floor after a set. In fact, you will likely start with very light weights (2-5 pounds).

Progress can be measured by both amount of weight and number of reps, Remember we want you to have a healthy, balanced physique.