Anatomy of the human body - musculus deltoideus / deltoid muscle

Often we see that an article mentions a muscle, but not every reader knows what muscle it is. Based on this, we have decided to create a series of articles in which we will discuss the basic anatomy of the human body and introduce the muscles in more detail. Among other things, we will also show you what exercises to use to exercise a given muscle part correctly. We decided to dedicate the first two parts to perhaps the most famous muscles of all - triceps and biceps. This was followed by the piriformis anterior, the pectoralis major, and in this article we'll focus on the deltoid!

The deltoid muscle is a thick triangular muscle of the shoulder. It gets its name from its similar shape to the Greek letter "delta" (Δ). It is also the largest of the shoulder muscles. It can be divided into 3 parts according to its function:

• Anterior
• Middle
• Posterior

The anterior part is the most loaded and therefore often shortened. The rear part, on the other hand, is usually weakened. For this reason, the shoulders are forced forward. Therefore, the back of the deltoid needs to be strengthened as well (reverse lunges are a great exercise).

• Functions.
• Beginning of the muscle: Anterior part - clavicle, middle part - supraspinatus (protrusion of the scapula above the shoulder joint), posterior part - outer side of the scapula
• Extension of the muscle: Anterior side of the humerus

Basic exercises for the deltoid muscle:

Inverted Peck Deck

One-handed arm curls

Push-ups with one-armed sit-ups

• More exercises to develop shoulder muscles can be found in our section - Exercise Database

What to avoid when exercising the deltoid muscle:

This is what we asked our supertrainer again.

When exercising the shoulders, we should pay particular attention to the back and middle part - the front delts are already sufficiently exercised, for example, during chest musclepresses . On the other hand, the back part tends to be weaker, so I would prioritize it in training. This will give you more stability in the shoulder joint, resulting in less risk of injury, plus your shoulders will feel more powerful.

Sources: image - Kenhub.com, Anatomy of Body and Movement (Theodore Dimon)