Did Science Just Find the Best Shoulder Exercise for Muscle Growth?
Armed with sensors on his front, medial, and rear deltoids, pro bodybuilder Eric Janicki went head-to-head with five shoulder exercises to compare surface muscle activity. The results offered insights into optimizing shoulder exercise selection.
Understanding EMG and Its Role in Muscle Research
Electromyography, or EMG, is a technology that measures the electrical activity of muscular movement via sensors placed on the skin or inside the muscles. While EMG tests can’t gauge all factors that influence muscle growth or predict hypertrophy, they might provide clues as to which exercises are more worthwhile for hypertrophy-focused training.
For the experiment, colored sensors were placed on Janicki’s front, lateral, and rear deltoid heads, which flex, abduct, and extend the arm.
[Related: Learn The Latest Research On Lateral Raises]
Results
Here’s how the exercises ranked according to Janicki’s EMG data.
Medial & Front Delts Combo
- Best: Incline Cable-Y-Raise
- Runner-Up: Strict Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Third Place: Lying Cable Lateral Raise
Front Delts
- Best: Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Runner-Up: Incline Cable-Y-Raise
Arsenal machine lateral raises were one of the exercises performed, though Janicki didn’t include them in the results. Here’s an overview:
Incline Cable Y Raises: The Surprising Winner
Cable-Y-raises, where the arms lift overhead in a ‘Y” shape, showed the highest overall EMG activity for the front and lateral deltoids. The results illustrated even tension during the stretch and contraction, which favors better results.
This is my favorite exercise, and I guess I know why now.”
—Eric Janicki
Janicki owes the outcome to the strict nature of cables, prohibiting momentum for precise delt isolation.
Strict Dumbbell Lateral Raises: Form Over Weight
The second best variation for front-medial delt activation was strict-form dumbbell lateral raises. Janicki emphasized controlled reps, leaning forward for maximum stretch, while keeping the arms straight, with 30-pound weights. He performed a set with 50-pounders, aiming for a less rigid form. However, precision prevailed.
Transformation Specialist (@ericjanickifitness)“I was extremely happy about this result,” Janicki exclaimed, stressing that weight doesn’t necessarily equal more gains.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press for Big Front Delts
Unsurprisingly, dumbbell shoulder presses proved unbeatable for front delts, at least on the surface. For long-term muscle growth and joint health, Janicki prioritizes full range of motion reps. However, this can vary depending on the specific exercise, body structure, and mobility.
That deep form and eccentric control produced twice as much stimulus of cheat half reps.
—Eric Janicki
A close second, cable-Y-raises were the star of Janicki’s project. “If you’re trying to get the best bang for your buck, cable-Y-raises were even above dumbbell presses,” says the bodybuilder.
Janicki’s Shoulder Training Takeaways
While EMG tests don’t give the full picture, they may reveal some truth regarding the effects of training variables for real-world results. Nevertheless, Janicki offered some tips:
- Mix the Stimuli: Utilize different tools and techniques for novel muscle stimuli. Research suggests that strategic training variety helps optimize progress. (1)
- Control Is More Important Than Load: While progressive overload is crucial to building a physique, controlled reps with optimal form and less weight could deliver superior gains to sloppy form with heavy loads.
- Emphasize the Stretch: “The eccentric is extremely important,” Janicki affirmed. Slowing the eccentric and accentuating the stretch could be paramount to total muscle stimulation while reducing injury risk.
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Reference
- Kassiano, W., Nunes, J. P., Costa, B., Ribeiro, A. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Cyrino, E. S. (2022). Does Varying Resistance Exercises Promote Superior Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains? A Systematic Review. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 36(6), 1753–1762. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004258
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