The shoulders can be a very peculiar muscle group to train. You go too heavy, and you risk sustaining an injury. You go too light, and you risk never instilling any meaningful growth. It's a tough muscle group to target, and one that is imperative for an impressive physique in almost every bodybuilding pose. Shoulder thickness is often what is emphasized by bodybuilders who will complete set after set of barbell and dumbbell presses. However, after completing set upon set for month upon month, they will still possess shoulders that don't cut the mustard on the bodybuilding stage. They'll be thick, but bunched up. There will be no width when they take the stage, and they will lose to a bodybuilder with weaker yet wider shoulders. This must be prevented.

Training for the side shoulders is equally – if not more – important for bodybuilding success. Once you complete your required 3 to 6 sets for thickness using front movements, the remainder of your workout should consist of side raises using various resistance means to target the side and rear delts. Let's examine the three means by which this is achieved.

Dumbbells
These are the most popular movements for the rear and side deltoids, and for good reason. They allow for the overall brute mass-building as with barbells, with nearly infinite flexibility in terms of direction. You can easily twist and angle them in any direction, something barbells do not permit. Use dumbbells for 4 to 10 sets of side raises and bent-over lateral raises. Keep your repetition range in the 8 to 15 range. Going too low means you'll only be swinging the weight, risking AC or RC joint injury with little chance of actual growth in return.

Cables
The use of cables allows for continuous tension to be placed upon the muscle group in question. This is very useful for etching in some detail during the pre-contest dieting phase, as well as for preventing the shoulder muscles from resting at the very bottom of the movement, when dumbbells temporarily lose their effectiveness when hanging right down by the trainer's side. As long as they never come to a complete rest on the platform, the cables will keep exerting pressure on the shoulder muscles, which will just keep more blood in there. Over time, these extra ounces of blood being forced into the muscle fibers for a longer period of time will deliver a greater amount of nutrients and in the long term, a greater amount of growth.

Resistance bands
Many people do not discover the usefulness of resistance bands until they sustain an injury to their shoulder or biceps tendon or joint, and need to complete lengthy rehab. The truth is that the use of bands in the month and years before an injury could have strengthened the region in new ways, and helped to avoid the injury altogether. Pick up a set of bands at any sporting goods store for under eight bucks, and use them to emulate the shoulder exercises you normally complete with dumbbells or cables. You might just like the results!