Bodybuilding Wizard

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine
    • Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities
    • Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development
    • Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?
    • Barbell Seal Rows: Build a Thicker Back Faster
    • Meet the air bike – cardio equipment we love to hate
    • 6 Mistakes to Avoid During an Online Workout
    • The Effects of Caffeine on Muscle Growth
    RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Training
      • Weight training basics
      • Advanced bodybuilding
      • Workout programs
      • Home weight training programs
      • Cardio workout
      • Bodybuilding glossary
      • Exercise equipment
      • Weight training accessories
      • Weight lifting injuries
    • Exercises
      • Chest exercises
        • Middle chest exercises
        • Upper chest exercises
        • Lower chest exercises
      • Back exercises
        • Middle back (latissimus dorsi)
        • Upper back (trapezius)
        • Lower back (erector spinae)
      • Bicep exercises
      • Tricep exercises
      • Shoulder exercises
        • Front deltoid
        • Side deltoid
        • Rear deltoid
        • Rotator Cuff
      • Neck strengthening exercises
      • Quadricep exercises
      • Hamstring exercises
      • Calf exercises
      • Tibialis anterior exercises
      • Abdominal exercises
        • Upper abdominal exercises
        • Lower abdominal exercise
        • Oblique exercises
      • Core exercises
      • Forearm exercises
      • Glute & Hip exercises
      • Kettlebell exercises
      • Foam rolling & Stretching
      • Explosive (dynamic) lifts
    • Motivation
      • Videos
        • Motivational videos
        • Funny workout videos
      • Pictures
      • Quotes
      • Funny Fitness
      • Transformations
    • Diet
    • Supplements
    • Anatomy
    • FAQ
    • Health
    Login
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    You are at:Home»Anatomy»Lateral Deltoid: Functional Anatomy Guide
    Lateral deltoid functional anatomy guide

    Lateral Deltoid: Functional Anatomy Guide

    0
    By krunoslav on February 21, 2017 Anatomy
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Tumblr WhatsApp

    Lateral Deltoid: Functional Anatomy Guide

    The lateral deltoid (L. latus, side ; deltoides, triangular) refers to the middle (side) head of the deltoid muscle. It is the outermost head of the deltoid and is primarily responsible for raising the arm to the side. This gesture is not very common in sports or in daily life. The role of the middle of the shoulder is mostly aesthetic given its curve and its size in relation to the torso. In other words, this head is the most impressive in terms of shoulder width. This is why the lateral part of the deltoid is highly valued.

    In this post you will find out everything you need to know about the functional anatomy of the lateral deltoid – shape (appearance), function (muscle action), location, insertion, and origin.

    Introduction

    The shoulders refer to the deltoid muscles found on the top of the upper arm.

    The roundish-looking muscle that caps the top of your upper arm is called your deltoid, and it’s the shoulder muscle you’re showing off when you wear a sleeveless shirt. It’s made up (composed) of three distinct sections (heads): front (anterior) deltoid, lateral (side) deltoid, and rear (posterior) deltoid. These heads originate on different points of the shoulder girdle but all converge on one common tendon that inserts on the humerus (upper arm bone).

    Anatomy of the deltoid muscle
    Anatomy of the deltoid muscle

    Lateral Deltoid: Location, Shape, Function

    The side deltoids (also known as the middle deltoids) or, as their scientific designation declares, the lateral deltoids, are located as one would guess, on the side of the shoulder when standing relaxed. In other words, this head of the deltoid muscle is situated between the anterior and posterior head, and lies superficial to the insertions of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor. As you can see from the image, this head is also triangular in appearance.

    The lateral (side) deltoid is involved in many of the same movements as the anterior deltoid: abduction (moving the arm away from the body), flexion (moving the arm upward to the front), and transverse flexion (moving the arm across the chest).

    This head of the deltoid muscle handles most of the load when you push a weight straight overhead – the “vertical push” exercises, such as shoulder presses and upright rows. When you lift your arms straight out to your sides, the middle (lateral) and rear deltoids work hard, along with the supraspinatus, one of the four rotator cuff muscles, which lies beneath the deltoid.

    Lateral deltoid
    Lateral head of the deltoid muscle

    The Origin and Insertion of the Lateral Deltoid

    This head of the deltoid muscle arises (originates) from the acromion process and inserts into deltoid tubercle of the humerus.  Simply referred to as the acromium, this point forms the summit of the shoulder and offers an attachment for the medial deltoid before it comes together with all the deltoid muscles to attach to the humerus, just underneath the biceps. Its  main action is abduction of the humerus. It is the stron­gest of the three heads and is aided by the supraspinatus in abduction and limited by the tightening of the lower shoulder capsule. As the arm is abducted, the lateral deltoid contracts, while the anterior and posterior deltoid are stretched, steadying the limb and preventing any sideways motion.

    Let’s summarise:

    • Muscle name: Lateral (side; medial) deltoid;
    • Location: On the side of the shoulder when standing relaxed;
    • Shape: Tiny strip of muscle (triangular in appearance);
    • Origin: Lateral border of the acromion process;
    • Insertion: Deltoid tuberosity on the lateral midshaft of the humerus;
    • Action (function): Shoulder abduction, flexion, transverse flexion;
    • Nerve supply: Axillary nerve (C5-C6)

    Other Names for Lateral Deltoid

    • Side deltoid
    • Medial deltoid
    • Lateral head of the deltoid
    • Outer deltoid

    Related Muscles

    • Anterior deltoid
    • Posterior deltoid
    • Rotator cuff muscles

    Shoulder Training Tips

    The shoulders are beautiful muscles when properly developed. They provide an appearance of width and also give the illusion of bigger arms. In order to achieve the three dimensional look that shoulders provide, all three heads (anterior, medial, and posterior) have to be developed.

    The shoulders can be a very stubborn body part, especially if you don’t know how to train them correctly. Even a slight variation in an exercise’s proper form can mean the difference between no results and major results.

    When training the deltoids, it’s important to be aware of which heads are working to produce a particular movement in order to get the desired training effect. Because the lateral deltoid is only one part of your deltoid and your shoulder is the most complex joint in your body, it is impossible to isolate the lateral delt entirely. But you can perform exercises that recruit the muscle fibers more than others. For example, when you peform lateral raises you will recruit lateral deltoids more, even though the anterior and posterior deltoids will work to.

    Lateral Deltoid Exercises

    There really are only two main side deltoid exercises (movements) you’ll need to include in your routine: (1) lateral raises (isolation shoulder exercise), and (2) upright rows (compoud shoulder exercise).

    Keep in mind that lateral deltoids are also heavily involved in pressing shoulder exercises (such as dumbbell or barbell shoulder presses), especially if you perform them with the elbows out to the side.

    Although dumbbells are classic exercise equipment, they are unfortunately not the best choice for lateral raises. We strongly recommend using machines over dumbbells to perform lateral raises. Therefore, machine lateral raise should be your new exercise of the first choice if you goal is to increase the size of your lateral deltoid heads (those on the sides of you).

    Furthermore, your next best choice for lateral raises involves using a low cable pulley. The ideal scenario is to have a pulley where you can adjust the height. In this case, put the pulley a little above your knee so that the resistance provided by the cable comes well within the shoulder’s pulling axis. When the pulley is close to the ground, the resistance does not come from the side, which reduces the work of the deltoid.

    Finally, we recommend skipping upright rows. They can easily cause severe shoulder impingement and wrist pain (or stiffness) in many people.

    Machine and cable lateral raises will be more than enough to stimulate muscle growth in this section (head) of the deltoid muscle.

    List of Compound and Isolation Exercises for Lateral Delts

    • ISOLATION EXERCISES
    • COMPOUND EXERCISES
    • Machine lateral raise
      Standing dumbbell lateral raise
      Seated dumbbell lateral raise
      One-arm cable lateral raise
      Twp-arm cable lateral raise
      Incline side-lying dumbbell lateral raise
    • Barbell upright row
      Cable upright row
      Dumbbell upright row
      Smith-machine upright row
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
    krunoslav
    • Twitter

    Hey! My name is Petar, and I'm the owner and author of Bodybuilding Wizard. I started this website back in late 2014, and it has been my pet project ever since. My goal is to help you learn proper weight training and nutrition principles so that you can get strong and build the physique of your dreams!

    Related Posts

    The Influence of Hormones on Muscle Growth and Development

    Setting Realistic Body Fat Goals

    Closed and Open Kinetic Chain Exercises

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    WE ARE SOCIAL
    • Facebook 181
    • Twitter 472
    • YouTube 98
    • Instagram
    RECENT POSTS
    January 17, 2023

    The Benefits of Incorporating Boxing Into Your Workout Routine

    January 15, 2023

    Trap Bar Deadlift Vs. Barbell Deadlift — Differences and Similarities

    January 8, 2023

    Barbell vs. Dumbbell Shoulder Press For Shoulder Development

    December 31, 2022

    Comparison of squats and leg presses – which exercise to choose and why?

    December 25, 2022

    Barbell Seal Rows: Build a Thicker Back Faster

    RECENT COMMENTS
    • Justin Dew on Designing your own home gym
    • krunoslav on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • Christina on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • jack on Types Of Whey Protein
    • igtropin on Stiff-Leg Deadlift Technique
    LATEST GALLERIES

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    ABOUT
    ABOUT

    We are a group of bodybuilding enthusiasts and this is our effort to have all the details about bodybuilding on a single website. We strive to educate and inform our visitors so that they can make the correct training, nutrition, and supplement decisions on their own. Bodybuilding Wizard will make your dream body your reality and take you to a whole new level!

    POPULAR POSTS
    April 2, 2014

    Lying Leg Curl Exercise Guide

    February 18, 2019

    Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?

    March 30, 2014

    Workout Frequency

    BODYBUILDING WIZARD
    Bodybuilding Wizard Footer Logo
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    • About
    • Write for us
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Friends
    • Advertising
    Copyright © 2014-2022 BodybuildingWizard. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress. Made with love and lots of caffeine.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?