To build the perfect set of shoulders, you need to use a variety of exercises to condition all three of the sections of the deltoid muscles.

These six exercises are designed to do just that. Just pick one exercise from each section: A (anterior [or front] deltoids), B (middle [or side] deltoids) and C (posterior [or rear] deltoids).

A. Barbell Front Raise
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs.

Your hands should be shoulder-width apart, palms down. Keeping your back and arms straight, slowly raise the bar in an arc in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor.

Pause, then slowly lower the bar until your hands almost touch your thighs.

Get more: hold an EZ-curl bar at your chest with your palms facing the floor, hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart.

Push the bar straight out and away from your body until your arms are straight and parallel to the floor. Pause, then pull the bar back to your chest.

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B. One-Arm Side Raise

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a light dumbbell in your right hand.

Your right arm should hang straight at your side, palm facing you; your left hand can rest on your hip.

Keeping your right arm straight, but elbow unlocked, slowly raise it to the side until it's parallel to the floor.

Pause, then slowly lower the weight to the starting position.

After completing the set with your right hand, repeat with your left.

Get more: instead of lowering the weight all the way to your side, try stopping when your hand is about 30 centimetres from your thigh.

Not allowing your arm to hang straight at the bottom of the exercise keeps constant tension on the middle deltoids throughout the lift. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Dumbbell Bent-Over Raise

Stand with your knees slightly bent and hold a light weight in each hand.

Your arms should hang straight down at your sides, palms facing each other.

Bending at the waist, lean forward until your back is flat and as parallel to the floor as possible.

Keeping your arms straight and your elbows unlocked, slowly raise the weights out to your sides until your arms are parallel to the floor.

Pause for a second, then slowly lower your arms.

Get more: perform the exercise using an overhand grip.

As you raise the weights up and out to your sides, keep your wrists in this position so your palms continue to face backward throughout the motion. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. Cable Front Raise

Stand with your back to a low pulley and the handle in your left hand, palm facing behind you.

Keeping your back and arm straight, slowly raise your left arm until it's parallel to the floor.

Pause, then slowly lower the handle to the starting position. Finish your repetitions, then repeat with the right hand.

Get more: attach a straight bar to the low pulley. Stand facing away from the pulley with the bar between your legs and grab the bar with both hands.

With your arms straight and palms facing your thighs, raise the bar out in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Cable Two-Arm Raise

Stand between the weight towers and use your right hand to grab the bottom handle that's to your left.

Grab the opposite bottom handle with your left hand and stand with your arms down in front of you, the handles crossing below your waist.

Keeping your arms straight but your elbows unlocked, slowly raise your arms out to the sides until they're parallel to the floor and your palms face down.

Your body forms a T shape. Pause for a second, then slowly lower your arms to the starting position.

Get more: to more effectively focus on each shoulder independently, stand in the same position, but grab only one handle.

Do one set, then grab the other handle to work the opposite shoulder. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Lying Incline-Bench Raise

Grab some light dumbbells and lie facedown on a bench that's inclined about 45 degrees.

Let your arms hang down, with your palms facing each other. Keeping your arms straight, but elbows unlocked, slowly raise them out to your sides until they're parallel to the floor.

Pause, then slowly lower the weights to the starting position.

Get more: exchange the bench for a Swiss ball. Lie facedown with your chest and abs on the ball and your arms hanging down at your sides, palms facing in.

Maintaining your balance, slowly raise your arms straight out to the side in an arc until they're parallel to the floor.

By Myatt Murphy