Written by Tyler DiGiovanni | BSBM
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-Founder
FACT CHECKED
The shoulder is one of the most astounding parts of the human anatomy. It’s the most flexible joint in the body and the most complex. With nearly a dozen muscles and several ligaments and tendons, all converging in one place, your shoulder lets you move your arm in just about any direction. Today we’re going to talk about two of these movements in particular: shoulder abduction and adduction.
Those two words probably sound familiar, and that’s because you’ve seen them on the machines at the gym you never use (but probably should). Let’s get into what they mean, the muscles they work, and some exercises that fit the bill.
What are shoulder abduction and shoulder adduction?
Shoulder Abduction
No, it has nothing to do with your abs, so let’s get that out of the way. Shoulder abduction is the lateral movement of your arms away from the body’s midline. To give you a mental picture, think of raising your arms out to make a “T” pose. Congrats, you just performed shoulder abduction.
Muscles used for Shoulder abduction
- Supraspinatus: This rotator cuff muscle initiates the first 15 degrees of shoulder abduction before the deltoid takes over.
- Deltoid (Middle Head): When you think of shoulder abduction, the middle delt is the muscle you most likely think of. It’s known as the prime mover for this movement.
- Upper Trapezius: While primarily involved in shoulder elevation, the upper trapezius also plays a supportive role in stabilizing the scapula during abduction above 90º.
- Serratus Anterior: The serratus is a fan-shaped background player that helps stabilize the scapula past 90º
Shoulder Adduction
Shoulder adduction is the opposite, moving your arm toward the body’s midline. It might be hard to picture when we would use this, but imagine trying to squeeze a pillow between your elbow and your side.
Muscles used for Shoulder adduction
- Pectoralis Major: Believe it or not, the pecs aren’t just for pushing weight out in front of you. They help pull your arms back to midline.
- Latissimus Dorsi: Better known as your lats, this muscle plays a key role in pulling the arm down and inward.
- Teres Major: Often called the "little helper" of the lats, the teres major assists in shoulder adduction.
- Subscapularis: Another rotator cuff muscle, the subscapularis, contributes to adduction and internal rotation.
Everyday Examples
Still not entirely clear on what they are? Here are some examples of shoulder abduction and adduction that you do in your daily life.
Abduction
Reaching for something out to the side, lifting something up to put on the top shelf, or even a friendly wave are all examples of shoulder abduction.
Adduction
Pulling something toward your body, like bearhugging your dog, doing a pull-up, or holding your arms against your body to hide your armpit sweat stains. Obviously, there are more examples, but hopefully, you get the idea now.
Best Exercises for Shoulder Abduction and Adduction
The nice thing about shoulder abduction and adduction is they help create a great-looking physique.
3 Exercises for Shoulder Abduction
1. Lateral Raises
You had to see this one coming. If you want to see results in strengthening your side delts, as well as building a nice capped shape to your shoulders, this is a must-do exercise.
2. Cable Lateral Raises
This takes everything that’s great about the lateral raise and adds a little bit more to it. The constant pull on your shoulder means that your time under tension is greater, with no rest for your shoulder until you put down the handle.
3. Overhead Press
This might not occur to you as abduction since your hands aren’t going straight out to the sides. But as you’re pressing from the bottom, your elbows are moving away from your body to get the weight up.
3 Exercises for Shoulder Adduction:
1. Lat Pulldown
Known for helping create a wide, powerful looking back, the lat pulldown is a great example of adduction when you think of pinning your elbows to your sides at the bottom of the movement.
2. Dumbbell Flys
This is another head scratcher on the initial mention, because you immediately think of it being primarily a chest movement. But, try the motion as you’re sitting there reading this and you’ll see it actually involves shoulder adduction.
3. Cable Fly
Another variation of the fly movement, the more you angle from high to low, the more shoulder adduction is involved. The video shows a standard high to low fly, but for a different feel, stand in the middle of the towers and press directly to your sides.
Benefits of Incorporating Shoulder Abduction and Adduction Into Workouts
So why should you be doing these movements? As we mentioned before the shoulder is the most complex joint in the body, so it’s crucial that you try to keep your shoulders in tip-top shape.
Balanced Shoulder Development
One of the best ways to keep your shoulders healthy is to make sure there aren’t imbalances in your muscles. Having a workout regimen with a varied mix of abduction and adduction exercises will help hit all three heads of your deltoids, along with strengthen your rotator cuff.
Improved Posture
Because abduction and adduction utilize different parts of the upper back, this improved strength can help keep your body more naturally upright, which in this day and age of sitting on a phone or computer most of the day (probably not with the greatest posture), can help prevent muscle strains and other problems that can occur with poor posture.
Enhanced Functional Strength
As you read earlier, you’re most likely performing shoulder abduction and adduction movements every day without knowing it. If you’ve ever hurt yourself putting something on an overhead shelf, or pulling something toward yourself; that may have been avoidable with proper training. Lifting groceries onto the counter or playing with your kids could be a whole easier with the proper steps taken to make sure you’re developing your strength to it’s full potential.
How to Incorporate Into Your Routine
- Warm-Up: Always make sure you’re properly warmed up before starting any upper body routine. You can start with some internal and external rotations on the cable tower, or, you can do what I do and follow this video.
- Variety: Use a good mix of isolation and compound exercises. Start with compound movements first (i.e. Overhead Press), then work in isolation exercises (i.e. lateral raises) to be able to really focus on the movements.
- Volume: For hypertrophy (muscle building), aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. If you're focusing on endurance, increase the reps (15-20) and reduce the weight.
- Recovery: Given the shoulder's range of motion and susceptibility to injury, ensure you allow adequate recovery time between sessions focusing on shoulder abduction and adduction. We recommend at least 48 hours between sessions. For example, if you’re doing chest on a Monday, don’t hit your shoulders (front delt and side delt) until Wednesday. Same goes for back and your rear delts.
Wrap-Up
You should know exactly what shoulder abduction and adduction are, what muscles they work, and what movements they consist of. While these aren’t the only two movement patterns when it comes to the shoulders, they are two of the most important for building strength and size. Always make sure your shoulders are warm before performing these movements with any significant weight, and enjoy the benefits of improved shoulder abduction and adduction!
Learn more: Shoulder Training
Tyler DiGiovanni
Author