In your workout: Do it first in your workout for solid, heavy sets of reps. Going heavy? Have a spotter help you get the weights into the starting position and give you a spot or even a forced rep or two as you push toward failure.

Why it's on the list: Using a barbell rather than dumbbells may seem like a matter of taste, but there are functional reasons to pick the big bar. For one, you can put a bench in a rack and press off of the safety pins, allowing you to dial in your desired range of motion.

Doing barbell-style presses on a Smith machine also allows you to safely push a bit closer to failure than other press variations and really focus on performing slow negatives. In your workout: Do these first in your workout and use challenging weights for sets of reps.

That's how bodybuilder Lawrence Ballenger starts his Boulder Shoulder workout before moving on to lighter lifts. Why it's on the list: Upright rows have a reputation as a shoulder destroyer, but like anything, it's all about how you perform them.

As personal trainer Jimmy Peña explains in the article, " How Wide Should My Grip Be on an Upright Row ," don't take a close grip, which can internally rotate your shoulders. Instead, take a wider grip where your upper arms go directly out to your sides. The science backs this up, too. A wider grip has been demonstrated to both significantly increase delt activation and also minimizing the biceps' role in the movement.

You can also perform these one arm at a time to get the same effect. In your workout: Even though it's technically a multijoint movement, don't do this exercise first in your workout. Do it after your presses for reps per set, in supersets with front raises , or as a burnout move at the end of your routine.

Why it's on the list: Yes, this is just a dumbbell press with some rotation added in. Why give it a separate callout? Because the namesake of the move was definitely onto something!

Research has shown that the staple move of old-school muscle-building programs like the Blueprint to Mass hits both the front and medial delts more than other dumbbell press variations. Plus, many lifters simply find it more friendly to their shoulder joints.

That's a big one-two punch. In your workout: These are great first in your workout, or second after a more basic overhead press. Consider pyramiding up in weight and down in reps for 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, and 6, like in the 3-Move Shoulder Builder workout.

Why it's on the list: Why two rear-delt exercises on the list? Because these small muscles are often undertrained but are important for both posture and rotator-cuff health.

A bent-over version with dumbbells is great, either freestanding or with the head resting on a bench. Just don't cheat and sling the weights up with poor control! If you're hitting the rear pec-deck machine, use a neutral or palms-in grip—not palms-down—to maximally activate the muscle.

In your workout: This is a great move to do later in a workout for reps or more per set, either on its own or supersetted with lateral raises, like in The Simple Workout for Super Shoulders. Why it's on the list: This is one of the most popular and best isolation exercises in the weight room, but it's tougher to master than it seems.

Beginners usually benefit from two cues: lead with your elbows, and only go down until your arms are about 30 degrees out from your sides. Both will help your raises be better —and more difficult. In your workout: If you really want to bring up your medial delts, use do this exercise first; if your front or rear delts need more work, do this exercise last.

In either case, do it for at least reps per set. Every once in a while, maybe after a scoop of your favorite pre-workout , take this to the next level by running the rack.

Why it's on the list: The "why" of this move is simple enough: raising your straight arm directly in front of you activates the anterior head of your deltoids.

But it's not a must-do for everyone! Presses hammer the anterior delts, and these muscles already tend to be disproportionately large among individuals who overdo chest training compared to back training.

So, if you're only going to do one variation, which one is best? Single-sided dumbbell or cable raises are great because each side works independently , or alternating.

This maximizes the mind-muscle connection, but also helps to build balanced shoulders. In your workout: If you're going to do it, do it in the second half of your shoulder workout.

It's a great last movement for a burnout, especially superset with lateral raises, as in Abel Albonetti's Brutal Mass-Building Shoulder Workout. For some of us, there's nothing better than putting heavy stuff overhead.

This old-school free-weights-only shoulder workout starts off with heavy, powerful push-presses, then pumps up your lateral and rear delts with dumbbells. As seen in the image below, you will also use some trapezius. When performing this exercise, you will notice that when you go too heavy, you will target the traps more than the delts.

That's why we advise not to ego lift on this exercise. Try doing this exercise with 10 lbs dumbells for 15 reps, and you will understand what I am talking about. If you would like to focus on the side delts, even more, you can internally rotate your shoulder.

The only thing you have to do is to remember to end up with your pinky higher than your thumb. There are many different variants of the side raises. For example, you can use a cable instead of a dumbbell, or you lay on an incline bench with your chest to focus even more on the side deltoid.

The third exercise is the reverse pec deck, which is focussed on the rear deltoid. When performing this exercise, you will also have some trapezius and infraspinatus activation.

Suppose you're not able to perform this exercise because you do not have a pec deck machine. No worries, you can also use dumbells and an incline bench to achieve almost the same movement.

When performing the reverse pec deck, it's essential to lift your elbows up so that they almost are on the same height as your shoulders. This will make sure that you target the rear delt and not your infraspinatus as much. As you can see in the image above, you have two ways you can hold the handle.

A study showed that it doesn't really show much of a difference between the 2. If you're using way to big weights, you will notice that you will focus more on the traps and back instead of your delts.

Use a weight that will give you at least 12 reps and go from there. The reverse pec deck is often used in a back and bicep workout routine.

However, in this workout, we are focussing on the shoulders. We will finish off the workout with a front raise exercise. You can either do this with a dumbbell or barbell since it's essentially the same movement.

When performing the front raise with a dumbbell, you will focus more on the side delts, and when performing with the barbell, you will focus more on the front deltoid. I personally like to rotate every week between them. That way, my body isn't getting used to one movement. It's best to stop this movement on the same level as your chin.

When coming up to over your head, your shoulder is more prone to injuries. I really like to do this exercise as a finisher, because you can really burn out and hit every muscle fiber in your shoulder. You will most likely also hit some upper chest with it, but try to focus on your shoulders as much as possible.

Now we showed you the best shoulder exercises. We've put together a straightforward and simple shoulder workout. Below you will find all the exercises and the number of repetitions and working sets.

This shoulder workout is designed for gaining mass and strength. You will most likely notice that you will get stronger in other lifts as well. Always make sure to have your diet, sleep, and training in check. If you need help with calculating your daily macros, please use our macro calculator.

As you can see, we are doing four exercises that are targeting all the deltoid parts. More importantly, is that this workout will make sure that you are overloading your shoulders, which leads to muscle growth. An essential thing to notice is to properly warm-up your shoulders before going heavy on the weights.

The shoulders are probably the most injury sensitive muscle groups you have, so please take care of them. It's always best to train your shoulders on a particular day instead of combining it with another body part.

Reach your arms toward the floor as you hinge forward at the hips, leaning your torso forward on a diagonal. Fly your arms out to the sides as high as the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and then release down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 repetitions. Stand with your feet hips-distance apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand.

Bend the knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips. Pull your abs in. Dangle your arms down and then reach the right arm straight up in front of you until it is aligned with your right ear. Then, reach the left arm back behind you, engaging the left tricep.

Think about forming one straight, diagonal line with both arms. Return to the starting position. Alternate, reaching the left arm forward and the right arm back. Continue to alternate for 10 repetitions on each side.

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells so that your arms are in a goal-post position at shoulder height with palms facing away from you. This is your starting position. Engaging your core to remain stable through each repetition, push the dumbbells overhead.

Slowly return back to the starting position. Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Engage your core to maintain stability. With palms facing behind you, extend your arms straight up and out in front of you until you reach shoulder height.

Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms facing your body. Then, extend your arms straight out to the sides, up and away from your body to about shoulder height. Bring the dumbbells up so that they are level with your ears, bending the elbows and turning both palms in toward each other facing your head.

You can get a great shoulder workout at home using just a resistance band with these 4 exercises:. The best shoulder training frequency is about twice per week.

This amount of shoulder strength training gives you the best potential muscle growth gains because your shoulders need adequate rest in order for the muscles to be able to repair and grow. Training shoulders times per week will help you build strong broad shoulders.

The best shoulder workout for preventing shoulder injuries is the Overhead Band Press which is a shoulder activation exercise. This prepares the shoulder muscles to work together properly and should be done before starting the rest of your shoulder workout.

To get big boulder shoulders, be sure to train your shoulders times per week. To get nice 3D shoulders, you should be doing some exercises with heavy weights.

These would include compound exercises done with heavy loads like Barbell Overhead Presses, as well as other isolation exercises with lighter weights.

For strong shoulders, your shoulder training should include exercises that hit each of the deltoid heads including lateral delts, front delts and rear delt movements.

Shoulder programming should definitely not be done every day if you want to build big boulder shoulders. You should have a shoulder day just times per week in order to avoid potential shoulder injury.

This is because in order to build big beefy shoulders, your muscles need ample time to repair themselves and grow. Two shoulder exercises probably isn't enough to build the upper body muscle mass and the broad shoulders you're looking for.

For best potential muscle growth gains, you should be doing exercises that cover all three delt heads including lateral delt moves, rear delt movements and front delt exercises in your shoulder training.

J Sports Sci. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Overhead shoulder press — In-front of the head or behind the head?

Journal of Sport and Health Science. Volume 4, Issue 3, September , Pages Strength and Conditioning Journal 33 5 :p , October The Upright Row: Implications for Preventing Subacromial Impingement.

Jeff Cavaliere is a Physical Therapist, Strength Coach and creator of the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and ATHLEAN-Rx Supplements.

He has a Masters in Physical Therapy MSPT and has worked as Head Physical Therapist for the New York Mets, as well as training many elite professional athletes in Major League Baseball, NFL, MMA and professional wrestling. Get Instant Access to ALL AX Training Programs!

Click Here. Shoulder Workouts BEST EXERCISES FOR MUSCLE AND STRENGTH. Estimated Est. Read Time: 26 minutes. THE ULTIMATE SHOULDER WORKOUT GUIDE. FRONT DELT HEAD ANTERIOR DELTOID MUSCLE. REAR DELT HEAD POSTERIOR DELTOID MUSCLE. MIDDLE DELT HEAD LATERAL DELTOID MUSCLE. Training shoulders is critical for three important reasons: Well-developed shoulders enhance the appearance of your upper body and create a balanced look to the physique.

Strengthening the muscles around the shoulder joint helps maintain good shoulder health. The shoulders are often chronically weak due to undertraining, so having strong shoulders supports the rotational nature of the shoulder joint in all the activities of daily living as well as in your strength training workouts.

This will also help prevent potential shoulder injury. Shoulders can be trained with lighter weight and a variety of different types of equipment, which allows for flexibility to train at home or on the road. What do I mean by this? Why is that the case?

HOW TO DO THE ZERO MOMENTUM SIDE LATERAL RAISE: Traditional starting position is standing straight not hinging forward holding a pair of dumbbells, raise your arms straight out to the side without a significant bend in the elbow, being sure to initiate the contraction from the lateral delts.

For this first repetition, stop halfway to the top of the repetition and pause before lowering again. When you start out, palms will be facing the floor and at the end of the movement, pinkies will be down and thumbs will be up.

Next, lower the dumbbell halfway down and repeat one more contraction to the top. All of these should be solid controlled repetitions executed with clean form. OVERHEAD BAND PRESS. HOW TO DO IT THE OVERHEAD BAND PRESS: For the overhead shoulder band press anchor the resistance band to something in front of you just lower than chest level.

Take the resistance band in both hands and walk yourself back a few feet. Begin to press upward with both hands to overhead position. Do two sets of 15 repetitions with a three second hold. Try to do very deliberate high-quality repetitions.

BARBELL OVERHEAD PRESS. HOW TO DO IT THE BARBELL OVERHEAD PRESS: Start position for this barbell shoulder press is grabbing the bar with an overhand grip, and with a slightly wider grip than shoulder width apart on the bar, palms facing forward.

Then and push the bar up with arms extended to overhead position. Finally lower the bar with control to about shoulder height before beginning again. Be sure to use proper form and shoulder control to avoid a potential shoulder injury and risk of shoulder pain. Take a few minutes of rest between sets for this exercise.

CABLE FRONT DELT RAISE WITH STRETCH. HOW TO DO THE CABLE FRONT DELT RAISE WITH STRETCH: For this frontal raise variation, take a split stance with the feet, grab a cable handle with an overhand grip, perform a front delt raise with the cable stack, but allow the upper arm to go back into extension behind the body at the end of each repetition.

Be sure to keep the elbow slightly bent during the movement. SHOULDER EXERCISES TO TRAIN ALL THE MUSCLES AROUND THE SHOULDER TOGETHER Hypertrophy should never be the only goal of complete shoulder training. The Cheat Lateral Raise accomplishes all of this!

CHEAT LATERAL RAISE. HOW TO DO IT THE CHEAT LATERAL RAISE: Start position is with a dumbbell in one hand, bending slightly forward at the hips. Explosively raise the dumbbell out to the side laterally, arms above shoulder height, swinging it up but controlling the weight on the way down. Maintain a bend in the elbow throughout the movement.

SHOULDER EXERCISES TO TARGET THE REAR DELT The number one exercise for targeting the posterior delts has a lot of other important benefits as well. FACE PULLS. HOW TO DO IT THE FACE PULL: Start position for the cable face pull is setting up a rope attachment on a cable machine in a high position.

Stand with a staggered stance and grab the handles of the rope attachment with palms facing toward each other and thumbs pointing backward. Turn the hands slightly and begin pulling the rope toward eye level with the elbows down below the shoulder joints. RELAY RAISES. HOW TO DO RELAY RAISES: Start with feet shoulder width apart, and slightly staggered in front of a cable pulley with your body facing away from the weight machine, grabbing a cable handle with an overhand grip Hold the attachment with one hand, palm facing forward.

Use the shoulder muscle to push forward and then slowly lower the weight to return to starting position. HIGH BOY ROWS. HOW TO DO HIGH BOY ROWS: Start standing in vertical position with feet shoulder width apart, grabbing a barbell with an overhand grip.

Bending forward slightly, and keeping a slight bend in the elbows, explosively lift the barbell to shoulder height, and lower the bar with control on the way down. OBB LANDMINE PRESS.

HOW TO DO THE OBB LANDMINE PRESS: Start in standing position with feet shoulder width apart, holding the end of a barbell in one hand at shoulder level and with the other end anchored in landmine position.

Explosively push the weight out and away from you bringing the elbow to shoulder level. Keep the core tight during the movement and return to the original position.

OBB TWISTING THRUSTER. HOW TO DO THE OBB TWISTING THRUSTER: Start with feet shoulder width apart, holding the end of the barbell at about chest height with the other end of the barbell anchored on the floor.

Push the end of the barbell up and away from you, then lower the weight, then twist the end of the barbell down and to one side before returning to the starting position. Maintain the core tight the entire time. Do all repetitions toward one side before moving on to the other side.

STANDING DUMBBELL PRESS — STRENGTH. HOW TO DO THE STANDING DUMBBELL PRESS: Start by standing with feet shoulder width apart and holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing toward each other.

Raise both dumbbells, ending with arms extended overhead and then lower the dumbbells with control to the start position with dumbbells at shoulder height. DUMBBELL PUSH PRESS — POWER. HOW TO DO IT THE DUMBBELL PUSH PRESS: Start position is standing with feet hip width apart with dumbbells in each hand at shoulder level.

Explosively push the dumbbells straight overhead and lower, pushing the glutes out and hinging at the hips. Repeat with controlled, fast explosive motion. Explosively raise the dumbbell out to the side laterally, swinging it up but controlling the weight on the way down. Follow it up with a Straight Dumbbell Lateral Raise to failure.

Lower the dumbbells with control. Keep going through the burn until failure. Follow it up in a mechanical drop set with a High Pull, a Figure 8 and a Dumbbell Press Out, each to failure. Learn how to do these exercises and get additional information on this mechanical drop set technique in my article on Best Dumbbell Exercises for Shoulders.

DUMBBELL POWER CLEAN-OVER — TOTAL BODY. HOW TO DO THE DUMBBELL POWER CLEAN-OVER: Explosively clean the dumbbell off the ground to one shoulder. Raise it over to the other shoulder, then lower, then reverse the movement. LYING ECCENTRIC OVERHEAD PRESS — ENTIRE SHOULDER. HOW TO DO THE LYING ECCENTRIC OVERHEAD PRESS: Start position is lying on the ground with the elastic band wrapped around the foot and hand on the same side of the body.

Begin with the knee bent, heel supported on the ground. Use your shoulder to push the elastic band above your head, then stretch out the leg and then lower the hand. Return to starting position. FRONT RAISE PULL APARTS — FRONT DELTS. HOW TO DO FRONT RAISE PULL APARTS: Start standing with the band anchored below your two feet and grasping the other end of the band in both hands.

Begin by raising the band upward with arms in front of you and a very slight bend in the elbows. When you reach shoulder height, spread the arms to pull the band apart. Return to the start. LONG ARC LATERAL RAISE — MIDDLE DELTS. Loop the band around the back of your hand and perform a lateral raise with a straight arm.

BANDED REAR DELT PULL — REAR DELTS. HOW TO DO THE BANDED REAR DELT PULL: Start by wrapping the band around your back. Hook the band around your thumbs and pull back and apart with straight arms, rotating your hands so that your thumbs point up and your palms face away from you.

Lead with the back of your hands as you pull the band apart, focusing on moving the entire arm. SHOULDER WORKOUTS FAQ. What is the best exercise for shoulders? What are 4 exercises for the shoulder?

The 4 best exercises to include in your shoulder training are: Relay Raises High Boy Rows OBB Landmine Press OBB Twisting Thruster These exercises will help you build wide strong shoulders.

Do push ups build shoulders? What shoulder workouts can I do at home without any equipment? You can get a great shoulder workout at home using just a resistance band with these 4 exercises: Lying Eccentric Overhead Press Front Raise Pull Aparts Long Arc Lateral Raise Banded Rear Delt Pull.

Can you train shoulders 3 times a week? What is the best shoulder dumbbell workout The best dumbbell shoulder workout is: Standing Dumbbell Press Dumbbell Push Press Cheat Lateral Raise Mechanical Drop Set Fixed Arm Front Raise Mechanical Drop Set Dumbbell Power Clean-Over.

What's more, the move can be versatile. Struggling with the steps of the movement? Shannon suggests finding a wall for help. Brett Williams, a senior editor at Men's Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.

Ebenezer Samuel, C. He's logged training time with NFL athletes and track athletes and his current training regimen includes weight training, HIIT conditioning, and yoga.

Before joining Men's Health in , he served as a sports columnist and tech columnist for the New York Daily News.

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What Are the Shoulder Muscles? Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. The Bulletproof Shoulder Series. DO IT: Anchor a light resistance band at hip-height while kneeling. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight. Hold the resistance band at your hip, elbow bent. Keeping your upper arm perpendicular to the ground, rotate your wrist away as far as is comfortable.

Do 30 reps. Turn around and do the same thing, this time rotating your wrist toward your chest. Now face the band; grab an end in each hand. Keeping your arms straight, pull the bands back as far as you can, squeezing your mid-back on each rep. Shoulder Mobility Exercises. DO IT: Thoracic Rotation: Start on your hands and knees, then put one hand on the back of your head.

Rotate up and down towards the other hand, then up to the ceiling. Be sure to follow your elbow with your eyes and tuck your bottom rib under to ensure full rotation.

Do five to eight reps to loosen your mid-back rotation on each side. Pec Stretch: On your hands and knees, extend your right arm out to the side, lock the left hand into the ground and then come down and turn your whole body to the left side. That will creating a stretch anteriorly through the pec, and also through your biceps.

Come back up, and then repeat back down. Do five to eight reps on each side. Pull one hand in towards the chest, then shift your other arm out to that side, extending it out in front of your body with your palm on the floor.

Do five to eight stretches on each side. Posterior Capsule Stretch: From a quadruped position, take the right hand and reach through the body ,firmly planting the back of the palm on the ground. Slightly lean your weight into your right side. This is where the rotator cuff muscles are running through.

Do five to eight of these on each side. Mini Band External Rotation: Wrap a mini band around your wrists. Make sure you always keep tension on the band. Push your shoulder blades back, squeezing them, and keeping your elbows tight at your side as you move your hands apart.

Retract your shoulder blades and repeat five to eight times. Incline Bench Press. DO IT: Set an adjustable bench to a to degree incline. Lie faceup on the bench and hold the dumbbells above your shoulders with your arms straight.

Lower the dumbbells to your chest. Pause, then press the weights back up to the starting position. Half-Kneeling Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press. DO IT: Kneel with your left knee forward and bent 90 degrees.

Hold a kettlebell just outside your shoulder in the bottoms-up rack position at your shoulder. The handle should point toward the floor and the bell should point toward the ceiling.

Squeeze the handle, and then press the bell overhead until your arm is straight. Keep your biceps next to your ear and your shoulder pulled down.

Pause, and then reverse the movement. Lateral Raise. DO IT: Stand holding dumbbells at your hips, core tight and glutes squeezed, shoulder blades tight as well. Your elbows should have a slight bend in them.

Without rocking, raise the dumbbells until your wrists are just below your shoulders; keep the fronts of the dumbbells pointing upwards just slightly. Lower with control. Seated Floor Lateral Raise. DO IT: Start seated on the floor, legs straight, two dumbbells held in each hand, touching the floor.

Your arms should be angled slightly in front of your torso. Tighten your core and sit up straight. Exhale and raise the dumbbells, focusing on using your shoulders and not your traps to drive the motion.

Pause when your wrists are in line with your shoulders or a hair below that. Return to the start. Reset for your next rep. Front Raise. DO IT: Grab a pair of dumbbells that you can lift without compromising form. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, keeping your glutes, core, and shoulder blades engaged.

Before starting the lift, shift your palms so your thumbs are pointing to the ceiling so your shoulders are closer to an externally rotated position. Squeeze your shoulders to lift the weight up, just until your arms are parallel to the ground.

Hold for a count, then lower under control. Poliquin Raise. DO IT: Start in a standing position, holding a pair of dumbbells in a neutral position with your arms at a degree angle. Raise your arms up, keeping the bent elbow position.

Stop at the same height you'd use for a lateral raise slightly lower than shoulder height. Extend your elbows, so your arms are straight holding the weights.

Lower the weight to your sides, slowly and under control. Javelin Press. DO IT: Start in a half-kneeling stance, while holding a straight barbell or EZ-curl bar with the same hand as your front foot.

Make sure the bar parallel with the ground; this will be the goal throughout the movement. Press up, fighting to stabilize your core to keep the barbell balanced.

Move slowly and under control. Lower down slowly. DO IT: Start by holding the weight in each hand with your arms straight—you only want to move your shoulders, so your elbows should be fully extended. If you're holding dumbbells or kettlebells, your palms should be in a neutral position; if you're working with a barbell, "break the bar" by shifting your shoulders into external rotation.

Keep your neck in a neutral position and don't look down. Keep your glutes and core engaged. Shrug your shoulders straight up, hold for a count, then lower the weight under control. Resistance Band Face Pull. Back a few steps away until your arms are extended in front of you.

Pull the rope toward your face, pulling it apart as you do. Pull so that your elbows are in line with your shoulders and try to rotate your hands back at the very end.

Military Press. DO IT: Stand holding two dumbbells at your shoulders. Tighten your core and glutes. Your elbows should be slightly in front of you. Press the dumbbells upward, straightening your elbows and shoulders.

Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders with control. Arnold Press. DO IT: The Arnold can be done from standing, seated, and kneeling postures, although our favorite posture is the kneeling setup.

To do this you'll knee, tighten your core and glutes, and hold dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing your chest. Press the dumbbells up, and as you do this, rotate your palms so they turn away from your chest; stop rotating before they turn fully away.