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Lifters typically balance their personal preferences with their history of injuries when choosing how to choose their shoulder exercises. Is lifting a lot of weight the ultimate objective? Or does the mere thought of it cause you to shudder? Are raises your main source of income or are they merely a little supplemental lift?
If you’ve read the prior pieces in the 10 Best series, you already know that we like a mix of both: a powerful muscle-building exercise like a press to begin, followed by focused isolation work. The greatest shoulder exercises may be created using this strategy, which has been shown effective for both men and women. And you may use a variety of motions with it! Here’s how we choose ours:
- Simplicity of performance and learning
- intensity and total muscle stimulation
- being well-liked by devoted lifters and bodybuilders (This matters!)
- Equipment accessibility in commercial gyms
The variations of each movement listed below will keep you occupied for a while. Read up, fuel up, and then start working out with the three full routines below!
6 Best Shoulder Exercises
Military Press
What makes it on the list: Similar to the push-press, this full-body lift is difficult. It was previously fought as a powerlift, and using a barbell, it is still a well-liked lift for establishing lofty strength objectives. But despite the fact that you can’t lift as much weight overall, research has shown that using dumbbells causes a higher level of muscular activation.
Advice: To protect your lumbar spine, keep your hips neutral and practice bracing your core. You won’t reap the benefits if you are constantly sick.
Various Military Presses for shoulder Exercises:
- Standing military press
- Dumbbell shoulder press (double-arm, single-arm, alternating)
- Dumbbell rotational shoulder press
- Double-kettlebell shoulder press
In your workout, pick a weight that will challenge you but won’t cause you to lose form after a good warm-up. Classic rep schemes, such 5×5, are excellent for building muscle and strength. Sets of 6-8 or 8-10 reps with the last one being a struggle but no chance of failing the rep are best for greater pure growth gains.
Rear Delt Row
Why it’s on the list: What in the world does a row have to do with shoulder exercises? Remember that rowing exercises primarily target the “back,” but they also significantly engage the rear delts. Furthermore, according to specialists like physical therapist John Rusin, author of the BodyFit guide Unstoppable: The Ultimate Guide to Training Through Injury, rowing twice or even three times as much as you press is essential for maintaining healthy shoulders.
A 2014 study indicated that in addition to hitting the back delts and the flyes, rows, particularly on an incline bench, much better activated the middle delt than dumbbell shoulder lifts, cable lateral raises, and even barbell upright rows. This makes it obvious how to design a quick shoulder exercises.
Variations of the rear delt row for shoulder exercises:
- Incline dumbbell row
- Bent-over dumbbell rear delt row
Do this as the final high-rep exercise in your shoulder program for sets of 10-12 or more, or immediately following press variation sets of 8–10.
Seated Dumbbell Press
Why it’s on the list: Doing overhead presses with dumbbells instead of a barbell allows you to work each side separately, which is important for balanced development. Additionally, the range of motion is a little wider, which may aid in maximizing muscle growth. You can concentrate entirely on the shoulders by separating the lower body from the pushing motion while seated.
Variations of the seated dumbbell press for shoulder exercises:
- Seated dumbbell press
- Seated kettlebell press
Do it first in your workout for strong, heavy sets of 6–8 repetitions. moving quickly? Have a spotter assist you in setting up the weights and provide you with a spot (or even a forced rep or two) as you work your way toward failure.
Rear Delt Fly
Why it’s There: Why are there two workouts for the rear delts on the list? Because despite being crucial for both posture and rotator cuff health, these tiny muscles are frequently undertrained.
Use of dumbbells while supine, with the head resting on a bench or freestanding, is quite effective. Just don’t be dishonest and throw the weights up carelessly! To fully engage the muscle when using the back pec deck machine, adopt a neutral or palms-in grip rather than palms-down.
In your workout: This is an excellent move to perform toward the end of a session for 10–12 reps or more each set, either independently or in combination with lateral raises, as in The Simple Workout for Super Shoulders.
Lateral Raise
Why it’s on the list: Although it’s one of the best and most widely used shoulder exercises in the gym, this exercise is trickier to master than it first appears. For novices, it is usually beneficial to follow the instructions to lead with your elbows and to stop going down when your arms are about 30 degrees out from your sides. Both will improve and make your raises more difficult.
Variations in Lateral Raise for shoulder exercises:
- Dumbbell lateral raise (double-arm and single-arm)
- Leaning cable lateral raise
- Cable lateral raise
When working out, if your medial delts need the most attention, perform this exercise first; if your front or back delts require more attention, perform this exercise last. Do it for at least 8–10 reps in both scenarios. Take this to the next level by jogging the rack once in a while, perhaps after a scoop of your preferred pre-workout.
Front Raise
What makes it on the list: The “why” of this exercise is straightforward: raising your straight arm in front of you engages your deltoids’ anterior head. But not everybody needs to do it! Presses really work the anterior delts, which are already more noticeable in persons who overdo chest workouts compared to back activities.
What kind of variety, if any, should you try first? Single-sided dumbbells or cable lifts have the advantage that each side can be utilized alternately or independently. In addition to maximizing the mind-muscle link, this promotes the development of balanced shoulders.
Front Raise Variations for shoulder exercises:
- Barbell front raise
- Alternating dumbbell front raise
- Single-arm cable front raise
If you’re going to perform it during your workout, do it after your shoulder workout. In a superset with lateral raises, as in Abel Albonetti’s Brutal Mass-Building Shoulder Workout, it’s an excellent last exercise for burnout.