10 Best Shoulder Workout Exercises for Building Muscle

The way lifters train their shoulders is usually a balance of personal taste and injury history. Is putting heavy weight overhead the ultimate goal? Or does it make you wince just thinking about it? Are raises your bread and butter, or are they a low-priority accessory lift?

If you’ve read the other articles in the 10 Best series, you know we favor a little of both: a heavy muscle-building move like a press to start, followed by targeted isolation work after. This approach is a time-tested way to build the best shoulder workouts for both men and women. And it allows you to utilize a wide range of movements! Here’s how we selected ours:

Ease of learning and performing
Total muscle stimulation and intensity
Popularity among diehard lifters and bodybuilders (This matters!)
Availability of equipment in commercial gyms

You’ll find enough variations of each movement below to keep you busy for a long time. Read up, eat to grow, then get to work with the three complete workouts below!

10 Best Shoulder Exercises

Push-Press

Push-Press Variations for Shoulder Development:

In your workout: This doesn’t need to be an “every workout” move. When you do use it, perform it first in your workout, after warming up well, for 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps. Stop each set before fatigue causes your form to crack.

Military Press

Rear Delt Row Variations for Shoulder Development:

In your workout: As part of a shoulder workout, do this immediately after press variations for sets of 8-10, or as a final high-rep movement for sets of 10-12 or more.

Seated Dumbbell Press

Seated Barbell Press

Seated Barbell Press Variations for Shoulder Development:

In your workout: Do these first in your workout and use challenging weights for sets of 6-8 reps. That’s how bodybuilder Lawrence Ballenger starts his Boulder Shoulder workout before moving on to lighter lifts.

Upright Row

Arnold Press Variations for Shoulder Development:

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.

Rear Delt Fly

Lateral Raise

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.

Lateral Raise Variations for Shoulder Development:

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 8-10 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.

Front Raise

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.

Front Raise Variations for Shoulder Development:

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.

Best Shoulder Workouts

Hard and Heavy 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. It pairs well with a two-move traps finisher for dessert.

Hard and Heavy Shoulder Workout

Beginner Shoulder Workout

Beginners don’t need to get fancy or high-volume with shoulder training—especially if they’re already hitting their front delts with any significant amount of chest training. Hit these three moves hard, nudge the weights up over time, and they can be enough to grow on.

Beginner Shoulder Workout

Machine Pump Shoulder Workout

Experienced lifters know that shoulders grow well with some high-rep pump work in the mix. If you agree, you’ll love this workout. It can be great on its own, or as a second shoulder day 72 hours after one focused more on free weights and presses. Pair it with a non-stim pre-workout loaded with pump-friendly NO-boosting ingredients and go to town.

Machine Pump Shoulder Workout Machine shoulder press After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 10-12 reps (rest 1 min. ) SINGLE-ARM CABLE LATERAL RAISE Perform all reps on one side, then switch to the other. Don’t rest between sides and rest 1 min. between sets. Cable Lateral Raise After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 10-12 reps (left side, no rest) Cable Lateral Raise After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 10-12 reps (right side, rest 1 min. ) SINGLE-ARM CABLE FRONT RAISE Perform all reps on one side, then switch to the other. Don’t rest between sides and rest 1 min. between sets. Single-arm cable front raise After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 10-12 reps (left side, no rest) Single-arm cable front raise After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 10-12 reps (right side, rest 1 min. ) Reverse Pec-Deck After the final set, perform a single dropset. 4 sets, 12 reps (rest 1 min. )

Best Shoulder-Building Programs

What Are the Best Shoulder Programs for Mass?

What Are the Best Shoulder Programs for Mass?

Shoulder training is too important to just wing it with a few random presses and raises. Get systematic and build your boulder shoulders in three dimensions with these popular delt-building programs:

To follow a similar blueprint to build the rest of your body, check out the companion pieces in this series:

Gym2k.com Articles