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The 15 Best Shoulder Exercises
1. Standing Overhead Press
The standing overhead press trains all your shoulder muscles to a high degree. It also allows you to lift heavy weights safely and progress regularly, making it one of the best shoulder-strengthening exercises.
How to:
- Set a barbell in a rack at the same height as your upper chest.
- Grip the bar with a shoulder-width grip and your palms facing away from you.
- Unrack the barbell, step backward, and plant your feet just outside of shoulder width.
- Push the bar toward the ceiling until your arms are straight.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
2. Push Press
The push press is a variation of the standing overhead press that uses momentum generated by your lower body to help you press heavier weights overhead. It’s an excellent exercise for developing shoulder power, making it particularly beneficial for athletes.
How to:
- Set a barbell in a rack at the same height as your upper chest.
- Grip the bar with a shoulder-width grip and your palms facing away from you.
- Unrack the barbell, step backward, and plant your feet just outside of shoulder width.
- Drop your butt 3-to-6 inches by bending your knees, then shoot your hips upward and explosively straighten your knees.
- Press the bar straight up using the momentum generated by your lower body.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
3. Seated Overhead Press
The seated overhead press allows you to lift heavier weights and progress faster than most other shoulder exercises, making it an ideal addition to your shoulder training.
How to:
- Set up an upright bench in a squat rack or use a seated barbell overhead press station.
- Set a barbell in the rack at about shoulder height when standing.
- Sit down and grip the bar with a shoulder-width grip and your palms facing away from you.
- Unrack the barbell and lower it to your collarbone.
- Press the bar toward the ceiling and return to the starting position.
4. Shoulder Press
Because the shoulder press involves lifting dumbbells, it’s helpful for finding and fixing muscle and strength imbalances. It also trains your shoulders through a longer range of motion than barbell overhead pressing exercises, which is generally beneficial for muscle growth.
How to:
- Sit on an upright bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on your thighs.
- Hoist the dumbbells up so you’re holding them just above your shoulders with your palms facing away from you.
- Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling until your arms are straight.
- Lower the dumbbells and return to the starting position.
5. Arnold Press
The Arnold press emphasizes your side delts more than other overhead pressing variations, making it an excellent exercise for balanced shoulder development.
How to:
- Sit on an upright bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on your thighs.
- Hoist the dumbbells up so you’re holding them just in front of your shoulders with your palms facing you.
- Press the dumbbells straight overhead while rotating your wrists until your arms are straight and your palms are facing away from you.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
6. Machine Shoulder Press
The machine shoulder press is a good option for training your deltoid muscles if you’re new to weightlifting, working around an injury, don’t have access to a barbell or dumbbells, or want to change up your training.
How to:
- Adjust the shoulder press machine’s seat so the handles are about the same height as your ears, then sit down.
- Grip the handles with your palms facing away from you, then press them toward the ceiling until your arms are straight.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
7. Handstand Push-up
The handstand push-up primarily trains your shoulders, triceps, and upper back. However, it also requires exceptional balance and coordination, which means it trains stabilizer muscles throughout your body, too.
How to:
- While facing a wall, bend down and place your palms on the floor 6-to-12 inches from the wall with your middle fingers pointing forward.
- Without moving your hands, jump into a handstand, resting your heels against the wall.
- Bend your elbows and lower your head toward the floor.
- When your head taps the floor, push through your hands and return to the starting position.
8. Resistance Band Push-up
The push-up is an excellent exercise for training all your upper-body pushing muscles, including your shoulders. Adding a resistance band makes the exercise significantly more challenging, making it more effective for gaining muscle and strength.
- While holding one end of an exercise band in each hand, wrap the band around your back, just under your armpits.
- Get on all fours and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your legs behind you so that your hands and toes support your weight and your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
- Lower your chest to the floor, then push your body up and return to the starting position.
9. Dumbbell Front Raise
The dumbbell front raise isolates your front delts. While these muscles get plenty of stimulation during pushing exercises, the dumbbell front raise can be useful if you’re working around an injury and can’t perform presses.
How to:
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Raise the dumbbells out in front. Continue raising your arms until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
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10. Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
The dumbbell side lateral raise is one of the best exercises for isolating the side delts. While it’s effective for everyone, the dumbbell side lateral raise is a particularly popular shoulder exercise for women since it helps develop the “defined” shoulder look many women like.
How to:
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Raise the dumbbells out to your sides until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
11. Cable Side Lateral Raise
The cable and dumbbell side lateral raises train the same muscles to a comparable degree, so you can think of them as interchangeable. Again, the cable lateral raise is a good shoulder exercise for women because it helps make your shoulder look more defined, which many women want.
How to:
- Set the pulley on a cable machine to the lowest setting and attach a single handle attachment.
- Stand with your feet either touching or shoulder-width apart, parallel to the handle, and your right foot closer to the handle than your left.
- Grab the handle with your left hand and the machine with your right hand (most people prefer to grab the metal column that holds the pulleys), then lean your body to the left until your right arm fully extends.
- Raise your left hand out to the side until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
- Once you’ve completed the desired number of reps, switch sides and repeat the process with your right arm.
12. Upright Row
The upright row trains your side delts similarly to the side lateral raise, making it an excellent exercise for rounding out shoulder development. That said, some people find the upright row unkind on their rotator cuff muscles and shoulder joints. To avoid this, simply raise the weight until your upper arm is parallel to the floor and no further.
How to:
- Stand up straight and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
- Lift the bar straight upward until your upper arms are parallel with the floor, keeping your elbows higher than your forearms throughout the movement.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
13. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
As well as being one of the best dumbbell exercises for training your posterior deltoids, the dumbbell rear lateral raise effectively trains the traps and rhomboids.
How to:
- Whether standing or seated, bend at the hips so that your upper body is as close to parallel to the floor as possible.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and while keeping your back flat, lift the dumbbells out to the side until your upper arm is parallel to the floor. As you lift the dumbbells, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
14. Machine Reverse Fly
The machine reverse fly trains your posterior deltoids to a high degree, making it a fantastic exercise for developing the backs of your shoulders.
How to:
- Sit down with your body facing the machine and grab the handles with your palms facing down.
- While maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, move the weight back in an arc until your arms are directly out to your sides (or slightly behind your body). As you lift the weight, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
15. Barbell Rear Delt Row
The barbell rear delt row trains your posterior deltoids similarly to the dumbbell rear lateral raise. As such, you can use them interchangeably in your shoulders workouts.
How to:
- Position your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed slightly outward.
- Grab a barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip and your palms facing you.
- Flatten your back so it’s roughly parallel to the floor, and let your arms hang straight down.
- Pull the barbell to your mid-chest, flaring your elbows at about a 60-degree angle relative to your body. As you lift the weight, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.