upper-body muscle group

Shoulder exercises

The deltoids lift your arms and press them overhead, and they steady the shoulder joint in every direction it moves.

The deltoid has three parts and they do different jobs. The front presses, the side lifts your arm out away from your body, and the rear pulls it backward. That last one is trained with the upper back. Covering all three takes pressing, raises and rowing together. More pressing on its own will only build the front.

Front delts already get plenty of work from every press in your program. A session aimed at shoulders should usually lean on side delts with lateral raises, plus overhead pressing through whatever range feels comfortable.

Shoulders are the joint that complains first when your training volume jumps or your form drifts. Warm up pressing days with light band pull-aparts. Keep lateral raises light and strict. If you feel a pinch, change the range or the weight rather than pushing through it.

Front

Back

Where the shoulders sit

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Exercises that target the shoulders

Build a upper-body workout

Also works the shoulders

These exercises train the shoulders as a secondary muscle. It is useful work that adds up across a program.

Exercises that target the shoulders

Band face pull

Band lateral raise

Band overhead press

Barbell overhead press

Barbell push press

Barbell upright row

Bear crawl

Bench pike push-up

Chest-supported rear delt fly

Decline push-up

Dumbbell Arnold press

Dumbbell front raise

Dumbbell lateral raise

Dumbbell overhead carry

Dumbbell push press

Dumbbell rear delt fly

Dumbbell shoulder press

Dumbbell snatch

Dumbbell thruster

Dumbbell upright row

Dumbbell Z-press

Handstand push-up

Kettlebell front raise

Kettlebell halo

Kettlebell overhead carry

Kettlebell rear delt fly

Kettlebell single-arm press

Kettlebell snatch

Kettlebell upright row

Kettlebell Z-press

Kneeling Pike Push-up

Leaning single-arm lateral raise

Pike push-up

Plank lateral raise

Suspension alligator pull

Suspension chest press

Suspension face pull

Suspension pike push-up

Suspension Y-raise

Turkish get-up

Also works the shoulders

Train it with its neighbours