Muscle guide · Upper body

The Best Exercises for Shoulders

The best shoulder exercises are an overhead press for the front delts, lateral raises for the side delts and reverse flies or rows for the rear delts. Most people need direct side- and rear-delt work because presses mainly hit the front.

Includes: Anterior Deltoid, Lateral Deltoid, Posterior Deltoid · also called Anterior Deltoid, Front Delt Left, Front Delt Right, Medial Deltoid

Written by the FitStack training team. Last reviewed .

Front view: muscles worked by shoulders training. Primary: shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by shoulders training. Primary: shoulders.
Primary

What the shoulders do

  • The front (anterior) deltoid raises the arm forward and helps in pressing.
  • The side (lateral) deltoid raises the arm out to the side.
  • The rear (posterior) deltoid pulls the arm back, as in rows and reverse flies.

The deltoid caps the shoulder and has three heads. Pressing trains the front head heavily, rows and pulls train the rear head, and the side head responds best to raises out to the side. The rotator cuff sits underneath and keeps the joint centred.

7 best shoulder exercises

  1. Standing dumbbell overhead press — Main compound for the front and side delts.
  2. Dumbbell lateral raise — Best isolation for side-delt width.
  3. Cable lateral raise — Keeps tension at the bottom of the raise.
  4. Dumbbell reverse fly — Targets the rear delts.
  5. Reverse pec deck — Machine rear-delt fly.
  6. Seated barbell overhead press — Heaviest loading for the front delts.
  7. Arnold press — Rotating press for the front delts.

Sample shoulders workouts

Gym shoulder workout

Gym · Intermediate

Gym shoulder workout: exercises and sets × reps
Dumbbell overhead press 3 × 6–10
Lateral raise 4 × 12–20
Reverse pec deck 3 × 12–15

Home shoulder workout

Home · Beginner

Home shoulder workout: exercises and sets × reps
Seated dumbbell press 3 × 8–12
Lateral raise 3 × 12–20
Band reverse fly 3 × 15–20

Sets × reps. Finish each set with one or two reps left in reserve, and rest 2 to 3 minutes after compound lifts and 1 to 2 minutes after isolation work.

How many sets for the shoulders?

Front delts get plenty of work from chest pressing, so many lifters need only one overhead press. Give the side and rear delts 8 to 16 direct sets a week; they recover quickly and tolerate two or three sessions.

Muscle growth rises with weekly volume: in a meta-analysis, 10 or more hard sets per muscle per week produced more growth than fewer than 5 (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), and training a muscle at least twice a week beat once a week when volume was matched (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). Start near the low end and add sets while you are still recovering between sessions.

More shoulders exercises by equipment

Dumbbell

Cable

Barbell

Leverage Machine

Band

Smith Machine

Rope

Body Weight

Resistance Band

Weighted

Filter every shoulders exercise in the library →

Exercises that also work the shoulders (50)

Shoulders training FAQs

How do I get wider shoulders?

Train the side delts directly with lateral raises, two or three times a week, for higher reps with strict form.

Do I need to train front delts directly?

Usually not much. Bench and incline pressing already load the front delts heavily; one overhead press is plenty.

Why does my shoulder hurt when I press?

Try a neutral grip, a slightly lower angle or lighter weight, and strengthen the rear delts and rotator cuff. See a clinician if pain persists.

Sources

  1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073-1082.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.