Exercises by muscle

Shoulder exercises.

Presses for strength, raises for width and rear work for balance: the exercises that train your shoulders best.

As the main muscle
19
As a helper muscle
38
Muscle map: shoulder muscles

Meet the muscles

The deltoid has three heads. The front head drives your arm forward and works hard in every press; the side head lifts it out to the side and creates width.

The rear head pulls your arm back. It's usually undertrained compared with the other two, so it deserves its own work like rear delt flyes or face pulls.

  • Front Delts
  • Side Delts
  • Rear Delts

The best shoulder exercises

Shoulder workout

A complete session for this muscle group in about 40 minutes. Repeat it once or twice a week and add weight when you hit every rep.

  1. Overhead Press4 × 6-10
  2. Lateral Raise4 × 12-20
  3. Rear Delt Fly3 × 12-20
  4. Face Pull3 × 15

All shoulder exercises

Strength16

Power and cardio2

Mobility and stretching1

As a helper muscle38

FAQ

How do I get broader shoulders?

By training the side delts with frequent lateral raises, alongside a heavy shoulder press.

Do I need to train the front delts separately?

Usually not: they already work hard in bench and shoulder presses.

Barbell or dumbbell overhead press?

The barbell allows more weight; dumbbells feel better for many shoulders. Both work.

How often should I train shoulders?

2-3 times a week works well, especially for lateral raises, which recover quickly.

Train your shoulders with Nuvana.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play