Shoulder exercises are an integral part of each and every person’s workout routine. Shoulder exercises can do wonders for you if you are looking for a perfect shape. So the best shoulder exercises are the ones that give your shoulder better strength and bulk (mass).
Shoulder muscles are one of the easier muscle groups to develop through right exercises. There are 20 distinct muscles that help in stabilizing the shoulder, controlling movements and maintaining great shoulder health. The best shoulder exercises involves these main muscles that help the entire shoulder performance and these muscles include:
- Deltoid Muscles: These connect the shoulder to the chest. They are a set of three muscles (anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid and posterior deltoid). If you want big strong shoulders then working on deltoids is inevitable.
- Trapezius: This muscle runs from the shoulder to the lower back. This muscle connects your two shoulders in the back and extends to support your back.
- Pectoralis major: It is a large muscle that makes the bulk of the chest muscle. It is different from pectoralis minor which aids the stabilization and movement of the scapula (shoulder blade).
- Rhomboid major: It is a muscle that connects shoulder blades together with your spine. They help in holding your shoulder blade and keep your shoulder stable. It is very crucial for shoulder stability which is important for a shoulder workout.
- Serratus anterior: This fan-shaped muscle is called “boxer’s muscle” as it is largely responsible for the retraction of the scapula that occurs when you throw a punch.
- Rotator cuff: It is a collection of four components and its function is to provide support in articulation between arm and shoulder.
Let’s now learn about the best shoulder exercises, they are as follows:
1. Pushups
Pushups are the quintessential shoulder exercise both in building power and muscle mass of the shoulders. It doesn’t need any equipment so it can be done anywhere. Pushups also got redesigned with time and now we have different types of pushups like inclined, diamond, pike, cross-body, staggered push up, etc.
2. Incline bench press
It is undoubtedly one of the best shoulder exercises and many refer to it as ‘incline dumbbell press’. In this exercise adjust your bench at an angle of 45 degrees and then perform standard shoulder press with dumbbells or barbell. The angle helps in engaging the upper part of pectoral muscle rather than using the whole muscle.
3. Lateral raise
They are multipurpose shoulder exercises and can be performed with equipment like resistance bands, dumbbells, cable machines.
4. Overhead press
It is one of the best compound exercises and it helps in building strong shoulders and increasing stability too. It targets your deltoids, pectorals, trapezius, and triceps.
5. Standing cable pulley fly
This is a machine aided shoulder exercise which targets deltoid muscles. It is one of the best shoulder exercises which you can perform for targeting deltoid and chest muscles. In this you have to use both cables at the chest level and then extend your arms to your sides (you have to be in a neutral position).
6. Prone T
It is a functional or dynamic exercise which doesn’t need any equipment. It improves shoulder stability. In this you need to lie down on your belly and keep urs perpendicular to your legs so that you make a T shape and raise the upwards. Repeat 8 to 12 times in one set and you can do 3 – 4 sets of this.
7. Single dumbbell front raise
It is part of a very killer shoulder workout especially for those who love building those popular “alpha-looking shoulders”. It mainly targets deltoids with upper chest muscles.
8. Standing barbell shrugs
It is one of the best shoulder exercises if you are looking to target the trapezius muscle and make your shoulders stronger than before. Stand straight with the back aligned and the legs shoulder width apart and hold the bar. You can add weight as per your choice or for beginners only a bar is enough too.
The Best Shoulder Workout
Well depending upon your requirement and determination for perfect shoulders, the best shoulder workout can be grouped as:
- Beginner Shoulder Workout — for beginners it is advised to start with 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions of seated dumbbell shoulder press with minimum weight maybe 2.5 – 5 kg dumbbells; dumbbell lateral raises and lastly seated rear delt fly.
- Hard and Heavy Shoulder Workout — one has to perform 3 sets of each exercise with 8 – 12 repetitions which are Push press, Arnold press, Incline dumbbell row, and Dumbbell lateral raise.
- Machine Pump Shoulder Workout — Try to perform 4 sets of each machine shoulder exercise with 12 – 15 repetitions of machine shoulder press, single arm cable lateral raise, single arm cable front raise and reverse pec-deck.
The Best Shoulder Workouts For Mass
Optimum results can be achieved when you plan a proper mix of exercise according to your strength and requirements. For that reason the shoulder workouts are designed by trainers which are based on weight, height, endurance, age and any medical problems (like cervical pain aggravate with some shoulder exercises, or migraines, etc).
You Might Like – Design Your Perfect Workout Plan With These Exercises
The best shoulder workouts for mass gain may look like this
| SHOULDER EXERCISE | REPETITIONS & SETS |
| Shoulder press (barbell/dumbbells) | 8-10 reps & 3 sets |
| Side Raises (dumbbells/cable) | 10-12 reps & 4 sets |
| Reverse Pec Deck | 10-12 reps & 3 sets |
| Front Raises (dumbbells/barbell) | 12-15 reps & 4 sets |
Before you plan to pump up your muscles, always remember to have a good warm-up so that the chances of injuries are less. Secondly do not over do for quick and better results. Never perform shoulder exercises everyday. The best way is to do alternate days or two/three times a week only.
Shoulder exercises are very important for overall physical fitness. As shoulders are involved in so many things in our day to day life. So, if you want to flaunt your sized up shoulders with strength then you have the access to guidelines to follow the best shoulder exercises along with the best shoulder workouts for mass and strength.