Shoulder Exercises

Anton YefanovUpdated October 10, 2026

The best shoulder exercises are the dumbbell seated overhead press, the barbell overhead press, the dumbbell lateral raise and the reverse pec deck. One heavy press and two raises cover all three heads of the deltoid, and that combination is the core of any good shoulder workout.

The deltoid has a front, side and rear head, and each one lifts the arm in a different direction. Presses train the front and side heads under heavy load. Side delts build the width that makes shoulders look broad, and they grow best from lateral raises. Rear delts sit on the back of the shoulder, get little work from pressing, and are the head most programs leave behind.

Use this page to pick shoulder exercises for each head, compare the main options, set your sets and reps, and follow a ready-made shoulder workout for the gym, for home or for your first months of training. Every exercise links to a page with a video and step-by-step instructions.

Best Shoulder Exercises

These picks give you a press for strength, raises for each deltoid head and options for dumbbells, cables, machines and kettlebells.

No. 1Best Overall
Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press
Sitting against a bench removes the balance and lower back demands of standing, so the front and side delts can push hard set after set. Dumbbells let each arm find its own path, which most people find more comfortable than a fixed bar. It is beginner friendly and still a mainstay for advanced lifters.
No. 2Best for Strength
Barbell Overhead Press
The standing barbell press lets you move the most weight overhead and trains your trunk to stay braced under it. It is the standard test of pressing strength and easy to progress in small jumps. Learn it once you are comfortable with dumbbell pressing.
No. 3Best for Wider Shoulders
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
The side delts are what make shoulders look wide, and the lateral raise trains them more directly than any press. It needs only light dumbbells and works for every level. Lead with the elbows and stop around shoulder height.
No. 4Best Side Delt Isolation
Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
Leaning away from the cable keeps tension on the side delt at the bottom of the rep, where a dumbbell raise has almost none. One arm at a time also helps you fix a lagging side. It is a great second lateral raise once the dumbbell version is solid.
No. 5Best for Rear Delts
Reverse Pec Deck
The chest pad holds your torso still, so the rear delts do the work without your lower back or momentum helping. It is easy to load progressively and simple to learn. Few exercises make the rear delts this easy to feel.
No. 6Best for Upper Back Balance
Cable Rope Face Pulls
Pulling a rope toward your face with the elbows high trains the rear delts, the external rotators and the middle traps together. It is a staple for balancing heavy pressing with pulling work behind the shoulder. Keep the weight light enough to pause at the end of each rep.
No. 7Best Angled Press
Landmine Press
The bar travels up and forward on an arc instead of straight overhead, which many lifters find more comfortable when strict overhead pressing does not sit well. It trains the front delts hard and teaches the trunk to stay braced. It is also a good entry point for beginners.
No. 8Best Kettlebell Exercise
Kettlebell Push Press
A short dip and drive from the legs lets you handle more weight overhead than a strict press, and lowering it under control loads the shoulders hard. With a single kettlebell it works each side in turn. It is the backbone of most kettlebell shoulder training.

Shoulder anatomy: front, side and rear delts

The deltoid caps the shoulder joint and has three heads. The front (anterior) delt raises the arm forward and is the main shoulder muscle in every press, including the bench press and push-up. The side (lateral) delt raises the arm out to the side and creates shoulder width. The rear (posterior) delt pulls the arm backward and out, as in a reverse fly or the end of a wide row.

Underneath sit the four rotator cuff muscles, which rotate the upper arm and keep the ball of the joint centered while the deltoids do the heavy lifting. Most lifters already get plenty of front delt work from chest pressing, so a balanced shoulder program usually spends more of its direct sets on the side and rear delts, plus a little rotator cuff work as part of the warmup.

Parts of the shoulder, what each does and the exercises that emphasize it
Part	What it does	Best exercises
Front delts	Raise the arm forward and drive overhead and incline pressing	Barbell Overhead Press, Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press, Arnold Press, Dumbbell Front Raise
Side delts	Raise the arm out to the side; give the shoulders width	Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Leaning Cable Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Upright Row
Rear delts	Pull the arm backward and out to the side	Reverse Pec Deck, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly, Dumbbell Laying Reverse Fly, Cable Rope Face Pulls
Rotator cuff	Rotates the upper arm and keeps the joint centered	Band External Rotation, Cable External Rotation, Cuban Press

The best shoulder exercises compared

Build every shoulder session from one press plus raises for the heads the press misses. Choose the press by experience and comfort: seated dumbbells for most people, the standing barbell press for strength, the landmine press when straight overhead pressing does not feel good. Then choose a lateral raise and a rear delt movement based on what equipment you have.

Cables and machines are worth using for raises because they keep tension on through the bottom of the movement, where dumbbells are easiest. Upright rows train the side delts and upper traps together; keep the grip at least shoulder width and stop when your elbows reach shoulder height.

Comparison of key shoulder exercises by equipment, difficulty, best use and deltoid head emphasis
Exercise	Equipment	Difficulty	Best for	Head emphasis
Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press	Dumbbells and bench	Beginner	Main press for muscle growth	Front and side
Barbell Overhead Press	Barbell	Intermediate	Overhead strength	Front and side
Arnold Press	Dumbbells	Intermediate	Pressing through a long range	Front
Landmine Press	Barbell and landmine	Beginner	Pressing on an angled path	Front
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	Dumbbells	Beginner	Shoulder width anywhere	Side
Leaning Cable Lateral Raise	Cable	Intermediate	Tension at the bottom of the raise	Side
Machine Lateral Raise	Machine	Beginner	Strict, easy-to-load raises	Side
Dumbbell Upright Row	Dumbbells	Beginner	Side delts and upper traps together	Side
Reverse Pec Deck	Machine	Beginner	Strict rear delt isolation	Rear
Cable Rope Face Pulls	Cable	Beginner	Rear delts and upper back together	Rear

All 57 Shoulder Exercises

All 57 shoulder exercises in the library, grouped by difficulty. Each one has a video, step-by-step form and the muscles it works.

Beginner Shoulder Exercises33

Intermediate Shoulder Exercises18

Advanced Shoulder Exercises6

How to train your shoulders: sets, reps and frequency

Treat presses and raises differently. Presses are heavy compound lifts that respond to 5 to 12 reps with longer rest. Lateral raises and rear delt work use light loads and grow best from higher reps, roughly 10 to 20, taken close to failure with short rests. Because raises are low in fatigue, you can train them two to four times per week.

Aim for about 10 to 20 hard sets per week of direct shoulder work, weighted toward the side and rear delts if you already bench press. On presses, add weight once you hit the top of your rep range on every set. On raises, add reps first; jumping a dumbbell size on a lateral raise is a big relative increase, so push the reps well past your target before moving up.

Recommended sets, reps, rest and frequency for shoulder training by goal
Goal	Sets	Reps	Rest	Frequency
Muscle size (presses)	3 to 4	6 to 12	2 minutes	2 times per week
Muscle size (raises)	3 to 4	10 to 20	45 to 90 seconds	2 to 4 times per week
Strength	3 to 5	3 to 6	2 to 3 minutes	2 times per week
Beginner	2 to 3	8 to 15	60 to 90 seconds	2 times per week
Rotator cuff and warmup	1 to 2	12 to 20, light	30 to 60 seconds	Before upper body sessions

Sample shoulder workouts for the gym and home

Each workout starts with a press while you are fresh, then covers the side and rear delts directly. The home workout needs a pair of dumbbells, a chair or bench and a resistance band. Run any of them twice a week, or split the raises across your other upper body days.

Three sample shoulder workouts with exercises, sets, reps and rest
Workout	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Gym workout	Barbell Overhead Press	4	5 to 8	2 to 3 minutes
Gym workout	Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3	12 to 15	60 seconds
Gym workout	Leaning Cable Lateral Raise	2	12 to 15 per side	45 seconds
Gym workout	Reverse Pec Deck	3	12 to 20	60 seconds
Gym workout	Cable Rope Face Pulls	2	15 to 20	60 seconds
Home workout	Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press	3	8 to 12	2 minutes
Home workout	Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4	12 to 20	60 seconds
Home workout	Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly	3	12 to 20	60 seconds
Home workout	Band High Face Pull	2	15 to 20	45 seconds
Beginner workout	Machine Plate Loaded Front Military Press	3	8 to 12	90 seconds
Beginner workout	Machine Lateral Raise	3	12 to 15	60 seconds
Beginner workout	Reverse Pec Deck	3	12 to 15	60 seconds
Beginner workout	Band External Rotation	2	15 per side	45 seconds

Common shoulder training mistakes

Shoulder training tends to stall for the same few reasons: too much load on small muscles, too little attention to the back of the shoulder, and pressing technique that leaks force.

Swinging heavy lateral raises. Using your hips and traps to heave the weight up takes work away from the side delts. Pick a weight you can raise with a still torso and lower slowly.
Shrugging during raises. If your shoulders creep toward your ears, the upper traps take over. Keep your shoulders down and think about pushing the dumbbells out to the walls.
Skipping the rear delts. Pressing builds the front of the shoulder, and many programs never balance it. Add reverse flies or face pulls at least twice a week.
Piling on front raises. Bench pressing, overhead pressing and push-ups already work the front delts hard. Most lifters gain more from extra side and rear delt sets than from front raises.
Leaning back to finish an overhead press. Arching hard turns the press into an incline press and loads the lower back. Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs and move your head back so the bar can travel straight up.
Rushing to heavier dumbbells on raises. A small jump in weight on a raise is a large jump in difficulty, and form usually breaks. Earn the next weight with extra clean reps first.

Shoulder exercises at home with dumbbells, kettlebells or bands

You can train all three deltoid heads at home with very little. Dumbbells cover everything: presses for the front delts, lateral raises for the sides and rear delt flies for the back. Kettlebells shine for pressing, especially push presses and get-ups, but are awkward for raises, so pair them with a band for side and rear delt work.

Resistance bands are the most portable option. A band under your feet handles overhead presses and lateral raises, and a band anchored to a door at head height gives you face pulls and external rotations. Because band tension rises as it stretches, pause at the top of each rep and lower slowly.

Shoulder exercises you can do at home by available equipment
Equipment	Best shoulder exercises	Notes
Dumbbells	Dumbbell Seated Overhead Press, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly, Arnold Press	Covers all three heads with one set of weights
Kettlebells	Kettlebell Push Press, Kettlebell Seated Overhead Press, Kettlebell Front Raise, Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up	Best for pressing and stability; add a band for rear delts
Resistance bands	Band Overhead Press, Band Lateral Raise, Band High Face Pull, Band External Rotation	Light, portable and good for high reps

Frequently asked questions

What is the best shoulder exercise?

The overhead press, done with dumbbells or a barbell, is the best single shoulder exercise because it loads the front and side delts with more weight than any raise. It does little for the rear delts, though, and side delts grow faster with direct raises. A press, a lateral raise and a rear delt fly together beat any single movement.

How do I get wider shoulders?

Train the side delts directly and often. Lateral raises with dumbbells, cables or a machine, done for 10 to 20 reps across two to four sessions a week, add width faster than more pressing does. Building the upper back and keeping body fat in check also make the shoulders look broader relative to the waist.

How often should I train shoulders?

Two to three times per week suits most people. Heavy presses need a couple of days to recover, so keep them to about twice weekly, but light lateral raises and rear delt work cause little fatigue and can be spread across most upper body sessions. Count your chest pressing too, since it already trains the front delts.

Is it better to press seated or standing?

Both build the shoulders well; they just train slightly different things. Seated pressing with back support lets you focus on the delts and usually move a bit more weight for reps. Standing pressing demands bracing through the trunk and hips, which carries over to athletic strength. Many lifters use standing barbell presses for strength and seated dumbbell presses for muscle growth.

Are upright rows bad for your shoulders?

Not inherently, but the narrow-grip, pull-to-the-chin version bothers some lifters. A grip at least shoulder width, pulling only until the elbows reach shoulder height, keeps the movement comfortable for most people. Dumbbells allow a freer path than a barbell. If any version still feels uncomfortable, lateral raises train the side delts just as well.

What are the best kettlebell shoulder exercises?

The kettlebell push press, the seated kettlebell overhead press and the Turkish get-up are the best choices. Presses build the front and side delts, and the get-up trains the shoulder to stabilize a weight overhead through many positions. Kettlebells are less suited to lateral raises and rear delt work, so add a band or light dumbbells for those.

Shoulders exercises by equipment

Narrow the list to what you actually have to train with.