How to train your shoulders

Three heads, one joint, more variables than most people manage

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Anatomy

The deltoid has three distinct heads: the anterior (front) delt assists in pressing and forward raises; the lateral (side) delt creates shoulder width and is the primary target for overhead pressing and lateral raises; and the posterior (rear) delt assists in rowing, face pulls, and reverse fly movements. The rotator cuff, four smaller muscles underneath, stabilizes the glenohumeral joint. Without adequate rotator cuff function and rear-delt development, the shoulder joint is vulnerable to impingement and injury under any pressing load.

How to train it

Overhead pressing (barbell or dumbbell) builds the anterior and lateral heads under heavy load. Lateral raises isolate the side delt; they are most effective done with strict form at a controlled tempo in the 12–20 rep range. Rear-delt work (face pulls, reverse flyes, rear cable raises) is chronically undertrained; most people need more of it, not less. Two to three pressing sessions per week combined with dedicated lateral and rear-delt accessory work covers all three heads. The most common mistake: all pressing, no lateral or rear work. This creates internal rotation dominance that leads to rounded shoulders and impingement.

Coaching cues

• Press the bar in a slight arc, back over the ears
• Lead with the elbows on lateral raises, not the wrists
• Pull the face pull rope to your nose, elbows high
• Pack the shoulder. Do not let the joint drift forward

Staple shoulders exercises

All shoulders exercises (127)

• Alternating Cable Shoulder Press
• Alternating Deltoid Raise
• Alternating Kettlebell Press
• Anti-Gravity Press
• Arm Circles
• Arnold Dumbbell Press
• Back Flyes - With Bands
• Backward Medicine Ball Throw
• Band Pull Apart
• Barbell Incline Shoulder Raise
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Barbell Rear Delt Row
• Battling Ropes
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench
• Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral
• Bradford/Rocky Presses
• Cable Internal Rotation
• Cable Rear Delt Fly
• Cable Rope Rear-Delt Rows
• Cable Seated Lateral Raise
• Cable Shoulder Press
• Car Drivers
• Chair Upper Body Stretch
• Circus Bell
• Clean and Jerk
• Clean and Press
• Crucifix
• Cuban Press
• Double Kettlebell Jerk
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Double Kettlebell Snatch
• Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise
• Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise
• Dumbbell Lying Rear Lateral Raise
• Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press
• Dumbbell One-Arm Upright Row
• Dumbbell Raise
• Dumbbell Scaption
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Elbow Circles
• External Rotation
• External Rotation with Band
• External Rotation with Cable
• Face Pull
• Front Cable Raise
• Front Dumbbell Raise
• Front Incline Dumbbell Raise
• Front Plate Raise
• Front Two-Dumbbell Raise
• Handstand Push-Ups
• Internal Rotation with Band
• Iron Cross
• Jerk Balance
• Kettlebell Arnold Press
• Kettlebell Pirate Ships
• Kettlebell Seated Press
• Kettlebell Seesaw Press
• Kettlebell Thruster
• Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Lunge style)
• Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Squat style)
• Kneeling Arm Drill
• Landmine Linear Jammer
• Lateral Raise - With Bands
• Leverage Shoulder Press
• Log Lift
• Low Pulley Row To Neck
• Lying One-Arm Lateral Raise
• Lying Rear Delt Raise
• Machine Shoulder (Military) Press
• Medicine Ball Scoop Throw
• One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise
• One-Arm Kettlebell Clean and Jerk
• One-Arm Kettlebell Jerk
• One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press To The Side
• One-Arm Kettlebell Para Press
• One-Arm Kettlebell Push Press
• One-Arm Kettlebell Snatch
• One-Arm Kettlebell Split Jerk
• One-Arm Kettlebell Split Snatch
• One-Arm Side Laterals
• Power Partials
• Push Press
• Push Press - Behind the Neck
• Rack Delivery
• Return Push from Stance
• Reverse Flyes
• Reverse Flyes With External Rotation
• Reverse Machine Flyes
• Round The World Shoulder Stretch
• Seated Barbell Military Press
• Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
• Seated Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
• Seated Cable Shoulder Press
• Seated Dumbbell Press
• Seated Front Deltoid
• Seated Side Lateral Raise
• See-Saw Press (Alternating Side Press)
• Shoulder Circles
• Shoulder Press - With Bands
• Shoulder Raise
• Shoulder Stretch
• Side Lateral Raise
• Side Laterals to Front Raise
• Side Wrist Pull
• Single Dumbbell Raise
• Single-Arm Linear Jammer
• Sled Overhead Backward Walk
• Sled Reverse Flye
• Smith Incline Shoulder Raise
• Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row
• Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press
• Standing Alternating Dumbbell Press
• Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck
• Standing Bradford Press
• Standing Dumbbell Press
• Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head
• Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head
• Standing Low-Pulley Deltoid Raise
• Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press
• Standing Palms-In Dumbbell Press
• Standing Two-Arm Overhead Throw
• Straight Raises on Incline Bench
• Two-Arm Kettlebell Clean
• Two-Arm Kettlebell Jerk
• Two-Arm Kettlebell Military Press
• Upright Barbell Row
• Upward Stretch

Train it with MyoAmigo

MyoAmigo's MyoMap heatmap shows your shoulders volume against an evidence-based weekly band, so you can see at a glance whether you're under-training it. See also how many sets per muscle per week and the training guides.

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