Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
EZ-Bar Upright Row: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Cable Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest

This is as close to an “optimal” shoulder-focused workout as you can do.

It starts with the exercise that allows you to use the heaviest weight (bench press), when you’re freshest. This also lets you train your chest and triceps in the same workout.

Then, you do two isolation exercises that target the lateral deltoids (EZ-bar upright row and cable lateral raise), which train this muscle better than the bench press does. Most people do these exercises incorrectly, so make sure you follow the instructions below to get the most out of them.

Finally, you end with an isolation exercise for your rear deltoids.

This trains all three portions of your shoulder muscles with just four exercises, in a workout that shouldn’t take more than 45-to-60 minutes.

This is how I program the workouts in my books for men and women.

It’s also similar to what you can expect in my body transformation coaching program.

Note: I typically wouldn’t recommend dedicating an entire workout just to shoulders. Instead, it’s generally best to incorporate a few shoulder exercises into your upper-body or full-body workouts. More on that below.

Push Workout with Shoulder Emphasis

Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
EZ-Bar Upright Row: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Cable Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest

This is a good option if you follow a push pull legs routine. It trains your front (anterior) deltoids with two heavy pressing exercises, then trains your lateral deltoids with the EZ-bar upright row and cable lateral raise. It doesn’t include a rear-delt exercise, so you’d train those on another day of the week.

Upper Body Workout with Shoulder Emphasis

Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Pull-up: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
EZ-Bar Upright Row: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Machine Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest

This is one of my favorite ways to structure an upper-body workout as part of an upper-lower split. You have a horizontal press (bench press), a vertical pull (pull-up), and two exercises for the lateral delts, which aren’t trained by the bench press or pull-up.

That covers your chest, triceps, lats, biceps, and front and lateral delts. As with the previous workout, you’d train rear delts on another day.

Pull Workout with Shoulder Emphasis

Seated Cable Row: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Cable Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Machine Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest

This is another good option if you follow a push pull legs split. Your rear delts already get some work from most horizontal pulling exercises, so it’s often wise to train them on your pull days. Here you have a horizontal pull (seated cable row), a vertical pull (lat pulldown), an exercise for your lateral deltoids (cable lateral raise), and one for your rear delts (machine rear delt fly).

Full-Body Workout with Shoulder Emphasis

Barbell Back Squat: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 min rest
Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Machine Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest

If you follow a full-body workout routine, this is a solid template that also trains your shoulders.

You start with the hardest, most technically demanding lower-body exercise (back squat), then train your push and pull muscles (bench press and dumbbell row), and then one exercise each for your lateral delts (dumbbell lateral raise) and rear delts (machine rear fly).

The 8 Best Shoulder Exercises

1. EZ-Bar Upright Row

How to:

  1. Grab an EZ-bar on the inner angled grips with your palms facing you, a little narrower than shoulder-width apart, and stand up straight with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Lean forward slightly (about 10-to-15 degrees) and let the bar hang at arm’s length just in front of your thighs.
  3. Pull your elbows up and slightly forward, so your upper arms travel a touch in front of your torso, until your elbows are a little below shoulder height and the bar is roughly level with the bottom of your ribs.
  4. Lower the bar and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The upright row is essentially a lateral raise performed with bent arms—your upper arms perform the same movement during both exercises. What’s nice about the upright row, though, is that it’s generally more stable and allows you to use heavier weights than lateral raises. It also allows you to progress in smaller increments than is generally possible when using dumbbells, all of which makes it one of the best shoulder isolation exercises you can do.

Mike’s tip: The upright row has a reputation for wrecking shoulders, but that’s due to user error, not because the exercise is inherently dangerous. If you perform this exercise the traditional way—with a very narrow grip on a straight bar, standing bolt upright, and lifting your elbows well above your shoulders—then this exercise is a fast ticket to shoulder impingement and wrist pain.

If you perform the exercise as I described it above, though, the exercise is perfectly safe.

Alternatives:

2. Cable Lateral Raise

How to:

  1. Move the pulley to its lowest position on a cable machine and attach a rope or metal handle.
  2. Grab the handle in your right hand and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, perpendicular to the pulley so your left shoulder faces it (you can hold the machine with your left hand for balance).
  3. Take a breath, lift your chest slightly, and lean forward about 10–15 degrees.
  4. Extend your right arm out in an arc toward the ceiling and slightly away from your chest with your palm facing the ground.
  5. Keep raising the handle until your right arm is roughly parallel to the floor, then lower it and return to the starting position. Switch sides and repeat with your left arm.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The cable lateral raise does an excellent job of targeting the lateral deltoids and keeps tension on these muscles throughout the full range of motion. This is particularly true if you perform the exercise with a slight forward lean and with your upper arm extended slightly in front of your chest. These two adjustments help align the resistance of the cable with the direction of the muscle fibers in your lateral deltoid, further isolating this muscle.

Mike’s tip: This is one exercise where small changes in technique make a big difference in comfort and effectiveness. If you’ve been performing cable lateral raises the way most people do—standing upright and lifting your arm straight out to the side—you’ll almost certainly find this variation to be more comfortable and see more shoulder growth over time.

Alternatives:

3. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

How to:

  1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Take a breath, lift your chest slightly, and lean forward at the waist about 10–15 degrees.
  3. Extend your arms out in an arc toward the ceiling and slightly away from your chest with your palms facing the ground.
  4. Keep raising the dumbbells until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor, then lower them and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The dumbbell lateral raise is the simplest way to train your side delts with minimal equipment. You can do it in any gym, hotel room, or garage, which makes it a great option if you can’t do the cable lateral raise or EZ-bar upright row.

Mike’s tip: Don’t lower the dumbbells all the way to your thighs. At this point in the exercise, there’s almost no tension on your deltoids. Instead, lower them until they’re a few inches from your thighs, and then begin the next rep. This keeps tension on your lateral deltoids throughout every rep.

Alternatives:

4. Machine Lateral Raise

How to:

  1. Sit in the machine and adjust the seat so the pads rest just above your elbows when your arms are at your sides.
  2. Press your arms into the pads and push them out and up in an arc until your upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor. Try to position your upper arms so they’re slightly in front of your torso.
  3. Lower your arms and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: Using a machine requires almost no balance or coordination, which better isolates the lateral deltoids. It’s also faster and more convenient to set up than either cables or dumbbells. The main downside of the machine, though, is that it may not allow you to get into a comfortable position. Every machine is different, so this is something you’ll need to experiment with.

Mike’s tip: Ideally, try to orient your torso and arms so they’re in roughly the same position as when doing the cable lateral raise described earlier in this article. The movement pattern when doing the machine lateral raise should be essentially the same—you’re just using a machine to better isolate the delts.

Alternatives:

5. Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

How to:

  1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keeping your back straight, lean forward by hinging at your hips and letting your knees bend slightly, just as you would for a deadlift.
  3. Take a breath, bend your elbows slightly, and then extend your arms out in an arc toward the ceiling with your palms facing the ground.
  4. Keep raising the dumbbells until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor, then lower them and return to the starting position.

For the seated version, sit on the edge of a bench with your feet and knees together, lean forward, and follow the same steps.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The dumbbell rear delt fly is one of the few exercises that’s effective for targeting your rear (posterior) deltoids, which aren’t trained very well by most compound exercises. The rear deltoids are the smallest part of your shoulder muscles, but you don’t want to neglect them entirely, and this is my go-to exercise for training them.

Mike’s tip: Another good variation of this exercise is to perform it while lying chest-down on an incline bench set to about 30 degrees. This makes it impossible to use momentum to cheat and doesn’t require you to tense your low-back muscles like you do when standing or seated.

Alternatives:

6. Machine Rear Delt Fly

How to:

  1. Adjust the seat height and handles so the handles are in line with your shoulders and your hands are as close together as possible.
  2. Grip the handles with your palms facing the floor (if the machine allows), push your torso into the chest pad, and shrug your shoulders forward as far as you can.
  3. Keeping your shoulders shifted forward, push your hands away from each other in an arc.
  4. Once your upper arms are roughly parallel with your torso, reverse the motion and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The machine rear delt fly requires almost no balance or coordination and keeps constant tension on your rear delts throughout each rep, making it one of the best exercises you can do to train these muscles. Unlike the dumbbell rear delt fly, you also don’t need to lean over and tense your back muscles throughout each set.

Mike’s tip: Let the weight pull your shoulder blades forward, and keep them in that position throughout each rep. In other words, don’t pinch your shoulder blades together when you extend your arms to the side. This forces your rear delts to do most of the work instead of your traps. If you feel your shoulder blades drifting toward each other during the top of each rep, use a slightly shorter range of motion to keep the focus on your rear delts.

Alternatives:

7. Standing Barbell Overhead Press

How to:

  1. Adjust the hooks in a power rack or squat rack so the bar is at the height of your midchest. Face the bar and grip it with your palms facing forward and thumbs wrapped around the bar, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  2. Hold the bar low in your hands, closer to your wrists than your fingers, with your wrists bent just enough to let the bar settle into the base of your palms (not folded back at a 90-degree angle).
  3. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward to position the bar on top of your shoulders and upper chest, then stand up to lift the bar off the rack and take one step back with each foot.
  4. Take a deep breath into your stomach, arch your upper back enough that the bar is directly over your midfoot and your head is slightly behind the bar, squeeze your glutes and the bar as hard as you can, and push the bar straight up.
  5. As soon as the bar passes your eyes, push your head and chest forward and under the bar. Keep pushing until your arms are straight, then lower the bar and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: The standing barbell overhead press is a great exercise for building your delts … for some people. And for others it does very little. For one thing, it mostly trains your front delts, which are already trained hard by bench press, dumbbell bench press, and every other horizontal or incline pressing or fly movement.

Secondly, your triceps often fatigue before your shoulders do, which makes this more of an arm exercise than a shoulder exercise.

Finally, many people find the exercise doesn’t play nicely with their anatomy, and they grind for years with little muscle growth to show for it.

This isn’t to say the overhead press is a “bad” exercise. Personally, it’s always worked well for me.

I’ve done it for years and include it in my programs for men and women.

But if we’re strictly talking about the best exercises for building your shoulders, I wouldn’t list it as my first pick.

Mike’s tip: Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can before you begin each set and keep them tight throughout each rep. This keeps your entire body more stable and allows you to safely press heavier weight. Also, avoid the exaggerated lean-back you see many people use. This helps you press more weight, but mainly because it allows your chest to contribute more—not your shoulders. Instead, keep a more upright posture as shown in the demonstration above, and move your head and torso back just enough to get the bar around your head.

Alternatives:

8. Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press

How to:

  1. Adjust a bench to an upright position (most people prefer a slight incline, around 75 degrees or so), and get into position by lifting or kicking the dumbbells up with your knees.
  2. Tuck your shoulder blades back and down, and push the dumbbells straight up until your arms are locked.
  3. Lower the dumbbells and return to the starting position.

Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 2–3 minutes rest

Why: Like the barbell overhead press, the seated dumbbell overhead press primarily trains your front delts and triceps. It has a few advantages over the barbell version: it doesn’t require you to maneuver a barbell around your face and allows your arms to move in a more natural path, which some people find more comfortable. The downsides are that it can be difficult to get the dumbbells into position once you’re relatively strong, and it requires even more coordination and balance than the barbell version.

Mike’s tip: The seated dumbbell overhead press is a great front delt exercise when you’re relatively new to resistance training. As you get stronger, though, it will become more difficult to get the dumbbells into the starting position, and you’ll probably want to swap it for the barbell version (unless you have a specialized dumbbell overhead press rack, which very few gyms do).

Alternatives:

Should Women Train Shoulders Differently than Men?

Finally, a note for the ladies reading this:

You don’t need to train your shoulders differently than men. In my experience working with tens of thousands of women through my books and coaching, most women prefer strong, defined, “toned” shoulders, but don’t want them to get bulky.

The reality is that it’s exceptionally difficult (basically impossible) for your delts to get “too big” if you follow the shoulder workouts in this article.

The reason men’s shoulders get bigger when they follow this workout plan is that they have 15-20 times more testosterone flowing through their veins than you do.1

So unless you start taking steroids to alter your physiology to mirror that of a man, your shoulders will never “blow up” in the same way.23

Why You Don’t Need a Dedicated Shoulder Day

A whole day built around your shoulders is overkill for almost everyone. If you’re doing the right exercises with good technique and real intensity, your shoulders need far less volume than you may think—somewhere around 10–20 hard sets per week, and only about 6-to-10 in any single workout.4

That works out to around 15–30 hard reps per workout.5

In practice, this means doing 2–3 shoulder exercises per session, performed for ~3 sets of anywhere from ~4–10 reps each, 1–2 times per week. That lands you right around 10-to-20 hard sets per week.

One of the biggest mistakes both new and advanced trainees make is doing too much volume and not enough intensity. To be more precise—doing too many sets (often for 15+ reps) and not training close enough to failure, rather than fewer sets in a moderate rep range, and taking each set close to failure.

It’s almost always better to go harder and do less than to go easier and do more. And that’s exactly how the workouts in this article are designed.

Want More Workouts Like This?

Scientific References +