6 Best Shoulder Exercises to Build Massive Strength and Size

Shoulders are one of the most complicated and mobile areas of the body to train. They are delicate and aren’t easy to target.

Despite being a delicate muscle, it's absolutely important to incorporate shoulder exercises into your routine.

That's because without strong shoulders, you won’t be able to perform other lifting exercises, especially when working on your back and chest. Additionally, practicing a variety of shoulder exercises is also important for packing on massive strength and size while boosting mobility at the same time.

Shoulders are made up of three different heads namely – the anterior (front delt), posterior (rear delt) and medial (side delt).

For a truly effective shoulder session, it's important to perform exercises that work on all three muscles, along with the traps in the upper back. This article covers six great shoulder exercises that can offer massive gains.

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Shoulder Exercises to Develop Strength and Size

With each of the exercises mentioned below, make sure to use weights that allow you to complete the full range of motion with ease.

Also, remember that if you put your shoulders under too much pressure with heavy weights too quickly, you can end up with pain and injury that might put you away from your fitness routine for days or even months.

So, start at your own pace, and work your way up gradually. On that note, here's a look at six such workouts:

1) Barbell Standing Press

This bodybuilder staple exercise not only works on all three heads of the shoulder but also targets the entire body muscle. It's one of the best shoulder exercises for overall mass building.

To do this exercise:

• Hold a barbell at shoulder height with your palms facing away from the body. Position your feet at shoulder distance, and bend your knees slightly as you initiate the pressing move.
• Slowly push up with your legs, and explosively press the weight straight above your head.
• Return the barbell to the start with control, and repeat the exercise.

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2) Arnold Press

The rotating movement at the end of this shoulder-killing exercise hits the muscle even more than the normal press exercise and helps give the V-shape.

To do this exercise:

• Sit straight on a bench with dumbbells in your hands in the front. Keep your palms facing your shoulders.
• Push the dumbbells over your head while rotating your arms at the same time at the top of the position. Keep rotating the dumbbells till your palms get away from you.
• Straighten your arms, and reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
• Repeat.

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3) Half-kneeling Landmine Press

The half-kneeling landmine press is one of the most effective shoulder exercises, especially for people with shoulder mobility issues. It's a unilateral exercise that includes both horizontal and vertical movement.

To do this exercise:

• Take a half-kneeling position, and keep a barbell in front of you. Make sure the knees are underneath your hips, and your ankles are underneath the knees.
• Grab the barbell in hand which is nearest to your back leg at your shoulder height, and tightly grip it.
• Press the barbell up to about 45 degrees, and take it towards the ceiling at the end of the lockout.
• Lower the barbell down under control, and repeat the exercise.

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4) Wide-grip Seated Row

The wide-grip seated row targets the posterior deltoids and is also engaged in shoulder extension.

To do this exercise:

• Take a regular seated row position, but make sure to use a straight bar attachment. Get into an overhand wide grip position till your upper arms get at about 45 degrees to your torso.
• Keeping your torso straight and tall, row the bar till you feel a contraction in the upper back muscles. Return the bar to the starting position, and repeat the exercise.

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5) Barbell Push Press

Push press is among the great shoulder exercises that are mostly done by sports athletes and weightlifters. This exercise is quite advanced, so it should be done with proper attention.

To do this exercise:

• Take a barbell overhead press position with your torso upright.
• Bend four to five inches downward, with your knees directly over your toes, and push your chest and torso up using your legs and the barbell.
• Drive yourself and the barbell up forcefully.
• Continue to push till lockout, and slowly return the barbell to the starting position.

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6) Incline Y Raise

The incline Y raises targets the posterior deltoids and upper back while also strengthening the rotator cuff and traps.

To do this exercise:

• Set up a bench to a 45-degree incline, and lie face down. Keep your knees slightly bent, and hold dumbbells using an overhand grip.
• Extend your arms so that they are under your shoulders, and keep your chest lifted and shoulders down.
• Engage your posterior delts, and lift the dumbbells up and out. Make sure to keep your arms straight till they get fully extended.
• Lower back the weights to the starting position, and repeat.

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Bottom Line

The shoulder joints are prone to injury, so it's a must to warm them up before starting the aforementioned shoulder exercises.

Perform a few movements that raise, abduct, and rotate the shoulders to prepare the muscles to get ready for action. You can also do a few exercises, such as shoulder circles and dead bugs, to activate the shoulder area.

Once you’ve properly warmed up your muscles, start with the aforementioned shoulder exercises, and complete a handful of reps and sets.