Build Shoulder Muscles – 6 Basic Exercises

If your fitness goal is to build a big, broad, and V-shaped torso, adding some shoulder exercises to your routine is a good idea.

Training your shoulders has amazing benefits. It reduces your chances of pain and injuries by strengthening your muscles, reduces upper body imbalances, and helps you become more stable.

Most importantly, developing strength in your shoulder muscles boosts mobility in your shoulders, which further helps with a variety of other advanced exercises. Various studies also suggest that proper shoulder training eases shoulder pain and reduces the chances of future shoulder dislocations.

For all these reasons, incorporating shoulder exercises into your workout routine is worth your energy and time.

Listed below are some basic exercises that are sure to strengthen your shoulders and core muscles.

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Front raise, barbell shrug, and 4 other basic exercises to strengthen shoulder muscles

Try the following shoulder exercises in your next upper body workout routine to improve flexibility, strength, and mobility in your shoulders.

1) Seated dumbbell shoulder press

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Sit on a bench and grab a dumbbell in both hands. Position the dumbbells at your shoulder level and keep your palms facing forward.
• With your spine and head straight, lift the weights over your head towards one another and stop when they touch at the top.
• Hold the top position for a few seconds and then slowly reverse the exercise by bringing the dumbbells back to the start.
• Ensure that your core is engaged throughout the exercise.

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2) Front raise

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Hold weights in both hands and position them in front of you at hip level. Keep your feet at shoulder distance and engage your core.
• Now keeping your arms straight, lift the dumbbells to the level of your shoulders and then carefully lower the weights back to the initial position.

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3) Bent-over dumbbell lateral raise

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Start the exercise with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your chest up, back flat, and knees slightly bent.
• Slowly bend over until your abs get parallel with the floor. Move the dumbbells underneath you while keeping your elbows slightly bent.
• Lift the dumbbells out and up to the sides and form an arc until your upper arms get even with your torso.
• Pause at the top position and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start.

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4) Barbell shrug

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Keeping your feet at shoulder distance, slightly bend your knees to pick the barbell from the floor. Ensure that you bend at your waist to pick up the barbell.
• Once you’ve grabbed the barbell with a tight grip, raise your shoulders up and back, and squeeze them for a few seconds.
• Make sure the movement is restricted only to your shoulder muscles, and the barbell lifts and lowers very slightly.
• You can do this exercise with dumbbells as well. Just grab a dumbbell in each hand and follow the instructions given above.

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5) Wide reverse flyes

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand tall with your feet at the hip-width distance.
• Hinge at your hips and move the dumbbells together in the front with your palms facing one another.
• Now turn the weights so that your palms face down and your elbows get in line with your shoulder muscles.
• Reverse the movement to return to the initial position and repeat the exercise.
• This exercise can also be done in a lying position.

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6) Cable face pull

Follow the instructions below to perform this exercise correctly:

• Stand upright in front of a rotating pulley and hold each side of the cable attachment. Ensure that the rotating pulley is set to a medium height so you can perform the move correctly and safely.
• Position your feet slightly wider than your shoulder width and keep your knees unlocked.
• Now engage your core muscles and bring your elbows back as you pull the rope outside of your ears.
• Pull gently and hold your shoulder blades together.

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Bottom line

These are some of the best shoulder exercises that can be practiced by people of all fitness levels.

If you are new to strength training, it is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a trainer to avoid unnecessary injuries.

If you are an experienced exerciser, on the other hand, try to increase your reps after every set, but do not overtrain your muscles. Be safe and be consistent with your practice.