22 Exercises to Build Boulder Shoulders (2024)

Your shoulders are one of the most complex joints in your entire body. The ball-and-socket joint allows you to move with a 360-degree range of motion, but can be delicate when compared to other joints (hence the concerns about training volume).

The muscles that most people usually think of as being the main shoulder muscles are the deltoids, which are responsible (along with your rotator cuffs and other parts of the larger shoulder structure) for moving your arms and stabilizing the shoulder joints.

The delts have three distinct heads: the anterior (front) delts, the lateral (a.k.a. medial or side) delts, and the posterior (rear) delts. Front delts help to move your arms forward, lateral delts help to move your arms to the side and up and down, and rear delts help to move your arms backwards.

Since your shoulders can be delicate, remember that your best approach won't be dedicating a whole day's worth of training to nothing but shoulder exercises. You can also back off on the weight for many of these exercises, especially when you're performing raising movements. You don't want to train your way to shoulder pain.

Instead, MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel says to add shoulder movements to your workouts while you're training other muscle groups or as one part of full-body workouts.

Use these exercises to develop shoulder strength and size. You can build boulder shoulders, starting here.

Here's that rare shoulder exercise you can do every day, in large part because it's less about strength and more about building stability in the joint. This, of course, will help you get more out of your shoulder training while also keeping the joint safe.

Before you start lifting heavy with your shoulders, you should make sure they're properly warmed up. That's where this sequence from fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. comes in. Here, you'll focus on external rotation at the shoulder joint, a motion that perfectly offsets the way that everyday life forces you into internal rotation.

Use a light band on these drills. Go too heavy, and your deltoid will take over. Your goal is to get your smaller rotator cuff muscles driving the movement.

DO IT:

• Anchor a light resistance band at hip-height while kneeling. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight. Hold the resistance band at your hip, elbow bent.
• Keeping your upper arm perpendicular to the ground, rotate your wrist away as far as is comfortable. Do 30 reps.
• Turn around and do the same thing, this time rotating your wrist toward your chest. Do 30 reps.
• Now face the band; grab an end in each hand. Keeping your arms straight, pull the bands back as far as you can, squeezing your mid-back on each rep. Do 30 reps.

These mobility movements can help to improve your range of motion before you train your shoulders with heavier weights. Whether you take on this whole series or split them up, it can be a great way to start an upper body session.

DO IT:

Thoracic Rotation:

• Start on your hands and knees, then put one hand on the back of your head.
• Rotate up and down towards the other hand, then up to the ceiling. Be sure to follow your elbow with your eyes and tuck your bottom rib under to ensure full rotation.
• Do five to eight reps to loosen your mid-back rotation on each side.

Pec Stretch:

• On your hands and knees, extend your right arm out to the side, lock the left hand into the ground and then come down and turn your whole body to the left side.
• That will creating a stretch anteriorly through the pec, and also through your biceps.
• Come back up, and then repeat back down.
• Do five to eight reps on each side.

Lat Stretch:

• Get into child’s pose with your arms extended out front, palms flat on the ground, and fully drop back into the position.
• Pull one hand in towards the chest, then shift your other arm out to that side, extending it out in front of your body with your palm on the floor.
• Do five to eight stretches on each side.

Posterior Capsule Stretch:

• From a quadruped position, take the right hand and reach through the body ,firmly planting the back of the palm on the ground.
• Slightly lean your weight into your right side. This is where the rotator cuff muscles are running through.
• Do five to eight of these on each side.

Mini Band External Rotation:

• Wrap a mini band around your wrists. Make sure you always keep tension on the band.
• Push your shoulder blades back, squeezing them, and keeping your elbows tight at your side as you move your hands apart.
• Retract your shoulder blades and repeat five to eight times.

When you do a conventional bench press, the brunt of the work falls on your pecs. But when your torso is tilted upward on an angle, the work is redistributed to the muscles in the front of your shoulders, says David Jack.

DO IT:

• Set an adjustable bench to a 25-to-30 degree incline. Lie faceup on the bench and hold the dumbbells above your shoulders with your arms straight.
• Lower the dumbbells to your chest.
• Pause, then press the weights back up to the starting position.

Take the shoulder press to the next level with the bottoms-up press, a move that challenges your shoulder stability in new ways. How? By turning the bell upside down, you now face a serious balance challenge. To maintain the bottoms-up position for the bell, you'll now need to fully make sure your wrist is stacked directly below your elbow. And when you finish the press, wrist and elbow must be directly below shoulder. That'll challenge the supporting musculature of your shoulders that much more; you'll do less weight this way, but get plenty of bang for your buck in terms of overall shoulder muscle activation.

DO IT:

• Kneel with your left knee forward and bent 90 degrees. Hold a kettlebell just outside your shoulder in the bottoms-up rack position at your shoulder. (The handle should point toward the floor and the bell should point toward the ceiling.)
• Squeeze the handle, and then press the bell overhead until your arm is straight. Keep your biceps next to your ear and your shoulder pulled down.
• Pause, and then reverse the movement.

One of the best way to add depth to your outer shoulders and really pop out of your T-shirts: The classic lateral raise. This bodybuilding staple is a perfect second or third exercise in your shoulder workout. It has to be done, right though; do it wrong, and it opens the door for shoulder injuries.

DO IT:

• Stand holding dumbbells at your hips, core tight and glutes squeezed, shoulder blades tight as well. Your elbows should have a slight bend in them.
• Without rocking, raise the dumbbells until your wrists are just below your shoulders; keep the fronts of the dumbbells pointing upwards just slightly.
• Lower with control.

This variation makes the lateral raise even more effective by putting yourself in a position that completely eliminates any momentum from your arms and hips.

Along with your seated position, you'll also remove any chance at cheating your shoulders by starting with the weight on the ground, so you're lifting from a dead stop position.

DO IT:

• Start seated on the floor, legs straight, two dumbbells held in each hand, touching the floor. Your arms should be angled slightly in front of your torso. Tighten your core and sit up straight.
• Exhale and raise the dumbbells, focusing on using your shoulders (and not your traps) to drive the motion.
• Pause when your wrists are in line with your shoulders (or a hair below that).
• Hold. Return to the start.
• Reset for your next rep.

After the lateral raise, the front raise should be a simple concept. By shifting your position, you'll shift the focus to your front delts instead.

When you go about the exercise, make sure that you eliminate as much momentum as possible and lift within your strength capacity and range of motion. Two things to avoid at all costs: rocking and swinging.

DO IT:

• Grab a pair of dumbbells that you can lift without compromising form. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, keeping your glutes, core, and shoulder blades engaged.
• Before starting the lift, shift your palms so your thumbs are pointing to the ceiling so your shoulders are closer to an externally rotated position.
• Squeeze your shoulders to lift the weight up, just until your arms are parallel to the ground.
• Hold for a count, then lower under control.

This next-level shoulder exercise mashes up other raises to add a big-time eccentric challenge—which will result in even more shoulder growth. You'll be able to work with heavier weights here, given the form and focus on the eccentric portion.

DO IT:

• Start in a standing position, holding a pair of dumbbells in a neutral position with your arms at a 90-degree angle.
• Raise your arms up, keeping the bent elbow position. Stop at the same height you'd use for a lateral raise (slightly lower than shoulder height).
• Extend your elbows, so your arms are straight holding the weights.
• Lower the weight to your sides, slowly and under control.

This exercise has a badass name and looks pretty cool, too—and it might be an even better movement for your shoulders and core than you'd expect. This isn't all flash; it's a novel pressing challenge thanks to the longer levers than traditional implements.

DO IT:

• Start in a half-kneeling stance, while holding a straight barbell or EZ-curl bar with the same hand as your front foot.
• Make sure the bar parallel with the ground; this will be the goal throughout the movement.
• Press up, fighting to stabilize your core to keep the barbell balanced. Move slowly and under control.
• Lower down slowly.

Shrugs might be one of the most poorly-performed exercises in the gym. Walk into any given weight room, and you're liable to see some poor misguided muscle hawk rolling his shoulders over and over in the mirror.

But if you want to really build strength and size in your traps, you want to lift instead of roll. From the position of your head to your movement, you're going to want to overhaul your form.

DO IT:

• Start by holding the weight in each hand with your arms straight—you only want to move your shoulders, so your elbows should be fully extended. If you're holding dumbbells or kettlebells, your palms should be in a neutral position; if you're working with a barbell, "break the bar" by shifting your shoulders into external rotation.
• Keep your neck in a neutral position and don't look down. Keep your glutes and core engaged.
• Shrug your shoulders straight up, hold for a count, then lower the weight under control.

An all-around way to hit your rotator cuff musculature, the face pull is a key bulletproofing exercise for the long-term health of your shoulders, promoting both external rotation at the shoulder joint and mid-back strength. This is another of those rare exercises that you can train multiple times in a week, because again, you're building shoulder stability. You're also doing more than targeting your delts, training your mid-back muscles too.

"The face pull can help build rear delt and upper back muscles as
well as improve shoulder health," says athlete performance and development specialist Curtis Shannon, C.S.C.S. "This exercise can be programmed as an accessory lift, warmup or finisher. If done correctly, expect to get a great burn, build strong, defined delts, upper back, along with improving body posture (rounded shoulders)."

DO IT:

• Grab a rope attached to a high pulley cable station, or the ends of a resistance band set high. Back a few steps away until your arms are extended in front of you.
• Pull the rope toward your face, pulling it apart as you do. Pull so that your elbows are in line with your shoulders and try to rotate your hands back at the very end.

Need a cue? Take Shannon's advice. "Think there is a pencil in between your scapulae," he says. "You want to squeeze and break that pencil when you pull your left and right scapulae in."

The gold standard of shoulder exercises slams the front delts and builds all-around shoulder size, too. It can be done from a variety of postures, including standing, tall kneeling, or seated variations.

DO IT:

• Stand holding two dumbbells at your shoulders. Tighten your core and glutes. Your elbows should be slightly in front of you.
• Press the dumbbells upward, straightening your elbows and shoulders.
• Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders with control.

The Arnold Press is a variation of the military press, but one that more effectively hits all three heads (the front, lateral, and rear) of your deltoids. It's not an easy motion to learn, though, so take your time mastering it. Be cautious of how often you do Arnolds, too; think about doing them once a week, max. This move will develop shoulder size and strength, but it's not a move that should be abused.

DO IT:

• The Arnold can be done from standing, seated, and kneeling postures, although our favorite posture is the kneeling setup. To do this you'll knee, tighten your core and glutes, and hold dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing your chest.
• Press the dumbbells up, and as you do this, rotate your palms so they turn away from your chest; stop rotating before they turn fully away.
• Reverse the movement back to the start.

Here's another move that's as much about shoulder health as it is about shoulder strength. The half-kneeling archer row challenges you to build rotator cuff strength and also build the stabilizing mid-back muscle you need to keep your shoulders healthy.

DO IT:

• Grasp a light resistance band in both hands. Kneel with only your left knee on the ground. Turn your glutes and abs on.
• Straighten your right arm and look at it. Tighten your back muscles and keep your right arm straight. Bring your left hand close to your right elbow.
• Pull the band apart with your right hand, as if pulling a bow, squeezing your back and shoulder muscles and bending your elbow as you do this.
• That's 1 rep; do 3 sets of 12.

This shoulder series will add bulk to your front and outer shoulders, and it'll do so from a unique angle that limits your ability to cheat. Use a lighter weight than you think: This series is tough.

DO IT:

• Set an incline bench to a 45-degree angle. Place your torso and against the bench. Tighten your core, glutes, and shoulder blades. Hold light dumbbells at your sides.
• Raise both arms out to the sides explosively, then lower.
• Repeat the sequence, this time pausing for a second at the top of the motion. Lower.
• Now raise one arm toward the front, taking care to keep your thumb pointed upward just slightly, and the other out to the side.
• Lower, then repeat, this time pausing at the top. Lower. Repeat the sequence on the other side.

Sure, this exercise is typically sold as a core-crusher—but you'll have to press and hold a kettlebell overhead for the duration of the movement, creating a formidable test of shoulder stability.

DO IT:

• Get into a half-kneeling stance, with your legs positioned wide so you'll have room to work.
• Clean the kettlebell up to the rack position, then press it overhead. Avoid arching your back; squeeze your abs to keep your ribcage tight. Keep your gaze trained on the bell for the rest of the movement.
• Push your butt back and lower your non-working elbow down to the ground, rotating your torso forward and keeping your arm in position overhead. Squeeze your shoulder blades as you lower.
• After a beat, reverse the movement.

We love this exercise. The reason: It’s explosive. That means you target your fast twitch muscle fibers, which are the ones with the most potential for growth.

"Because the push press focuses on multiple muscle groups; its is a great exercise to stimulate blood flow, heart rate as well as build core stability/strength, overall strength, and muscular endurance," Shannon says.

What's more, the move can be versatile. "This exercise can be performed both unilaterally and bilaterally," he continues. "If shoulder, and thoracic spine mobility is an issue; I suggest you start unilaterally (single arm) since anatomically we have greater range of motion when reaching overhead with one arm."

DO IT:

• Stand holding a barbell (or pair of dumbbells or kettlebells) just outside of your shoulders with your arms bent and palms facing each other. Set your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent.
• Dip your knees, then explosively push up with your legs as you press the weights straight over your shoulders.
• Lower the weight back to the start and repeat.

Struggling with the steps of the movement? Shannon suggests finding a wall for help. "For beginners, or anyone that struggles with overhead ROM, I would recommend standing up against a flat sturdy wall," he says. "While performing this exercise, keep both your upper back and butt against the wall the entire time to ensure proper involvement of the stabilizers such as the abdominal muscles, erector spinae, diaphragm, and the spinal erectors."