Shoulder workouts are a crucial component of any good fitness routine. Not only will the right shoulder exercises do wonders in helping you achieve those fitness goals – as well as the inverted Dorito / Tom Hardy in Warrior body – but these shoulder workout routine essentials will also keep things interesting at the gym. Stronger shoulders also mean you’re less likely to sustain a training related injury from regularly hitting the iron church. Here’s what you need to know about the best shoulder exercises for men.
What are the different shoulder muscles?
By comparison, shoulder muscles are one of the easier muscle groups to develop through the right exercises. With a little direction and consistency, you can expect relatively fast gains. But it’s important to employ a varied routine that targets all the different regions that go beyond just your shoulder joint.
From your traps to your cluster of rotator cuff muscles, there are about 20 distinct muscles (2) that all play a part in stabilising the shoulder, controlling its movements and maintaining great shoulder health. The most fundamental ones that will help the entire shoulder perform better include:
Trapezius
This muscle connects your two shoulders in the back and extends to support your neck. It runs all the way down to just before your lower back.
Deltoid Muscles
The deltoids are a set of three muscles. These thin layers of tissue connect your shoulder to your chest. You’ll find the anterior deltoid between your chest and shoulder, your lateral deltoid on top of your shoulder, as well as your posterior deltoid between your upper arm and shoulder blades.
Pectoralis major
You may be more familiar with the biggest of the pectoral muscles as “pecs.” Your pectoralis major is a large muscle that covers your chest and connects it to your shoulder. This rather large muscle makes up the bulk of the chest muscles and is positioned under the breast and the upper chest. The pectoralis major is distinctive from the pectoralis minor, which helps with the stabilisation and movement of the scapula.
Rhomboid major
The rhomboid major is a back muscle that connects your shoulder blades together with your spine. These are positioned in your upper back along with the rhomboid minor muscles; together they help hold your shoulder blade and shoulder stable so are important for shoulder joint movement. It’s one of the more crucial muscles to work on since shoulder stability is what will ultimately help you perform all the below shoulder workout routines safely and effectively.
Serratus anterior
You can find this muscle on the side of your chest, directly underneath your armpit. The fan-shaped muscle is widely referred ¥to as the “boxer’s muscle” as it is large©®®ly responsible for the retraction of the scapula that occurs when you throw a punch. All three parts of the Serratus Anterior also work to lift the ribs and assist in respiration.
Rotator cuff
The rotator cuff muscles are a collection of four components. The function of rotator cuff muscles is to support articulation between your arm and shoulder.
Top 5 Best Shoulder Exercises for Men
- Military press
- Barbell high pull
- Lateral raise
- Barbell front raises
- Standing cable pulley fly
- Cable lateral fly.
1. Military Press
Difficulty: Intermediate
Target muscles: Delts, pecs, triceps
Equipment needed: Barbell, rack
Sets:2-3
Reps:8-12
Rest:60 seconds
Benefits: The Military Press, is an incredible exercise to know for the next time you’re in the gym, as a solid workout for both strength and muscle building. What makes it so effective is the ability to load up the barbell to your desired weight, as well as its nature as a compound movement that makes it perfect for someone wanting to see serious results.
- Adjust the barbell to just below shoulder height and load with your desired weight.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on the bar at shoulder width.
- Step underneath the bar and lift it while keeping your spine in a neutral position.
- Step back, tuck your chin and brace as you press the bar till your arms are straight overhead.
- Slowly control the bar back down to your chest as you reverse the movement.
- Repeat for the number of repetitions.
2. Barbell High PullPull
Difficulty: Intermediate
Target muscles: Delts, pecs, triceps, glutes, quads
Equipment needed: Barbell
Sets:2-3
Reps:8-12
Rest:60 seconds
Benefits: Barbell high pulls are a great exercise to develop full-body power, especially for those looking to improve their Olympic lifts. The barbell high pull is good for building clean strength and improving your deadlift performance, meaning the exercise should be done explosively (like a jump, but without your feet leaving the floor.
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and shins close to the barbell.
- Push your hips back as you bend your knees to place your hands on the bar, which should be a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Explode up into a standing position while you shrug your shoulders to pull the barbell as high as possible before you lower the barbell back in a controlled way to the starting position.
- Repeat for the number of repetition
3. Lateral RaiseRaise
Difficulty: Beginner
Target muscles: Delts
Equipment needed: Two dumbbells
Sets:2-3
Reps:8-12
Rest:60 seconds
Benefits: Lateral raises are a versatile shoulder exercise that you can perform with a pair of dumbbells, resistance band, cable machine, or improvised weights like books or water bottles (and isn’t completely unlike a rear delt fly – more on this later). It’ll help you develop your lateral deltoid muscles and improve shoulder mobility.
- Stand up straight with your arms relaxed by your sides.
- With your pair of dumbbells in hand, resistance band, cable handle, or what have you and raise your arms until it forms a 90-degree angle with your body.
- Control your movement as you slowly lower the weight.
Combine the lateral raise with a set of front lateral raises – one arm or two -which target your anterior deltoids. You can also perform a front raise with dumbbells, resistance bands, and cable machines, and yes, you can perform a front raise with another improvised weight. Stand straight with your arms relaxed by your sides. Raise your arms straight in front of you slowly. The resistance should engage your anterior deltoids.
And if you accomplish lateral raises bent 45 degrees over with a straight back, in a similar fashion to an upright row, you’re suddenly doing a rear delt fly.
4. Barbell Front Raises
Difficulty: Beginner
Target muscles: Delts, pecs, forearms
Equipment needed: Barbell
Sets:2-3
Reps:8-12
Rest:60 seconds
Benefits: While we’ve got a lot of the best rear delt exercisesalready locked down, it’s important not to forget your front delts, with barbell front raises being a great exercise to target them. You can complete them either using a barbell or with dumbells, but no matter what resistance you’re using, it’s important to maintain a controlled and stable form without leaning backward or bouncing your momentum.
- Load your barbell with the desired weight and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your arms the same width holding the barbell with a pronated grip.
- Brace your core and raise your arms vertically till they’re parallel to the floor, with your arms straight and nearly locked out.
- Once your arms are parallel with the floor, lower your barbell to the starting position in a controlled way.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Standing Cable Pulley FlyFly
Difficulty: Beginner
Target muscles: Delts, pecs, traps
Equipment needed: Cable machine
Sets:2-3
Reps:8-12
Rest:60 seconds
Benefits: The standing cable pulley fly is an excellent exercise for targeting your deltoid muscles and your chest. If you have access to a cable machine, performing this essential shoulder exercise is easy.
- Use two cables at chest height and extend your arms to your sides while adopting a neutral posture.
- Take a step forward and lower the weights slowly while letting your shoulders open up.
- Engage your pecs to make the lift.
- Return to starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
You can try a variation of this exercise known as a reverse cable fly. Stand facing the cable machine, and reach across your body to grab two cables at shoulder height. Your arms should form a cross on your chest. Pull on the cables by extending your arms to the side while moving your shoulders back.
