The shoulder is one of the most important joints in our bodies, responsible for your posture and ability to do everyday tasks. But the shoulder muscles are often overlooked when it comes to strength training, which can weaken the joint and lead to injury and pain. Let’s dive into why it’s important to train your shoulders and how to protect and strengthen your shoulder muscles. We’ll cover:
- The benefits of healthy shoulder exercises
- How often you should do shoulder exercises
- How to strengthen your shoulders
- 10 of the best exercises for healthy shoulders
The benefits of strong shoulder muscles
Knowing how to strengthen your shoulders doesn’t just increase your muscle size and definition — it improves your overall athletic performance and leads to:
- Increased stability
- Better mobility
- Reduced risk of injury
- Less joint pain
- Improved ability to do everyday tasks
What muscles are in the shoulder?
The exercises in the workout below target common upper-body and shoulder muscles, including:
- Deltoids
- Trapezius
- Latissimus dorsi
- Rhomboids
- Teres major and minor
- Serratus anterior
How often should you do shoulder exercises?
The frequency of your shoulder workouts depends on your goals. If you’re focused on building muscle, train your shoulders 2 to 3 times a week, splitting workouts between upper-body days and lower-body days.
If your goal is to maintain mobility, shoulder health, and range of motion, aim to train your shoulders 1 to 2 times a week.
No matter your workout goals, always allow your muscles time to rest and recover after weighted exercises to help prevent injury and promote muscle growth.
10 exercises for healthy shoulders
With that covered, let’s talk about our favorite healthy shoulder exercises. We asked Anytime Fitness Coaches which exercises they recommend adding to your weight training routine to promote shoulder joint health, strength, and mobility.
As with any exercises, choose a weight that challenges you but doesn’t sacrifice your form.
1. Barbell Overhead Press
Muscles worked: Delts, traps, triceps, core
How to:
- Unrack the barbell and hold it at shoulder height in front of you.
- Keeping your core braced and lower body steady, slowly press the barbell overhead, stopping when your arms are straight.
- With control, lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 5–10 repetitions.
2. Seated Overhead Press
Muscles worked: Delts, pecs, traps, triceps
How to:
- Using two dumbbells, seat yourself on a bench with the back raised. Keep your feet flat on the ground and lower back on the bench.
- Hold the dumbbells just above shoulder height with your palms facing outward.
- Slowly press the dumbbells overhead while bracing your core. Stop when your arms are straight overhead.
- With control, lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 5–10 repetitions.
3. Landmine Press
Muscles worked: Delts, pecs, triceps
How to:
- Grab an empty barbell and find an area in the gym with ample space.
- Raise one end of the barbell up to shoulder height with one arm. Keep your feet in a split stance, with your opposite foot forward.
- Drive the barbell forward, extending your arm fully.
- Slowly return the barbell to the starting position.
- Switch sides and repeat after you’ve completed all repetitions on one side.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 5–10 repetitions on each side.
4. Upright Row
Muscles worked: Delts, traps, rhomboids
How to:
- Hold a fixed barbell at your waist with your palms facing backward.
- Keeping your lower body steady, bend your elbows upward to 90 degrees to raise the barbell. Avoid shrugging your shoulders.
- Slowly return the barbell to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 5–10 repetitions.
5. Arnold Press
Muscles worked: Delts, triceps, traps, pecs
How to:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing inward.
- Slowly press the dumbbells overhead, twisting your arms until your palms are facing outward and your arms are straight.
- Reverse the movement and return the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 6–12 repetitions.
6. Lateral Raise
Muscles worked: Delts, traps, serratus anterior
How to:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding two dumbbells straight down at your sides.
- Slowly raise both dumbbells outward to shoulder height, keeping them slightly in front of your shoulders. Avoid shrugging your shoulders or swinging your arms and lower body.
- Slowly return the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 8–15 repetitions.
Note: To avoid straining your shoulders, use a weight that’s slightly lighter than the weight you use for the Arnold press.
7. Bent-Over Lateral Raise
Muscles worked: Delts, traps, rhomboids
How to:
- Start with your feet hip-width apart and two dumbbells straight down at your sides. Hinge forward slightly at the hips, letting the dumbbells fall straight down beneath your shoulders.
- Keeping your back straight and core engaged, slowly raise the dumbbells straight outward up to shoulder height. Avoid swinging your arms and lower body.
- Slowly return the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 8–15 repetitions.
Note: For this exercise, we recommend using the same weight as the lateral raise.
8. Front Raise
Muscles worked: Delts, pecs, traps
How to:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding two dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing inward.
- Slowly raise the dumbbells straight out in front of your body, with your palms facing downward. Avoid shrugging your shoulders or swaying your body.
- Slowly return the dumbbells to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 8–15 repetitions.
9. Face Pull
Muscles worked: Delts, rhomboids, traps
How to:
- Using a rope attachment on the cable machine, stand a few feet away from the machine with your feet in a split stance. Hold the rope in front of your body at eye level.
- Keeping your lower body steady, pull the cable back toward your head, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
- Slowly return the cable back to the starting position.
- Repeat for 2–4 sets of 8–15 repetitions.
10. Overhead Carry
Muscles worked: Scapular muscles, delts, core
How to:
- Hold two kettlebells in a rack position with your arms straight above your head. Avoid shrugging your shoulders.
- Walk forward, keeping your back muscles and shoulders engaged.
- Carry the kettlebells for 2–5 periods of 10–30 seconds.
More healthy-shoulder exercises
There’s more where that came from. You can also add these exercises for healthy shoulders to your workout routine:
- Internal and external rotations
- Scapular retractions
- Scapular wall push-ups
- Wall slides
- Floor angels
- Wall angels
- Pendulums
- Wand extension
- Wand flexion
- Supine passive arm elevation
- Prone horizontal abduction
- Prone rowing
- Elbow flexion and extension
- Scapular retraction/protraction
- Bent-over horizontal abduction
Try these upper-body workouts
For even more shoulder health exercises, try one of these upper-body workouts:
Team up with an Anytime Fitness Coach to get personalized recommendations and training plans to keep you on track with your fitness goals.
Coach Mike Voorhees, NASM-CPT, FNS
Coach Mike found his passion for helping people working as a Coach at Anytime Fitness five years ago. Since then, he’s guided hundreds of people toward their fitness goals. Mike’s coaching philosophy resonates on and off the purple turf as he strives to help you become a stronger and more fulfilled version of yourself.
Mike received his Masters in Exercise Science from Concordia University, St. Paul. He is NASM CPT & FNS-certified and an ISSA Exercise Recovery Specialist. Other certifications include corrective exercise, pain-free performance, TRX training, kettlebell training, and more.
