For strong and durable shoulders capable of withstanding injury, you will need to train all three heads of the deltoid as well as increase strength in the deep stabilizer rotator cuff muscles. By utilizing a combination of compound presses, isolation raises, and stability exercises, you will achieve the shoulder power you crave and the joint durability to last for decades to come.
Overhead Barbell Press
As the king of shoulder exercises, the standing overhead press will ignite your whole deltoid complex as well as your triceps and upper chest. As you require such stability in your core and lower body to even attempt this lift correctly, you will be developing practical, whole-body strength at the same time.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
By forcing each arm to move independently, dumbbells immediately highlight and begin to even out left-right strength imbalances. The dumbbell also allows for a more natural, customized range of motion, which can be much gentler on sensitive shoulder joints.
Arnold Press
Named for its creator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, this variation of the dumbbell shoulder press involves a twist that can really fire up all parts of the deltoid. With your palms facing inward in the bottom position, rotate them out as you press so they’re facing forward at the top.
Push Press
The push press involves dipping slightly into your knees and using a quick hip drive to help propel the weight overhead. Because you are using your lower body, you can press significantly more weight than in a strictly controlled barbell press, thereby stimulating more strength gains.
Seated Lateral Raise
To perfectly isolate the lateral (side) head of the deltoid, the muscle that’s really going to add size to your upper body’s width, use seated lateral raises. Taking your legs and hips out of the equation removes all possibility of momentum.
Face Pulls
The face pull is a top-tier exercise for shoulder health and posture. Using a cable machine with a rope attachment, pull the weight toward your face, flaring out your elbows to engage the rear delts, rhomboids, and external rotator cuff.
Prone Y-T-W Raises
Lying face down on an incline bench or the floor, lift your arms to trace out a Y, a T, and a W. Performed either with just body weight or with light dumbbells, this exercise builds up endurance in the lower traps and the external rotators.
Dumbbell Scansion
Otherwise known as scap raises, this exercise differs from a lateral raise in that you only move your dumbbells about 30 to 45 degrees out from your body. Because the movement occurs at a slight angle, it works perfectly with the scapula’s plane of motion.
Single-Arm Landmine Press
By lodging one end of a barbell in a landmine attachment and holding the other with a neutral grip, you can perform a press that travels on an upward angle. This is a wonderful variation if you have trouble with overhead pressing and your shoulder can get irritated at the top end of the range of motion.
