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Shoulder strength is essential, whether you're aiming for a stronger physique or simply want to improve your ability to do tasks like hoisting a suitcase into an overhead compartment. In this article, I’ll explain where the shoulder muscles are located, their functions, and the most effective exercises to target them.
What exactly are the shoulder muscles?
The shoulder joint is one of the most unique and intricate joints in the body. Instead of a simple hinge formed by two bones, multiple bones, including the scapula (shoulder blade), come together to create the joint's complex structure.
Our shoulder joint is supported by various muscles that exist both in the front and back, as well as above and below. Many of these muscles are connected to the shoulder blade, serving also as back muscles. Due to this complexity, defining what exactly qualifies as a “shoulder” muscle can be tricky. Nonetheless, I’ll do my best to highlight the primary shoulder muscles:
The anterior deltoid, which helps you lift your arm forward.
The lateral deltoid, which assists in lifting your arm sideways.
The posterior deltoid, which helps you move your arm backward.
These three deltoid muscles form a triangular shape on top of the shoulder, resembling the padding of a vintage 1980s power suit. They are commonly known as deltoids (or ‘delts’), named for their triangle-like form. Each of the three sections is attached at the front, top, or back of the shoulder, converging at a single point on the upper arm bone.
Besides the deltoids, also known as ‘delts,’ several other muscles contribute to the movement of your shoulder, including:
Your rotator cuff, which is composed of four muscles that link your upper arm bone (the humerus) to the shoulder blade. These muscles – infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor – work together to allow for multi-directional shoulder movement, hence their name, as they surround the joint like a cuff.
Your trapezius (“traps”) and rhomboid minor muscles connect your spine to your shoulder blades. When you perform a shoulder shrug, it's your upper trapezius that is primarily at work.
Your pectoralis major and minor (known as “pecs”) join your chest to your upper arms. These muscles play a significant role when pushing an object away, as in a bench press or pushup.
Your serratus anterior links your shoulder blades to your ribcage, aiding shoulder movement forward and stabilization when lifting overhead.
Your latissimus dorsi (“lats”) are large back muscles attached to the upper arm bones. These muscles help in pulling the shoulders downward and backward and assist in bringing objects closer to you.
Given everything we've discussed, it's clear there isn't one exercise that targets every muscle. If your goal is to achieve the classic ‘boulder shoulders’ look, you'll need to focus on the deltoids. However, for optimal shoulder function and movement, a diverse range of upper-body exercises is necessary.
For instance, exercises like bench presses and pushups primarily engage the pecs, while pullups and lat pulldown machines target the lats. Shrugs focus on the upper trapezius, and horizontal pulling exercises like rows work the upper back muscles, including the traps and rhomboids. Although these might not fall under the ‘shoulder exercises’ category in gym culture, they're certainly beneficial for your shoulders.
That being said, I understand you're looking for specific shoulder exercises. Let me share some of my go-to exercises that focus on the deltoids, which you can incorporate into your next upper body workout. These exercises can be done as a circuit, allowing you to complete a high number of reps in a short amount of time.
The Ideal Shoulder Routine for Beginners
Out of the two routines I’m about to describe, this one is the most beginner-friendly. However, there’s no reason to outgrow it; this routine is a solid foundation for lifters at any skill level.
Here's a tri-set (similar to a three-part superset) that targets each of the deltoid's three sections. For this, you’ll hold a dumbbell in each hand and perform each exercise simultaneously with both arms.
Front raise: Lift the dumbbells straight in front of you, keeping your elbows extended. Stop when your arms are about parallel to the floor (don’t go fully overhead).
Lateral raise: Lift the dumbbells to the sides, as though slowly flapping your wings like a bird. Feel free to bend your elbows if needed, or keep your arms slightly in front of your body rather than extending them directly out to the sides.
Rear delt raise (also known as the reverse fly): Lean forward at the hips, bringing your chest toward the floor. Bending your knees for comfort is fine. Then, raise the dumbbells, using your rear deltoid muscles to pull the weights toward the ceiling.
Use the same dumbbells for all three exercises without setting them down until you've completed the whole tri-set. Choose a weight that allows you to perform 10 to 12 reps on the first exercise, and try to maintain that number for the others. However, don’t be surprised if your shoulders fatigue and you can only complete 10 on one set and then eight on the next. After finishing all three exercises, set the dumbbells down and rest for a minute or two before beginning the next round.
Three rounds of this circuit make for an excellent way to wrap up an upper body workout.
The Ultimate Shoulder Routine for Functional Strength
Lateral raises are a staple for bodybuilders, but if your goal is to build shoulder strength for overhead lifting, you’ll want to include some form of overhead press in your routine. Personally, I prefer barbell and double kettlebell presses. A few compound pulling movements are great to complete a circuit, and if I have just 10 minutes for a shoulder finisher, this is the one I go for.
The press primarily targets the front and middle deltoids, along with shoulder stabilizers like the traps and serratus. The upright row also focuses on the delts and traps, but it also works the rhomboids and rotator cuff. To finish, we’ll incorporate an exercise for the rear delts and upper back muscles.
Before starting, make sure to gather your equipment: a barbell, which might be placed in a rack, and a long, thin resistance band.
Overhead press: As the name suggests, you stand up, take the bar from the rack, and press it overhead. I usually begin with a strict press (no knee bend), but once that gets tough, it’s perfectly fine to switch to a push press.
Upright row: You can choose a wide or narrow grip for this. Start with the bar at hip level, and pull it up the front of your body as though it’s attached to the zipper of your hoodie. Make sure your elbows stay above the bar throughout.
Band pull-aparts: Hold the ends of the resistance band in front of you with straight arms, angled upwards slightly so the band is around eye level. Pull the band apart so that your arms extend to the sides and the band touches your upper chest.
For the barbell, choose a weight that allows you to complete about 15 reps. It’s fine if that’s just the empty bar or one of the fixed-weight barbells found on racks next to the dumbbells. As you go through the circuit and your shoulders fatigue, you may only manage five reps toward the end.
Some individuals experience shoulder discomfort with upright rows. If that’s the case for you, consider widening your grip on the bar and not pulling it as high. Pulling it up to your belly button level can still be very effective.
I like to set a timer for 10 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible within that time frame, taking minimal rest—usually about 30 seconds between my last band pull and the first press of the next round.
