Written by Kyle Ustach | BScEcon
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
If you ask gym-goers if they can maximize the growth of any body part, you will likely hear chest, biceps, or abs for answers. It's unlikely many people will say shoulders, but you're making a major mistake if you neglect the delts. The fact is that the shoulder muscles are arguably one of the most important to train for aesthetic and functional purposes.
Are you tired of doing the same exercises and not making any gains? The shoulder muscle, or deltoid, is fairly small - it doesn't need ten different exercises to grow. The truth is, you can build the biggest boulders with just three exercises. In this article, we will show you the only three exercises you need to create the most enormous boulder shoulders of your life.
Table of Contents
- 3 Best Exercises For Boulder Shoulders
- Anatomy of the Shoulders
- Benefits of Big Shoulders
- Shoulder Warm-Up
- Shoulder Workout Routines
- Shoulder Programming Tips
- FAQs
3 Best Exercise For Boulder Shoulders
Unfortunately, there isn't a single exercise that hits all three heads of the deltoid with comparative intensity, so you need different exercises. The good news is that you only need these three exercises to build the broadest, roundest shoulders of your life.
1. Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
The seated barbell shoulder press is the king of shoulder exercises. The barbell shoulder press primarily targets the deltoids, specifically the anterior deltoids (front). It also works the lateral deltoids (middle) but to a lesser extent than the front shoulders.
Secondarily, it works the triceps during the extension portion to help stabilize the elbows, while the upper chest and trapezius are minorly activated for stabilization.
After doing this exercise for a prolonged period, feel free to switch out the barbell for dumbbells, Smith Machine, or a shoulder press machine.
Instructions:
- Sit on the shoulder press bench or a sturdy bench with back support. Adjust the bench so your feet are flat on the floor.
- Grab the barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing out), slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your body midline (nose) should be centered with the middle of the bar, like a bench press.
- The barbell should be set at chin level or higher so you don't strain your shoulders from too low of a starting point.
- Your arms should be bent at a 90-degree angle, so your upper arms parallel to the ground. Think of your arms as making a large football goalpost symbol.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it at shoulder level above your upper chest.
- Exhale and press the barbell above your head by pushing the weight straight above your head until your arms are fully extended without locking out your elbows.
- Be sure to keep your head up, eyes straight forward, shoulders back, and core engaged to maintain balance throughout the lift.
- Inhale and slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position or slightly below, which should lightly graze your upper chest. Make sure you don't let momentum carry the bar.
- Repeat for reps.
Tip: Your grip should be around shoulder-width apart so that the barbell is directly above your elbow during the press. Make sure not to go too heavy to prevent injury, as too much weight can place severe stress on the delts.
2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
If the barbell press is the king of compound shoulder movements, the lateral raise is the king of isolation shoulder movements. The lateral raise directly targets the lateral head (middle), which is arguably the most important head for building shoulder mass.
Growing the shoulder's lateral head helps create the round, boulder-like shape we all desire. You will not maximize your shoulder gains if you don't obliterate the lateral head. Dumbbell lateral raises (and variations) are the only exercise that directly isolates the medial head, so there is nothing like it.
Aside from blasting the lateral head, this exercise also works the anterior head to a lesser extent, particularly during the beginning of the lift. Other muscles that are activated for stabilization include the supraspinatus, trapezius, and rotator cuff.
You will likely notice people in the gym add a twisting motion at the top of the lift. That small twist takes the tension off the deltoids and shifts to the lats and upper back. If you want to keep the focus on the shoulders, be sure to do this exercise with perfect, controlled form.
Similar to a dumbbell chest fly, this exercise should be done with light, manageable weights. Using a controllable weight and focusing on the muscle-mind connection is far better than throwing around heavy weights using momentum.
You can also do this exercise using a pulley machine, resistance bands, kettlebells, or a lat raise machine.
Instructions:
- Stand shoulder-width apart, with your knees slightly bent and back straight.
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Let them hang by your sides, but keep your elbows slightly bent.
- Exhale and slowly lift the dumbbells outward to the side so your arms form a T-like shape but with a slight elbow bend. Your arms should be parallel to the floor at the top. Focus on squeezing your shoulders to lift the weights.
- Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10-15 reps. This exercise should never be done with heavy weights for low reps.
Tip: Make sure to keep your wrists straight and avoid using momentum or swinging the weights.
Related Best Exercises For Wider Shoulders
3. Barbell Upright Row
The barbell upright row is the third and final exercise you need to build the best shoulders possible. This exercise primarily targets the medial (lateral) head of the shoulder, which we know by now is the most important for building round shoulders.
The trapezius is also heavily involved, as it helps to stabilize the shoulders. Secondary activated muscles include the anterior deltoids, biceps, brachialis, and forearm muscles.
The one downside of this exercise is that it can place heavy stress on the shoulder joint, especially for those with a shoulder injury or limited mobility.
If you experience any pain or discomfort using a barbell, switch to dumbbells or a cable pulley. You can also use the Smith Machine to provide extra stability, although this should be a last resort.
Instructions:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and your back straight.
- Grab a barbell with an overhand grip with your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart (six inches maximum).
- Exhale and slowly lift the barbell straight up toward your chin by flaring your elbows out. Keep the barbell close to your body as you lift.
- Let your elbows flare out as much as possible, and lift the barbell until it's just below your chin. You may see people in the gym go higher, but avoid going above the chin to prevent injury.
- Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and engage your core muscles throughout the exercise.
- Inhale and slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position. Make sure to keep the barbell in control - don't let momentum drop it.
- Lower the barbell until your arms are fully extended without locking out your elbows.
Tip: You want to be careful not to let your grip get too wide, which places severe stress on the shoulder. A slightly wider grip places more emphasis on the lateral delts, while a narrower grip puts more emphasis on the anterior (front) deltoids and traps.
Anatomy of the Shoulders
The shoulder muscle, or deltoid, is composed of three heads, the rotator cuff muscles and the trapezius. To maximize your shoulders, you need to hit every part of them. Unfortunately, there isn't an exercise that equally hits all three heads, so you need different exercises.
Deltoid:
The deltoid is the primary muscle of the shoulder that makes up the "boulder" look. There are three parts of the deltoid: the anterior (front) deltoid, medial (side) deltoid, and posterior (rear) deltoid.
Anterior Deltoid
The anterior deltoid is the front of the shoulder muscle. The main purpose is shoulder flexion, which is the movement of the shoulders upward or forward. Some exercises that primarily focus on the anterior head include:
- Front Raises
- Overhead Shoulder Press
- Arnold Press
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Medial Deltoid
The medial (side) deltoid is the middle of the shoulder muscle. The primary purpose of the medial deltoid is shoulder abduction, which is when you lift the shoulders outward away from the body.
Exercises that mainly target the medial head include:
- Lateral Raises
- Cable Lateral Raises
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises
- Upright Rows
Posterior Deltoid
The posterior (rear) deltoid is the back of the shoulder muscle. The rear deltoids are responsible for shoulder extension or pulling the arms backward.
While the front and lateral delts are primarily involved with "push" movements, the rear delts are involved with "pull" movements. This difference is why the rear deltoids are often trained on a different day than the shoulders, typically with a back routine.
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises
- Reverse Flyes/Pec Dec
- Face Pulls
- Rear Delt Flyes
Rotator Cuff:
The rotator cuff is a group of four different muscles and their tendons that work collectively to stabilize and rotate the shoulder joint. They play a significant role in both compound and shoulder exercises. It is vital to properly warm up the rotator cuff to maximize performance and prevent injury.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff are:
1. Supraspinatus
Initiates abduction, or lifting away from the body. Exercises include:
- Shoulder External Rotation
- Cable External Rotation
- Side-Lying External Rotation
2. & 3. Infraspinatus and Teres Minor
These two muscles help with the external rotation of the arm and help stabilize any rotational movements. Exercises include:
- Shoulder External Rotation
- Reverse Flyes
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises
Related: 5 Best Infraspinatus Exercises
4. Subscapularis
This muscle is responsible for the internal rotation of the arm. It also helps to stabilize the humerus (upper arm bone) to the shoulder joint. Exercises include:
- Shoulder Internal Rotation
- Cable/Band Internal Rotation
- Dumbbell Internal Rotation
It's important to warm up and even train (to an extent) the rotator cuffs to increase your other major lifts. This is a major reason why steroid users get injured - their muscles rapidly build strength so the body can lift more, but the joints and tendon strength lag behind the muscles.
Even though your muscles may be strong enough to lift the weight, the joints and tendons aren't strong enough to support the greater stress.
Trapezius
The trapezius, or traps, is the large muscle across the upper back, neck, and shoulders. The trapezius is the area where a barbell rests during squats. The most common exercise that targets the traps is shrugs, which also work the shoulders.
People typically blast the traps at the end of their shoulder workout with a few shrugs. Shrugs have a very short range of motion, so switch to higher reps in the 12-20 range rather than going heavy for low reps.
The traps are also divided into three different areas, each with its own exercises.
Upper Trapezius
- Shrugs
- Dumbbell Shrugs
- Barbell Shrugs
- Upright Rows
Middle Trapezius
- Face Pulls
- Bent-Over Rows
- Cable Rows
Lower Trapezius
- Prone Y Raises
- Prone T Raises
- Reverse Flyes
Benefits of Big Shoulders
Shoulder day may not be the most popular day of the week at the gym, but building big shoulders has several key benefits. Some benefits of building strong, broad shoulders include:
1. Improved Posture
Shoulders are one of the most important muscle groups for maintaining posture. Having strong shoulders and traps is vital to support the spine and maintain alignment. Strong shoulder muscles help to keep the shoulders pulled back and down, which prevents slouching or rounding your back. They also support the shoulder blades and the curvature of the spine.
2. Increase Range of Motion
Strong shoulders help improve the shoulder joint's flexibility, which allows a greater range of motion for the arms.
3. Injury Prevention
The shoulder muscles are actively involved in several upper body exercises as primary or accessory muscles. Compound exercises like the bench press, overhead press, or clean all require strong shoulders to support the other muscles.
4. Functional Movements
Strong shoulders can come in handy in everyday life outside of the gym. Simple activities like changing a lightbulb, carrying groceries, or putting items away on upper shelves require shoulder strength. Training shoulders will make daily life easier and help prevent fluke injuries.
5. Aesthetics
Nearly all of us lift weights to get stronger or improve our body's appearance. Broad, rounded shoulders are vital for creating a balanced, aesthetic physique, especially of the upper body.
The wider your side delts grow, the smaller it makes your waist look and give you that V-taper. Pro bodybuilders who have trouble keeping their waist small often emphasize the deltoids to create the illusion of a smaller waist.
Shoulder Warm-Up
If your workout routine doesn't have a proper warm-up routine, you are not reaching your potential. During exercises like the bench press or shoulder press, the rotator cuff muscles are heavily involved in stabilizing the shoulder joint and assisting in the movement of the arms.
You should warm up the shoulders and rotator cuffs for any workout involving upper body movements because they are important for injury prevention, joint lubrication, improved range of motion, and increased muscle activation.
Some effective warm-up exercises for the rotator cuff include:
- Arm circles
- Shoulder internal and external rotation with resistance bands
- Shoulder pendulum swings
- Sleeper stretches
- Band pull-aparts
- Band face pulls
- Wall angels
- TYI Stretch
Shoulder Workout Routines
Option A: Advanced
Warm-Up:
- 5 minutes of dynamic stretching (arm circles, TYI, etc.)
- 2 sets x 15-20 reps of Band External Rotations
- Can be done with a light cable or bodyweight
- 2 sets x 15-20 reps of Band Lateral Rotations
Workout:
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6
- Increase weight each set
- Barbell Upright Row: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 4 sets x 10-15 reps
- Bonus Exercise: Barbell/Machine Shrugs: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
Cool-Down:
-
5 minutes of static stretching
Option B: Beginner
Warm-Up:
- 5 minutes of dynamic stretching
- 2 sets x 15-20 reps of Band Pull Aparts
- 2 sets x 15-20 reps of Band Lateral Rotations
Workout:
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets x 12, 10, 8
- Increase weight each set
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Barbell Upright Row: 2 sets x 10-12 reps
Cool-Down:
-
5 minutes of static stretching
Shoulder Programming Tips
The shoulder muscle is one of the most interesting anatomically because each head has its own insertion point and can work independently from the other heads. While the front and medial deltoids are activated with "push" movements like the bench press, dips, or should press, the rear deltoids are activated with "pull" movements. Due to this, you will likely train the rear deltoids on a different day from the front and side deltoids.
A typical 5-day "bro split" routine is:
- Chest
- Back
- Arms
- Shoulders
- Legs
The shoulders are one of the most active muscle groups, as they assist nearly all movements of the upper arms. Due to how active the shoulders are for push movements, people often will train them with triceps or chest.
If you are following a similar split, make sure you separate shoulders from chest and triceps by at least 48-72 hours between workouts.
To learn more about split workout programs, check out our article What Is A Workout Split?
If you can increase your shoulder strength, it will translate into other exercises and make them easier. Some of the exercises that work the shoulders on a secondary basis include:
- Bench press
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Dips
- Rows
- Deadlifts
- Overhead tricep extensions
FAQs
Is it possible to train every part of the shoulder (deltoid) muscle with one exercise?
No, sadly, there isn't an exercise that equally targets all three heads of the deltoid muscle. You must do at least three different exercises to emphasize each head.
How often can you train shoulders? If I train them more often, will they grow more?
Studies have shown that training each muscle group twice a week, at least 72 hours apart to ensure full recovery is best. However, the shoulders are actively involved in several upper body exercises (bench press, push up, dips, etc.) so it is possible to get away with once a week depending on your routine.
Why do people on anabolic steroids blow up in their shoulders?
The shoulders are one of the most androgen-sensitive muscles in the entire body. This means the shoulders have one of the highest densities of androgen receptors, which means they are highly responsive to testosterone and other androgenic hormones.
Outro
Building huge shoulders is essential if you want to take your gym performance to the next level and improve your aesthetics. The shoulder muscle consists of three heads; you must blast every head to build complete, defined deltoids. The only three exercises you need to build massive boulder shoulders are the barbell overhead shoulder press, dumbbell lateral raises, and barbell upright rows. As with any exercise, a proper warm-up routine is vital to maximize performance and prevent injury. This includes warming up the rotator cuff, the group of muscles that help stabilize and move the shoulder.
Bigger shoulders will help increase your other major lifts, help widen your upper body to create the desired V-taper, and make your waist appear smaller, further improving aesthetics. If you follow this workout program and consume enough protein, you will develop the boulder shoulders you've always dreamed of.
Kyle Ustach
Author