Best Shoulder Exercises in the Gym

1. Overhead Barbell Press (Shoulder Press)

Overhead exercises are one of the best exercises for the shoulders. In this exercise, your core and lower body are engaged to lift the load. The barbell overhead press is one of the most effective compound shoulder exercises. It primarily targets the front delts, while also engaging the side delts, triceps, and core.

When you see someone performing this exercise at the gym, it looks like a very heavy and powerful movement. The barbell overhead press is one of the most effective compound shoulder exercises.

Benefits:

• Builds overall shoulder mass and strength
• Improves core stability
• Enhances pressing power

This exercise should be a foundation movement in any shoulder workout.

2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This is one of the best shoulder exercises. This exercise is done with dumbbells and becomes even more effective.

The dumbbell shoulder press allows greater range of motion and helps correct muscle imbalances between both sides.

As the name suggests, this exercise involves a lifting movement using dumbbells. In this exercise, we train the shoulders using dumbbells, which is why it's called the dumbbell shoulder press. This exercise is usually performed while sitting on a flat bench. It involves lifting both dumbbells upwards simultaneously and then returning them to the starting position while keeping the body stable.

Sit or stand holding dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Press them upward until your arms are straight, then lower under control.

Benefits:

• Better muscle isolation
• Reduces joint stress
• Improves shoulder symmetry

Dumbbells are especially good for beginners and those with shoulder discomfort.

3. Lateral Raises

Lateral raises are essential for building wide, capped shoulders by targeting the side delts. In this exercise, the load is mostly shifted towards the side deltoid muscles.

How to do it:

Hold dumbbells at your sides with a slight bend in your arms. Raise them laterally until they reach shoulder height, then lower slowly.

Learn more about Lateral Raise

Benefits:

• Enhances shoulder width
• Improves V-taper appearance
• Isolates the lateral delts

Use lighter weights and focus on controlled movement for best results.

4. Front Raises

As you can see from the name itself, "Front Raise" means raising the weight to the front. In this exercise, we use dumbbells or a barbell and raise them forward, then slowly lower them back.

Front raises focus mainly on the anterior delts and complement pressing movements. Most of the load is on the anterior deltoid muscle.

Front Raise – Full Muscle Info

Benefits:

• Strengthens front delts
• Improves pressing performance
• Enhances shoulder definition
• Increased muscle growth
• Better time under tension