6 Best Shoulder Exercises for Men 

The best shoulder exercises aren’t about volume or intensity or even variations. They are in fact about being able to focus on all three shoulder heads— anterior, lateral, and rear—during the workout session.

You need to focus on different parts of a muscle group so that they can be properly developed. Missing this point can lead to strength imbalance and misalignment in your shoulders.

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6 Best Shoulder Exercises for Strength and Endurance

Your shoulders hold muscle groups that provide the framework for your upper body. The shoulder muscles are responsible for the range of motion in your arms. Here are some of the best shoulder exercises that you should include in your workout routine to properly develop your shoulders.

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1. Barbell Shoulder Press

Compound movements are an excellent way to boost strength and muscle growth. One of the best compound movements for shoulders are presses. You can do presses with dumbbells, barbells, or even hammer strength machines.

To do a barbell shoulder press, place the barbell on the power rack slightly below shoulder level. Next, hold a shoulder-width or slightly wider grip and de-rack the barbell. Finally, press it overhead using your shoulders, especially the lateral and anterior deltoids.

Keep your core engaged and back straight for proper balance and stability.

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2. Arnold Press

Arnold press is named after the famed bodybuilder and Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

To do this exercise, hold the dumbbells in each hand and bring them to shoulder level. Next, press the dumbbells overhead but while pressing, turn your forearms so that your palms are facing outward at the top of the motion. Next, lower the weights but turn your forearms again so your palms are facing you.

It’s important to use your forearms to twist the palms and not your wrists.

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3. Lateral Raise

A great pick from the best shoulder exercises that focus on your lateral delts is the lateral raise. You can do this exercise using cables, dumbbells, or a machine (if you have access to one).

If you're using dumbbells, take one in each hand, preferably a lighter one, and place your arms on your sides.

To exercise, lift the dumbbells laterally from your elbows, but the muscle–mind connection should be on your shoulders. It’s better to use a lightweight to create a strong muscle–mind connection before moving to a heavier weight.

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4. Front Raise

The front raise is similar to the lateral raise except that you have to raise the dumbbells in the front rather than on the sides.

This shoulder exercise focuses primarily on your anterior deltoids, and the secondary focus is on your lateral deltoids.

You should be able to do this exercise with barbells as well, but preferably use the smaller barbells as opposed to the power rack barbells.

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5. Landmine Press

It’s important to focus on isolation exercises to eliminate any muscle imbalance. A great exercise for this is the landmine press, which can work on all three shoulder heads.

The landmine press allows you to work on each shoulder at a time, and the barbell adds intensity to the workout even without any weight plates.

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6. Face Pulls

Rear delts are an important part of your shoulders. If you want proper development, then you need to work on your rear delts as well.

To exercise, fix the rope grips to the cable pulley machine, and adjust the anchor slightly above your forehead or parallel to your forehead.

Next, hold the grips and pull the rope toward your forehead and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the motion. Be careful and stop before the ropes make contact with your forehead.

Besides face pulls, some other exercises for the rear delt include reverse flyes, behind-the-neck pulldowns, and reverse pec dec.

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Bottom Line

Exercises that work different muscles should be a part of your workout regime. However, it is always advised that you begin with a lighter weight. This allows you to build a better muscle–mind connection achieve adequate engagement.