7 Must-Do Shoulder Exercises

The shoulder is a very important part of the body that often gets neglected. The shoulders are home to many different muscles that serve important functions in regards to maintaining your health and functioning. If you want to protect your shoulders from injury or pain, then it is imperative that you start working them out on a regular basis!

Here are some exercises for the shoulders that will get those muscles firing and keep them strong.

Military Press

The military press is an exercise that uses dumbbells to work the shoulders. Start with two dumbbells at shoulder height, then raise them up until they are directly above your shoulders. Once you’ve reached this point, begin lowering one of the weights back towards your shoulder while lifting the other weight upwards towards the ceiling until they are at the same height as the first weight, and repeat.

Shoulder Press

This is another dumbbell workout that is designed to help you build strong shoulders by working out both your anterior deltoids (front) and medial/posterior deltoids (back). To perform this exercise correctly, hold two weights at shoulder level, then raise them until your arms are parallel with the ground. Next, lower one weight while lifting the other in an arc-like motion back to shoulder level.

Side Lateral Raise

One of the best exercises for isolating and working out all three parts of your shoulders is a side lateral raise. You will need two dumbbells for this exercise, which you will hold at your side. Keeping your elbows bent, raise the weights out to either side until they are parallel with the ground, then slowly lower them back down again.

Front Raise

The next shoulder workout is a front raise that requires two weights and can be performed standing or seated on an adjustable bench. Hold the weights at arm’s length, then slowly raise them in front of you until they are just above eye level. Hold this position for a moment before lowering the weight back down to starting position and repeating.

Shrugs

Although it might seem like an easy exercise that doesn’t require much effort, shrugs truly work out your shoulders by working out all three deltoid muscles. You can perform this exercise with dumbbells or a barbell, which you will hold in front of your body at arm’s length. While keeping your shoulders stationary and arms straight, begin to contract your traps by raising the weights upwards towards the ceiling until they are about the shoulder level, then slowly lower them back down.

Reverse Fly

This shoulder workout builds the motor units of your rear deltoids, so they work in sync with all other muscles in this area. To perform reverse flys, you will need to have an adjustable bench or chair available, which is where you’ll stand while holding two weights at arm’s length in front of you. Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly lower the weights out to either side until you feel a slight stretch, then raise them back up again.

Face Pulls

Face pulls are a great shoulder exercise that works out the more subtle muscles in this area. To perform face pulls, you will need to attach two handles with some sort of rope or strap to an adjustable cable machine and then raise them up until they’re level with your chin while kneeling on a mat. From here, begin pulling the handles towards your face by squeezing your shoulder blades together, then slowly release back down to starting position.

A shoulder workout is something that can be done by anyone at any time. You don’t need to visit the gym or purchase expensive equipment in order to do these exercises, and you just need your body and some weights! These seven shoulder workouts are designed for different skill levels, so no matter what level of fitness you’re currently at, there should be one here for you. Start with a few reps each day, even if it’s only two, and work up from there as soon as possible. Remember, strong shoulders = healthy life!