When it comes to building strong, well-defined shoulders through deltoid exercises ... it's not something that happens overnight.
These muscles take time to develop, just like any other muscle group.
What I'm getting at is it takes consistency over a long period of time. But not just consistency in anything; it takes focus in a few key areas:
• Performing the right deltoid exercises to hit your shoulders from all angles
• Training with enough intensity and volume to stimulate muscle growth
• Recovering properly outside of the gym through proper nutrition and sleep
Most people overlook the recovery part, and that's not a good idea. Don't worry, I'll talk more about how to maximize that in the last section.
For this comprehensive guide to shoulder workouts, I'm going to focus mainly on the best deltoid exercises. That way, you can incorporate them into an effective deltoid training routine.
In This Article You Will Learn:
• Understanding Shoulder Muscle Anatomy
• The Top 10 Best Deltoid Exercises for Shoulder Development
• Complete Deltoid Workout Programs for All Levels
• How to Maximize Your Results from Deltoid Training
Understanding Shoulder Muscle Anatomy
There's a lot going on in and around the shoulder joint, but I'll keep it simple. Let's focus on the main muscles involved in these deltoid exercises: The deltoids.
Your deltoids consist of three distinct sections. While they're connected, each head serves different functions in your shoulder workouts.
If you're new to shoulder training, don't get thrown off by terms like anterior, lateral, and posterior. Let me break it down simply:
• Anterior = Front of the body
• Posterior = Back of the body
• Lateral = Outside of the body (away from your midline)
Your deltoid as a whole is that rounded, triangular-shaped muscle sitting on your shoulder caps. It's essential for most upper body movements and helps prevent shoulder injuries.
Let's look closer at all three heads of the deltoid muscle:
Anterior Deltoid
The anterior deltoid makes up the front third of your shoulder muscles. Its main functions include:
• Raising your arms forward
• Pressing movements overhead
• Supporting chest exercises
This part of your shoulder gets worked during bench press, overhead press, and front raise exercises.
Lateral Deltoid
The middle portion of your deltoid points directly out to the side. During shoulder workouts, this muscle:
• Raises your arms out to the sides
• Stabilizes shoulder movements
• Creates that sought-after shoulder cap look
The lateral deltoid is crucial for developing broader, more defined shoulders.
Posterior Deltoid
This is the smallest section of the deltoid muscle, located on the back of your shoulder. During deltoid training, it's responsible for:
• Pulling your arms backward
• Supporting rowing movements
• Maintaining shoulder stability
Top 10 Best Deltoid Exercises
These are 10 deltoid exercises I’ve gotten the best results with. Not only with me, but with dozens of athletes and clients I’ve trained over the last 10 years!
Dumbbell/Barbell Shoulder Press
This is one of my favorite deltoid exercises for shoulder development. It primarily targets the anterior deltoid and chest muscles. Although, it will involve the lateral deltoid and triceps too.
You can do this with dumbbells or a barbell. I like doing them with dumbbells, personally. This is because it forces your muscles to work harder to stabilize your shoulders.
For these instructions, we’ll be using dumbbells.
1. Sit on a bench set up at a 90-degree angle with a pair of dumbbells held at or just above your shoulders.
2. Engage your pecs, shoulders, and triceps in order to press the weight straight up overhead. The angle at which your elbows flare out is up to you. The more they point out to the sides, the more emphasis is put on the middle deltoid.
3. The more your elbows point forward, the more emphasis is on the front deltoid and the chest.
4. Squeeze your shoulders and triceps at the top for a second. Then, slowly return to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for reps.
Arnold Press
The Arnold Press was made famous by Arnold Schwarzeneggar during his bodybuilding days. It’s one of the best deltoid exercises, in my opinion, because it targets all 3 heads of the muscle.
1. Sit on a bench set up at a 90-degree angle with a pair of dumbbells held at or just above your shoulders. Your elbows should be tucked in front of you with your palms facing behind you.
2. Engage your pecs, shoulders, and triceps to press the weight straight up overhead.
3. While the weight goes up, allow your elbows to flare out and your palms to turn away from you in one fluid motion.
4. At the top of the movement, your arms should be straight overhead with your palms facing away from you.
5. Squeeze your pecs, shoulders, and triceps at the top for a second. Then, slowly return to the starting position.
6. As you lower the weight, reverse the same motion you did on the way up with your elbows and hands. As your elbows get back to the starting position, squeeze your pecs for a second.
7. Repeat this for reps.
Dumbbell Victory Raise
This is another one of my favorite deltoid exercises. It’s a mixture of a front raise and lateral raise with a resistance band to increase the difficulty.
You don’t have to go too heavy with this one. Do it slowly and controlled while focusing on quality contractions.
1. Place a small resistance band around your wrists.
2. Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them with straight arms and a neutral grip down by your thighs. Keep your arms pulled apart just enough to create tension in the band at the bottom of the movement.
3. Raise your arms in front of you until overhead. At the same time, pull the band further apart until you have made a “V” with your arms.
4. Squeeze your deltoids at the top for a second, and slowly return back to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for reps. Never let the tension fully release in the band until the set is over.
Dumbbell Lateral Raises
This is a classic exercise that isolates the lateral portion of your deltoids. Be sure not to go so heavy that you need to cheat with momentum.
Keep your movement slow and controlled throughout the exercise.
1. Grab a set of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with your palms facing each other.
2. Create a slight bend in your hips and knees, so they're not totally locked out, and pull your shoulders down and back.
3. Engage your deltoids to pull your arms out to the sides until your arms are parallel with the ground. Make sure you're not rocking your body for momentum.
4. Squeeze your deltoids for a second at the top, and then slowly return back to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for reps.
Band Pull-Aparts
This is one of the best ways to isolate your posterior deltoids. Using a looped resistance band, it creates constant tension in the muscle.
Because your rear deltoid is not the strongest muscle, be sure not to use too strong of a resistance band. It’s about controlled contraction. Too heavy of a band will cause your back muscles to take over the movement.
To reduce the resistance, only grab one side of the looped resistance band and let the other half hang down. Doing this will make the band resemble a circle.
To make it more difficult, grab both sides of the band. Doing this will make the resistance band resemble a straight line.
1. Grab the band with a strong grip at shoulder width. The band should create a small amount of tension between your hands.
2. Keep your arms and wrists straight, with your shoulders pulled down and back.
3. Slowly pull the band apart as far as you can until your arms are fully out to your sides. The band should make contact with your chest at your end range of motion.
4. Squeeze your rear delts for a second, and then slowly return back to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for reps.
Seated Cable Y-Raise
This is one of those deltoid exercises that looks easy but can burn quite a bit! It’s very similar to the dumbbell victory raise, except it’s done with cables.
It requires a cable machine with 2 separate cables. You’ll also need a bench set at 90 degrees and wrist cuff attachments.
If you don’t have wrist cuff attachments, 2 separate handles will be just fine. The wrist cuffs just help you focus more on the muscle contractions in my opinion.
These directions are for using wrist cuffs.
1. Set a bench in front of the cable machine at a 90-degree angle.
2. Set the cable height to the height of your knees when seated. Then sit down and wrap the wrist cuffs around your wrists. The opposite cable should be attached to each wrist in order for the cables to cross over each other.
3. Start with your arms straight out in front of your chest. Be sure to keep your arms straight throughout the movement.
4. From here, pull your arms overhead while also pulling them apart to make a “V” or the top of a “Y” with your arms.
5. Squeeze your rear deltoids for a second, then slowly return back to the starting position.
6. Repeat this for reps.
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise
This exercise is great for isolating your anterior deltoids, but it also hits your pecs. Being seated and alternating allows you to focus on the muscles contracting a bit better.
Again, don’t go too heavy if you can’t do this with a controlled motion. This will require a bench set at 90 degrees and a pair of dumbbells.
1. Grab a set of dumbbells and sit with them at your sides with a neutral grip.
2. Engage one of your deltoids to raise that arm in front of you until that arm is overhead.
3. Squeeze that deltoid for a second, then slowly return back to the starting position.
4. Repeat with the other arm for the exact same number of reps on both sides.
Cable Face Pulls
This exercise will target your posterior deltoids, but it also involves your traps. You should feel all of these muscles squeeze hard at the end of every pull.
1. Set up the cable at the highest setting, hook up the rope attachment, and grab it with both hands in an overhand grip.
2. Be sure to pull your shoulders down and back to enhance stability at the shoulder joint.
3. Take a step back in order to lift the weight off of the stack.
4. Using your shoulders and traps, pull your elbows and hands back as far as you can. Be sure your hands separate as you pull until they are outside your ears. Your elbows should end up higher than your shoulders when you pull back as far as you can.
5. Squeeze your shoulders and traps hard for a second. Then, slowly return back to the starting position.
6. Repeat this for reps.
Bent-Over Reverse Dumbbell Fly
This exercise resembles the same motion as band pull-aparts. The difference is that instead of a band, you’ll be using dumbbells in a bent-over position.
This exercise isolates your posterior deltoids. You need to be careful not to use momentum to bring the weights up.
As always, do this motion in a slow and controlled manner.
1. Grab a set of dumbbells with your palms facing each other.
2. Squat down, pushing your hips back and sinking your chest toward the ground. Keep going until your back is almost parallel to the ground.
3. Keep your core engaged, but make sure your back is flat and not arching or rounding. Keep your shoulders pulled down and back throughout the movement for stability.
4. With a slight bend in your elbows, use your rear deltoids to pull the dumbbells out to your sides. Your arms should be parallel with the ground at the top of the movement.
5. Squeeze your rear deltoids for a second at the top, then slowly return back to the starting position.
6. Repeat this for reps.
Dumbbell Sunrise-Sunset Raise
This is one of those deltoid exercises you don’t see very often. I’m not sure why, though, because it’s a great exercise to build strength and stability in your shoulders.
This exercise will primarily target your anterior and lateral deltoids. Your posterior deltoids will still be involved for shoulder stability, though.
Similar to the rest of these exercises, this is not one you want to go super heavy on. Focus on quality contractions without using momentum to raise the weight.
1. Grab a set of dumbbells held at your sides with your palms facing forward. Your palms should always face forward throughout the entire movement. Think about your arm movement during jumping jacks.
2. Engage your deltoids to raise the dumbbells out to your sides. Without stopping, continue on that same path until they are overhead.
3. Squeeze your deltoids for a second at the top and slowly return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this for reps.
Full Deltoid Workouts
Beginner Deltoid Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell/Barbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 10 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 10 |
| Band Pull-Aparts (single band) | 3 | 10 |
| Seated Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 | 10 (Each Arm) |
| Cable Face Pulls | 3 | 10 |
| Dumbbell Sunrise-Sunset Raise | 3 | 10 |
Intermediate Deltoid Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Arnold Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Cable Y-Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Band Pull-Aparts (double band) | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Sunrise-Sunset Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
Advanced Deltoid Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Arnold Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Victory Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Seated Cable Y-Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Sunrise-Sunset Raise | 3 | 8-12 |
Maximizing Your Results from Deltoid Training
When it comes to building up your shoulders, these deltoid exercises will help a ton. Those deltoid workouts I threw together are no joke, either!
If you’re looking for that rounded shoulder cap look, these can certainly help you get there. You have to understand, though, that building muscle takes time.
You’ll need to be patient and consistent. Not only that, but you need to progress over time.
By that, I’m talking about the principle of progressive overload. In order to see progress at first, pretty much anything will work.
Over time, though, your body will get used to those workouts. Your body will get used to the weights you use, and the number of reps and sets too.
So, to keep seeing progress, your workouts have to progress. You’ll need to switch up your sets and rep scheme. You’ll need to use heavier weights over time. Increase the number of reps per set with the same weight, and maybe even do more sets.
You can also play around with slowing down your reps. That increases the amount of time under tension (TUT). All of these increase the volume of work on your muscles and force them to work harder over time.
I wish that were all you had to do to see progress forever. It’s also very important to make your recovery a priority.
By recovery, I’m talking about your nutrition, rest between workouts, and sleep. All of those factors can make or break your progress over time.
Nutrition is the hardest factor to understand, but it definitely isn’t impossible. There’s a reason people like me went to college to get degrees in exercise science and study nutrition.
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