What it lets you do
- Getting a full pan down off the top shelf.
- Lifting a toddler up onto your shoulders.
- Painting a ceiling and still holding the roller steady in the tenth minute.
Back to the muscle map
Shoulders
Three heads, every direction of movement.
- 30
- Primary muscle
- 80
- Secondary muscle
The rounded cap on top of your arm. It's really three muscles pointing three different directions, which is why one exercise never covers all of it.
Where you feel it
Right on the cap of the shoulder. On lateral raises it should burn on the outside, not in the front. If it's all front, you're pressing the weight instead of raising it.
If you skip it
Overhead starts to feel risky, so you reach for things less and lift less above your head. The shoulder keeps only what you keep asking of it.
Anatomy and function
The deltoid caps the shoulder and splits into three heads. The anterior head raises the arm forward and assists every pressing movement. The lateral head lifts the arm out to the side and gives the shoulders their width. The posterior head pulls the arm backward and works on every row and rear-delt fly.
Beneath the deltoid, the rotator cuff (four small muscles) keeps the ball of the humerus centred in the socket. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, which makes it powerful and vulnerable at the same time. Balanced training across all three heads plus the rotator cuff is what keeps it healthy.
How to train it
The volume and frequency below are programming starting points for the shoulders, to be adjusted to each person's level and recovery.
- Rep ranges
- 6-10 reps on overhead presses, 12-20 reps on raises and face pulls
- Frequency
- 2-3 sessions per week, since the front delts already work on chest day
Key movement patterns
- Overhead press (barbell, dumbbell, landmine)
- Lateral raise for the side head
- Rear-delt fly or face pull for the posterior head
- External rotation work for the rotator cuff
Common mistakes
- 01
Training front delts on chest day and again on shoulder day while rear delts get almost nothing.
- 02
Swinging the torso on lateral raises to lift heavier weight.
- 03
Pressing overhead with an over-arched lower back instead of bracing the core.
- 04
Shrugging the traps at the top of lateral raises, which takes tension off the deltoid.
Exercises for this muscle
110 matching exercises
Primary muscle30
MET 5
Barbell Overhead Press
MET 3
One Arm Dumbbell External Rotation – Standing
MET 5
Seated Overhead Press – Barbell
MET 3.5
One Arm Bent Over Cable Lateral Raise
MET 3.5
One Arm Cable Lateral Raise
MET 3.5
Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
MET 3.5
One Arm Cable Front Raise
MET 3
One-Arm Cable Internal Rotation
MET 3
One Arm Cable External Rotation
MET 4.5
Seated Shoulder Press – Machine
MET 3
Lateral Raise – Machine
MET 3.5
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
MET 3.5
Dumbbell Front Raise – Alternating
MET 3.5
Dumbbell Bent Over Reverse Fly
MET 3.5
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
MET 5
Dumbbell Arnold Press – Seated
MET 3
Seated Lateral Raise – Gym80
MET 3.5
Reverse Cable Fly
MET 2.5
Arm Circles – Small to Large
MET 5
Dumbbell Z Press
MET 9
Dumbbell Devil Press
MET 7
Dumbbell Jumping Jacks
MET 3
Side-Lying Lateral Raise – Bench
MET 5.5
Z Press – One Arm Dumbbell
MET 5
Seated Alternating Arnold Press – Dumbbells
MET 3
Incline Dumbbell Y-Raise
MET 5.5
Push Press with Dumbbells
MET 5
Barbell Overhead Press
MET 3.5
Barbell Front Raise.
MET 5.5
Barbell Push Press
Secondary muscle80
MET 8
Mountain Climber – Cross Body Dynamic
MET 3.5
Elbow to hand plank
MET 4
Hanging L-Sit Hold
MET 4
High Plank with Opposite Arm and Leg Lift
MET 6.5
Bear Crawl
MET 5.5
Bear Crawl – Low Knees
MET 3.5
Crab Toe Touch
MET 6
Crab Kick
MET 8
Mountain Climber – Dynamic
MET 7.5
Mountain Climber – Cross Body
MET 7.5
Mountain Climber
MET 5.5
Mountain Climber – Cross Body (Knees)
MET 5
Mountain Climber – from Knees
MET 4
Dumbbell Wood Chop
MET 5
Dumbbell Turkish Get-Up
MET 5
Barbell Bench Press
MET 5
Decline Bench Press
MET 4.5
Incline Dumbbell Press with Rotation
MET 5
Incline Barbell Bench Press
MET 4.5
Seated Chest Press Machine
MET 4.5
Seated Incline Chest Press Machine
MET 4
Knee Push-Up
MET 4.5
Push-Ups
MET 9
Burpee – With Push-Up
MET 5
Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 3.5
Dumbbell Chest Fly
MET 5
Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 3.5
Dumbbell Pullover
MET 5
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 3.5
Incline Dumbbell Chest Fly
MET 3.5
Chest Crossover – Gym80
MET 3.5
Incline Chest Fly – Gym80
MET 3.5
One-Arm Cable Crossover
MET 4
Incline Push-Ups
MET 4.5
Decline Push-Ups
MET 4.5
Wide Push-Up
MET 8
Dumbbell Burpee with Push-Up
MET 4.5
Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press
MET 4.5
Dumbbell Reverse Rotational Bench Press
MET 4.5
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 3
Dumbbell Around the World – Flat Bench
MET 4.5
Incline Dumbbell Press – Alternating
MET 4.5
Single-arm incline dumbbell bench press
MET 4.5
Incline Reverse-Grip Dumbbell Press
MET 4.5
Reverse Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 4.5
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
MET 4.5
Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
MET 4.5
Bench Press Machine
MET 4.5
Incline Chest Press – Machine
MET 3
Bird Dog – Elbow to Knee
MET 6.5
Dumbbell Farmer’s Walk
MET 8
SkiErg
MET 4
Dumbbell Windmill
MET 9
Burpee
MET 6.5
Barbell Front Squat
MET 7.5
Wall Ball Shot
MET 8
Air Bike
MET 9
Burpee Box Jump Over
MET 9
Burpee – Lateral Jump
MET 6.5
Dumbbell Thruster
MET 7
Dumbbell Clean
MET 7.5
Dumbbell Snatch
MET 7
Dumbbell High Knees
MET 6.5
Alternating Single-Arm Dumbbell Thruster
MET 7
Barbell Thruster
MET 7
Overhead Squat
MET 4
Machine Shrugs – Gym80
MET 4
Dumbbell Shrug
MET 4.5
Bench Triceps Dip
MET 4
Assisted Dip Machine
MET 5
Close Grip Push-Ups
MET 3.5
Incline Dumbbell Triceps Extension
MET 3
Cable Tricep Kickback
MET 5
Bench Triceps Dip – Legs Extended
MET 3.5
Two-Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
MET 3.5
One Arm Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
MET 3
Dumbbell Bent Over Kickback
MET 5.5
Weighted Bench Dip – Dumbbell
MET 4.5
Dumbbell Tate Press
MET 3.5
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
Frequently asked questions
How do I get wider shoulders?
Prioritise the lateral head with lateral raises, upright rows and cable raises in the 12-20 rep range, and train them with strict form two or three times a week.
Is the overhead press bad for the shoulders?
Not when the shoulders have the mobility to press vertically and the core is braced. If overhead pressing hurts, switch to landmine or neutral-grip dumbbell presses while you work on mobility and rotator-cuff strength.
Why do rear delts matter?
They balance the pull of the chest and front delts, which improves posture and protects the shoulder joint. Most people are under-trained there, so face pulls and rear-delt flyes usually deliver fast results.
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