The Best Shoulder Workout Every Man Should Do

True, shoulder injuries statistically cause people to miss a median of 26 days of work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but the best shoulder exercises can help prevent it. The reason is simple: Regardless of how you’re using your shoulders, better muscular development will help shelter one of the movable and unstable joints of the body from damage. Even if you’ve already got a strong strength and fitness regimen (and especially if you don’t), consider adding a few of the best shoulder exercises to pre-hab yourself before the inevitable happens. After all, for every ounce of prevention you lift, you could potentially be safeguarding your body from pounds of a physical therapy cure.

“Any move you make with your arms involves the shoulders — especially picking up your little ones.”

“The shoulders are a ball and socket joint like the hip,” says Raphael Konforti, MS, CPT, Youfit Health Clubs’ National Director of Fitness. “Any move you make with your arms involves the shoulders — especially picking up your little ones.”

Most people work out their shoulders with rigid presses and raises. But such motions don’t challenge stability very much and all the little muscles that form the rotator cuff go unchecked. Such stagnation can lead to injury.

“Shoulder health and optimal function rely more on the muscles that support the shoulder joint and shoulder blade — like the rotator cuff and lower traps,” says Konforti. “And these muscles need to function at a high level.” In addition, the lats and chest also help support shoulder function and movement.

“Shoulder health and optimal function rely more on the muscles that support the shoulder joint and shoulder blade.”

So, what does this mean? It means you need to do some shoulder work that’s a bit more dynamic to ensure that all the muscles involved in the joint are strong. Konforti provided a five-exercise workout comprised of exercises that do just that. Perform this workout once a week to strengthen your shoulders. “The variations of the presses, specifically the single arm overhead dumbbell press and the bottoms up kettlebell press both add an extra stability challenge,” says Konforti.

The Best Damn Shoulder Workout

1. Standing Barbell Overhead Press

What to Do: Complete 3 sets of 8-12 reps resting 60-90 seconds between each set.

How to Do It: Standing with your feet hip-width apart, grasp a barbell at shoulder height with both hands using a shoulder-width grip. Keeping your core engaged and spine in a neutral position, exhale as you press the bar overhead, keeping the elbows directly underneath the hands. The bar should finish directly overhead. Slowly lower the bar back to starting position and repeat.

2. Single Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press

What to Do: Complete 3 sets of 8-12 reps resting 60-90 seconds between each set.

How to Do It: Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, curl a dumbbell up to shoulder-height in one hand and bring your arm out to your side so your elbow is in line with your shoulder and at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your core engaged and spine in a neutral position exhale as you press the dumbbell overhead keeping the elbow directly underneath your hand. Slowly the lower the dumbbell back down so your elbow is at 90 degrees and repeat. Once all reps are complete on one side repeat on the opposite side.

3. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

What to Do: Complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps resting 60 seconds between each set.

How to Do It: Start standing hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand. Lifting with the elbows, raise the arms up until they are in line with the shoulders, pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to starting position and repeat.

4. Single Arm Bottoms Up Kettlebell Overhead Press

What to Do: Complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps on each arm resting 30 seconds between each set.

How to Do It: Start seated holding a kettlebell in one hand. Lift the kettlebell up to shoulder height gripping the handle so that the bell, or ball part, of the kettlebell is above your hand. Slowly press the kettlebell up focusing on stability. Pause slightly at the top then slowly lower the kettlebell back to starting position and repeat. Once all reps are complete on one side repeat on the opposite side.

5. Cable Face Pull

What to Do: Complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps resting 45 seconds between each set.

How to Do It: Stand facing a cable tower with a rope attachment. Grab the rope with an overhand grip. Pull back with the elbows and finish the movement by bringing your hands next to your ears. Pause, then slowly lower back to starting position and repeat.

6 More Essential Shoulder Exercises

Upright Barbell Row

Stand with your back straight, holding a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. (Use enough weight to do 10 reps.) Straighten your arms so that the barbell rests against your quads. Bend elbows out to the side and engage shoulders to hike the barbell up toward your chin. Hold for a second, then release. Do 10 reps, 3 sets.

Military Press

Using a squat rack, weight a barbell for 10 reps. Standing with feet hip-width apart, place the bar behind your neck and place hands in a wide overhand grip. Exhale, lifting bar off rack and directly overhead. This is your starting position. Inhale, and as you do, bend elbows out to the sides and lower bar in front of you to about collarbone level. Exhale and straighten your arms overhead again. This is one rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Dumbbell Front Raise

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, back straight. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, palm facing your thighs. (Use enough weight to do 10 reps.) Raise your right arm directly out in front of you until the dumbbell is parallel with your shoulders, palm facing the floor. Hold a second, then release. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides. Do 3 sets. (Alternately, you can hold a dumbbell in each hand and alternate reps between right and left side, one for one.)

Bent-Over Raise

This move activates your posterior deltoids, one of the harder shoulder muscles to engage. Sit at the end of a bench, a dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward at the waist so that your chest is against your thighs. Lower arms to the floor, palms facing inward. Exhale and raise arms directly out to the sides, allowing your elbows to bend slightly and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lower back to floor. 10 reps, 2 sets.

Shoulder Shrugs

This move engages the trap muscles along with your deltoids, making it a great overall shoulder exercise. It’s simple and effective. Start standing with a dumbbell in each hand, feet hip-width apart. Exhale and lift your shoulders as high as you can, as if you are trying to touch your shoulders to your ears. (Keep your arms straight.) Release. 10 reps, 3 sets.

Arnold Press

Named after the OG himself, you’ll learn to love the move Schwarzenegger invented because it works your deltoids from multiple angles, giving you mega bang for your workout buck. Start sitting on a bench, dumbbell in each hand, palms facing inward, arms straight by your sides. Bend elbows and raise hands so that the dumbbells are tucked beneath your chin, palms facing chest. This is your start position. Swing elbows out the sides and straight your arms as you lift the dumbbells overhead, rotating your shoulders so that your finish the move with your palms facing forward, arms straight above you. Release, rotating your shoulders again back to the start. Do 10 reps, 3 sets.