28 Shoulder Exercises Ranked by a Fitness Expert

Achieving that well-rounded, muscular physique often depends on developing a set of strong, broad shoulders. But building up your deltoids requires targeting all three heads of the shoulder: anterior (front), lateral (side), and posterior (rear). It’s no surprise that choosing the right exercises is key to gaining shoulder mass and symmetry. In this article, we’ll break down and rank 28 shoulder exercises, specifically targeting each head of the deltoid for maximum growth.

And by we, we mean a fitness expert. Although we at BOXROX know a lot about fitness, we cannot call ourselves experts, after all we didn’t study it or are personal trainers or anything of the sort. No. We are talking about Milo Wolf.

Dr Milo Wolf shares his invaluable knowledge on a YouTube channel ranging from hypertrophy and strength training to losing fat and more. It is him that we lean on the expertise for the information on this article.

We’ll explore the nuances of each exercise, examining how they rank in terms of effectiveness for hypertrophy, ease of setup, and overall shoulder engagement.

Shoulder Anatomy Overview

The shoulder is a complex joint that requires attention to all three heads:

• Anterior Deltoid: Responsible for shoulder flexion (lifting the arm forward).
• Lateral Deltoid: Primarily works during shoulder abduction (lifting the arm sideways).
• Posterior Deltoid: Handles shoulder extension and transverse abduction (moving the arms backward).

Here’s a comprehensive look at 28 exercises ranked by a fitness expert, covering the best options for each head of the shoulder.

28 Shoulder Exercises Ranked by a Fitness Expert

Below you can see a brief explanation of all the exercises mentioned by Dr. Milo Wolf. Or simply click and watch the video to get a full view and insight from the doctor himself.

Ranking Exercises for the Front (Anterior) Deltoid

1. Seated Smith Machine Overhead Press – A Tier This stable exercise offers significant benefits by eliminating the need for stabilization, which allows you to push to failure safely.
2. Machine Overhead Press – High A Tier Similar to the Smith machine, this machine variation allows for even more ease in setup, though it might not be available in all gyms.
3. Standing Barbell Overhead Press – Mid B Tier Though highly popular, this exercise loses points due to the stabilization required from the core and lower body, which takes the focus off the front deltoids.
4. Seated Barbell Overhead Press – Low A Tier By sitting down, you eliminate much of the stabilization needed in the standing version, allowing you to focus more on the shoulders.
5. Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press – Mid A Tier The dumbbell variation provides similar benefits as the barbell press, but requires greater stabilization and balance, which can reduce its effectiveness slightly.
6. Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press – Low B Tier Due to the difficulty of getting dumbbells into position and the core stabilization required, this ranks slightly lower.
7. Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press (Circus Dumbbell) – Low B Tier While a classic lift and fun to perform, it requires significant stabilization, making it less effective for pure front delt focus.
8. Bradford Press – High B Tier This unique partial rep press keeps tension on the deltoids but can feel awkward and risky if the bar gets too close to your head.
9. Behind-the-Neck Press – Mid B Tier This press variant has potential for more lateral delt engagement but is often uncomfortable and requires good shoulder mobility.
10. Dips – Mid A Tier Although not typically classified as a shoulder exercise, dips provide a tremendous stretch on the front deltoids at the bottom, making them an excellent inclusion.
11. Cable Front Raise – Mid A Tier With constant tension and excellent resistance in the stretched position, this is the top pick for front delt isolation.
12. Incline Dumbbell Front Raise – High B Tier This exercise allows for a greater stretch of the front delts, making it a superior choice over the standing variation.
13. Dumbbell Front Raise – Low C Tier While easier to set up, this standard front raise does not provide enough resistance in the stretched position, limiting its effectiveness.
14. Barbell Front Raise – High D Tier Loading up a barbell for front raises requires significant setup time and offers minimal benefits over the dumbbell or cable versions.

6 Amazing Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises

Ranking Exercises for the Side (Lateral) Deltoid

1. Cable Lateral Raise – High S Tier Offering continuous tension, this exercise maximizes the lateral delts’ stretch, making it the top pick for side delt development.
2. Lying Side Raise – High S Tier Similar to the cable lateral raise, this exercise emphasizes the lateral delts in the stretch position, making it highly effective.
3. Machine Lateral Raise – Low A Tier This machine option is convenient and loads the delts effectively, but its availability in gyms varies widely.
4. Leaning-Away Lateral Raise – High A Tier This variation offers a slight increase in stretch, making it superior to the traditional lateral raise.
5. Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise – High C Tier While widely performed, the dumbbell lateral raise lacks resistance in the stretched position and is somewhat overused given its limitations.
6. Leaning-In Lateral Raise – Low C Tier Contrary to popular belief, this version actually limits the stretch on the deltoids, focusing more on the contraction phase of the movement.
7. Upright Row (Cable) – Low B Tier Cable versions offer better resistance in the stretched position, but still don’t match lateral raises in overall effectiveness.
8. Upright Row (Dumbbell) – High C Tier This version allows for greater time efficiency and freedom of movement, but still ranks below lateral raise variations for side delt activation.
9. Upright Row (Barbell) – Low C Tier While commonly performed, this version can be uncomfortable for some and offers limited benefit over lateral raise variations.

Ranking Exercises for the Rear (Posterior) Deltoid

1. Rear Delt Cable Crossover – High S Tier This exercise provides excellent resistance in the stretched position and allows you to train both arms simultaneously.
2. Machine Rear Delt Fly – Top A Tier A superior isolation exercise, this machine variation loads the rear delts in both the stretched and contracted positions, minimizing the risk of cheating.
3. Cable Face Pull with Rotation – Mid A Tier The face pull effectively targets the rear delts and upper back, especially when rotation is included for a better stretch.
4. Reverse Pec Deck Machine – High B Tier This machine isolates the rear delts effectively and minimizes stabilization needs, making it an excellent choice for rear delt work.
5. Cable Face Pull – Low B Tier While great for overall shoulder health, this version lacks the rotational component, reducing its effectiveness slightly for pure rear delt hypertrophy.
6. Rear Delt Dumbbell Fly (Lying or Seated) – Low C Tier Prone to cheating, this exercise ranks lower due to the lack of tension in the stretched position and difficulty maintaining form.
7. Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Fly – High D Tier This classic exercise suffers from significant limitations, including the risk of lower back fatigue and the minimal stretch provided for the rear delts.

Final Thoughts

Building impressive shoulders requires a comprehensive approach, targeting all three heads of the deltoids. The exercises ranked in this article provide a roadmap to the most effective movements for shoulder growth, based on their engagement, mechanical advantages, and ease of setup. Whether you’re looking to improve your pressing strength or add width to your shoulders, the key is a balanced routine incorporating a variety of pressing and isolation exercises.

5 Best Tips to Recover from Shoulder Pain