Best Shoulder Workouts With and Without Equipment

 

Whether you are want to train your shoulders with equipment or bodyweight exercises, here we have rounded up some best shoulder workouts you can do anywhere.

 

DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS:

 

Sit on a bench with the backrest inclined between 90° and 95° and support your back, then place your feet firmly on the ground and with a wide leg opening for proper stability and bring the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms looking straight ahead and elbows out.

 

Although the elbows should point out, they shouldn't be 100% perpendicular to the shoulders, rather slightly angled toward the center of the body. Extend your arms over your head until the dumbbells almost touch each other and then lower them back to shoulder height (you can even support a second), to start another repetition again.

 

This exercise is a vertical push that works all the fibers of the deltoids but with a little more emphasis on the front of the shoulder.

 

SIDE FLIGHTS:

 

The lateral flight or lateral elevations is an exercise that allows you to work the lateral aspect of the deltoid and also has an impact on the trapezius, we lean forward a bit, to remove tension from the latter.

 

Standing, with the feet separated a little wider than the shoulder line, we take a pair of dumbbells and place them in front of the body at the height of the pelvis with the palms facing inwards and then raise them to the sides, maintaining a slight elbow flexion, until reaching shoulder height and then descend back to the starting position. And continue with the next repetition.

 

FRONT RAISES:

 

This exercise has a greater incidence on the anterior aspect of the deltoids.

The starting position is similar to the one we used in the previous movement, but in this case, the dumbbells rest on the side of the body and from there we raise them forward, alternately or jointly, until they reach shoulder height, always with the palms facing each other or looking down.

 

REAR ELEVATIONS OR BIRDS:

 

A movement that focuses on the back of the deltoid, which is perhaps the most neglected. It is a part that is not usually seen much in the mirror, but it helps a lot for the aesthetics of the back and is also very important to prevent injuries and be compensated.

 

You can do this exercise standing or sitting on a bench (as in the video below). To do this, you should lean forward from the hips and with your back slightly rounded. If you do it standing up, bend your knees so that the body is in a more horizontal position.

From this position, take the dumbbells with your palms facing each other, and with slight elbow flexion, raise them to the sides up to the shoulder line. Try not to let the weight rest on every rep, but you can on the harder ones.

 

SHOULDER EXERCISES IF YOU DON'T HAVE GYM EQUIPMENT AT HOME

 

If you don't have a pair of dumbbells, a barbell, or time to hit the gym, you can still do an intense bare-bones shoulder workout at home or anywhere else that can be just as effective as a gym session.

 

The exercises for shoulders that you can do at home are mainly based on different variants of the classic push-ups that affect the deltoids more because more degrees of inclination are sought.

 

DECLINE PUSH-UPS:

 

Put yourself in a flexion position but place your feet on a chair or bench so that they are higher than your shoulders, in this way when doing the flexion, the greatest incidence is made on the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoid.

 

PUSH-UPS ON PEAK:

 

This exercise imitates the effort made by the shoulders when executing a military press but with the weight of the own body; In a push-up position, we raise the hips while bringing the feet closer to the hands. The position of these should be outside the line of the shoulders. The descent is done with the head pointing towards the ground.

 

LOADED SHOULDER PRESS WITH A BACKPACK:

 

In the gym, we can do a loaded shoulder press with dumbbells or with a machine, but at home, we are going to do it with a backpack loaded with books or another type of weight. It is known as the shoulder press. In this case, to make it more effective we are going to do it with one hand.

For this, we must load the backpack with the weight.

 

Make sure that the backpack has a handle where we can hold on firmly to carry out the exercise in complete safety. We will stand up, facing forward. The legs will be slightly apart and with one hand we will grab the backpack. The starting position will be with the backpack held by the hand at shoulder height which corresponds to the side that we are going to work on.

 

We will use the backpack to load ourselves with weight and be able to raise and lower the load and thus work the shoulder muscles

 

Starting from this posture, what we will do is raise the backpack above the head. For this, we will activate the deltoid muscles that make up the shoulders. Above all, the incidence will be on the outermost face of this part. It is important that we carry out the movement in the lateral plane, that we do not move the backpack forward or backward, since if we do we can hurt ourselves in this part. For this, an adequate load is essential to be able to maintain the balance perfectly.

 

LOADED LATERAL SHOULDER RAISE:

 

In the third position, we are going to continue with the backpack as a training instrument and as a load. In this case, we are going to stop at lateral shoulder raises. A backpack or two weighted bags can be used.

 

The important thing is that they have handles to hold onto safely. In the gym, we will do it with dumbbells, rubber bands, pulleys, or special machines for this movement.

 

In this case, we will also stand up, looking straight ahead, with our legs slightly apart. The back will remain straight, and on each side of the trunk, we will place the arms with a backpack or bag loaded on each side. In this posture, what we will do is raise the load laterally by raising the arms and making the shoulder muscles intervene.

 

At first glance, the movement seems simple, but if we do not do it well, it can come into play in the forearm or the lumbar part by arching the back due to the excess load.

 

To do this, the movement will be to raise the arms with the elbows slightly raised and the forearms lower. This simple gesture will divert all tension to the shoulder muscles. For this, using an adequate load will be ideal, and, in addition, avoiding arching the back is essential.

 

FRONT SHOULDER RAISES WITH A LOAD (A BACKPACK OR BAG)

 

As a fourth alternative, we are going to continue with the backpack to work the front part of the shoulder. In this case, we stop at the front shoulder raises. We can also use a bag as in the previous exercise. We can also do this exercise in the gym with dumbbells, elastic bands, or pulleys.

 

On this occasion at home, what we will do is stand up, looking forward, the back will remain straight throughout the exercise so as not to overload the lower back. The backpack or the bag we will grab with both hands in front. The starting point will be with the arms stretched down and with the backpack grasped.

 

We will lift the load from the front to affect the front part of the shoulder.

 

In this position, what we are going to do is lift the load from the front. But we must know that the correct movement when lifting the load will be not to exceed the height of the shoulders when lifting the load, and when descending, ideally, we do not lean on the legs. In this way, if we meet these requirements, we will be able to maintain tension and not lose it throughout the exercise.