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Why Shoulders Matter for Upper-Body Growth

Achieving a more developed upper body or the coveted V-taper aesthetic both hinge on prioritizing shoulder growth. Your shoulders are functionally active throughout the day—facilitating tasks from brushing your teeth to playing basketball to driving. To stimulate muscular adaptation (and growth), you must apply targeted, high-quality shoulder exercises that override their daily adaptive threshold. These novice-appropriate shoulder workouts are designed to deliver exactly that stimulus.

Each workout integrates effective shoulder movements—including presses and raises—with optimal intensity and volume to develop three-dimensional (3D) delts. When paired with a growth-focused nutrition and supplementation strategy, these routines will yield significant size and strength gains.

Know Your Shoulders to Grow Them

The shoulder complex comprises three heads of the deltoid muscle: the anterior (front), lateral (side), and posterior (rear) deltoids. For training purposes, it’s best to treat these as three distinct sub-muscles rather than a single unit.

Many novices erroneously train the deltoid heads as a single unit—relying heavily on pressing movements (e.g., overhead presses), similar to chest training. The problem? This approach disproportionately recruits the anterior deltoid while neglecting the lateral and posterior heads. Without development of the lateral and posterior deltoids:

Shoulders will appear narrow from both anterior (front) and lateral (side) views.

Muscular imbalances may occur—a key reason physical therapist and strength coach John Rusin emphasizes equal (or greater) attention to the posterior and lateral deltoids.

Muscle Fiber Considerations

The deltoids possess a mix of fast-twitch (power-oriented) and slow-twitch (endurance-oriented) muscle fibers, with a slight predominance of slow-twitch fibers. This means they respond well to:

Moderate rep ranges (6–8 reps) for strength and hypertrophy.

Higher rep ranges (8–12 reps) for muscular endurance and pump.

Bodybuilders also know that truly impressive shoulder development requires a significant muscle pump—hence the inclusion of 12–15 rep sets in these workouts.

How to Use These Shoulder Workouts

Follow these guidelines to maximize results:

Frequency: Perform 1 shoulder workout per week.

For priority shoulder growth, schedule it on Monday (when you’re fresh post-rest).

Alternatives: Wednesday or Thursday (classic “shoulder days,” often paired with trap work).

Progression:

Complete Workout 1 for 4–6 weeks, increasing weight each session. For most exercises, escalate weight until the final set (taken near muscle failure).

Transition to Workout 2 and repeat the progression until you finish Workout 5.

After Workout 5, cycle back to Workout 1—you’ll be bigger and stronger than when you started.

Nutrition:

Use Bodybuilding.com’s macronutrient calculator to ensure you’re eating enough calories, protein, carbs, and fats to support growth.

To build shoulders, you must be in a caloric surplus (consume more calories than you burn).

Supplementation:

Prioritize protein (to repair and build muscle).

Consider these key supplements to enhance results:

Shoulder Workout 1: Weeks 1–4

Barbell Strict Overhead Press

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 6–8 reps (2-minute rest)

Single-Arm Lateral Raise

Complete all reps on one side before switching. No rest between sides; 90-second rest between sets.

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 12 reps (left side, no rest)

3 sets × 12 reps (right side, 90-second rest)

Front Plate Raise

Progressively increase weight across sets. Pause for 3 seconds at the top of each rep.

3 sets × 12 reps (1-minute rest)

Lying Rear Delt Fly

3 sets × 15 reps (1-minute rest)

Shoulder Workout 2: Weeks 5–8

Seated Dumbbell Side Raise

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 8–12 reps (90-second rest)

Dumbbell Seesaw Press

Progressively increase weight across sets. Alternate sides (6–8 reps per side).

3 sets × 12–16 reps (90-second rest)

Incline Dumbbell Reverse Fly

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 12 reps (1-minute rest)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 15 reps (1-minute rest)

Shoulder Workout 3: Weeks 9–12

Seated Rear Delt Fly

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 8–12 reps (90-second rest)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 6–8 reps (90-second rest)

Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise

Complete all reps on one side before switching. No rest between sides; 1-minute rest between sets.

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 8–12 reps (left side, no rest)

3 sets × 8–12 reps (right side, 1-minute rest)

Barbell Rear Delt Bent-Over Row

3 sets × 12 reps (1-minute rest)

Shoulder Workout 4: Weeks 13–16

Arnold Press

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 6–8 reps (90-second rest)

Single-Arm Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly

Complete all reps on one side before switching. No rest between sides; 1-minute rest between sets.

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 12 reps (left side, no rest)

3 sets × 12 reps (right side, 1-minute rest)

Single-Arm Side-Lying Rear Fly

Complete all reps on one side before switching. No rest between sides; 1-minute rest between sets.

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 12 reps (left side, no rest)

3 sets × 12 reps (right side, 1-minute rest)

Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise

Alternate sides (12 reps per side).

3 sets × 24 reps (1-minute rest)

Shoulder Workout 5: Weeks 17–20

Single-Arm Lateral Raise

Complete all reps on one side before switching. No rest between sides; 1-minute rest between sets.

Progressively increase weight across sets. Pause for 3 seconds at the top of each rep.

3 sets × 8 reps (left side, no rest)

3 sets × 8 reps (right side, 1-minute rest)

Military Press

Progressively increase weight across sets.

3 sets × 6–8 reps (90-second rest)

Incline Dumbbell Reverse Fly

3 sets × 12 reps (1-minute rest)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

3 sets × 15 reps (1-minute rest)

By following this program consistently—paired with proper nutrition and supplementation—you’ll build wider, thicker, and more defined shoulders that enhance your entire upper body. Let’s get to work!