Best Shoulder Exercises

PrettyBoy

Hey guys,

Just got back into the gym and want to start building up my neck/shoulders and looking for advice on the best exercises. My neck and shoulders are pretty weak and small, in the past I always gave up on them and focused more on my arms and chest and there's a noticeable difference now so looking for the best ways to build them up quickly!

Thanks

Hanley

Standing Press. Simples.

ray jay

judging by the way you phrase it, you're probably looking to build your traps

try power shrugs

PrettyBoy

Thanks for the tips lads. Are there any more recommended exercises for building up shoulders? Would ideally like to spend 1-2 days a week focusing on my them so a couple more exercises might help?

Mellor

Are you trying to build your traps or delts (shoulders)? Or both?
As different excercises hit each.

PrettyBoy

Mellor wrote: »

Are you trying to build your traps or delts (shoulders)? Or both?
As different excercises hit each.

Sorry, after looking at the diagram it's my traps that I want to focus on..

rubadub

What other exercises are you already doing? deadlifts should be in there along with the shrugs.

I sometimes do a shrug at the top of a deadlift, dunno if this is advisable though? any reason not to? I also sometimes do knee raises while doing chinups. I see it as killing 2 birds with one stone, making it sort of even more of a compound exercise.

Transform

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Thanks for the tips lads. Are there any more recommended exercises for building up shoulders? Would ideally like to spend 1-2 days a week focusing on my them so a couple more exercises might help?

you DO NOT need more exercises you just need to work bloody hard on the lifts mentioned.

Please tell me you are deadlifting

Edwardius

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Sorry, after looking at the diagram it's my traps that I want to focus on..

Powah cleans!

PrettyBoy

Transform wrote: »

you DO NOT need more exercises you just need to work bloody hard on the lifts mentioned.

Please tell me you are deadlifting

Only back in the gym this week so haven't done anything yet, just said I'd ask for advice here first. I will do deadlifts too now that you mention it.

So deadlifts, power shrugs and standing presses 2 days a week should get me results (based on 3 sets of 10-12 reps each)?

fakearms123

My three favourite exercises for working my shoulders/upper back area are

Barbell Military Press


Barbell Upright row


Barbell Bent-over row



Love these exercises, sometimes id throw in shrugs at the end or something

Remmy

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Only back in the gym this week so haven't done anything yet, just said I'd ask for advice here first. I will do deadlifts too now that you mention it.

So deadlifts, power shrugs and standing presses 2 days a week should get me results (based on 3 sets of 10-12 reps each)?

If you are just starting off you dont need to do power shrugs.Just deadlift and keep upping the weight.The power shrugs would be kinda futile if your dead isnt very big.

martialarts

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Thanks for the tips lads. Are there any more recommended exercises for building up shoulders? Would ideally like to spend 1-2 days a week focusing on my them so a couple more exercises might help?

like someone said already you sound like you are talking about your traps really,but for shoulders overhead barbell press is the best,it hitys all three heads of the shoulder muscle,and for traps you could do barbell or dumbell or even kettlebell shrugs.

for both exercises i would do-
size= 4 sets of 8=12 reps(that rep range is the best for hypertrophy or mass for a better word)

try this out hope it helped

Michael 09

I would recommend shrugs and upright rows for traps...

Sounds like you got a strange workout plan though? You're building one body part at a time? Try to formulate a complete body workout rather than just 'arms and chest'.

PrettyBoy

Michael 09 wrote: »

I would recommend shrugs and upright rows for traps...

Sounds like you got a strange workout plan though? You're building one body part at a time? Try to formulate a complete body workout rather than just 'arms and chest'.

I had a full body workout and I intended to work on my whole body. I started seeing great results with my arms and chest almost immediately and worked more on those and neglected my legs and shoulders/traps. My fault but I enjoy arm and chest exercises more and that's how it led to this.

I'm back at the gym now and I'm going to be doing 5-6 days a week so I'll work on my whole body this time round.

Hawk Wing 2

upright rows and any type of shoulder presses

Devil08

whats the best way to target your shoulder muscle where it goes into a point on the side of your arm? hope this is clear!

Magic Eight Ball

rubadub wrote: »

I also sometimes do knee raises while doing chinups.

L-sit pull-ups FTW.

Magic Eight Ball

Devil08 wrote: »

whats the best way to target your shoulder muscle where it goes into a point on the side of your arm? hope this is clear!

Are you talking about your lateral deltoids?


If so, Lateral raises (there's a million and one variations out there)

Mellor

Yeah, i'd agree with lateral raises.

Front raise = Front delt
Lateral raise = lateral delt & rear delt

Michael 09

PrettyBoy wrote: »

I had a full body workout and I intended to work on my whole body. I started seeing great results with my arms and chest almost immediately and worked more on those and neglected my legs and shoulders/traps. My fault but I enjoy arm and chest exercises more and that's how it led to this.

I'm back at the gym now and I'm going to be doing 5-6 days a week so I'll work on my whole body this time round.

Glad to hear it!!

The way I read it, it sounded like you were going about it all wrong! I didn't realise that you were doing a full workout

JJayoo

Have always got a crazy trap pump from lateral raises

Hanley

JJayoo wrote: »

Have always got a crazy trap pump from lateral raises

Then you're doing em wrong!!

Brian?

Hanley wrote: »

Standing Press. Simples.

Shouldn't the thread have ended there?