Shoulder Exercises for Bigger, Wider Delts

Wide, rounded shoulders come from training all three parts of the delt: a press for the front, raises for the side and pulls for the rear. Below are the 4 best shoulder exercises, how to cover the rear delts, a shoulder workout for the gym and what to do with dumbbells at home. Tap any exercise to see it from every angle.

The deltoid caps your shoulder and has three parts. The front delt lifts the arm forward and works in every press, including the bench press. The side delt lifts the arm out to the side. It is the part that makes your shoulders look wider. The rear delt pulls the arm back and works in rows and pulldowns. Most people get plenty of front delt work from pressing, so the side and rear delts usually need extra attention.

Start with the barbell press while you are fresh. Follow with a lighter dumbbell press, then lateral raises for the side delts. Finish with 3 sets of rear delt flyes or face pulls, 12 to 20 reps each. Stop each set with one or two good reps left, and add weight only when you hit the top of the range with clean form.

Rear delts work in every row and pulldown, so a good back workout already trains them. To grow them more, add one direct move. The rear delt fly, bent over with light dumbbells or on a machine, moves the arms out and back. The face pull on a cable pulls a rope toward your face with the elbows high. Use light weight and 12 to 20 reps for both. Two or three sets, two times a week, is plenty.

A pair of dumbbells covers all three delts at home. Press seated on a chair or standing for the front delts. Do lateral raises for the side delts. Bend over and do rear delt flyes for the rear. Light dumbbells are enough for raises and flyes, so even a small set at home is useful. When raises get easy, add reps or pause for a second at the top before adding weight.

• Dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets of 8 to 12
• Lateral raise: 3 sets of 12 to 20
• Bent over rear delt fly: 3 sets of 12 to 20

Train shoulders two times a week. Your front delts already work on chest and push days, so count those presses. For the side and rear delts, aim for about 8 to 16 hard sets per week of raises, flyes and face pulls. These small muscles recover fast, which makes two or even three short sessions a week work well. If a press causes pain in the joint, stop and choose a different move.

Press heavy for the front delts, do lots of lateral raises for the side delts and add rows, face pulls or rear delt flyes for the rear. Make the weights a little heavier over time.

Train the side delts directly with lateral raises, about 8 to 16 sets a week. Wider lats from pull-ups and pulldowns help the look too.

Two times a week works for most people. Count the presses you already do on chest day toward your front delt work.

Do both. The overhead press builds the front delts and overall strength. Lateral raises grow the side delts, which add the most width.

Use rear delt flyes and face pulls with light weight and 12 to 20 reps. Rows and pull-ups also train them, so a solid back workout helps.