Shoulder and trap exercises
66 exercises, each with its animated demo, the steps, the mistake to avoid and its substitutes.
Front delts
- Arnold Press ›Start with palms facing you, rotate as you press.
- Band Front Raise ›Band under your feet, raise your straight arms in front of you to shoulder height.
- Band Overhead Press ›Band under your feet, press the handles straight overhead.
- Barbell Front Raise ›Bar in front of your thighs, raise it with straight arms to shoulder height.
- Cable Rope Front Raise ›Rope on the low cable, raise your hands in front of you to overhead while pulling the rope apart.
- Close-Grip Incline Press ›Slight incline, lower deep to stretch the front delts.
- Close-Grip Incline Smith Machine Press ›Bench at a slight incline under the Smith bar, close grip, lower deep to stretch your front delts.
- Dumbbell Front Raise ›Raise your straight arm to shoulder height.
- Kettlebell Clean and Press ›Bring the kettlebell to the rack position on your forearm with hip drive, then press vertically to a straight arm overhead.
- Kettlebell Overhead Hold ›Load held with a straight arm above your shoulder, elbow locked. Walk or hold in place.
- Low Cable Front Raise ›Cable behind you, raise it in front to shoulder height.
- Neutral-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press ›Bench at a slight incline, palms facing each other, lower your elbows deep to stretch your front delts.
- One-Arm Kettlebell Overhead Press ›Kettlebell racked against your forearm, press vertically to full elbow extension, brace your core.
- Pike Push-Up ›Hips high in an inverted V, lower the top of your head toward the floor.
- Pike Push-Up on Handles ›Hips high in an inverted V, lower the top of your head between the handles, press up with your shoulders.
- Pseudo Planche Push-Up on Handles ›Handles by your waist, lean your torso far forward, lower to stretch your front delts, then press.
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press ›Dumbbells at ear height, press to full extension.
- Shoulder Press Machine ›Handles at shoulder height, press with control.
- Standing Barbell Overhead Press ›Bar at your collarbone, press overhead, brace your core.
- Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press ›Dumbbells at ear height, brace your abs and press overhead without locking your elbows.
Side delts
- Band Lateral Raise ›Band under your foot, raise your arms out to the sides to shoulder height, pinky up.
- Band Lateral Raise from Behind ›Band under the opposite foot, hand starting behind your thigh (stretch), raise out to the side.
- Cable Lateral Raise Behind the Body ›One arm on the low pulley, other hand on your hip, raise the arm out to the side to shoulder height.
- Cable Lateral Raise with Top Pause ›One arm on the cable, raise to shoulder height and hold 1 s.
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise ›Raise out to the sides to shoulder height, pinky up. You can hold 1 s at the top.
- Kettlebell Halo ›Hold the kettlebell upside down by the horns, slowly circle it around your head close to your skull, core braced.
- Kettlebell Upright Row ›Hold the kettlebell with both hands in front of your thighs, pull your elbows high and out to chest height, elbows above your wrists.
- Leaning Cable Lateral Raise ›Low cable, body tilted, long tension at the bottom.
- Leaning Lateral Raise ›Lean away (hand on a support) for more stretch at the bottom.
- Machine Lateral Raise ›Pads on your forearms, raise to shoulder height.
- Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Press ›Elbows slightly flared, press.
- Side-Lying Dumbbell Lateral Raise on Incline Bench ›Lying on your side on an incline bench, dumbbell hanging along your body, raise it out to the side.
- Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise ›One arm on the cable, constant tension.
- Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise ›Raise the dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height, pinky slightly higher than your thumb.
- Water Bottle Lateral Raise ›Two bottles, raise out to the sides to shoulder height, pinky slightly up.
- Wide-Grip Upright Row ›Wide grip, pull your elbows out and up.
Rear delts
- Band Cross-Arm Reverse Fly ›Hold the band with your arms crossed in front of you (stretch), open your arms out and back.
- Band Face Pull ›Band anchored at eye level, pull toward your forehead, elbows flared high.
- Band Rear Delt Fly ›Torso bent forward, open your arms out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades.
- Benchless Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly ›Torso bent parallel to the floor, open your arms back and squeeze your rear delts at the top.
- Bent-Over Dumbbell Reverse Fly ›Hinge forward, open your arms out and back, squeeze.
- Bent-Over Water Bottle Reverse Fly ›Torso bent over, open your arms back, squeeze your shoulder blades. The demo uses small dumbbells: two full water bottles do exactly the same job.
- Cable Crossover Rear Delt Raise ›Cables crossed, start with arms in front (stretch), open out.
- Cable Shoulder External Rotation ›Elbow tucked to your side at 90 degrees, rotate your forearm outward, slowly.
- High-Elbow Rope Row ›Pull with elbows high and wide to your throat.
- Incline Bench Dumbbell Reverse Fly ›Chest on an incline bench, arms hanging below you (stretch), raise them out and back.
- Incline Bench Reverse Fly ›Chest braced on an incline bench, open your arms.
- Prone Y Raise on Floor ›Lying face down, lift both straight arms and spread them into a Y overhead, squeeze the rear delts.
- Reverse Pec Deck ›Open your arms backward, hold the contraction 1 s.
- Rope Face Pull ›Pull the rope to your forehead, hands moving outward.
- Seated Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly ›Seated at the edge of a bench, torso on your thighs, open your arms out to the sides up to shoulder height.
- Single-Arm Low Cable Reverse Fly ›Opposite cable, stretch in front then open out and back.
- TRX Face Pull ›Lean back, pull the handles toward your forehead while spreading your hands apart, squeeze your rear delts.
Traps
- Backpack Shrugs ›Load in hand, shrug your shoulders toward your ears, squeeze at the top. The demo uses dumbbells: a loaded bag held in both hands does exactly the same job.
- Barbell / Trap Bar Shrugs ›Shrug straight up, heavy load.
- Bent-Over Dumbbell Shrug ›Torso bent over, dumbbells hanging, let your shoulders drop then pull your shoulder blades together.
- Dumbbell Shrug ›Dumbbells at your sides, shrug your shoulders toward your ears and lower all the way down.
- Dumbbell Shrugs ›Shrug your shoulders toward your ears, squeeze at the top.
- Farmer's Walk ›Walk holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand, shoulders braced.
- Hanging Scapular Shrug ›Hanging with straight arms, shoulders relaxed up toward your ears, pull them down without bending your elbows.
- Incline Shrug ›Torso inclined, let the shoulder drop (stretch) then shrug.
- Low Cable Shrugs ›Constant tension, shrug and hold.
- Prone Y Raise ›Face down, arms in a Y, lift and squeeze your lower traps.
- Smith Machine Shrug ›Bar in front of your thighs, shrug as high as you can and control the way down.
- TRX Y-Raise ›Leaning back, raise your straight arms overhead in a Y, squeeze your lower traps.
- Y-Raise / Trap-3 Raise ›Chest on an incline bench, raise your arms into a Y, squeeze.
Other muscle groups
- Chest29 exercises
- Back31 exercises
- Arms60 exercises
- Abs31 exercises
- Quads38 exercises
- Glutes and hamstrings54 exercises
- Calves23 exercises
- Neck, adductors and core8 exercises
Exercise demos on video, on the Live For Fit channel.
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Create my free gym logGeneral training advice, not medical advice. If you feel pain, stop and see a health professional.