One of the most aesthetically appealing muscle groups is your shoulders. However, building impressive boulder shoulders can be challenging.
So we have collected our list of the top 8 shoulder exercises that you should try to include in your workout.
8 Best Exercises for Growing Boulder Shoulders
Here is a list of the best exercises to grow those small shoulders into big boulders!
1. Upright Row
One of the simplest exercises you can do to grow your deltoids, particularly your medial deltoids, is the upright row.
All you have to do here is hold either dumbbells or a barbell with an overhand grip, and then slowly lift them up towards your chin.
Make sure to flare your elbows outwards and to squeeze once you get to the top.
However, make sure that you don't elevate your shoulders way too much when doing this exercise. It's also a great exercise because it targets most of your upper back including your traps.
2. Dumbbell Lateral Raises
To get those big boulder shoulders, you need to target the medial deltoid, which is the middle deltoid that faces outwards from your shoulders. If you want wide shoulders, dumbbell lateral raises are the way to go.
Just remember that it doesn't take much weight to achieve big results here, so start with something like ten pounds and see how you feel.
All you need to do is stand up with your feet shoulder-width and your knees slightly bent, hold a dumbbell in each hand, and then slowly lift the dumbbells up and outwards until your arms parallel to the ground.
Related Post: Side Delt Exercises to Try
3. Barbell Overhead Press
If you're looking to grow big boulder shoulders, the barbell overhead press is a fantastic exercise as it uses all three parts of your shoulder muscles.
This exercise engages your posterior, anterior, and medial deltoids, and even your triceps and traps.
To perform this exercise, make sure that your feet are shoulder-width apart, that you have a good grip on the bar, and that you maintain proper form.
Your spine should stay neutral during the exercise, with the power during the lift coming all from your shoulders.
4. Arnold Press
Speaking of overhead presses, the Arnold press is another fantastic exercise to consider for growing those big boulder shoulders.
The Arnold press is a variation of the regular dumbbell press, except here you start with your palms facing you, and then as you press the dumbbells upwards, you rotate your arms until your palms face outwards, and then go back down to the starting position.
It's another one of these exercises that's fantastic for targeting the medial, anterior, and posterior deltoids.
5. Dumbbell Reverse Flys
If you're looking to target the rear of your shoulders, and your posterior deltoids, then doing dumbbell reverse flys, or specifically, bent-over dumbbell reverse flys, is the way to go.
This is an excellent exercise for targeting your posterior deltoids, and depending on how you squeeze when you get to the top of the motion, it's a great exercise for your locks as well.
To do this exercise, simply stand upright with your feet at shoulder-width apart, a slight bend in your knees, and bent forward at the hips.
You want your spine and upper body to be almost parallel with the ground. Hold the dumbbells in each hand with a neutral grip, which means that your palms are facing inwards and each other, and then slowly lift the dumbbells upwards until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
Related Post: 8 Best Rear Deltoid Exercises
6. Face Pulls
If you want to target your rear or anterior deltoids, as well as your rotator cuff muscles, upper back, and your traps and lats, then doing face pulls is strongly recommended.
The reason why it's so effective at growing big boulder shoulders is because the cable machine provides you with constant resistance, something which most free weights just don't do.
To do face pulls, use a rope attachment and hold it in your hands with your thumbs facing you and your palms facing each other period you're then going to pull the rope towards your face and split your hands as you reach your face until your hands are at about ear level.
7. Front Raises
Whereas the above exercise primarily targets your posterior deltoids, the front raise targets primarily your anterior deltoids, or in other words, the front of your shoulders.
If you're looking to develop wide and well-defined shoulders, then front raises are a great addition to your routine.
To do front raises, all you need to do is hold a dumbbell of moderate weight in each hand with an overhand grip.
You're then going to lift the weights up straight in front of you until they are at shoulder level.
If you find yourself using momentum or your lower back to lift the weights, then decrease the weight a little bit until you can comfortably do the front raise with just your arms.
Related Post: 8 Deltoid Stretches For Healthy Shoulders
8. Incline Chest Flies
Of course, incline chest flies are best known for targeting your chest but they do a great job working your anterior deltoids and medial deltoids to a certain degree.
Therefore, if you want to work out both your chest and shoulders at once, doing chest flys is a great way to go.
Final Thoughts
The number one thing to remember here is that if you want to grow big and strong boulder shoulders, you need to target all three primary heads of your deltoids.
As long as you target your anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids, and you do the exercises we've listed above, developing those big and well-defined shoulders should not be a problem.
