If you might be thinking you’re working your shoulders regularly, but if your shoulder is not growing. Then you must incorporate this best barbell shoulder exercises into your shoulder workout routine, it’s help to build stronger muscles that make your shoulders full and round.
Barbell shoulder workout is a great way to build shoulder muscle mass and develop strength, as it activates more than one muscle group at a time.
Shoulder barbell exercises are those that involve movement around more than one joint simultaneously. For those of you who have been trying to achieve 3D shoulder, it is highly recommended to start performing the barbell shoulder workout.
Shoulder Muscles Anatomy
In fitness, “shoulder exercises” refers to resistance exercises that target the deltoid muscle.
The deltoid is the superficial muscle that forms the rounded contour of your shoulder. While the deltoid is technically a single muscle, anatomically speaking it has three distinct sets of muscles fibers and muscle bellies, which are referred to as “heads.
The deltoid muscle of the shoulder consists of three separate sections or heads.
- The anterior deltoid (In front),
- lateral deltoid (at the side), and
- Posterior deltoid (behind),
Best Barbell Shoulder Exercises
Here are the best shoulder barbell exercises to build muscle mass and strength.
You’ll get more benefits if you introduce some barbell exercises into your routine that also work your shoulder.
1. Seated Barbell Overhead Press
If you’re looking for straightforward barbell shoulder exercises to add to your routine, Overhead Press are a great staple exercise to get you started.
The shoulder Press remains the grand-daddy of all shoulder exercises to build big, round shoulder muscles.
Seated shoulder press has been the favorite shoulder exercise with bodybuilders as it builds muscle fast and is a power move.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Anterior deltoid
Secondary: lateral deltoid, triceps, and upper pectoralis.
How To Do Seated Barbell Overhead Press
- Sit on an exercise bench and grab a bar with an overhand grip.
- Bring the bar over and in front of your head, under your chin, and just above your upper chest.
- Now Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended but not locked out.
- Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
- Repeat the desired number of reps.
Tips
- Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1-2 sets.
- Brace your abs as you press, you shouldn’t be leaning back excessively.
- Keep upper arms turn slightly inward to prevent elbows from “winging” out at your sides.
2. Barbell Front Raise
The barbell front raise is a shoulder exercise used to target the front deltoids. Use of the barbell can allow you to overload the muscles to a greater degree than one may be capable of doing with dumbbells.
Must add this exercise to your barbell shoulder exercises arsenal.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Anterior deltoid.
Secondary: Upper pectoralis, Trapezius, Serratus Anterior
How To Do Barbell Front Raise
- Stand holding the bar at shoulder width apart with a pronated grip, your feet are also shoulder-width apart, and your knees are slightly bent.
- Lift the barbell forward with straight arms, until the bar is at shoulder height.
- Once the arms are parallel with the floor, slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips
- Maintain a neutral back and engage your core throughout the exercise.
- Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
3. Landmine Shoulder Press
When doing a shoulder workout with a barbell, you can add this unilateral exercise to your routine to correct potential imbalances.
The Landmine Press is not a popular exercise yet provides many benefits in regard to progressing your upper body.
It can be performed in a standing position, which increases core involvement and can improve core stability and strength of the abdominal muscles.
Muscle Worked
Primary: Pectoralis major and Deltoids
How To Do Landmine Shoulder Press
- Stand holding the weighted end of the barbell with one hand. Clean that bar up to shoulder height and tuck your elbow into your side.
- Make sure the barbell is wedged securely in a landmine device or corner.
- Your feet should be level and shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your core braced and knees soft, press the bar up and away from you, fully extending your arm at the top.
- Press the weight up with both hands until your arms are extended, then bring it back down slowly.
- With control, lower the bar back down to the starting position.
Tips
- Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.
- Exhale on pushing movement, inhale when returning to starting position.
- Lean your body forwards slightly and engage your core muscles to help with stabilization.
4. Behind-the-Neck Press
A behind-the-neck press is an exercise that targets your shoulders. The standard military press and the overhead dumbbell presses hit more of the anterior head of the deltoid, which is often stimulated a lot even during the bench press.
Behind the neck press, on the other hand, stimulates all the three heads of the shoulder, It also recruits the triceps, lateral delts, traps, and rhomboids.
If you do not have a fair amount of shoulder mobility, it is not recommended to perform this barbell shoulder exercises.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, rear deltoid
Secondary: Triceps, and upper pectoralis, trapezius
How To Do Behind-the-Neck Press
- Sit on an exercise bench and place the barbell to just below shoulder height.
- Elevate the barbell overhead by fully extending your arms while breathing out.
- Hold the contraction for a second and lower the barbell back down to the starting position by inhaling.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips
- Don’t bounce the bar off your neck. Perform the exercise in a slow and controlled manner.
- Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1-2 sets.
- Keep your elbows flared out, in line with the shoulders or slightly behind.
5. Barbell Upright Row
The upright Row is an excellent exercise to build huge Trapezius muscles and create that deltopectoral separation.
Upright rows can be done with both narrow grips and wider ones.
The narrow grip focuses on the trapezius, and the wider focuses on the entire shoulder girdle. Moreover, the wider grip allows some cheating movement, thereby allowing you to lift more weight. Must add this exercise to your shoulder barbell exercises arsenal.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Trapezius, deltoid.
Secondary: Levator scapulae, erector spinae, forearms.
How To Do Barbell Upright Row
- Hold a bar with an overhand grip and let it hang in front of you.
- Lift the bar and get it as close as possible to the chin, using your arms and elevating your shoulders to squeeze your trapezius muscles.
- Now, lower the bar under controlled motion until it comes back to its starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Tips
- Focus on keeping your elbows higher than your forearms.
- Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
- Keep your back straight.
6. Barbell Shrug
Barbell Shrug is one of the best shoulder exercises to build bigger and stronger trap muscles. This trap exercise can be done heavily to thicken the traps, which really helps you in doing back poses.
The shrug is one of the simplest and easy trap exercises to perform. You can do the shrug either using a dumbbell, Barbell, and smith machine, but the barbell variation is the classic variation to build massive traps.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Upper Trapezius
Secondary: Rhomboids, Middle Trapezius, Levator Scapulae
How To Do Barbell Shrug
- Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knee slightly bent, and core stable.
- Grip the barbell with your hands facing downwards, in a pronated grip.
- Raise your shoulders without bending elbows as far as possible getting them closer to your ears.
- Hold the contraction and squeeze for a brief second.
- In a controlled and stable manner, lower the weight back down to the starting position.
Tips
- Go as high as possible, but limit momentum and excessive jerking or bouncing of the weight.
- Go full range. Move only shoulders and keep rest of body steady.
7. Behind The Back Barbell Shrug
The barbell behind-the-back shrug is an exercise targeting the traps. Having the bar behind you helps keep your shoulders pulled up and back, rather than rounded forward. This is another great barbell exercise option that will help you to target the shoulder and grow your deltoid.
It is popular in strength and muscle-focused upper-body training and is often trained on a shoulder day.
Muscles Worked
Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.
Secondary: Anterior deltoid, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Biceps, and Forearm.
How To Do Behind The Back Barbell Shrug
- Stand while holding a barbell with an overhand grip behind your thighs. Both your hands and your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
- Lift your shoulders up toward your ears as high as possible while keeping your arms straight.
- Hold the contraction for a second before lowering the bar back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips
- Focus on lifting the weight with your traps and not your biceps.
- Pausing at the top of the barbell shrug makes the exercise more challenging and you’ll get more out of it.
- Do not roll your shoulders as this can lead to a shoulder injury.
8. Standing Barbell Rear Delt Row
Standing barbell rear delt row is a free weight shoulder exercise that primarily targets the rear deltoid and middle back, and to a lesser degree, it also targets the biceps, shoulders, and traps.
If you haven’t tried this exercise before, load the barbell with a reasonable amount of weight, prioritizing an amount that allows you to stick to proper form rather than trying to lift heavy.
Muscles Worked
Primary : Posterior deltoid, Trapezius
Secondary : Traps, Biceps, Rhomboids, and Forearms.
How To Do Standing Barbell Rear Delt Row
- Stand up straight while holding a barbell using a wide (higher than shoulder width) and overhand (palms facing your body) grip.
- With slightly bent knees, bend over at the waist so that your chest is parallel with the floor.
- While keeping the upper arms perpendicular to the torso, pull the barbell up towards your upper chest as you squeeze the rear delt.
- Slowly go back to the initial position as you breathe in. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Tips
- Refrain from using your biceps to do the work. Focus on targeting the rear delts, the arms should only act as hooks.
- Focus on the form before you go for a heavyweight.
- Maintaining the right posture while working out is extremely important.
9. Barbell Lying Rear Delt Row
Barbell Lying Rear Delt Row is a strength exercise that works your side deltoids and traps. When done correctly, it can effectively target your shoulders and upper body.
Muscles Worked
Primary Movers: Posterior deltoid, Trapezius
Secondary Muscles: Traps, Biceps, Rhomboids, and Forearms.
How To Do Barbell Lying Rear Delt Row
- Lie down on an incline bench with a barbell and hand extended out in front of you.
- Slowly pull the barbell until your elbows are just above your shoulders.
- Once you reach the final position, hold for a count and squeeze your muscles.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Tips
- Remember to exhale while you exert.
- The form is an essential part of this exercise.
- Don’t just swing your arms. Keep controlled motion throughout the exercise.
10. Landmine Press
Finally, if you’re looking for one more effective shoulder barbell exercise, try the landmine press.
The Landmine Press is not a popular exercise yet provides many benefits in regard to progressing your inner and upper chest but also in the muscles that work alongside – the triceps and the deltoids.
It can be performed in kneeling position, which increases core involvement and can improve core stability and strength of the abdominal muscles.
How To Do Landmine Press
- Place a barbell in a landmine holder or set up a barbell in a corner. Then add weight plates to the free end of the barbell.
- Assume a half kneeling position with the knee under your hip, toes tucked, and rib cage down.
- Press the barbell up straight in front of you until your arms are extended, avoiding hyperextension at the elbows.
- Hold the weight for a second and focus on contracting your chest muscles.
- Slowly lower the weight back towards your chest and then repeat for the recommended reps
Tips
- To secure the barbell, you can interlock your hands around the bar.
- Lean your body forwards slightly and engage your core muscles to help with stabilization.
- Exhale on pushing movement, inhale when returning to starting position.
Best Technique To Train Shoulder With Barbell
- The grip is an important part of every exercise. The position of your arms and your posture are the most important things to remember during barbell workouts.
- You should choose your weights with practicality in mind. Yes, it is necessary to lift heavy, but be aware of your limits. Since shoulder exercises are complex, doing them without considering your limitations could lead to injury.
- Number of reps are essential, but you should not compromise quality for quantity. Complete your reps perfectly.
- Remember to give your body enough rest. Do not overtrain because that will lead to fatigue and breakdown. 2 days a week is enough for a shoulder workout.
- Be sure to work on each part of your shoulder. Barbell shoulder workout is good, but you need to also add the other types of exercises like dumbbell exercises and cable exercises.
More training tips for deltoid.
It is important that your shoulders be strong and functional because they are involved in almost everything you do in and out of the gym. Doing these barbell shoulder workouts will help build strong, functional shoulders that look great in short sleeves.
Now that you have a handle on the best barbell shoulder exercises to strengthen your deltoids, you can also check out these other helpful shoulder training articles for strength, power, and fitness athletes.
How to Program Shoulder Training
When you want a great pair of delts, you definitely want to train your shoulders for both strength and hypertrophy. The barbell is the best tool for strengthening the shoulders because you can load the most weight.
For this goal, you should combine shoulder presses, rows, and raises.
Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey. Shoulder muscle and strength is built in a variety of set and rep ranges.
Sets
- Beginners: ~10 sets per week.
- Intermediate: ~15 sets per week.
- Advanced: ~20 sets per week.
Reps
- 3 to 5 reps for power
- less than 6 reps for strength
- 6 to 12 reps for hypertrophy
- 12 to 20+ reps for endurance
Barbell Shoulder Exercises & Workout Samples
Shoulder Barbell Workout plan For Hypertrophy #1
- Seated Barbell Overhead Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Barbell Upright Row: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
- Barbell Shrug: 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Shoulder Barbell Workout plan For Hypertrophy #2
- Landmine Shoulder Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
- Barbell Front Raise : 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Standing Barbell Rear Delt Row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Behind The Back Barbell Shrug: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Takeaways
These shoulder barbell exercises are highly recommended for anyone interested in building a wider shoulder and who wants to gain strength.
It not only allows for targeted muscle development, but also provides an overall 3D look to the shoulder. It is easy to do and requires no more scientific details and fancy equipment. Incorporate some exercise from these barbell shoulder exercises into your workout regimen.
If you do these shoulder exercises with barbell consistently, the results will speak by themselves.
Thanks for reading.
Know More About Shoulder Training
- Best Anterior deltoid (Front Deltoid) Exercises & Workout
- Dumbbell Posterior deltoid exercises for Bigger Shoulder
- Dumbbell Shoulder Fly: Muscles Worked, Benefits, Tips
- Rear Delt Fly: Muscle Worked, Benefits, Alternate
- Bent Over Lateral Raise: Muscle Worked, Benefits, Alternate
