How to Get Big Shoulders

The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body and has a lot of different muscles that rotate it in every imagineable way. The primary muscle group around the shoulder is the deltoid, which help stabilize the joint and move the arm in three primary directions - forward, back, and to the side. While not the largest or most powerful shoulder-moving muscles, the deltoids are the most aesthetically important due to their positioning right over the joint. As such, I will explore the best exercises with which you can build up your shoulders.

Shoulder Press: This basic exercise can be performed sitting or standing. If done standing, it will place additional emphasis on the core and stabilizing muscles throughout, since it is required to balance the weight over the chest. In regard to shoulder-building, both methods are about equal. The shoulder press places most of its stress on the anterior deltoid, and a good amount on the medial (lateral) deltoid. This means it builds up the front and side of the shoulder. You can do the shoulder press with dumbbells or a barbell. Variations of the shoulder press include the military press and the behind-the-neck press.

Front Raise: Front raises are more of an isolation movement than the shoulder press in that they really only focus on the anterior deltoids. This is a good exercise for developing a cut look in the shoulder and increasing overall mass. I suggest combining front raises with lateral raises, mentioned below.

Lateral Raise: The lateral raise is similar to the front raise, except the arm is brought out to the side instead of out front. This places stress on the lateral or medial deltoid, and will help increase the width of the shoulder. Because it places specific stress on the medial deltoid, this is a good exercise for increasing overall shoulder stability. It is okay to bend your arms a little bit when performing this exercise to prevent spraining the tendons in your elbow.

Bench press: This basic movement is thought of, by many, to be primarily a chest exercise. That said, it places a tremendous amount of stress on the shoulders, especially at the bottom phase of the movement. The anterior deltoids are hit particularily hard by the bench press. If you have bad rotator cuffs, I don't recommend focusing too much on the lower portion of the press since it can cause injury, but healthy people should definitely include at least two sets of the bench press in their workout routine. Acceptable alternatives include the dumbbell press and the incline variant of either.

Flies: Like the bench press, the flies place stress on the anterior deltoid and chest. This is a good overall exercise. Not much else to say. Use dumbbells instead of a machine.

Rear Delt Raise: The rear delt is an often-ignored portion of the shoulder that often leads to stability issues due to lack of support at the back of the joint. As such, this exercise and the one below are absolutely essential if you're going to train your shoulders. The rear delt raise is a great exercise for building up the posterior deltoids. I recommend doing this with a barbell off a rack and that you keep your shirt tucked in during the duration of it, less it snags the bar.

Back flies: These are similar to normal flies, except they are done with your stomach on the bench. Instead of bringing the weight up over your chest, you start with your arms hanging and bring your arms out to your sides by contracting your rear deltoids. This, combined with the rear delt raises, will help you gain serious mass and help stabilize your delts.