Unlock Stronger Shoulders with Bodyweight Exercises

Why Bodyweight Exercises Are Ideal for Shoulder Development

Bodyweight exercises are perfect for shoulder development because they don’t require heavy weights or specialized equipment. They can be modified to suit different fitness levels, making them accessible to everyone.

“Bodyweight exercises are great for shoulders because they’re muscles that generally don’t require a lot of weight to achieve muscle fatigue or gains.”

15 Effective Bodyweight Exercises for Stronger Shoulders

Exercise 1: Incline Push-up

• Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• How-to: Start in a plank position with hands shoulder-width apart and elevated on a box or bench. Lower your chest toward the box, then use chest and triceps to push back up to the starting position.
• Muscles targeted: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps

Exercise 2: Crab Walk

• Sets/Reps: 2-3 sets of 15-20 steps
• How-to: Sit on the floor with knees bent, feet shoulder-width apart, and palms on the floor behind you with fingers pointing forward. Engage glutes and raise hips off the floor, making a table shape with your body. Walk forward with left foot and right hand, then with right foot and left hand.
• Muscles targeted: Glutes, abdominals, triceps, quads, hamstrings, lats

Exercise 3: Push-back Push-up

• Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• How-to: Start in a push-up position but with feet a bit wider than shoulder width. Brace core and lower your body toward the floor, leading with your chest. Instead of pushing straight up from the floor as you would in a regular push-up, push upper body back toward heels.
• Muscles targeted: Abdominals, pectorals, triceps, deltoids

Additional Exercises

• Plank to Down Dog
• Pike Push-up
• Elevated Pike Push-up
• Plank-up
• Wall Walk-up
• Bridge Push-up
• Prone T (and Y)
• Plank to Alternate Pike
• Side Plank with Lateral Raise
• Diving Push-up
• Kneeling Table Pullover
• Inverted Row Face Pull

Tips for Building a Successful Shoulder Workout Plan

1. Moderation is key: Don’t overdo it with shoulder exercises, as they can be involved in a variety of movements even when not targeted directly.
2. Mix it up: Choose a variety of exercises that work out your front, middle, and rear deltoid muscles.
3. Max out the benefits: Focus on exercises that get a lot of muscles involved rather than those that target a single muscle group.