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20 Shoulder Exercises for Women to Get Stability And Toned Muscles
Shoulder exercises for women might help in boosting stamina, increase fitness, and strengthen muscles. Ahead, we’ve put together 20 exercises you ought to try.
According to research, exercise refers to any bodily movement that is produced by your skeletal muscles and leads to energy expenditure. It may be planned, repetitive, structured, and might have an intermediate or final objective (1). For instance, shoulder exercises for women may help in strengthening rotator cuffs, stabilize and tone the delt muscles, and also decrease shoulder pain (2). A full shoulder workout can not only enhance the appearance of your shoulders but also boost your stamina.
In this article, we have put together the ultimate fitness edit of shoulder exercises for women that you may include in your workout routine.
20 Most Effective Shoulder Exercises for Women
From simple moves like side planks to elaborate dumbbell shoulder workouts ? there are a variety of exercises that can help in toning and strengthening the shoulder muscles. The best part? You may do these effective shoulder exercises at home with and without equipment! 
1. Reverse Fly
Target:
This exercise targets your biceps, triceps, traps, chest muscle, side of your chest, and back
Steps:
- Hold a dumbbell each in your right and left hand.
- Make sure that you place your legs close to each other.
- Then, bend forward at an angle of 45 degrees. You may bend your knees slightly and allow your hands to hang down freely.
- Lift your arms to the sides, hold the position for a few seconds, and then lower them.
- Repeat this movement. You may do three sets and eight reps.
2. Lateral Raises
Target:
This workout for shoulders focuses on your chest muscles, lats, and medial or lateral deltoids
Steps:
- Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand. Ensure that you are standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, and shoulders rolled back properly.
- Then, bend your elbows slightly.
- Slowly raise your arms on the sides until they reach shoulder level.
- Pause for a few seconds and bring them down.
- Repeat this exercise for three sets and twelve reps.
3. Dumbbell Front Raises
Target:
One of the most effective and simple shoulder dumbbell workouts, this exercise targets chest muscles, the side of the chest, lateral deltoids, and anterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure that the distance between your legs is hip-width apart.
- Position your palms in front of your thighs. This is your starting position.
- After this, slowly begin to raise your hands in front.
- Once they reach the shoulder level, pause, and hold the pose for a few seconds.
- Lower your hands and repeat the movement.
- Repeat for two sets and twelve reps.
4. Side Plank
Target:
Side planks focus on your abs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, obliques, biceps, triceps, posterior deltoids, anterior deltoids, and lateral deltoids.
Steps:
- Lay down on your right side.
- Place your right forearm at an angle of 90 degrees to your upper arm. Then keep your right palm flat on the floor and your right elbow parallel to the right shoulder. Make sure your left hand is on the waist.
- Then, slowly raise your hips from the floor. Ensure that your neck is in line with your spine and that it is not dropped down.
- Pause in this formation for about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat the process. You can do three sets.
5. Shoulder Shrugs
Target:
Shoulder shrugs are an at-home shoulder workout that targets your chest muscles, lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, lats, and the side of your neck.
Steps:
- Begin by holding a dumbbell in each hand and place your hands by your side.
- Ensure that your palms are facing inwards and you are standing straight. This is your starting formation.
- After this, roll your shoulders back and keep your core tight.
- Slowly begin to raise your shoulders and bring them close to your ears. Hold the pose for a few seconds and then slowly lower your shoulders.
- Repeat this movement and do three sets and twelve reps of this exercise.
6. Standing Shoulder Press
Target:
This is one of the best shoulder exercises for women which focuses on your biceps, triceps, anterior deltoids, posterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, chest muscle, and side of your chest.
Steps:
- Start by standing with your legs hip-width apart and by holding dumbbells in each hand. Ensure that your shoulders are rolled back.
- After this, slowly lift your arms so that your upper arms are exactly parallel to the floor. During this movement, make sure that your forearms are at an angle of 90 degrees with your upper arms and your palms facing forward.
- Then, begin to push the dumbbells over your head and extend your hands. Pause in this position for a few seconds.
- Return to the starting position and repeat. You may do two sets and fifteen reps.
7. Bent Arm Lateral Raises
Target:
This movement targets your anterior deltoids, lats, chest muscles, side of your chest, and medial or lateral deltoids.
Steps:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, stand straight, and make sure that the distance between your legs is shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your hands by your side, your palms may face inwards, and roll back your shoulders.
- Then, bend your elbows in a way so that your forearms are at a 90 degrees angle with your upper arms. Ensure that your palms are facing each other and your knees are slightly bent for support on your back.
- After this, slowly exhale and keep your elbows locked. Raise your arms until they reach your shoulder level.
- Pause, inhale, return to the starting formation, and repeat the movement.
- You may do two sets and fifteen reps.
8. Elbow Plank
Target:
If you want to know how to get rid of broad shoulders, the answer is elbow planks. This exercise activates your glutes, quads, hamstrings, abs, triceps, anterior deltoids, posterior deltoids, and lateral deltoids.
Steps:
- Lay on the mat on your stomach.
- Extend your arms forward and bend your elbows and keep them in a rested state on the floor. This is your starting position.
- Then push up to take the plank position and tighten your core.
- Hold this formation for about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Lay flat on the ground, and repeat the process.
- You may do three sets of 30 to 60 seconds pauses of this elbow plank.
9. Pec Deck Butterfly
Target:
This exercise targets your chest muscle, anterior deltoids, lats, and triceps.
Steps:
- Stand straight and hold two dumbbells in each of your hands.
- Then, slowly lift the dumbbells while bending your elbows. During this movement, ensure that your upper arms are exactly parallel to the floor, your forearms are in an upright formation and they are at an angle of 90 degrees with your upper arms.
- Flex your abs and start bringing your elbows closer to each other in front of your face.
- Once they are in front of you, slowly push them back to the starting formation. Repeat the process. You might do three sets and fifteen reps of this effective full-shoulder workout.
10. Prone V-up
Target:
This delta workout focuses on your chest muscles, core, triceps, and back.
Steps:
- Begin by getting into a simple plank position.
- Then, form an upside-down ‘V’ formation with your body by walking your feet toward your hands.
- Make sure that you are taking short steps on your heels and that your legs and torso are straight. Stay in this formation for a few seconds.
- Walk back to the starting formation. This completes one rep of Prone V-Up.
- You may do ten reps of this exercise.
11. Serratus Punch
Target:
Serratus Punch is a simple and effective movement that targets your anterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Stand straight with your feet under your hips. Ensure that your arms are extended properly in front of you at shoulder level, hands are in your fists, and palms are facing inward.
- Now, while keeping your back straight, move your fists one inch further from the original position. Make sure you are not leaning your torso forward.
- Then, pull your fists back to the starting position. This completes one rep of the Serratus Punch. You might do twelve to fifteen reps of this exercise.
12. Overhead Tricep Extensions
Target:
This is one of the best and most effective shoulder exercises for women that targets your side of the chest, posterior deltoids, lats, triceps, and chest muscles.
Steps:
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a bench or chair. Then, place your palm on the inside of the top dumbbell head.
- Begin raising your arms and push them. Make sure that the dumbbells are right over your head. This is your starting formation.
- While flexing your elbows and keeping your upper arms stationary, start lowering your forearms. Now, the dumbbells may be directly behind your neck.
- Then, lift the dumbbells back up and bring them back to the starting position. You may do two sets and twelve reps of this workout.
13. Plank Ups
Target:
Plank ups are a traditional exercise that focuses on your triceps, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs, posterior deltoids, anterior deltoids, and lateral deltoids.
Steps:
- Begin by getting to a plank formation. Make sure that your core is active, the neck is aligned with the spine, and you are facing downwards.
- Then flex your right elbow and position your right forearm on the floor. It may be flat. Repeat the same process with your left elbow and forearm. You are now in an elbow plank formation.
- Without taking a pause, place your right and left palms flat on the floor and extend your arms. This will form a push-up position.
- You might complete two sets and ten reps.
14. Seated Overhead Press
Target:
The Seated Overhead Press is one of the good shoulder exercises which works your triceps, upper chest, and shoulder muscles.
Steps:
- Hold a kettlebell in each hand. Sit in a cross-legged position with your butt on the ground and your back may be straight.
- Make sure that your arms are bent, elbows are narrow, palms are facing inward, and the weights are resting against your upper arms.
- Then, start rotating your palms away from your body in one motion. Press the kettlebells until your arms are straight and your biceps are placed near your ears.
- Reverse the motion and slowly lower the weights to the starting formation. This will complete one rep. You may do fifteen reps.
15. Pike Push-ups
Target:
This exercise focuses on your chest muscle, side of the chest, anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, and triceps.
Steps:
- Start by getting into a plank formation.
- Begin pushing your hips out in an upward direction so that you are in a downward dog position.
- Then, bend your elbows and try touching your head to the floor and press up. You may do three sets and ten reps of this exercise.
16. Dumbbell Upright Rows
Target:
Such shoulder workouts for women target the biceps, triceps, lats, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, chest muscles, and side of the chest.
Steps:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand straight with a hip-width distance between your legs. Roll back your shoulders and make sure your palms are facing your thighs.
- Then, flex your elbows and raise your arms to chest level. During this movement, your elbows may be away from your body, your upper arms may be at shoulder level, and your wrists may be lower than your elbows.
- Slowly begin to lower the weights to the starting formation. You might do three sets and fifteen reps of this exercise.
17. See-Saw Press
Target:
See-Saw Press focuses on your triceps, anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, and posterior deltoids.
Steps:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand straight with the hip distance between your feet.
- Slowly bend your elbows and bring the weights up to your shoulder level.
- When fully extending your arms, ensure that your palms are facing inward and your core is flexed. Then, reverse the motion gradually.
- You may repeat the same movement on the other side. This will finish one rep. Do at least ten reps while alternating sides.
18. Push-Ups
Target:
For the best delt exercises, try the traditional push-ups. It focuses on your biceps, triceps, lats, chest muscles, side of the chest, anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, and posterior deltoids.
Steps:
- With your hands positioned directly beneath your shoulder, get into a plank formation.
- Make sure that your abs are tight and your body is in a straight line.
- Then, bend your elbows in an outward direction and start to lower your body towards the floor.
- Once you have lowered your body, press back up into the starting plank formation. Ensure that you are inhaling and exhaling properly while doing this movement.
- You may do two sets and ten reps of push-ups.
19. Plank Shoulder Taps
Target:
Plank Shoulder Taps are an effective exercise that trains and strengthens your core, arms, glutes, wrists, and the muscles in your shoulders.
Steps:
- Begin by getting into a high plank position with the distance between your feet being wider than your shoulders.
- Then, tap your right hand on the left shoulder. Once done, lower your right hand to the ground.
- Tap your left hand on the right shoulder. Then, lower your left hand back to the floor.
- This finishes one rep.
- You may finish twelve to fifteen reps.
20. Seated Bent-over Rear Delt Raise
Target:
This female shoulder exercise focuses on your chest muscles, side of the chest, biceps, triceps, lats, posterior deltoids, and lateral deltoids.
Steps:
- Sit on a bench or chair while holding a dumbbell in your right and left hand. Then, keep your feet placed together and start bending your upper body in the forward direction.
- Allow your chest to be near your knees. Once you are in this formation, position your hands beside your calves. Ensure that your neck and spine are in one line.
- Once you are in starting position, take a deep breath, and raise the dumbbells to your sides. Keep lifting them until both your arms are parallel to the ground. During this process, make sure that your elbows are bent slightly.
- After this, pause for a few seconds. Take a deep breath and gradually lower the dumbbells back to the starting pose. Repeat the process.
- You may do three sets and twelve reps of this exercise.
Conclusion
Your shoulders play a pivotal role in your everyday tasks and help in maintaining your posture. Hence, it is important to keep your shoulders strong and fit. According to research, the shoulder muscles have multiple functions such as flexion, abduction, adduction, extension, and internal and external rotation. The shoulder muscles also lend your posture and bodily movements some stability (3).
To strengthen and tone your delts, shoulder exercises for women may be beneficial. Many of these exercises can target and work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, abs, side of chest and neck, chest muscles, and more. From push-ups, side planks, and dumbbell upright rows to lateral raises — you may incorporate any exercises in your full shoulder workout. However, before you begin doing these exercises, make sure that you have warmed up properly.
Sources:
1. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3920711/
2. Electromyographic Characteristics of a Single Motion Shoulder Exercise: A Pilot Study Investigating a Novel Shoulder Exercise
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35136696/
3. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Shoulder Muscles
4. Fat loss depends on energy deficit only, independently of the method for weight loss
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18025815/
5. Weight-Loss and Maintenance Strategies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221839/
6. Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance
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