Broad shoulders are strong shoulders. And strong shoulders are very functional shoulders. Training your side delts should be a priority if you want bigger and stronger shoulders.

The side delts, often known as the lateral delts or medial delts, is a part of the 3 headed deltoid muscle that covers our shoulder. It plays a key role in concentrically raising the arm away from the body and eccentrically bringing the arm back towards the body. Exercises that work the lateral deltoid best are those that expose the shoulder to a large range of motion, a lot of intensity, or both, in actions that raise them away and toward the torso. So, next time the Seated Shoulder Press Machine is occupied, try one of these free weight shoulder exercises.

Our Eight Favourite Side Delt Exercises

1 - Steering Wheel

This exercise is a great way to start training your delts, whilst also working on your shoulder mobility, as the rotation of the plate internally and externally rotates the shoulder.

• Hold a weighted plate out in front of you with hands on either side of the plate, as if holding a steering wheel.

• To perform a rep, rotate the plate, as if turning a wheel, until one hand is above the other.

• Slowly rotate the wheel back the other way until the other hand is on top of the other.

• Repeat until you feel the middle delt getting tired.

2 - Scott Press

The Scott press is performed with the elbows bent to keep the weight closer to the body, shortening the lever arm at the shoulder, and reducing the difficulty.

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your eye line, with palms facing each other, elbows facing forwards.

• Rotate the arms until your palms are facing forwards and elbows out.

• Reverse the movement until back at the start position to complete a full rep.

• Aim for 10-20 reps, maintaining constant tension.  

3 - Overhead Press

The dumbbell overhead press is great for improving overhead strength and stability, a position that people often struggle with, but one that is incredibly functional for day-to-day activities, like reaching to a high shelf, and in sports like Olympic weightlifting.

• In a seated or standing position, hold a dumbbell in either hand, with palms facing forwards.

• Push the dumbbells overhead until the elbows are locked and the weight stacked over the shoulder.

• Slowly reverse the dumbbells back to the start position to complete a full rep.

• Aim for 5-10 reps.

4 - Monkey Row

This is a great exercise to help strengthen your shoulders for other, more strenuous exercises, like triceps dips or muscle ups, putting the shoulder under stress in a very deep range of motion.

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, either side of your body.

• Pull the dumbbells up your side, as close to your armpit as you can, pointing your elbows to the sky.

• Slowly lower the weight back down to the start position to complete the rep.

• Aim for 10-20 reps in total.

5 - Resistance Band Lateral Raise

Lateral raises have a reputation for being butchered by too much lower body momentum negating the benefit of the lift on the shoulders. Resistance bands reduce this since they provide no resistance at the bottom, where momentum is often overused.

• Stand tall with a Flat Resistance Band under your feet, holding an end in each hand.

• Raise your arms straight out to the side until your elbows are in line with the shoulders.

• Slowly lower the arms back down to the start position to complete a full rep.

• Aim for 10-20 reps or until your shoulders reach failure.  

6 - Cable Lateral Raise

• Stand to the side of a cable machine, with the handle set at the lowest height.

• Reach across your body to grab the handle before standing back up so that you are stood tall with the arm furthest from the rack under tension.

• Raise the arm furthest from the rack, holding the cable, out to the side, until the elbow is in line with the shoulder.

• Aim for 5-10 reps.

7 - Crucifix Hold

The Crucifix hold is a great way to accumulate work in a side raised position without using too much momentum to cheat the exercise, which is often the case with a traditional lateral raise. Need somewhere to store your free weights? Check out our Kettlebell Racks.

• Stand tall with a kettlebell in each hand.

• Raise your arms straight out to your side, until your elbows are in line with your shoulders.

• Hold this position until you can’t hold it anymore without technique declining.

8 - Arnold Press

The Arnold press is a great variation of the overhead press to strengthen your shoulders and improve overhead stability.  

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your chin, with palms towards your face and elbows facing down.

• Rotate the dumbbells, pressing overhead as you do so that your palms are facing forwards at the top of the press.

• Slowly reverse the movement back to the start position to complete a full rep.

• Aim for 5-10 controlled reps.

Add these side delt exercises into your routine if you want to build strong and stable shoulders. Whether looking to be more functional for day to day life or a strength sport athlete looking to set a new personal best, strong shoulders is a sure fire way to improve your lifting.

For more content, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and on our official Mirafit Facebook page.

Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Dumbbells ; Exercise Type > Strength