Having well-defined shoulders can carry a physique far by building that tapered look while adding to one’s ability to excel in lifts such as the bench press, overhead press, and push press.
That said, underdeveloped shoulders are extremely common. Four ways to fix them are:
- Follow a periodized program
- Incorporate compound movements
- Incorporate burnout sets
- Progressively overload your lifts
In this article, I will explain what the shoulder is composed of, what it means to have underdeveloped shoulders, and the best approach in both exercise selection and program design to enhance the shoulders.
Table of Contents
What Are the Shoulder Muscles?
The shoulder muscles are:
- Deltoid (Anterior, medial, and posterior)
- Rotator Cuff (Infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor)
These muscles are responsible for four directions of movement: forward, upward, rotation, and side-to-side movement of the scapula (shoulder blade) and shoulder joint. As a ball in a socket joint, the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. It is able to move in all planes of motion.
Takeaway: The muscles of the shoulder are the deltoid and rotator cuff, and the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body.
What Does It Mean To Have Underdeveloped Shoulders?
Having underdeveloped shoulders can mean one of two things:
- Weak shoulder muscles
- Disproportionate shoulders to the rest of the muscles in the body
Compared to the rest of the muscles in the human body, the shoulders are the most mobile and complex, consequently being more difficult to develop.
Let’s dive into these details a bit further!
Reasons Why You Have Underdeveloped Shoulders
Improper Volume Allocation
The main driver for progressive overload is volume, which is the accumulation of intensity, sets, and reps of a workout.
Improper volume allocation can be on either end of a spectrum. Too much or too little volume is detrimental to shoulder development.
Too little volume can result in a lack of stimulus, while too much volume can lead to excess fatigue that can inhibit performance and subsequent shoulder development.
Lack of Compound Lifts
As mentioned earlier, the shoulder is composed of the deltoid and rotator cuff, which allows for more movement than any other joint in the human body.
Compound lifts (which work more than one muscle at a time) involve gross motor skills that involve multiple large muscle groups and allow for a greater capacity for shoulder strength and muscular development.
For example, the seated dumbbell shoulder press is more complex when compared to a lateral raise. The seated shoulder press can be loaded to a higher degree, while the lateral raise is limited in both strength and targeting only two out of the three heads of the shoulder.
Since the shoulder is so complex, too much focus on isolation exercises (which only work one muscle group at a time) can neglect and blunt total muscular and strength development.
Not Enough Exercise Variation
Even though compound lifts are extremely important, if your shoulders are underdeveloped, you might benefit from a greater selection of shoulder exercises.
A variety of compound and isolation movements that target the different heads of the deltoid, as well as the rotator cuff, can lead to greater development of the shoulders.
Specifically, we would want a compound lift (overhead press or seated dumbbell shoulder press) and an isolation exercise for the anterior (front raises), medial (lateral raises), and posterior (face pulls) heads of the shoulder.
Issues That Are Caused by Having Weak Shoulders
Shoulder Pain
Weak muscles are often the primary culprit for developing chronic shoulder pain. Shoulder muscle weakness can lead to muscle inflammation or sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength) down the road.
For athletes specifically, if the shoulders are weak, performing activities where the shoulders are involved can cause pain. This can be especially apparent during a bench press or overhead press.
Due to shoulder weakness or instability, athletes in sports such as baseball, basketball, and football can suffer as well.
Lack of Shoulder Mobility
Joints in the body work together to move the body through complex movements. For example, the mid-back works with the shoulder joint to twist the trunk and reach for objects.
When the shoulder and mid-back region is immobile, it can lead to dysfunction in everyday tasks such as reaching overhead or a slouched posture when in the seated position.
Check out our guide on the best shoulder mobility exercises to help you gain more shoulder mobility.
Poor shoulder mobility can also result in decreased ability to produce tension or shoulder retraction during the bench press exercise. Decreased retraction during bench press can turn into overly protracted shoulders, which can affect both positioning and shoulder health.
Our front squat mobility guide provides a list of mobility drills that can help with shoulder mobility.
Weak Lifts
Weak links in a chain can be detrimental to performance in any lift or activity. Overhead press or bench press can suffer from major drawbacks if the shoulders are weak.
During the bench press, the shoulders act to stabilize the load throughout the lift. They work as the main driver for the overhead press. Weak shoulders can result in loss of positioning during the bench press and an inability to press weight overhead.
Strengthening the shoulders is paramount to increasing longevity in the weight room and increasing total upper-body musculature.
If you struggle with the overhead press, you may benefit from these solutions that can help fix a weak overhead press.
Difficulty With Daily Tasks
When our shoulders are weak, it can affect our ability to do daily activities such as sitting at a computer, putting dishes away, mowing the lawn, and moving furniture.
Plenty of jobs have also moved to the at-home space, and here specifically, strong and mobile shoulders are important.
Weak shoulders can lead to slouched posture or shoulder discomfort and can result in a series of other muscular health problems such as back pain or sarcopenia.
4 Ways to Fix Underdeveloped Shoulders
When shoulder progress comes to a grinding halt, many tools can help push the training needle forward.
1. Follow a Periodized Program
A good program will have some sort of periodization or phasic progression.
Periodized programs will typically begin with a muscle-building phase which involves higher reps and lighter loads. The primary goal of a muscle-building phase is to reinforce proper technique and fatigue accumulation.
Shoulder muscle-building phases can be progressed by adding load, reps, or sets for each block. This approach will allow different ways to continue progressing volume while pushing for a strength response as well.
Shoulder Muscle-Building Phase 1 Example:
- Dumbbell shoulder press: 4 x 8
- Cable lateral raises: 4 x 12
- Face pulls: 4 x 20
Shoulder Muscle-Building Phase 2 Example:
- Dumbbell shoulder press: 4 x 10
- Cable lateral raises: 4 x 15
- Face pulls: 4 x 30
From the muscle-building phase, programs will usually shift towards a strength phase involving heavier loads with lower rep ranges. The primary goal of the strength phase is to continue improving execution while pushing heavier loads.
To progress strength phases, one can taper or decrease reps and sets while increasing the load.
Shoulder Strength Phase 1 Example:
- Barbell overhead press: 5 x 5
- Lateral raises: 4 x 10
- Face pulls: 4 x 15
Shoulder Strength Phase 2 Example:
- Barbell overhead press: 5 x 3
- Lateral raises: 4 x 6
- Face pulls: 4 x 10
2. Incorporate Compound Movements
Compound movements are absolutely necessary for building underdeveloped shoulders.
The dynamic nature of compound lifts such as the dumbbell Arnold press or barbell overhead press challenges the shoulder in all ranges of motion while allowing for greater loading.
Specifically, the overhead press is a great exercise that can load the total body musculature and consequently result in greater shoulder strengthening to then lead to more robust shoulder growth.
3. Incorporate Burnout Sets
Burnout sets are sets that are executed to complete exhaustion or just short of absolute failure when you can no longer execute a rep with proper form.
Finding the point of absolute failure or knowledge of proximity to failure when implementing shoulder exercises can be quite a challenge.
I would recommend programming a burnout set on the final set of some of the exercises in a given shoulder workout.
Burnout sets can be extremely helpful for building greater awareness of proximity to failure with a load or having a different route towards achieving progressive overload, which I explain below.
4. Progressively Overload Your Lifts
Progressive overload is when you gradually increase the weight, frequency, or repetitions in programming. Moving the needle forward is predominantly based on the many different ways you can cultivate progressive overload.
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) or reps in reserve (RIR) are both tools that allow us to assign the subjective difficulty of any given set. The very nature of implementing RPE and RIR allows for reps left in the tank.
RIR is a subjective perceived rating of difficulty and denotes the amount of repetitions there were until you achieve absolute failure. RPE is a subjective scale ranging from 1 – 10 to rate the perceived difficulty of a set. RPE can indicate reps left in the tank as well, but the RPE rating doesn’t always match how many reps there are until failure.
For example, a 6 RPE could indicate that there are 4 repetitions left in the tank within a set, whereas a 3 RIR could mean that you have 3 repetitions in reserve.
Clean and complete sets with reps in the tank will maximize progressive overload while allowing for more effective practice and strength development. Starting off with higher RIR ratings or lower RPE ratings will ensure that you will be more successful in the long term.
12 Best Exercises for Underdeveloped Shoulders
Compound Shoulder Exercises
Compound shoulder exercises will target all three heads of the shoulder while requiring secondary involvement from other muscle groups such as the core, pecs, and lats.
1. Overhead Barbell Press
The overhead barbell press is my favorite compound shoulder exercise to build underdeveloped shoulders.
The overhead barbell press is specifically great for developing strength and total body musculature. It can be extremely effective to cycle between overhead press and bench press within a program or cycle of training.
How To
- The rack height should position the bar just above the chest.
- Hand position should be just outside of shoulder-width apart.
- Ensure that the elbows are cocked in front of the bar to assist with driving the bar into the end position.
- Maintain a nice upright posture and break the bar with your hands to increase the tension of your back muscles.
- Take a big breath to increase intra-abdominal pressure and ensure there is complete rigidity in the core muscles of the back and abdomen.
- While pushing your head back, push the bar up and back so that the end position is right atop the shoulder joint while being in line with the knot in the back of your head.
- At the end position, the elbows should be at complete extension, with the barbell being completely overhead.
- To complete the repetition, allow the bar to return to the starting position.
How To Program
Shoulder Muscle-Building Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 10 @RPE 6
- Week 2: 4 x 10 @RPE 6-7
- Week 3: 4 x 8 @RPE 7
Shoulder Strength Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 4 @RPE 7
- Week 2: 4 x 4 @RPE 7
- Week 3: 5 x 3 @RPE 7-8
2. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Second to the overhead press, I believe the seated dumbbell shoulder press is a staple for building underdeveloped shoulders. It especially fits in when the bench press is the primary focus of your program.
Some sort of vertical pressing movement should be placed within your programming, whether it be the Arnold press, barbell overhead press, or dumbbell shoulder press.
How To
- Set up an adjustable bench to a vertical incline or an upright seat specifically designed for shoulder press.
- Sit in an upright position with a proud chest and shoulder blades squeezed together.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at about ear level.
- Press the two dumbbells until elbows are at complete extension.
- Return the dumbbells to the starting position to end the rep.
How To Program
Shoulder Muscle-Building Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 8 @RPE 7
- Week 2: 4 x 8 @RPE 7
- Week 3: 5 x 6 @RPE 7-8
Shoulder Strength Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 3 @RPE 6
- Week 2: 4 x 3 @RPE 7
- Week 3: 5 x 3 @RPE 8
3. Seated Dumbbell Arnold Press
Similar to the seated shoulder press, the seated dumbbell Arnold press is a dynamic shoulder vertical pressing exercise that can be extremely effective in developing all three heads of an underdeveloped shoulder.
How To
- Set up an adjustable bench to a vertical incline or a seat.
- Sit in an upright position with a proud chest and shoulder blades squeezed together.
- Start with both dumbbells in front of your face with the palms facing the body.
- Press up while rotating the dumbbells until they face away from the body.
- Rotate the dumbbells back to facing you upon returning to the starting position.
How To Program
Shoulder Muscle-Building Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 8 @RPE 7
- Week 2: 4 x 8 @RPE 8
- Week 3: 5 x 6 @RPE 8-9
Shoulder Strength Example:
- Week 1: 3 x 5 @RPE 7
- Week 2: 4 x 5 @RPE 7-8
- Week 3: 5 x 5 @RPE 7-8
Anterior Deltoid Exercises
4. Dumbbell Front Raises
Dumbbell front raises are an extremely effective exercise that targets the front of the shoulder. It should be coupled with lateral raises and rear delt flys to bring up all three heads of an underdeveloped shoulder.
How To
- Hold a set of dumbbells in front of you with the palms facing down.
- Raise the set of dumbbells until the completely extended elbows are at shoulder level.
- Lower the two dumbbells to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
To program front raises, aim for 10 – 20 repetitions at the end of a workout. Often, to target all of the heads of the shoulder, we can pair front raises with lateral raises and rear delt flys.
5. Banded Front Raises
Banded front raises can be done anywhere, making them great for at-home or on-the-road routines for building underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Stand over the bottom of the band to firmly anchor it to the ground.
- With the palms facing down, hold the band with one or both hands.
- Raise the held band until the completely extended elbow is at shoulder level.
- Lower the band to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
Banded front raises are more effective when done with burnout sets. Otherwise, incorporate these and other banded variations (banded single-arm shoulder press, banded lateral raises, and banded rear delt flys) for a target 12 – 15 rep range at the end of a shoulder workout.
6. Cable Front Raises
Unlike dumbbell front raises, cable front raises place constant tension on the front deltoid, which makes it a great anterior deltoid exercise for underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Anchor the cable pulley at the lowest setting.
- Stand with your back against the pulley system.
- Raise the handle until the completely extended elbow is at shoulder level.
- Lower the handle to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
Cable front raises can be programmed in a variety of ways:
- Slow 3 count lowering reps: 3 x 10
- Ballistic explosive reps (lifting the weight as explosively as you can): 3 x 20
- Normal reps: 3 x as many reps as possible
Medial Deltoid Exercises
7. Dumbbell Lateral Raises
Dumbbell lateral raises target the outer cap of the shoulder muscle, otherwise known as the medial deltoid, and are effective in building underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Holding the dumbbells, start with the palms facing in.
- With a slight bend in the elbows, raise the hands out until they are in line with the lower chest.
- Return to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
Similar to the front raises, lateral raises can be programmed for 10 – 20 repetitions and should be paired with some sort of vertical press (Arnold press, shoulder press, or barbell overhead press), front raise, and rear delt fly to target all heads of the shoulder.
8. Banded Lateral Raises
Banded lateral raises are great for on-the-road or at-home workout routines and are a great addition to bringing up the lateral delts.
How To
- Anchor a band with a single handle at hip height.
- Stand perpendicular to the anchor point.
- With a slight bend in the elbow, raise the hand out until it is in line with the lower chest.
- Return to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
Band exercises are most effective when aiming for higher repetitions at 15 – 30 or aiming to achieve absolute failure between each set. Pair banded lateral raises with banded front raises, banded face pulls, and banded shoulder press for a complete shoulder workout.
9. Machine Lateral Raises
Machine lateral raises place a consistent loading level on the medial shoulders, making them a very good muscle-building choice for underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Firmly place the chest on the pad.
- Adjust the seat so that shoulders are in-line with the pivot points of the machine.
- Ensure that the handles are at a height that's as close to your sides as possible.
- Grab the handles.
- Raise the arms out until the elbows are aligned with the shoulders.
- Return the handles to the starting position to complete the repetition.
How To Program
Machine lateral raises can be modified in a variety of ways:
- Slow 3 count lowering reps: 3 x 10
- Normal reps: 3 x as many reps as possible
- Partner-resisted sets: 3 x as many reps as possible
Rear Deltoid Exercises
10. Face Pulls
Face pulls target the rear deltoid and can be fundamental to building either a big bench or fixing an underdeveloped shoulder.
How To
- Set up the cable pulley to be in line with the lower chest.
- Grab two ends of the rope with the palms facing down.
- Stand away from the anchor point until there is desired tension on the rope.
- Drive the elbows high at and outside while pulling the rope towards your face.
- Return to the starting position to finish the repetition.
11. Machine Rear Delt Flys
Machine rear delt flys place constant tension on the posterior deltoids in a unique way. This makes them a strong alternative to rear delt flys or face pulls while successfully working towards fixing underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Set up the seat so it’s in a comfortable position and you can place your lower chest firmly placed on the pad.
- Grab the handles and pull in a reverse hugging position until the arms are all the way out.
- Return the handles to the starting position.
12. Bent-Over Rear Delt Flys
Bent-over rear delt flys are great for targeting the posterior shoulder and can be a great tie into a shoulder complex to bring up underdeveloped shoulders.
How To
- Hinge back at the hips until the torso is completely parallel with the ground.
- Let the arms dangle straight while holding the dumbbells with the palms facing the midline.
- While maintaining straight elbows, raise the dumbbells away as if you are letting go of a hug.
- Control the weight back to the starting position to complete the repetition.
Program Examples To Fix Underdeveloped Shoulders
Strength Phase Example
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 3 x 3 @75% | 4 x 3+ @75% | 5 x 3+ @77.5% | 5 x 2 @77.5% |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 4 x 8 @RPE 7 | 4 x 8 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8-9 |
| Face pulls | 3 x 12 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 20 @RPE 8-9 |
Hypertrophy Example
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 x 8+ @70% | 4 x 8+ @70% | 4 x 8+ @70% | 4 x 6 @70% |
| Seated Dumbbell Arnold Press | 3 x 10 @RPE 7 | 4 x 10 @RPE 7 | 4 x 10 @RPE 7 | 4 x 8 @RPE 8 |
| Cable Lateral Raises | 4 x 8ea @RPE 7 | 4 x 8ea @RPE 8 | 4 x 10ea @RPE 8 | 4 x 10ea @RPE 8-9 |
| Cable Front Raises | 4 x 8 @RPE 7 | 4 x 8 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8-9 |
| Machine Rear Delt Flys | 3 x 12 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 20 @RPE 8-9 |
Hybrid Strength/Hypertrophy Example
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 3 x 3 @75% | 4 x 3 @75% | 5 x 3 @77.5% | 5 x 2 @80% |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 x 8+ @60% | 4 x 8+ @60% | 4 x 8+ @60% | 4 x 6 @60% |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 4 x 8 @RPE 7 | 4 x 8 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8-9 |
| Dumbbell Front Raises | 4 x 8 @RPE 7 | 4 x 8 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8 | 4 x 10 @RPE 8-9 |
| Face pulls | 3 x 12 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 15 @RPE 8 | 3 x 20 @RPE 8-9 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Are My Shoulders Not Growing?
Your shoulders might not be growing due to a lack of stimulus implemented within your program. Underloading can result in minimal to zero progression. Aim to implement either higher rep ranges or heavier loads to get closer in proximity to failure to increase the stimulus placed on the shoulder.
How Can I Reshape My Shoulders?
Unfortunately, muscle structure is purely genetic. However, you can aim to be as balanced as possible by targeting all three heads (anterior, posterior, and medial) of the shoulder. Example exercises that can target all three are front dumbbell raises, lateral dumbbell raises, and bent-over rear delt flys.
Why Do I Have Small Shoulders?
Small shoulders can be due to younger training age, genetics, or simply not implementing enough shoulder work. Genetics are out of our control, and training age will come with time, but we can aim to implement a greater amount of volume to grow the shoulders.
Final Thoughts
To fix underdeveloped shoulders, you need to target all three of the heads, which are the anterior deltoid, medial deltoid, and posterior deltoid, while implementing some sort of compound vertical pressing movement.
A periodized program can ensure optimal results while aiming toward building in progressive overload to maintain a smooth progression.
About The Author
Javad Bakhshinejad was born and raised in the Washington Area. Currently, he is a student at Seattle University where he’s been pursuing an MS in Kinesiology, and has been a Strength Coach in the athletic department. He was a competitive bodybuilder for 8 years where he later transitioned to competitive powerlifting for 4 years. Currently, He has his own personal coaching business, where he works with powerlifters and bodybuilders.
