Shoulders · Resistance Bands · 10 exercises

Shoulder workouts with resistance bands

A resistance band shoulder workout you can do anywhere: presses, raises and rear-delt work.

The deltoid has three heads. Overhead presses work the front and side heads hard, but the side head grows best from raises, and the rear head needs its own work from reverse flyes, face pulls and rear-delt rows. A balanced shoulder workout covers all three.

A band gets harder the further it stretches, so the load is lightest at the start of a movement and heaviest at the end. That suits raises, rows and hip work. Bands are cheap, light and go anywhere.

Band shoulder workout

Bands suit the delts: lightest at the bottom of a raise, heaviest at the top.

Band Shoulder Press
Sets
3
Reps
12–15
Rest
60 s
Band Front Lateral Raise
Sets
3
Reps
15
Rest
60 s
Band Reverse Fly
Sets
3
Reps
15–20
Rest
60 s
Band Y-raise
Sets
3
Reps
12
Rest
60 s
Band Standing Rear Delt Row
Sets
2
Reps
15
Rest
60 s

Can’t do one of these?

Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.

Tips

Keep lateral raises light and strict. The side delt is small, and a weight you have to swing is mostly trained by your traps and momentum.
Press with your ribs down and glutes tight so the bar travels over your midfoot instead of your lower back arching to make room.
Give the rear delts as many sets as the front. Most pressing already trains the front head; the rear head is the one that lags.
Choose a band that lets you reach the end of the range on every rep; one that is too strong cuts the movement short.

Run this workout in SPLYT

Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.

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10 shoulder exercises with resistance bands

Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.

All shoulder exercises →

Questions

How many shoulder exercises can you do with resistance bands?

SPLYT’s exercise library has 10 shoulder exercises you can do with resistance bands, including Band Y-raise, Band Reverse Fly and Band Shoulder Press. Each one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration.

How many sets should I do for shoulders?

Around eight to sixteen hard sets a week of side and rear delt work, on top of your pressing. The front delts get plenty of work from chest and shoulder presses already.

Are upright rows bad for your shoulders?

A narrow grip pulled high can pinch the shoulder for some people. A wider grip, pulled to about chest height, is easier on the joint and still trains the side delts and traps.

Can resistance bands build muscle?

Yes, especially for smaller muscles like the shoulders and glutes. Move to a stronger band or more reps as you improve.