Shoulders · Barbell · 20 exercises

Shoulder workouts with a barbell

A barbell shoulder workout built on the standing overhead press, the lift that measures upper-body strength best.

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 barbell lets you lift the most weight and add it in small, measurable jumps, which makes it the easiest tool for getting stronger over time. Most of these lifts need a rack, and pressing needs a bench and, ideally, safety pins.

Barbell shoulder workout

Heavy pressing, then a wide-grip upright row and rear-delt rows.

Overhead Press
Sets
5
Reps
5
Rest
3 min
Barbell Seated Overhead Press
Sets
3
Reps
8
Rest
2 min
Upright Row (Barbell, Wide Grip)Pull to chest height.
Sets
3
Reps
10–12
Rest
90 s
Barbell Rear Delt Row
Sets
3
Reps
12
Rest
60 s
Landmine Lateral Raise
Sets
2
Reps
12 each side
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.
Use the plate calculator and add the smallest jump your gym allows. Small, regular increases beat big jumps you can’t hold.

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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20 shoulder exercises with a barbell

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 barbell?

SPLYT’s exercise library has 20 shoulder exercises you can do with barbell, including Overhead Press, Barbell Rear Delt Row and Landmine Lateral Raise. 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.

Do I need a squat rack for barbell workouts?

For squats and pressing, yes: a rack with safety pins lets you train close to failure safely. Deadlifts, rows, curls and Romanian deadlifts start from the floor and don’t need one.

More workouts

Fit it into a weekly split

Upper lower split