RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Exercises for wider shoulders: side delt raises, presses and rear delts

Published October 29, 2026

The best exercises for wider shoulders are lateral raises, because the side delts sit at the outer edge of your frame: cable, dumbbell, machine and leaning cable lateral raises, plus the incline lateral raise for the bottom of the range. Add one press (dumbbell, barbell or machine shoulder press) for overall mass, and a reverse pec deck or face pull for the rear delts that round out the back of the shoulder. Do 12 to 18 sets of lateral raises a week across two or three days, in 10 to 20 reps, stopping 0 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Cable Lateral Raise Shoulders
  2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise Shoulders
  3. Machine Lateral Raise Shoulders
  4. Leaning Cable Lateral Raise Shoulders
  5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press Shoulders
  6. Reverse Pec Deck Shoulders
  7. Face Pull Shoulders, Upper Back

Lateral raises: the side delts that set your width

Your collarbones are fixed, so the width you can add comes from the side delts on the outer edge of each shoulder. Presses train them only a little; lateral raises load them directly. Use two variations a week, one with a cable or machine that keeps tension at the bottom and one with dumbbells that is hardest near the top.

Side delts, cable raise

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

A cable pulls across your body, so the side delt is already working when your hand is by your hip, the point where a dumbbell weighs almost nothing. That constant tension makes it the best single raise for width, and the weight stack moves up in small steps you can actually add.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys of a crossover at the bottom and stand between them, feet about shoulder width.
  2. Cross your arms low in front of your thighs: your right hand holds the left handle, your left hand the right one.
  3. Stand tall and raise both arms out to the sides, elbows slightly bent, until your hands reach shoulder height.
  4. Lower slowly until the handles cross again in front of your thighs. On a single pulley, do the same one arm at a time.

Cues

  • Lead with the elbow
  • Push the handle out, not up
  • Shoulder height and stop

Common mistakes

  • Heaving the weight up with a lean and a shrug: if your torso moves, drop the pin a step.
  • Raising past shoulder height: the traps take over above that point.

Swap for: Leaning Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Y Raise

Build a session with Cable Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts, free-weight raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

It needs only a light pair of dumbbells and is hardest at the top, where the side delt is shortest. Do it in sets of 12 to 20 with a weight you can control; going heavy turns it into a shrug and moves the work to your traps.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise

Build a session with Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts, machine raise

Machine Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The pads sit on your upper arms, so your grip and swing are out of it and you can take every set to 0 or 1 rep in reserve without form breaking down. That is the cleanest way to stack a lot of side delt volume in one session.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the machine's pivot lines up with your shoulder joints.
  2. Sit tall with your back on the pad, the arm pads resting just above your elbows, and hold the handles lightly.
  3. Raise your elbows out to the sides until your upper arms are level with the floor.
  4. Pause for a beat at the top.
  5. Lower slowly until the pads nearly touch your sides, then raise again.

Cues

  • Lead with your elbows
  • Shoulders down, away from your ears
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up when the set gets hard: drop the pin one plate and stop each rep with your arms level.
  • Swinging the pads up and letting them fall: take two seconds on the way down.
  • Seat set too low or high: line the pivot up with your shoulder, or the pads slide along your arms.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Build a session with Machine Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts, stretched raise

Leaning Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Leaning away from the pulley starts your arm across your body, which stretches the side delt further than any other raise. That longer range is why it makes a good second raise on a heavy day.

How to do it

  1. Set a single handle at the bottom pulley and hold the machine's upright with your near hand.
  2. Lean your body away until your support arm is straight.
  3. With the far hand, raise the handle sideways until your arm is level with your shoulder.
  4. Return slowly across your body, finish your reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Lean out
  • Stretch at the bottom
  • Hold the frame lightly

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back instead of to the side: you should be tilted sideways, facing straight ahead.
  • Using the support arm to swing: it only holds the lean.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Build a session with Leaning Cable Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts, side-lying raise

Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Lying on your side on an incline bench shifts the hardest part of the lift to the start, near your hip, and the bench stops you from swinging. It is the dumbbell answer to the cable's bottom-range tension when your gym is busy.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 45 degrees and rest one side of your body against it, with your bottom arm along the pad for support.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in your top hand, arm hanging in front of your body.
  3. Raise it out in an arc until your arm is roughly parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause briefly, then lower slowly back across your body.
  5. Finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Reach out, not up
  • Elbow slightly bent and fixed
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your thumb up and turning it into a front raise: keep your palm facing the floor at the top.
  • Rushing the bottom of the rep: that is where this version earns its place.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Overhead presses for overall shoulder mass

A press moves the most weight of any shoulder exercise and builds the front delts, triceps and some side delt at once. One press per session is enough when width is the goal; spend the rest of the time on raises.

Front and side delts, seated press

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

Seated with dumbbells, you can lower your hands a bit outside your shoulders and press without a bar in front of your face. It is the press to pick when you want shoulder mass without the low back and balance demands of standing barbell work.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
  3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
  4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
  5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

  • Ribs down, back on the pad
  • Elbows a little forward
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
  • Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Barbell Overhead Press, Arnold Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Log it in RIRLift

Front delts and triceps, standing press

Barbell Overhead Press

Shoulders

The standing barbell press lets you load the shoulders heavier than any dumbbell and adds weight in the smallest steps. Use it as your press if you also want overhead strength, kept at 2 reps in reserve so the raises after it still get your full effort.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at collarbone height and grip it just outside your shoulders, wrists stacked over your elbows.
  2. Unrack it onto your upper chest, take one step back and set your feet about hip width apart.
  3. Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs so your ribs stay down, and take a big breath.
  4. Press straight up, pulling your chin back so the bar clears your face.
  5. Once the bar passes your forehead, push your head through until the bar sits over the middle of your foot with your arms locked.
  6. Lower it along the same line to your upper chest and re-brace before the next rep.

Cues

  • Glutes tight, ribs down
  • Chin back, bar straight up
  • Head through at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish reps, which turns the lift into an incline press: lower the weight until your torso stays vertical for the whole set.
  • Pressing the bar forward around your face: pull your chin back and keep the bar close enough to brush your nose.
  • Stopping short of lockout: finish every rep with the bar over your mid-foot and your arms straight, or the rep doesn't count in your log.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Seated Barbell Overhead Press, Machine Shoulder Press

Build a session with Barbell Overhead Press
Log it in RIRLift

Front and side delts, machine press

Machine Shoulder Press

Shoulders

The machine fixes the path, so you can push close to failure without a spotter or a bar drifting forward. After heavy bench or rows earlier in the week, it gives you a press that tires the delts rather than your stabilizers.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles start at about shoulder height.
  2. Sit with your back flat against the pad, feet planted, and grip the handles.
  3. Press up until your arms are nearly straight overhead.
  4. Lower the handles back to shoulder height under control and press again.

Cues

  • Back stays on the pad
  • Press up, not forward
  • Control the way down

Common mistakes

  • Arching hard off the backrest to finish a rep: lighten the stack and keep your ribs down.
  • Cutting the rep short at the top: finish each press with your arms almost fully straight.
  • Letting the stack rest between reps: stop the handles just above it so your shoulders stay loaded.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Build a session with Machine Shoulder Press
Log it in RIRLift

Rear delts and upper pulls

Seen from the side, the rear delts fill in the back of the shoulder and make it look round instead of flat. The upright row adds side delt and upper trap work with a heavier load than any raise.

Rear delts, machine fly

Reverse Pec Deck

Shoulders

Sitting chest-in on the pec deck and sweeping your arms back isolates the rear delts with nothing else to cheat with. Two or three sets a week fill in the back of the shoulder so it looks round from the side, not just wide from the front.

How to do it

  1. Set the handles to the rear position, sit facing the pad, and adjust the seat so the handles are at shoulder height.
  2. Hold the handles with arms straight in front of you, palms down or facing in.
  3. Sweep your arms out and back in a wide arc until they are in line with your body.
  4. Return slowly, stopping just before the weight touches the stack, and repeat.

Cues

  • Wide arc, not a row
  • Arms almost straight
  • Keep the stack off the rest

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the elbows back like a row: the arms move out to the side.
  • Too much weight with jerky reps: these grow on 12 to 20 controlled reps.

Swap for: Face Pull, Rear Delt Cable Fly, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Reverse Pec Deck
Log it in RIRLift

Rear delts and upper back, rope pull

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling a rope toward your face trains the rear delts with the small rotator muscles behind the shoulder. It balances all the pressing and raising on this page, and it works well at the end of a session in sets of 12 to 20.

How to do it

  1. Set the pulley at or just above head height and attach a rope. Grab it with your thumbs pointing back toward you.
  2. Step back until your arms are straight and the stack lifts, then stagger your feet or sit on a bench so you can lean back slightly without swaying.
  3. Pull the middle of the rope toward your forehead by driving your elbows out and back, keeping them at shoulder height or higher.
  4. As the rope reaches your face, pull the ends apart and rotate your hands back until your fists sit beside your ears, like a double-biceps pose.
  5. Hold that position for a beat, then let your arms straighten under control until your shoulder blades slide forward again.

Cues

  • Elbows high, hands finish behind them
  • Pull the rope apart, not just back
  • Reach forward at the start of every rep

Common mistakes

  • Loading it like a row and leaning back to move the stack: drop the weight until you can hold the end position for a second without your torso rocking.
  • Letting the elbows drop below your shoulders: the pull turns into a row and your lats and biceps take the work. Raise the pulley or lighten the load.
  • Stopping when the rope touches your face: the outward rotation at the end is what the face pull adds, so finish with your fists beside your ears.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Reverse Pec Deck, Rear Delt Cable Fly

Build a session with Face Pull
Log it in RIRLift

Rear delts, bent-over fly

Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Shoulders

Seated on the end of a bench and folded over your knees, you get the same rear delt work as the reverse pec deck without a machine. It is the rear delt pick for the home and dumbbell-only plans.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench, feet together and planted, with a light dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Fold forward from the hips until your chest nearly touches your knees, and let the weights hang below your legs, palms turned in.
  3. Bend your elbows a little and lock that angle in for the whole set.
  4. Open your arms out and up in a wide arc, elbows leading, and stop when your upper arms line up with your back.
  5. Pause for a beat at the top, then take two to three seconds to bring them back down until your arms hang straight again.

Cues

  • Arms wide, like spreading wings
  • Reach for the walls, not the ceiling
  • Chest stays on your knees

Common mistakes

  • Sitting up as the weights rise: if your chest leaves your knees to finish the rep, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop where your upper arms reach your back.
  • Turning the fly into a row: if your elbows bend more and drift toward your ribs, your lats take over; keep the same small elbow bend from the first rep to the last.
  • Shrugging your shoulders toward your ears at the top: keep your neck long and think about reaching your hands toward the walls rather than the ceiling.

Swap for: Reverse Pec Deck, Rear Delt Cable Fly, Band Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts and upper traps, upright pull

Cable Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

Pulling a bar up your body with elbows leading trains the side delts with a heavier load than any raise, along with the upper traps that slope down from your neck. Stop when your elbows reach shoulder height and take a grip a little wider than your hips.

How to do it

  1. Attach a straight bar to the low pulley and hold it with an overhand grip about shoulder width.
  2. Stand close to the machine with the bar against your thighs.
  3. Pull it up along your body, elbows leading, until your elbows reach shoulder height and the bar is near your upper chest.
  4. Lower it back to your thighs.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Elbows to shoulder height
  • Wide enough grip

Common mistakes

  • Hands rising higher than your elbows: lead with the elbows the whole way and stop when they reach shoulder height.
  • Gripping close together: a shoulder-width grip lets the elbows rise out to the side.

Swap for: Dumbbell Upright Row, EZ-Bar Upright Row

Build a session with Cable Upright Row
Log it in RIRLift

At home with no cable or machine

A pike push-up gives you an overhead press with your own body, and a band lateral raise gets heavier as your arm rises, which pairs well with dumbbells that are lightest at the bottom.

Front delts, pike press at home

Pike Push-Up

Shoulders

With your hips high and your head lowering toward the floor, a push-up becomes a press over your head. It is the press for training shoulders at home, and raising your feet on a step makes it harder as you get stronger.

How to do it

  1. Start in a push-up position with your hands a bit wider than your shoulders and fingers spread.
  2. Walk your feet toward your hands and raise your hips until your body forms an upside-down V, with your weight leaning over your hands.
  3. Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward a point a few inches in front of your hands, so your head and hands form a triangle.
  4. Bend your elbows out to the sides and stop when your head lightly touches the floor or just above it.
  5. Press the floor away and straighten your arms, pushing your hips back up to the V.

Cues

  • Hips stay high
  • Head forward of hands
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips drop as you lower: that turns it back into a regular push-up; keep the hips stacked over your shoulders as much as you can.
  • Lowering your head straight between your hands: aim slightly forward so your forearms stay close to vertical.
  • Cutting the range short: lower until your head is near the floor, using a yoga block or book as a target if you need one.

Swap for: Handstand Push-Up, Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Build a session with Pike Push-Up
Log it in RIRLift

Side delts, band raise

Band Lateral Raise

Shoulders

A band stretches more as your arm rises, so the raise gets hardest at the top. Stand on it with both feet for more tension, and use it at home or as a high-rep finisher after dumbbell raises.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of the band with both feet and hold an end in each hand by your thighs, palms facing your legs.
  2. Raise both arms out to the sides, leading with your elbows, until your hands reach shoulder height.
  3. Pause for a beat at the top.
  4. Lower over two seconds and keep a little tension at the bottom.

Cues

  • Lead with the elbows
  • Pinkies level with thumbs
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the band up with your traps: keep your shoulders down and stop at shoulder height.
  • Letting the band go slack at the bottom: widen your stance so there is tension on every rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Lateral Raise

Build a session with Band Lateral Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Gym, shoulders trained twice a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Adjustable Cable, Dumbbells, Fly Machine +2

You train in a gym with cables and machines, already run upper and lower days or a push, pull and legs split, and want your shoulders to look wider.

The side delts get about 13 hard sets a week, 6 to 7 per day: two or three raise variations, at least one on a cable or machine. The press is one exercise per day, the barbell at 2 reps in reserve and the machine at 1, and the rear delts get 3 sets per day. Day A has 14 sets and Day B has 13.

Day A: Press and cable raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Overhead Press2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–8 2 3 min
Cable Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
Reverse Pec Deck 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Cable Upright Row 2 × 10–12 2 90 s

Open Day A: Press and cable raises in the session builder

Day B: Machine press and raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Machine Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Machine Lateral Raise 3 × 12–15 0 1 min
Leaning Cable Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Face Pull 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lateral RaiseOne long finishing set. 1 × 20–30 0 1 min

Open Day B: Machine press and raises in the session builder

How to run it
Put Day A at the start of your first upper or push day of the week and Day B on your second, at least two days apart. If you already press heavy that day, skip the press and keep the rest.
How to progress
Double progression: add reps until every set reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, then move up one plate or pin on the stack. For dumbbell raises, add reps up to 20 before taking the next pair.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Dumbbells and a band at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands, Incline Bench

You train at home with adjustable or a few fixed dumbbells, a bench or sturdy chair, and a resistance band, with no cable or machines.

Light dumbbells only build the side delts when the set ends close to failure, so raises run 12 to 25 reps at 0 to 1 reps in reserve, with the side-lying raise and the band covering the bottom and top of the range the dumbbell misses. Each day has 7 side delt sets and 3 rear delt sets: 13 sets on Day A and 13 on Day B.

Day A: Dumbbell press and raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 × 12–20 1 1 min
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Lateral Raise 3 × 15–25 0 45 s

Open Day A: Dumbbell press and raises in the session builder

Day B: Pike push-ups and side-lying raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Pike Push-Up 3 × 6–12 2 2 min
Incline Dumbbell Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 × 15–25 0 1 min
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 3 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Day B: Pike push-ups and side-lying raises in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day A and Day B once each per week with two or three days between them. Both take about 35 minutes, so they fit before or after other upper-body work on the same day.
How to progress
Add reps until every set hits the top of the range at the target reps in reserve, then move to the next dumbbell. When the next pair is a big jump, slow the lowering to three seconds first. On pike push-ups, raise your feet on a step once you reach 12 clean reps.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Strong presser with narrow-looking shoulders

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable, Fly Machine, Lateral Raise Machine, Dumbbells +1

You already bench and overhead press well, your front delts are full, but your shoulders still look narrow, and you can spare 20 minutes three times a week.

Heavy pressing already covers the front delts, so this plan drops pressing entirely and puts 6 side delt sets into each of three short sessions (counting the upright row), 18 a week, a high dose that is why each session stays short. Spreading them over three days keeps each set fresh, and 2 rear delt sets per session round out the 24 total sets.

Session 1: Cable raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Cable Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Leaning Cable Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 12–15 0 1 min
Reverse Pec Deck 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 1: Cable raises in the session builder

Session 2: Machine and upright rows
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Machine Lateral Raise 4 × 12–15 0 1 min
Cable Upright Row 2 × 10–12 2 90 s
Face Pull 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 2: Machine and upright rows in the session builder

Session 3: Dumbbell raises
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Lateral RaisePer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 15–20 0 1 min
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 3: Dumbbell raises in the session builder

How to run it
Tack each session onto the end of three of your existing training days, ideally not the day after a heavy press. Keep your normal program as it is.
How to progress
Keep the target reps in reserve and add one rep per set each week where you can. When every set reaches the top of the range, add the smallest weight step. After six weeks, drop to two sessions for a week before building back up.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Can you actually make your shoulders wider?

Your bone width is set once you stop growing, but the muscle sitting on the outside of it is not. Building the side delts adds width you can see at the top of your arms, and building your lats adds width under them. Most people see a change within three to six months of consistent raises.

What is the best single exercise for wider shoulders?

The lateral raise, done on a cable if you have one. It trains the side delts directly through the whole range, while presses spend most of their work on the front delts and triceps.

How often should I train shoulders for width?

Two or three times a week. The side delts recover quickly from light raises, so splitting 12 to 18 weekly sets across two or three days works better than doing them all on one shoulder day.

Can I get wider shoulders at home without equipment?

Pike push-ups build the front delts and triceps with no equipment, but the side delts need a raise. A resistance band is the cheapest way to add one; a pair of light dumbbells is the next step.

How many reps should I do for lateral raises?

Anywhere from 10 to 20 works if the set ends 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Most people get more out of 12 to 20 with a light weight than 6 to 8 with a heavy one, because heavy raises shift the work to the traps.