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Exercises

Shoulder exercises at the gym: machines, cables and bars

Published October 19, 2026

The best shoulder exercises at the gym are the machine shoulder press or barbell overhead press for the front delts, the cable or machine lateral raise for the side delts, and the reverse pec deck and face pull for the rear delts. The gym's advantage is constant tension: cables and machines load the delts at the bottom of a raise, where dumbbells go slack. Use one press, two side delt moves and one or two rear delt moves, 2 to 4 sets each, stopping presses 1 to 2 reps from failure and raises 0 to 1.

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

Shoulder presses at the gym

A gym gives you four ways to press: a free barbell for strength, a machine or Smith machine for pushing hard without balancing, and a landmine for an angled path. Pick the one that fits your goal and your shoulders, and make it the first exercise of the session.

Front delts, the machine press

Machine Shoulder Press

Shoulders

The machine fixes the path of the press, so you can push hard to the last rep without balancing anything. That makes it the easiest overhead press to learn and the safest to take close to failure without a spotter.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles sit level with your shoulders.
  2. Sit with your back flat on the pad and grab the handles.
  3. Press up until your elbows are almost locked.
  4. Let the handles come back down to shoulder level without resting the weight stack.

Cues

  • Seat height first
  • Back on the pad
  • Stack never rests

Common mistakes

  • Seat set too high: the handles should start at the shoulders, not the ears, or you lose half the range.
  • Bouncing off the stack between reps: keep the plates hovering so the delts stay loaded.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Build a session with Machine Shoulder Press

Front delts and whole-body strength

Barbell Overhead Press

Shoulders

Standing with a barbell lets you lift more weight overhead than any other shoulder move here, and the legs and trunk have to hold you steady. It is the lift to build if pressing strength is a goal.

How to do it

  1. Unrack the bar from a rack at collarbone height, hands just outside your shoulders.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and stomach, and pull your chin back.
  3. Drive the bar straight up, moving your head through once it passes your forehead.
  4. Finish with the bar over the middle of your feet, then lower it to your collarbones.

Cues

  • Glutes tight
  • Head through
  • Bar over midfoot

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish the rep: if your hips push forward, the weight is too heavy.
  • Pressing the bar forward around your face: it should travel in a straight line.

Swap for: Seated Barbell Overhead Press, Machine Shoulder Press

Build a session with Barbell Overhead Press

Front delts, guided bar

Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Shoulders

The Smith machine gives you a barbell that cannot drift forward or back. Seated under it with a backrest, you can press heavy and focus only on pushing.

How to do it

  1. Put an upright bench under the bar so it lowers just in front of your face.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders and twist it off the hooks.
  3. Press until your arms are straight.
  4. Lower to chin level and press again; twist the bar back onto the hooks when done.

Cues

  • Bench placement
  • Chin-level bottom
  • Hooks within reach

Common mistakes

  • Placing the bench so the bar hits your head: slide it until the bar clears your nose.
  • Forgetting where the safety hooks are: set them before the first rep.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Seated Barbell Overhead Press

Build a session with Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Front delts, angled press

Landmine Press

Shoulders

Pressing a barbell anchored in a landmine moves the arm up and forward instead of straight overhead. If straight overhead pressing bothers your shoulders, this angle is usually the one that does not.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the free end of a barbell set in a landmine, feet staggered.
  2. Hold the end of the bar at your shoulder with one hand.
  3. Push it up and forward until your arm is straight.
  4. Lower it back to the shoulder, finish your reps, then switch hands.

Cues

  • Press up and out
  • Ribs stay down
  • Reach at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching your back to push the bar higher: keep your stance staggered and your torso still.
  • Letting the elbow flare wide: it should point forward and slightly out.

Swap for: Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Build a session with Landmine Press

Cable and machine exercises for the side delts

Cables and the lateral raise machine are the main reason to train side delts at the gym: both stay heavy at the bottom of the raise. Rotate between them across the week, and use the upright row or Y raise when you want the traps working too.

Side delts, cable

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

A cable pulls from the side, so the side delt works from the first inch of the raise, where dumbbells feel weightless. Raising one arm at a time lets you set the cable behind or in front of you to suit your shoulder.

How to do it

  1. Set a single handle at the lowest pulley and stand side-on to it.
  2. Take the handle in the hand farther from the machine, cable running across your body.
  3. Raise your arm sideways until it is level with your shoulder.
  4. Lower slowly until the hand crosses in front of your hips, then raise again.

Cues

  • Cable across the body
  • Shoulder height
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close: step out so the cable stays tight at the bottom of the rep.
  • Turning the rep into a front raise: the arm should go out to the side, a little forward at most.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise

Build a session with Cable Lateral Raise

Side delts, machine

Machine Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The lateral raise machine takes balance and momentum out of the movement completely. It is the easiest way to load the side delts heavy enough to be hard and still keep every rep clean.

How to do it

  1. Adjust the seat so your shoulder joints line up with the machine's pivot points.
  2. Put your arms against the pads with elbows slightly bent.
  3. Lift the pads sideways until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Lower them slowly without letting the plates touch.

Cues

  • Line up the pivots
  • Push with the elbows
  • Control down

Common mistakes

  • Gripping the handles hard and pulling with your hands: push the pads with your forearms and elbows instead.
  • Shrugging toward your ears at the top: stop where your traps start to take over.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Build a session with Machine Lateral Raise

Side delts, longest range

Leaning Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Leaning away from the machine while you raise keeps the cable tight at the bottom and the top. It gives the side delt more stretch than any other raise here.

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: Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Cable Lateral Raise

Build a session with Leaning Cable Lateral Raise

Side delts and traps

Cable Upright Row

Shoulders, Traps

Pulling a bar up to chest height with your elbows leading works the side delts and upper traps together, and the cable keeps tension the whole way. Keep it to mid-chest and it suits most shoulders.

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 it reaches the middle of your chest.
  4. Lower it back to your thighs.

Cues

  • Elbows lead
  • Stop at mid-chest
  • Wide enough grip

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar up to your chin: stopping lower keeps the work on the delts and spares the shoulder joint.
  • Gripping close together: shoulder width or wider lets the elbows rise out to the side.

Swap for: Dumbbell Upright Row, Wide-Grip Upright Row

Build a session with Cable Upright Row

Side and rear delts, lower traps

Cable Y Raise

Shoulders, Upper Back

Lifting two cables up and out into a Y shape works the side delts and the lower traps that tilt the shoulder blade. It is a good finisher when pressing has left the front of your shoulders tired.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the bottom and cross the cables so each hand holds the opposite handle.
  2. Step back to center with your arms crossed low ahead of your hips.
  3. Raise both arms up and out into a Y, thumbs pointing up.
  4. Bring the arms back down and across in front of your hips.

Cues

  • Thumbs up
  • Up and out
  • Light weight

Common mistakes

  • Raising straight forward: the arms should travel out at about 30 degrees from your head.
  • Arching your lower back at the top: brace and stop when your arms are overhead.

Swap for: Dumbbell Chest-Supported Y Raise, Cable Lateral Raise

Build a session with Cable Y Raise

Rear delt machines and cable moves

The reverse pec deck isolates the rear delts with your chest supported; the cable fly does the same standing; the face pull adds the upper back and the muscles that rotate the arm out. Two of the three is plenty in one session.

Rear delts, machine

Reverse Pec Deck

Shoulders

Sitting facing the pec deck and opening your arms backward isolates the rear delts with a chest pad holding you still. It is the most direct way to train them at the gym, and easy to load in small jumps.

How to do it

  1. Set the handles to the rear position and sit facing the pad.
  2. Grab the handles at shoulder height with your arms reaching straight forward.
  3. Sweep your arms back until they line up with your shoulders.
  4. Bring the handles forward slowly until the weight almost touches.

Cues

  • Chest on the pad
  • Sweep wide
  • Pause back

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with bent elbows: keep them nearly straight so the rear delt moves the arm.
  • Leaning back off the pad to finish: stay against it for the whole set.

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

Build a session with Reverse Pec Deck

Rear delts and rotator cuff

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Pulling a rope toward your face with the hands splitting apart works the rear delts, the upper back and the muscles that turn your arms out. It is the standard balancing move for a lot of pressing.

How to do it

  1. Set a rope at about forehead height on a cable machine.
  2. Hold the ends with thumbs pointing back toward you and step back until the cable is tight.
  3. Pull the rope toward your face, splitting the ends past your ears.
  4. Return with control to straight arms.

Cues

  • Pull to the eyes
  • Split the rope
  • Elbows high

Common mistakes

  • Pulling to the chest: aim at your eyes so the elbows stay high.
  • Leaning far back to move more weight: the pull should come from the shoulders, not your body weight.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, TRX Face Pull

Build a session with Face Pull

Rear delts, cable

Rear Delt Cable Fly

Shoulders

Crossing two cables and pulling them apart behind you keeps the rear delts loaded through the whole range, including the start where machines often go light.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at shoulder height and take each handle in the opposite hand.
  2. Stand centered with your arms crossed at chest height.
  3. Pull both hands out and back until your arms are in line with your shoulders.
  4. Let them cross back over slowly.

Cues

  • Cross and open
  • Straight arms
  • Lead with the hands

Common mistakes

  • Squeezing the shoulder blades together to finish: the arms do the moving.
  • Going too heavy and bending the elbows: that turns it into a row.

Swap for: Reverse Pec Deck, Band Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Rear Delt Cable Fly

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. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

New to the gym, machines only, about 35 minutes

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentShoulder Press, Lateral Raise Machine, Fly Machine

You are learning your way around the gym and want a shoulder session where every exercise has a seat, a pad and a fixed path.

Machines let you push close to failure on day one without learning to balance a bar, so all three picks are selectorized: the shoulder press, the lateral raise machine and the reverse pec deck, one for each head of the delts. Sets stay at 2 RIR at first so you learn what a hard set feels like before you chase failure. Nine working sets per session, twice a week, is enough to grow while you are new.

Machine Shoulders
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Machine Shoulder Press1 warm-up set firstHandles at shoulder level. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Machine Lateral RaisePivots in line with shoulders. 3 × 10–15 2 75 s
Reverse Pec DeckChest on the pad. 3 × 12–15 2 75 s
How to run it
Do the same session twice a week with two or more days between. Note each machine's seat setting the first time so you can set up quickly next time.
How to progress
Add a rep per set until you reach the top of the range on every set, then move the pin down one plate. After four weeks, take the last set of each exercise to 1 RIR.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Free weights and cables, pressing strength is the goal

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Adjustable Cable, Smith Machine, Cable Crossover +1

You train regularly and want a heavier overhead press, plus enough side and rear delt work to keep the shoulders balanced.

The standing barbell press leads both sessions at 4 to 8 reps and 2 RIR, since strength comes from heavy sets you can repeat, not from failure. The rest of each day uses cables for the side and rear delts, where the constant tension makes moderate weights hard. Day B uses the Smith press as a second, guided press at higher reps. Raises go to 0 to 1 RIR. Each session has 13 working sets.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Overhead Press2 warm-up sets firstGlutes tight. 4 × 4–8 2 3 min
Cable Lateral RaisePer side. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Face PullPull to the eyes. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Cable Upright RowStop at mid-chest. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Machine Shoulder Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Leaning Cable Lateral RaisePer side. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
Rear Delt Cable FlyArms nearly straight. 4 × 15–20 0 1 min
Machine Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Day A and Day B in the same week, at least two days apart. Use full rest on the barbell press; the cable work can be paired up if the stations are free.
How to progress
On the barbell press, add 5 lb once every set reaches 8 reps at 2 RIR. On cable work, add reps to the top of the range, then go up one pin.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Straight overhead pressing bothers your shoulder

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentLandmine, Lateral Raise Machine, Adjustable Cable, Cable Crossover +1

Barbell and machine presses pinch at the top for you, but you still want to train the delts hard at the gym.

The landmine press moves the arm up and forward instead of straight overhead, which most lifters with cranky shoulders tolerate, so it is the only press here and stays at 2 RIR. The rest of the work is cables and machines that keep the arm below or beside the head: the lateral raise machine, the Y raise with light weight, the face pull and the reverse pec deck. Rear delt and cuff work gets as many sets as the side delts, since both help keep the shoulder stable.

Session 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine Press1 warm-up set firstPer arm. Staggered stance. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Machine Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Face Pull 3 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session 1 in the session builder

Session 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine PressPer arm. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Cable Y RaiseLight. Thumbs up. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Reverse Pec Deck 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Session 2 in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session 1 and Session 2 once each a week. If any exercise pinches, shorten the range for that set rather than pushing through it.
How to progress
Add reps first on every exercise. Move up a weight only when every set reaches the top of its range and the movement still feels clean.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What gym machines are good for shoulders?

The shoulder press machine for the front delts, the lateral raise machine and a cable stack for the side delts, and the reverse pec deck and cable face pull for the rear delts. The Smith machine is another option for guided pressing.

Which exercise is best for a gym shoulder workout?

For overall size, a press plus a cable or machine lateral raise covers the most. If you can do only one, pick the lateral raise variation you can do strictly, since presses on chest day already train the front delts.

Are cables better than dumbbells for shoulders?

For raises, cables have an edge because they keep tension at the bottom of the movement, where dumbbells feel weightless. For pressing, dumbbells, barbells and machines all work; choose by what you can load and repeat.

How many shoulder exercises should I do at the gym?

Three or four per session is enough: one press, one or two side delt moves and one rear delt move. More exercises with fewer hard sets each rarely adds anything.

Should I use the barbell press or the shoulder press machine?

Use the barbell if you want pressing strength and enjoy learning the lift. Use the machine if you want to grow the front delts with less to learn and can push it closer to failure safely.

How often should I train shoulders at the gym?

Two sessions a week works well for most people, spreading 8 to 16 hard sets each for the side and rear delts across them. Front delt sets from chest pressing count toward their total.