Want to build shoulder strength without stepping foot in a gym? You’re in the right place! Bodyweight shoulder exercises are a fantastic way to bulk up your shoulders at home. It’s a win-win: you develop strong, sculpted shoulders and boost your overall functional fitness simultaneously.
Shoulder muscles aren’t just for show—they’re the heroes in almost every upper body move you make. They keep things smooth and powerful, whether you’re playing sports or just trying to lift that stubborn grocery bag. Today, we will go over the best bodyweight shoulder exercises you can do anywhere to build muscle and strength in the shoulders.
Benefits of Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises
Why should you give a hoot about bodyweight shoulder workouts? Oh, plenty of reasons, actually:
- Super Handy: You can do these without all of the fancy gear and gym fees, as you can do these exercises pretty much anywhere with a bit of space.
- Reduces Injuries: Bodyweight shoulder exercises will improve the strength of your shoulders and help improve the range of motion, which can fend off issues like shoulder impingement and other annoyances.
- Improves Balance: These exercises often use multiple muscles, helping you keep your balance and stay steady. This will translate into all of your lifts!
- Mix It Up: These are super easy to change! Change things up as you get fitter or have new goals.
For the full buffet of shoulder-builders (barbells, dumbbells, and machines included), check out our guide to the best shoulder exercises, and our guide on the best exercises for the middle deltoids (side delts)!
Mix these bodyweight exercises into your workout routine, and you’ll be really surprised with the improvement in ROM, strength, and physique. Whether you’re an athlete or just want to keep things moving pain-free, these are pretty much your safest bet.
7 Effective Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises
Let’s break down the seven best bodyweight moves that have the best shot at building stability, muscle, and strength in your shoulders.
1. Pike Push-Ups
What it is: Pike push-ups are an intense bodyweight exercise that mimics the overhead press motion, performed with the hips piked upwards.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: This exercise targets the deltoids and upper chest, replicating the shoulder press movement to build upper body strength and stability.
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position and walk your feet towards your hands, lifting your hips to form an inverted V.
- Bend your elbows to lower your head towards the ground, then push back up to the starting position.
2. Plank-to-Push-Up
What it is: This exercise transitions between a forearm plank and a standard push-up, challenging multiple muscle groups.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: It strengthens the shoulders, chest, and core by continuously shifting the weight and altering the support base.
How to do it:
- Start in a forearm plank with your elbows on the ground.
- Press up into a high plank, one arm at a time, then return to the forearm plank.
3. Shoulder Taps
What it is: Shoulder taps involve touching each shoulder alternately with the opposite hand while holding a plank position.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: This exercise enhances shoulder stability and core strength, requiring balance and control.
How to do it:
- Begin in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders.
- Tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then your right shoulder with your left hand, alternating quickly.
4. Handstand Push-Ups
What it is: Handstand push-ups are performed against a wall for support, involving lowering the head to the ground and pushing back up.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: They are a highly challenging exercise that increases shoulder strength, stability, and endurance.
How to do it:
- Kick up into a handstand against a wall for balance.
- Lower yourself until your head nearly touches the floor, then push back up.
5. Plank to Downward Dog
What it is: This exercise combines a plank with the yoga pose downward-facing dog, transitioning between the two.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: It builds strength and enhances flexibility in the shoulders, transitioning between stability and stretching.
How to do it:
- Start in a plank position.
- Push back into downward dog, lifting your hips high and pressing your chest towards your thighs.
6. Dolphin Push-Ups
What it is: Dolphin push-ups start in an elbow plank and transition to a pike position, similar to a downward dog but on the forearms.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: They target the shoulders, arms, and core, strengthening and stretching the deltoids.
How to do it:
- Begin in an elbow plank with your forearms on the ground.
- Lift your hips to form an inverted V, then return to the starting position.
These exercises are designed to enhance shoulder strength, stability, and flexibility, suitable for various fitness levels and goals.
7. Bear Crawls
What it is: Bear crawls are a dynamic full-body exercise where you crawl forward on all fours, keeping your knees just off the ground.
Why it’s great for the shoulders: This exercise requires continuous stabilization of the shoulder muscles to support your body weight, enhancing both shoulder strength and joint mobility.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees slightly above the ground.
- Engage your core to keep your back flat.
- Move forward by advancing your right hand and left foot, then your left hand and right foot, keeping your movements controlled and low to the ground.
Bear crawls are excellent for building endurance in the shoulders and are a great addition to strength and conditioning routines.
Want more shoulder smarts? Peek into the inner workings of shoulder mechanics.
By making these exercises your new best friends, you’re on track to sculpt mighty shoulders without a single dumbbell in sight. Slide them into your workout routine and check out more on our site for shoulder workout ideas.
Proper Form and Technique
Really nailing down your technique is the best way to get the most out of your bodyweight shoulder workouts. It will increase the effectiveness and spare you from unwanted injuries.
Tips for Performing Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises
- Warm-Up: Kick off with a shoulder warm-up routine to get your muscles and joints in the zone. Some dynamic stretches and light cardio are your best friends here—just make sure to get that blood pumping.
- Don’t Forget Your Alignment: Keep your body in check to avoid extra strain on your shoulders and back. Like when you’re doing a Pike Push-Up, aim those hips to the sky and keep your back straight as you can.
- Core, Core, Core: Make sure you’re engaging your core muscles. A tight core is your secret weapon for balance and stability.
- Take It Slow: Move with intention! Fast reps can mess with your form and that’s a fast track to getting injured.
- Breathe Right: Breathe out when you’re pushing through and breathe in as you reset. This rhythm will keep your oxygen flow and muscles in top gear.
How to Prevent Injury
Keeping your shoulders in good shape means playing it smart with your workouts. Here’s how to avoid injuries:
- Chill With Overtraining: Give your shoulders the rest time they deserve. Pushing too hard can lead to a lot of straining. For a deep dive into how often to train shoulders, check out our article on shoulder training frequency.
- Routine Warm-Up and Cool-Down: Prep before and cool down after your workouts. This keeps your muscles flexible and recovery ready.
- Listen to Your Body: If something hurts (not the good workout burn), hit pause. Working through the pain is a big no-no.
- Step by Step: Jumping straight into Handstand Push-Ups? Sloooooow down. Build up strength first. Our progressive overload for shoulders guide can help you learn how to progressively improve.
- Perfect That Form: Bad form can make you a VIP member of the injury club. Keep an eye on your technique, and do less reps and exercises when you first start if thats what it takes for you to really dial in the form. Then you can work your way up.
If you follow these tips and keep safety front and center, you will set a great foundation for making amazing shoulder gains without hurting yourself. Prioritize technique and steer clear of the usual blunders.
Progression and Modification
Pushing Yourself Over Time
To get the best results, it’s all about gradually making your bodyweight shoulder exercises tougher. This method, known as progressive overload, isn’t just a fancy term; it’s the secret for keeping your muscles growing and strength booming.
Ways to Increase Workout Intensity:
- More Reps: Start off with a sensible number of reps and up the count as you get stronger.
- Change the Movements: Change it up by moving your body. Try throwing your feet up on something for pike push-ups.
- Control the Eccentric: Slow down each rep to keep your muscles working longer. Maximizing time under tension (TUT) is the key to muscle growth.
- Pause Reps: Pause right when it feels toughest to amp up the burn.
- Grab Some Bands: A resistance band can give you that extra challenge if you’ve got one lying around.
There’s more where that came from in our article on how to progressively overload your shoulders.
Tailoring Moves for Your Strength
Not everyone’s at the same level, so it’s wise to mix and match exercises to suit where you’re at. This keeps it safe and will optimize muscle growth and strength gains.
Starter Modifications:
- Pike Push-Ups: Begin with incline push-ups against a wall.
Medium Level Tweaks:
- Pike Push-Ups: Elevate feet on a chair.
- Shoulder Taps: Lengthen the time for each set.
Advanced Adjustments:
- Handstand Push-Ups: Go solo if you’re breezing through the wall-assisted ones.
- Dolphin Push-Ups: Work your way up to a solid headstand push-up.
And for a deeper dive, don’t miss our guide on how to build broader shoulders.
Listen to your body and go at a speed that suits you.
Incorporating Bodyweight Shoulder Exercises into Your Routine
Adding bodyweight shoulder exercises to your fitness routine can give your shoulder strength and stability a nice boost. Let’s look at how you can mix these exercises into your program.
Creating a Balanced Workout Plan
I can’t stress enough how important it is to mix things up in your workout to hit all the muscle groups, especially shoulders.
It keeps things balanced and helps avoid overdoing it on any one part, which could end up hurting more than helping. For planning, throw in some moves that push, pull, and help keep things steady.
Here’s a basic push pull legs split to help you get started with your weekly workouts:
| Day | Workout Focus |
|---|---|
| Monday | Upper Body Push Day |
| Tuesday | Upper Body Pull Day |
| Wednesday | Legs |
| Thursday | Active Rest or Cardio |
| Friday | Upper Body Push Day |
| Saturday | Upper Body Pull Day |
| Sunday | Legs |
This is a common and great way to workout your shoulders twice a week, while hitting other body parts and not going overboard. Obviously, adjust the frequency and intensity of your workouts to fit YOUR goals. There is no one size fits all routine
Frequency and Rest Periods
How often and how long you rest matters big time for those muscles to rebuild and grow. Most people do well hitting shoulders 2-3 times a week, but listen to your body.
If it’s screaming, relax and tone it back. If it feels like its not growing and you could do more, do more! Just listen to your body and I promise you will find your groove.
Here’s a quick guide to the rest periods between sets for some bodyweight shoulder exercises:
| Exercise Type | Reps | Rest Period |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Movements (like Handstand Push-Ups) | 4-6 | 2-3 minutes of rest |
| Muscle Building Moves (like Pike Push-Ups) | 8-12 | Rest for 1-2 minutes |
| Stamina Savers (like Shoulder Taps) | 15+ | Quick 30-60 second breather |
Remember to let your shoulders rest between intense workout sessions. If they’re sore, try some light activities or practice warming up your shoulders to speed up recovery. The more intense the workout, the more rest you will need.
By adding these bodyweight shoulder exercises, you’ll not only improve your shoulder power but can also expect better upper body stability and performance.
Always check your form and build up gradually, like we’ve shown in our tips for doing bodyweight shoulder exercises.
Need more information on building up those shoulders? Check out our articles on getting broader shoulders and adjusting shoulder imbalances.
