Shoulder shape and strength are equally sought after and for a good reason. The strength and condition of your shoulders will impact on your performance in many other exercises. And a nicely shaped pair of deltoids goes easy on the eye.
We’re here to bust the myth that you can’t build shoulder strength and size with bodyweight exercises!
Contents
Try This Bodyweight Shoulder Workout
We have put together a list of our top picks for bodyweight shoulder exercises and created a workout for you to try. Whether you’re new to this kind of training or a seasoned bodyweight exerciser, there are shoulder exercises here to put your deltoids through their paces.
Look out for the two bonus challenge exercises at the bottom!
Workout Overview
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS | REST |
| Alternating Plank to Pike | 2 | 20 | 30 Seconds |
| Crab Bridge Hold | 2 | 45 Seconds | 30 Seconds |
| Forwards & Backwards Arm Circles | 2 | 20 Forward / 20 Backward | 30 Seconds |
| Assisted Handstand Push Ups | 4 | 12 | 45 Seconds |
| Forearm to Palm Plank | 3 | 12 | 30 Seconds |
| Bodyweight Side Lateral | 3 | 12 | 45 Seconds |
| Wall Walk | 4 | 10 | 45 Seconds |
| **BONUS CHALLENGE EXERCISES** | |||
| Cage Windmill | 3 | 12 | 60 Seconds |
| Pseudo Planche Push Ups | 3 | 12 | 60 Seconds |
1. Alternating Plank to Pike
Difficulty: Beginner
Shoulder Focus: Front Deltoids
We love the alternating plank to pike as a beginner’s bodyweight shoulder exercise because it allows you to build equal strength through both your left and right deltoids. The bodyweight exercise additionally incorporates well alongside other shoulder muscle workouts if you’re looking to expand your routine.
Form Check:
- Begin in a tabletop plank position with your body in a strong, straight line and your palms and toes on the floor.
- Simultaneously push your hips up towards the ceiling and bring your right arm underneath you to tap your left leg (under your knee). At this stage, your upper body weight will be loaded on only your left arm.
- Return to starting position and then repeat with your other side.
2. Crab Bridge Hold
Difficulty: Beginner
Shoulder Focus: Rear Deltoids
Related: The 10 Best Rear Delts Exercises for Bigger & Better Shoulders
This exercise is simple, yet so effective in hitting your rear deltoids. It made the list because it’s a great way for beginners to safely build strength through the rear parts of their shoulders.
Form Check:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Your palms should be on either side of you, on the floor, with your arms extended and your fingers pointing behind you.
- Push your hips upwards until extended, and you have a straight line from your knees to your hips to your shoulders.
- This is a ‘hold’ exercise, so you’re required to hold yourself in this position for the desired amount of time.
Pro Tip:
Turn your palms to face the other way for a more challenging variation of this exercise.
3. Forward & Backwards Arm Circles
Difficulty: Beginner
Shoulder Focus: Lateral Deltoids
Related: 6 Lateral Deltoid Exercises You Should Be Doing + Example Workout
This bodyweight shoulder exercise for beginners made our list because it’s easy to get right. It does keep your shoulders consistently loaded for the duration though.
Bonus! This makes it unique as there is no ‘rest phase’. Get ready to feel the burn!
Form Check:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms straight and out by your sides at shoulder height.
- Keeping your arms straight, do small forward circles with your arms. Once you have completed your forward circles, change direction.
4. Assisted Handstand Push Up
Difficulty: Intermediate
Shoulder Focus: Front Deltoids
Think of this one as the bodyweight version of the dumbbell shoulder press. With heaps of room for progression, there is a version for every strength level (and the ultimate version to build up to). We still feel that it’s an intermediate exercise from the get-go, though, as you need existing shoulder strength to prevent injury.
Form Check:
- Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, lean forward and put your hands on the floor.
- Your palms should be flat on the ground and your torso and legs forming a ‘V’. If you are unable to keep your legs straight, move your hands further away from your feet.
- Inhale as you bend your elbows, lowering your head towards the ground
- Exhale and push back up until your arms are fully extended.
Pro Tip:
Ensure that your hands remain shoulder-width apart throughout your repetitions. Your tailbone needs to always be pointing towards the ceiling.
5. Forearm to Palm Plank
Difficulty: Intermediate
Shoulder Focus: Lateral and Rear Deltoids
A spin on the traditional plank, this version will have your shoulders crying more than your core. This dynamic shoulder exercise allows you to work one shoulder at a time – great for balanced strength and gains! And it hits all three of your deltoid muscles, though the lateral and rear work hardest.
Form Check:
- Begin in a standard plank position. Your forearms and toes must be on the ground with your body in a strong, straight line.
- Place the palm of your left arm on the ground, directly under your shoulder.
- Push your body upwards until that arm is fully extended.
- Repeat with your right arm, bringing you into tabletop plank position.
- Then reverse the process, lowering your body down to place your left forearm on the ground, followed by your right.
- Each ‘up and down’ counts for one repetition.
6. Bodyweight Side Lateral
Difficulty: Intermediate
Shoulder Focus: Lateral Deltoids
Another favorite of ours, this bodyweight shoulder exercise is the perfect alternative to a dumbbell lateral raise. I mean, who needs a gym anyways?
Form Check:
- Start in the plank position, on your forearms. You have the option to be on your knees here if you’d like a gentler starting point.
- Keeping your shoulders square to the ground, tuck your right arm underneath your chest until you feel a stretch through your left medial deltoid.
- Lift your right shoulder upwards, carrying the load on your left shoulder. Your endpoint should be when you reach the side plank position.
- Lower your right shoulder back down to starting position.
7. Wall Walk
Difficulty: Advanced
Shoulder Focus: Front and Rear Deltoids
This shoulder exercise without weights is not for the faint-hearted. There are versions of this exercise easier than the one on this list. But if you’ve got a few years of resistance training under your belt, you need to give this one a try!
Form Check:
- Begin in the bottom of a push-up position with your feet against the wall.
- Push up into the top of a push-up position.
- Move your feet up the wall as you walk your hands back towards the wall, inching into a handstand position.
- Once your stomach touches the wall, walk your hands back to the starting position. That’s one!
8. Pseudo Planche Push Up
Difficulty: Advanced
Shoulder Focus: Front Deltoids
Being able to master the ‘planche’ movement in any of its variations is a milestone in one’s journey to ultimate strength. This exercise falls into the advanced category, and rightly so. You need considerable existing full-body strength to pull this one-off. But the results are plentiful!
Form Check:
- Start in the top of a traditional push-up position with your palms facing outwards, fingers spread.
- With locked out elbows, lean your body forward, over your arms. This should move your hands from under your shoulders more towards your hips.
- Hold this position while bending your elbows to lower yourself down and extending them to push yourself back up.
9. Cage Windmill
Difficulty: Advanced
Shoulder Focus: Rear Deltoids
A grueling combination of muscular and cardiovascular endurance is needed to execute the cage windmill. This is a great advanced bodyweight shoulder exercise for hitting your rear deltoids.
Form Check:
- Begin in the crab hold position with your arms extended under your shoulders and your fingers facing away from your body.
- Lift one arm off the floor.
- Keeping your feet on the ground, create force through the shoulder of your grounded arm and hips as you rotate through your torso, landing on your opposite arm.
- Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions, with each rotation counting as one.
In Conclusion
If you were feeling stumped about how to train your shoulders at home with no equipment, we hope this article was like music to your ears. There are plenty of bodyweight shoulder exercises that you can do to target all three of your deltoid muscles.
More like this: 16 Of the Best Forearm Exercises (with Weights & Bodyweight)
