Ep. 21: The Top Shoulder Exercises Ranked S to F Tier
In episode twenty-one, Keenan and Jared rank top shoulder exercises from S tier to F tier, continuing their series after chest and back. Side delt and rear delt work rank consistently higher than front delt isolation, since the front delt already gets plenty of work from pressing movements like the bench press. They also dig into the small technique differences (hand height on a cable, elbow angle, band placement) that separate a mediocre shoulder exercise from a great one.
THE RANKINGS
S tier: Seated dumbbell shoulder press, landmine press, full range-of-motion dumbbell lateral raise, cable lateral raise (stretch position), side-leaning dumbbell lateral raise, overhead cable lateral raise
A tier: Barbell overhead press, dumbbell lateral raise (to a "T"), machine lateral raise, reverse pec deck (rear delt focus), upside-down kettlebell press
B tier: Machine shoulder press, Arnold press, bent-over dumbbell rear fly, face pulls, upright row, small-loop band shoulder stability
C tier: Dumbbell front raise, reverse pec deck (shoulder-blade squeeze variation), cable front raise
D tier: Upright row (if felt in the joint), behind-the-neck press (for general population)
F tier: Plate front raise, handstand push-up (for shoulder growth specifically)
TAKEAWAYS
1. Prioritize your side and rear delts over your front delts. Your front delts already get plenty of work from pressing movements, like the bench press, push-ups, and overhead press. Adding extra isolation work for the side and rear delts is usually more important.
2. On a lateral raise, think "sweep out," not "lift up." Imagining you're drawing a big half-circle away from your body, rather than just raising the dumbbells, keeps the movement in your side delts instead of your traps. A useful cue: imagine a string pulling you up from the elbow, not the hand.
3. Raise your cable lateral raise anchor point for a better stretch. Setting the cable around belly-button height, so it's perpendicular to your arm when you step out, puts the hardest part of the movement at the stretch position instead of the top. That single setup change can make a mediocre cable lateral raise feel completely different.
4. For rear delts, keep your shoulder blades apart, not together. Squeezing your shoulder blades together on a reverse fly or reverse pec deck shifts the work to your mid-back. To target rear delts specifically, keep your shoulder blades spread as you sweep your arms out and back.
5. An exercise's rating depends on the goal, not just the movement itself. Behind-the-neck presses and upright rows both rank low for general shoulder building, but both have real value for specific goals like Olympic lifting, where the exact range of motion has a purpose. Context changes whether an exercise belongs in your program.
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