The 10 Best Exercises to Strengthen, Protect, and Tone Athletes' Shoulders

Whether you're a boxer, tennis player, MMA practitioner, bodybuilder, CrossFit, calisthenics or swimmer, strong and stable shoulders are essential to optimize your performance and prevent injuries.

Shoulder pain, such as tendonitis, dislocations, or rotator cuff inflammation, can ruin your athletic progress and quality of life.

In this article you will find the best exercises for having indestructible shoulders.

Combined with daily mobility practice, they will allow your shoulders to respond to all situations.

In this sense, check out the list of the best mobility exercises for the athlete's shoulders, essential if you want to be able to strengthen them without injury or pain.

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Pike Push Ups

Easy to do, this exercise is excellent for strengthening the front of the shoulder, but also the upper back and the stabilizing muscles around the shoulder.

On the floor, in the A-frame position (downward facing dog in yoga), you will bend your arms , bringing your head in front of your shoulders , then return to the starting position.

To progress, you simply need to gradually raise your legs, as well as your hands to increase the amplitude of the push.

You can also switch to Indian push-ups, an exceptional strength and mobility exercise!

Obviously useful in calisthenics, the exercise benefits all strength sports, yoga practitioners and combat sports.

The Military Press

The military press is a very interesting exercise for strengthening the front of the shoulder as well as the upper back.

It has the advantage of being performed standing up, which is a position that allows for real force transfer in sports applications.

To perform it correctly, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Use a barbell or dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward.

Push the load above your head while keeping your core engaged and your elbows slightly bent.

Slowly return to the starting position.

Avoid arching your back too much to prevent lower back injuries.

For effective transfer in sports, do this exercise standing up.

This exercise is particularly recommended for bodybuilding and CrossFit practitioners, as it develops shoulder strength and stability.

For striking combat sports, it allows the development of shoulder strength for more powerful striking movements.

Australian Elbow-Wide Pull-Ups

Excellent basic calisthenics exercise.

The exercise requires a pair of rings or a bar. Simply position yourself horizontally under the bar or rings.

Arms spread out from the body, close to the axis of the shoulder.

Closer to a row than a pull, you perform a pulling movement by first engaging the shoulder blades.

It can also be performed on a weight bench.

Useful for everyone and all sports.

Reverse Fly with rings or straps

You grab your pair of rings standing up, leaning slightly backwards, with your arms outstretched.

We will then spread our arms outstretched backwards until the body is in a T shape, then return to the starting position and perform sets.

Be careful, the exercise is simple, but difficult! Don't hesitate to reduce the inclination of the body to be able to do several repetitions.

Once you become stronger, you can instead increase the inclination of your body.

Monumental exercise to strengthen and tone the back of the shoulder, the trapezius muscles and the stabilizing muscles of the scapula.

Mandatory in calisthenics (yes yes!), exercise is beneficial for all sports, particularly yoga, bodybuilding, Crossfit, tennis.

The Bear Walk

An animal walking exercise, the bear walk is useful for developing strong shoulders, strong arms and the ability to support your body weight on your hands with your arms outstretched.

The execution is simple. Get into an “A-frame,” the top position of a pike push-up or downward dog in yoga.

Then you will have to move forward with one arm and one opposite leg and walk like this.

This is the exercise of choice to prepare you for exercises like the “handstand” or the “press to handstand”.

It significantly strengthens the stability of the upper back and shoulders.

A stronger core, improved shoulder stability, and better coordination bring significant gains in strength sports and any activity requiring dynamic movements, such as martial arts or swinging a tennis racket.

Performing Bear Walks for 4-5 minutes can be a great way to warm up your entire body before a workout.

A premium exercise for yoga practitioners, little known and underrated.

Clubbell one-hand shield cast

An exercise with ancient Indian origins that dates back to the source of martial arts.

For this one, you need a clubbell. Start light. Really.

Standing with the club held vertically and your elbow bent at 90 degrees, you must perform an external rotation with the club in your hand, which will pass above your head, then return as if returning from a pullover to the bent elbow position.

This exercise works the entire shoulder and grip strength. It strengthens all the shoulder stabilizers, from the rotator cuff to the serratus anterior.

Still not very widespread, the sledgehammer is a great tool for working the shoulder and grip strength.

External Rotation with dumbbell or elastic band (modified Cuban rotation)

This exercise works the rotator cuff muscles. The concept was introduced by Charles Poliquin, who described it as an exercise to tighten the shoulder bolts.

Ido Portal has made it a pillar exercise for practitioners of movement culture.

The dumbbell version is performed seated on a bench with one foot on the bench.

The elbow opposite the leg will be placed at knee level. Then simply lower the dumbbell forward and then raise it vertically.

For the version with elastic bands, it will be necessary to fix it to a stable structure.

Grasp the elastic band with one hand and externally rotate your arm, keeping your elbow close to your body.

This movement should be done slowly and the resistance of the elastic should be controlled for maximum effectiveness.

Beneficial for all sports!

Predator pumps

Extraordinary exercise to work the shoulder throughout the push and for physical condition.

We start like a classic push-up, then returning to the top of the push-up, we will push the arms while raising the buttocks in the air to go towards an A frame without going completely there.

We will then bend our thighs to get into “loaded beast” according to animal flow , legs bent on the toes, arms stretched out in front.

We push back into the legs to come back into pump and we start again.

Many benefits beyond those for the shoulder.

The Trap 3 Raise (Y elevation)

The trap 3 raise strengthens the middle and lower trapezius muscles by isolating their muscle function.

Lie on an incline bench, face down, with a light dumbbell in each hand, and raise your arms in a Y shape.

Keep the movement slow and controlled to maximize muscle activation.

This exercise improves posture, strengthens the chain of stabilizing muscles in the upper back to strengthen shoulder stability.

Recommended for any sporting activity when you really have a lack of upper back strength, or to counteract the position of the smartphone.

The Clean and Press

The clean and press is a complex weightlifting exercise that works the entire body, with a focus on the shoulders.

Lift the bar from the floor to your shoulders (clean), then push it overhead (press). Maintain strict technique to avoid injury and maximize strength gains.

The advantage is that it works the entire shoulder on all the bundles.

Be careful when performing it. If you are a beginner, it is best to be accompanied by a competent person; the exercise is complex and explosive.

The Kettlebell variation is an excellent, more accessible alternative.

Logically recommended in Weightlifting and Crossfit since they are part of these sports.

The explosive aspect is useful in combat sports like MMA or boxing.

If you want to prevent shoulder injuries, remember to warm up properly before every workout. It's the foundation!

Incorporates dynamic warm-up exercises like arm rotations and mobility drills.

I hope I helped you.

See you soon my Mouver,

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS