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TIERS

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Shoulders

Best exercises for

Shoulders

Presses and raises, ranked for front, side and rear delts.

27 exercises · Waiting for the first lifter ratings · Updates live

Shoulders workout My tier list
S
Cable Lateral Raise
Machine Lateral Raise
Reverse Pec Deck
A
Lean-Away Lateral Raise
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Machine Shoulder Press
Smith Machine Shoulder Press
Rear Delt Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
B
Arnold Press
Overhead Press
Seated Dumbbell Press
Face Pull
Incline Y-Raise
Kettlebell Overhead Press
Z Press
Behind-the-Neck Press
Landmine Press
Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly
Front Raise
Upright Row
C
Handstand Push-Up
Pike Push-Up
Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press
Push Press
Band Pull-Apart
D
Cuban Press
F
—

Full ranking

  1. 1S
    Cable Lateral Raise
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    89
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  2. 2S
    Machine Lateral Raise
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    88
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  3. 3S
    Reverse Pec Deck
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    88
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  4. 4A
    Lean-Away Lateral Raise
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    84
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  5. 5A
    Cable Rear Delt Fly
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    83
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  6. 6A
    Machine Shoulder Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  7. 7A
    Smith Machine Shoulder Press
    Machine
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  8. 8A
    Rear Delt Row
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  9. 9A
    Dumbbell Lateral Raise
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    71
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  10. 10B
    Arnold Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  11. 11B
    Overhead Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  12. 12B
    Seated Dumbbell Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  13. 13B
    Face Pull
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    68
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  14. 14B
    Incline Y-Raise
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  15. 15B
    Kettlebell Overhead Press
    Kettlebell
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  16. 16B
    Z Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    64
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  17. 17B
    Behind-the-Neck Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    60
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  18. 18B
    Landmine Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  19. 19B
    Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    57
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  20. 20B
    Front Raise
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    57
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  21. 21B
    Upright Row
    Cable
    No ratings yet
    57
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  22. 22C
    Handstand Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    54
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  23. 23C
    Pike Push-Up
    Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    50
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  24. 24C
    Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press
    Kettlebell
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  25. 25C
    Push Press
    Barbell
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  26. 26C
    Band Pull-Apart
    Band
    No ratings yet
    44
    Research
    —
    Lifters
  27. 27D
    Cuban Press
    Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    35
    Research
    —
    Lifters

What is the best shoulders exercise?

Right now Cable Lateral Raise ranks first, with an overall score of 89 from the research rubric. It’s followed by Machine Lateral Raise and Reverse Pec Deck. The best choice for you depends on your equipment and how it feels on your joints, which is why every exercise links to alternatives.

Why it ranks: Keeps tension on the side delt at the bottom, where dumbbells go slack.

How these scores are calculated →