Do you sometimes feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Or do you just want to look like it after a hardcore session at the gym?

Building huge, ripped deltoids is a top bodybuilding goal, and broad shoulders give you a powerful physique that exudes an aura of badassery. To beef up your shoulders, you’ll need to equally work your anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids for symmetrical growth. Here are a few of the best shoulder workouts to incorporate into your training routine.

Overhead Press

This shoulder workout is the motherload of all shoulder workouts. But it’s important to distinguish the overhead press from the push press, and not bend your knees to explode up because then you’ll be working your legs more than your shoulders.

For proper form, check out this video.

Barbell Front Raise

To do this shoulders workout, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab a barbell. The bar should be hanging against your thighs to start. Then lift the bar in an arc-like motion while you keep your arms straight. You should feel this lift in your front delts, but make sure not to swing the bar because that’s essentially cheating the lift.

Here’s a good tutorial for doing this lift properly.

Bent-Over Lateral Raise

If you’re looking for the best shoulder workout, then you’re definitely on the right track with bent-over lateral raises. This shoulders workout targets your posterior delts to work those hard-to-reach muscles in the back of your shoulders.

Muscle and Fitness has a nice video to show you this technique.

One-Arm Side Laterals

Lots of shoulders workouts engage both shoulders at the same time, but you can also isolate each shoulder individually for maximum attention and benefit. Hold a dumbbell at your side and then raise it until it’s parallel with the floor in one strong, smooth motion. With your arm outstretched, hold the lift for two counts to get the maximum contraction of your delt.

Check out this bodybuilding.com video for guidance.

Incline Bench Press

Bench presses aren’t just for chest workouts; they’re great for shoulder width too. Grab a shoulder workout bench to train your front and side delts at the same time. Practice standard pyramids with these reps and go down at least a couple inches above your chest. This is a great lift if you like to train your shoulders and chest on the same days.

This video shows you how to do it.

One intensity-boosting technique for lifting heavier weights is to take a 20-second break before going back into your set for more reps. Of course, your shoulders workoutis just one piece of the bodybuilding puzzle, and what you put in your body has a huge impact on your muscular gains too. Browse our full product line of bodybuilding nutrition to learn about mass builders and protein powders to supplement your hard work at the gym.