7 Best Resistance Band Shoulder Exercises

I’ve shared the best resistance band shoulder exercises that you can do at home to build strength, muscle, and improve your appearance.

The Best Resistance Band Shoulder Exercises to Build Muscle

1. Overhead Press
2. Front Raises
3. Lateral Raises
4. Shrug
5. Pull Apart
6. Bent Over Reverse Fly
7. Face Pull

1. Overhead Press

The overhead press is an excellent exercise to bolster the front deltoid, improve shoulder health, and enhance pushing ability.

Steps to perform overhead presses with a band:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight.
2. Position the band under your glutes and grab the opposite ends with your hands.
3. Hold your hands above your shoulders and keep your elbows about 45° in from the front.
4. Press the band overhead until your arms are straight.
5. Pause for a moment to feel the contraction, then return to the start and repeat.

Try not to flare your elbows out to the sides.

You can also perform a one-arm shoulder press to target each side specifically.

2. Front Delt Raises

The front raise is an isolation exercise to hit the anterior deltoid and enhance shoulder strength. It also increases shoulder mobility and minimizes the risk of injuries.

Steps to do a front raise:

1. Stand upright with your hip-width apart and position one end of the band below your feet.
2. Grab the opposite end firmly and keep your arms straight against your thighs, palms facing in.
3. Raise the band in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor.
4. Pause for a moment and feel the work in your front deltoids, then return to the start.
5. Do as many reps and sets as required.

Single-arm front raises can be more helpful when prioritizing the weaker side.

3. Lateral Delt Raises

The lateral raise works on the side of your shoulders and improves strength and appearance.

How to do a lateral delt raise:

1. Stand in the split stance and place one end of the band under your leading foot.
2. Grab the opposite ends firmly and keep your arms straight by your sides, palms facing in.
3. Raise your arms to your sides until they are parallel to the ground.
4. Pause for a moment to feel the work in your lateral delts, then return to the start.

4. Banded Shoulder Shrug

Shrug strengthens muscles around the neck, enhances shoulder mobility, and improves posture.

Here are the steps to perform a shrug:

1. Place one end of the band under your feet and stand upright in the hip-width stance.
2. Grab the opposite ends firmly and hold your arms straight beside your thighs, palms facing your body.
3. Lift your shoulder toward your ears until the shoulder and upper traps fully engage.
4. Contract your muscles, pause at the top for a few seconds, then return to the start.

5. Banded Pull Apart

Resistance band pull-apart is an excellent exercise to bolster shoulder and upper back muscles.

You can use two different grips (overhand grip, where your palms will point down, and neutral grip, where your palms will face each other) to specifically target your rear delt and trapezius muscles.¹ Fukunaga T, Fedge C, Tyler T, et al. Band Pull-Apart Exercise: Effects of Movement Direction and Hand Position on Shoulder Muscle Activity. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2022;17(3):400-408. Published 2022 Apr 2. doi:10.26603/001c.33026

Steps to perform overhand grip pull-apart:

1. Stand upright and grab the band with your hands hip-width apart and palms pointing down.
2. Raise your arms straight and keep them parallel to the floor in front of your chest. That’s the start.
3. Pull the band apart until your arms are completely out.
4. Pause for a moment and bring your arms to the start.

6. Bent-over Reverse Fly

The reverse fly targets the shoulder and back and improves strength and muscle definition.

Steps to do it:

1. Sit on the edge of a flat bench with your feet firmly on the ground.
2. Wrap the band around your feet and grab the opposite ends with a neutral grip.
3. Slightly bend forward and maintain a neutral spine position.
4. Raise your arms to your sides until you feel the full contraction in your posterior delt.

7. Face Pull

The face pull targets the upper back and rear shoulder and improves pulling strength.

Steps to perform a banded Facepull:

1. Sit on a flat bench with your legs straight, heels on the ground, and toes pointing forward.
2. Wrap the band around your feet and grip the opposite ends with your hands hip-width apart.
3. Pull the band toward your face until your upper back and traps are fully engaged.
4. Hold there for a moment, then return to the start and perform as many reps as needed.

Related Exercises

10 Best Resistance Band Chest Workout & Exercises

10 Best Resistance Band Tricep Exercises

9 Best Resistance Band Lat Exercises to Build Back

References

• 1
  Fukunaga T, Fedge C, Tyler T, et al. Band Pull-Apart Exercise: Effects of Movement Direction and Hand Position on Shoulder Muscle Activity. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2022;17(3):400-408. Published 2022 Apr 2. doi:10.26603/001c.33026