Body Weight Shoulder Exercises

Good shoulder exercises you can do using your body weight. Good shoulder exercises you can do using your body weight.

External Rotation

With a soup can or other light object in each hand, hold our arms out to your sides with your elbow bent 90 degrees so your upper arms are just an inch or two below your shoulders and almost parallel to the floor, and your forearms are pointed in toward your torso.

Keep your upper arms still and use your elbows to rotate your forearms up until they are as close to perpendicular to the floor as possible. Return to the starting position.

Upright Row

Fill your gym bag or carry-on suitcase with books or something else heavy enough to create a challenging weight. Hold the bag by its straps with both hands. Let your arms hang straight down, with your hands 12 to 24 inches apart. (the farther you place them apart, the easier and more natural the exercises is for your shoulders.)

Lift the bag straight up along your torso until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause to feel the contraction in your delts and traps, then slowly return to the starting position, staying in control. 

Lateral Raises without Weights

Grab a pair of water bottles and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your arms at your sides.

Maintaining slight bends in your elbows, lift your arms up and out to the sides until they’re parallel to the floor. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. 

Pike Push Up

Get into the standard pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Walk your feet forward until they’re 2 ½ to 3 feet behind your hands and your hips stick way up.

Keep your legs straight as you execute a pushup, feeling the work in your shoulders and triceps. 

Pull Up

Grip bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep body in good alignment (abs tight, chest up, back straight). Squeeze down (depress) shoulder blades using a controlled motion, pull body up by drawing chest to the bar, keeping elbows down toward sides and forearms in line with body. Contract lat muscles fully without compromising form. While maintaining the controlled motion, return body to starting position. Do not allow body to swing. Do not allow muscles to relax before next repetition.