Illustration of shoulder workouts with a barbell. Good shoulder workouts you can do using a barbell. These routines are great for men or women. 

Using barbells is great equipment for exercising your shoulder muscles. Because it’s one long bar, you can evenly distribute the weight on each shoulder. When building a good workout, you should include basic exercises such as standing or seated military press and lateral raises. Most of these exercises can be done with either a standard barbell or a shorter 18 to 20 pound EZ-curl bar. Below is a great shoulder workout using only a barbell.

Great Shoulder Workout Using a Barbell and 3 Exercises

Shoulder Barbell Workouts

Below is a great shoulder workout using only a barbell.

This workout features 3 exercises where you will do 3 sets of 10-12 reps with 1 minutes rest in between sets.

1. Seated Military press

Grab the barbell with a full, overhand grip that’s shoulder width or a little wider. Stand and hold the bar at collarbone level, with your back in its natural alignment and your knees slightly bent.

Press the bar overhead until your arms are straight but not locked. Slowly return to the starting position.

2. Upright Row

Grab the barbell with a false, overhand grip that’s shoulder width or a little wider. Stand and let the bar hand at arm’s length in front of your thighs.

Pull the bar up to your chest, or until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

3. Front Raise with Barbell

Grab an EZ-curl bar with a full, overhand, shoulder-width grip, and stand with the barbell hanging in front of your thighs. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent, and lean forward very slightly at the hips. Pull in your abs and tighten all your upper body muscles, and slightly bend your elbows.

Raise the bar in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor. Pause, then return to the starting position.