Are you wanting to build bigger shoulders with only your bodyweight?
My name is Andrew and I help entrepreneurial men in their 20's and 30's build athletic physiques and functional strength with calisthenics.
In this post we are going to be focusing exclusively on bodyweight-only training to grow bigger shoulders from home
Build Bigger Shoulders From Home
Intro
To build bigger shoulders you may normally think of exercises like the overhead press, side lateral raises, or rear delt flies
These exercises are all great exercises, but they require weights, so how do you hit all 3 heads of your shoulders using only your bodyweight?
That's what I am going to be showing you today so you can build bigger shoulder even if you don't have weights.
Let's jump right in
The best home shoulder workout using only your bodyweight
1.) Pike Push Ups
Pike push ups are a great way to hit the front delts and are the first progression to harder skills like handstands and handstand push ups.
To perform correctly start by getting into a pike position.
Depending on your flexibility will determine how steep of a pike you can get into.
From here be sure to have your hands roughly shoulder width apart and arms locked out
Start by looking between your hands, and focusing on looking above your hands in a triangle shape as you come down into the push up.
From there push all the way back up until your arms are straight and you are looking between your hands again
These can be done no matter what level you're at to build shoulder strength and definition, and they have the ability to be scaled to increase the difficulty.
You can elevate your body to make them harder or even add weight with a weight vest when that get's too easy.
To take it a step further you can even start doing handstand push ups against the wall.
Handstand push ups of any kind are no joke, even with a wall, and this will help you build crazy levels of shoulder strength and will prepare you for handstand push ups off the wall.
Do these and pike push ups and you will start to see some serious front delt gains
2.) Side Delt Plank Twist
The side delt can be very difficult to hit without some form of external resistance.
Usually to hit the side delt properly requires some form of lateral raise, whether that's with weights or with cables.
This is definitely one of the best ways to grow your side delts, but if all you have is your bodyweight - don't worry - I got you
This exercise is called the side delt plank twist, and works great for hitting your side delts.
The ideal angle to hit the side delt is to bring your arm across your body and raise your arm out to the side.
With bodyweight that can be very difficult, but with this exercise we can simulate that movement with just our bodyweight
To perform correctly be sure to get into an elbow plank position.
From here, tuck one hand in so you are supporting yourself on one arm.
Come as as low as you can and focus on feeling that stretch in the side delt.
Then raise back up, pushing up with your side delt and twist into a side plank position.
The side delt plank twist is not the easiest exercise in the world, but will definitely reap you some results on those side delts if you all you have to work with is your bodyweight
3.) Rear delt push back
The rear delts are usually hit with wide rows and external resistance, but without weights we will have to take this routine to the ground.
You are going to lay flat on your back and place your arms wide and really focus on raising your body up by pushing your arms back
This is not an easy exercise, but if performed correctly you will really feel it heavy in your rear delts.
To finish off your rear delts stand up and do the same movement, but this time do it in a bent-over row position and bring your arm back as if you were doing a seated cable row.
This will get the most out of rear delts and push them to failure
