Muscle groups / Shoulders
Shoulders: exercises and weekly sets
Shoulders landmark: 14 working sets a week on the Zyra Workouts dashboard — 7 exercises train it as the primary muscle and 13 credit it at half weight. The full lists, the counting rule and the related groups are below.
Also searched as: delts, deltoids.
Landmark and half-weight rule: Zyra Workouts dashboard defaults. Typical rest = the most common default rest among the primary exercises above (the catalog's per-exercise value; the app lets you override it).
Exercises that train shoulders
Primary exercises credit shoulders with a full set each; secondary exercises credit it with half a set. Open any exercise for its rep targets, progression step and alternatives.
Primary (7)
- Overhead Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×1
- Overhead Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×1
- Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×1
- Lateral Raise (Cable)Cable · ×1
- Rear Delt FlyDumbbell · ×1
- Face PullCable · ×1
- Arnold PressDumbbell · ×1
Secondary (13)
- Bench Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Incline Bench Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Cable FlyCable · ×0.5
- Chest Dip (Lean Forward)Bodyweight · ×0.5
- Close-Grip Bench PressBarbell · ×0.5
- Tricep Dip (Upright)Bodyweight · ×0.5
- PlankBodyweight · ×0.5
- Ab Wheel RolloutBodyweight · ×0.5
- Pallof PressCable · ×0.5
- Push-UpBodyweight · ×0.5
How secondary work is counted
The app credits every working set to the exercise's primary muscle in full and to each secondary muscle at 0.5. So a week's shoulders total is primary sets × 1 + secondary sets × 0.5, and its coverage bar is min(total ÷ 14, 1). Warm-up sets are excluded before anything is counted. In the 4-day upper/lower template that comes to 6 + 6 = 12 for shoulders, below the landmark.
In plain terms: a set of a big compound movement that merely involves shoulders is worth half a set of an exercise built around it. This is the app's bookkeeping rule, not a measurement of anything — a way to make one number comparable across muscles. Check a planned week with the weekly sets calculator.
Frequently asked
How many sets a week for shoulders?
The Zyra Workouts dashboard uses 14 working sets a week as the shoulders landmark — the target its coverage bar for shoulders fills toward (coverage = sets ÷ 14, capped at 100%). It is the app's default for reading a week, not a prescription; a coach or your own log can set a different target.
Which exercises train shoulders?
7 exercises in the catalog train shoulders as the primary muscle — Overhead Press (Barbell), Overhead Press (Dumbbell), Lateral Raise (Dumbbell), Lateral Raise (Cable), Rear Delt Fly, Face Pull, Arnold Press. 13 more list it as a secondary muscle (Bench Press (Barbell), Incline Bench Press (Barbell), Bench Press (Dumbbell), Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell), Decline Bench Press (Dumbbell), Cable Fly, Chest Dip (Lean Forward), Close-Grip Bench Press, Tricep Dip (Upright), Plank, Ab Wheel Rollout, Pallof Press, Push-Up); each of their sets counts half toward the shoulders total.
Do secondary exercises count toward shoulders sets?
Yes, at half weight: every working set of an exercise that lists shoulders as a secondary muscle adds 0.5 to the weekly shoulders count, against 1 for a primary exercise. Reaching the 14-set landmark from secondary work alone would take 28 such sets. Warm-up sets never count.
Related muscle groups
Other groups in the upper body — push region:
Compare all 11 muscle groups →
Guides for shoulders
Track shoulders sets automatically
Zyra Workouts counts every logged working set toward its primary muscle and half toward each secondary one, and shows this week's shoulders coverage against the 14-set landmark on its dashboard. It is in development and not yet on the App Store.
Zyra is a training and nutrition tracking tool. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individual prescription. The numbers are estimates from published formulas and the apps' own rules — consult a qualified professional for decisions about your health, and a coach for your training.