Tone Your Upper Body With This Dumbbell Shoulder Workout
Bonus: You'll improve your posture, too.
For strong, sculpted arms, biceps and triceps exercises are great—but don't forget to work those shoulders too. Toning the tops of your arms is a surefire way to build a strong, powerful upper body.
Plus, unfortunately, most people have super weak shoulders, thanks to years of sitting hunched over at a desk and cell phone (womp, womp). The good news is, all it takes is some strength exercises to pull them back into the proper position, helping to improve your posture, and ditch neck pain.
Not to mention, almost all upper body movement—both when you're performing exercises or during everyday activities—involves your shoulder in some way. That means working those muscles will allow you to perform tasks and exercises with heavier weights, without injury.
To give you an assist, I've put together some of my favorite dumbbell shoulder workouts you can do anywhere. All you need is a set of dumbbells (note: choose a weight that feels like a major challenge during the last two reps) to give this workout a go. I recommend adding two to three of these exercises to your upper body workout, or put them together for a focused shoulder workout. Whether you're a beginner or advanced exerciser, this shoulder workout is perfect to do at home or in the gym.
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Time: 15 minutes
Equipment: Dumbbells
Good for: Shoulders
Instructions: Choose six exercises below. For each move, do three sets of 10 to 12 reps each, resting as needed between sets. Then continue to the next move.
Overhead Press
How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms bent at 90-degree angles, elbows wide and in line with shoulders, palms facing forward. Press the weights up until arms are straight overhead. Hold for one second, then take three seconds to lower the dumbbells back to start. That’s one rep. Complete 10.
Hammer Shoulder Press
How to: Start standing with feet under shoulders, soft bend in knees, holding a pair of dumbbells at chin height, arms narrow in front of body and bent, palms facing inward. Press weights up overhead until biceps frame face. Hold for one second, then take three seconds to lower the dumbbells back to start. That’s one rep. Complete 10.
Front Raise Palms Down
How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight, palms facing body, weights resting on quads. Keeping elbows straight, lift arms until they reach shoulder height. Then, slowly lower back down. That's one rep. Complete 10.
Front Raise Palms Up
How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight, palms facing up, weights resting on quads. Lift arms until they reach shoulder level. Then slowly lower back down. That's one rep. Complete 10.
Cuban Rotations
How to: Start by standing with dumbbells in each hand, elbows bent 90 degrees, in line with shoulders, and dumbbells raised to head height. With moving upper arms, rotate forearms down until they're parallel to the floor. Raise dumbbells back up to the starting point. That's one rep. Complete 10.
Lateral Raise
How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing body, arms at sides. Raise arms outward until they're parallel to the floor. Return slowly to start. That’s one rep. Complete 10.
Arnold Press
How to: Start standing with feet under shoulders, soft bend in knees, holding a pair of dumbbells at chin height, arms narrow in front of body and bent, palms facing body. Open elbows out wide to sides until inner arms face forward and then press the weights overhead, rotating palms away from body. Return to start. That's one rep. Complete 10.
Upright Row
How to: Start with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing toward body, and weights touching quads. Pull elbows up and out wide to lift the dumbbells to chest. Reverse movement to return to start. That’s one rep. Complete 10.
Shoulder Shrugs
How to: Start by standing with feet shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, and hands at sides. Lift shoulders up toward ears, then slowly lower back down to start. That's one rep. Complete 10.
Arm Circles
How to: Start standing with legs shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended out to sides at shoulder height, palms facing floor. Make small, clockwise circles with arms, initiating the movement from the upper arm/shoulder joint not the wrist. One rotation is one rep. Complete 10.
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