Strengthen and sculpt your shoulders with these dumbbell exercises

Strong boulder shoulders and the wide upper part of the desirable V-shape require the right targeted strength training exercises. The following dumbbell shoulder moves should be on your training schedule when you want to carve capped deltoid muscles, beef up your shoulders, and amplify your pressing power. Let’s look at the best dumbbell shoulder exercises and the benefits of using dumbbells to work those key muscles. 

The importance of strong shoulders

Strong shoulders are important for several reasons, including better posture and enhanced upper body strength. Your shoulders help you move your arms around and perform your everyday functional activities, such as lifting groceries, doing housework, and picking up a child. Muscular shoulders will also improve your ability to perform in sports like swinging a bat or throwing a baseball. 

Your shoulder muscles

The shoulder is a complex and intricate joint. You have three parts of your deltoid muscles covering the front, side, and back of your shoulder joint. Your deltoids help with shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, lifting your arm laterally away from your body, and more. Your deltoids work alongside your other shoulder muscles, such as your rotator cuffs, to help you pull, lift, and push. 

Why should you use dumbbells to train your shoulders?

Dumbbell exercises can be more affordable and convenient than going to a gym to use all of the machines. When you have a set of dumbbells at home, you don’t need to travel to a gym or pay for a membership, and you can still develop boulder shoulders and pump those delts. If you do head to the gym, you’ll always find dumbbells to work with. 

Using dumbbells often allows you to achieve a greater range of motion compared to machines and barbells. You can also work one side of your body at a time to help with muscular imbalances.

Warm up your shoulders pre-workout

It’s always important to warm up your muscles and get your blood flowing before you start a workout. Preparing your shoulders for a workout helps reduce your risk of injury and maximize your performance. You’ll also increase circulation to the muscles. 

Start with shoulder rolls, shoulder shrugs, arm circles, and gentle stretches to begin boosting flexibility in your shoulder joints. You can go through the exercises using your body weight before adding dumbbells. If you want to warm up your whole body a little more, you could try moves like jumping jacks. Make sure you save most of your energy for lifting those heavy weights.

How to choose the right weight for dumbbell shoulder exercises

If you’re a beginner, you’ll need to start with lighter weights and gradually amass muscle strength before trying to lift heavier weights. Once you can perfect your technique and complete eight to 12 reps of the exercise, you can try a heavier weight. You’ll find you can lift heavier weights with some exercises compared to others. For example, a male beginner performing a dumbbell shrug might use 30 lb. weights, whereas a male with an intermediate fitness level might be able to use 100 lbs. or more.

You should stop immediately if you experience sharp pain, pinching, or instability in your shoulders when performing these shoulder exercises.

The best dumbbell shoulder exercises for powerful shoulders

Once you have enough space to work out and you’ve warmed up, you’re ready to get those delts burning. You won’t see results right away, but after about two to six months of staying consistent with your shoulder strength training, you’ll notice changes in your strength level, resting heart rate, or body composition. Try to train one to three times a week and allow at least 48 hours of rest between shoulder sessions to give your muscles sufficient time to recover. Read on for the best dumbbell shoulder exercises for powerful shoulders.

Upright row

The upright row emphasizes your side deltoids and works your front and middle heads that wrap around your shoulders. You’ll also work your rhomboid and trapezius muscles in your middle and upper back. Your rhomboids help you pull your shoulder blades together and stabilize your shoulders. Career firefighters and Arnold Schwarzenegger have included the upright row in their training schedule.

How to do an upright row:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Let your arms hang down. With your palms facing your body, grip the two dumbbells with an overhand grip. The dumbbells should be resting in front of your body on your thighs in the starting position.
3. Brace your abdominals, engage your core, and lift the dumbbells up to your chin. Try to keep the weights close to your body. 
4. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
5. Carefully lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat until you complete the set.

Dumbbell push press

The dumbbell push press is a strongman favorite that can boost your shoulder size and strength, lower body power, and explosiveness. You’ll improve your overhead stability while working those key shoulder muscles. Slow down during the eccentric phase on your way back down to optimize results.

How to do a dumbbell push press:

1. Start standing up with the dumbbells resting on your shoulders and your palms facing toward your body.
2. Tighten your core and tuck your elbows in.
3. Dip at your knees and use your legs to help you generate more force to push the dumbbells up vertically over your head and straighten your arms.
4. Inhale while bending your elbows and carefully lowering the weights back down to your front deltoids in the starting position.
5. Repeat until you complete the set.

Lateral raise

The lateral raise is an isolation exercise that strengthens your deltoids and trapezius muscles. This move should be on your list for upper body and shoulder training. You’ll emphasize your medial deltoids to help you develop bulging shoulders. Research shows that the lateral raise can help you build stronger and broader shoulders when performed regularly.

How to do a dumbbell lateral raise:

1. With your arms by your sides, hold one dumbbell in each hand and slightly lean forward into the starting position.
2. Slowly lift the dumbbells outwards until your arms are straight out by your sides, your upper arms are parallel with the floor, and you’re standing with your back straight.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. 
4. Repeat until you complete the set.

Front raise

You can work both arms or one arm at a time with the front raise. You’ll power up your shoulder delts and your pecs in your upper chest. This move made our list because you can improve your shoulder flexion range and the overall mobility of your shoulder joint. Front raises are a killer workout for your anterior deltoids.

How to do a single dumbbell front raise:

1. Start standing up with your feet about shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell with both of your hands.
2. Let the dumbbell hang down between your legs just in front of your thighs. Your palms should be facing your thighs in the starting position.
3. Carefully lift the weights upward, keeping your arms extended. 
4. Raise the dumbbell up until you reach about eye level.
5. Pause for a moment before lowering the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat until you complete the set.

Rear delt fly

When you perform the rear delt fly, you’ll really feel the burn in your rear deltoids located on the back of your shoulders. Your rear delts help you move your arms away from your midline. You’ll also work your trapezius muscles around your neck and upper back and your rhomboids in between your shoulder blades. Rather than standing upright, you’re in a bent-forward position, which works your core, glutes, and quads.

How to do the rear delt fly:

• Stand upright and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
• Bend forward, hinging at your hips, so you’re leaning forward, but your torso isn’t completely parallel or horizontal with the floor.
• Extend your arms straight down so your palms are facing each other.
• Engage your core, squeeze your shoulder blades, and lift the weights up in a wide arc until your arms are in line with your back. (Think of this arcing motion like you’re an eagle spreading your wings).
• Pause for a moment before lowering the weights and bringing your arms back down to the starting position.
• Repeat until you complete the set.

Arnold Press

If it’s good enough for Arnie, it’s good enough for our dumbbell shoulder exercise list. Bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger popularized this effective movement that combines rotatory motion with a traditional dumbbell shoulder press. You’ll hit all three of your shoulder deltoids, and you can perform this move sitting down or standing up. Perfecting the Arnold Press will also help you perfect other strength training moves like deadlifts and rows.

How to do the Arnold Press:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-distance apart and hold two dumbbells.
2. Engage your core and bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height with your palms facing you.
3. Engage your shoulders and pull your shoulder blades together.
4. Extend your arms up above your head while rotating your wrists to the front. 
5. At the top of the movement, you should be holding the dumbbells above your head with your palms facing forward.
6. Carefully lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position by rotating your wrists on the way down. Back in the starting position, your palms should be facing you again.
7. Repeat until you complete the set.

The takeaway

Choose at least three or four shoulder-focused exercises to hit all three deltoids, including compound moves with heavier weights and isolation exercises with lighter to moderate weights. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and room to move around. Warming up your shoulder muscles before you start helps you reduce your risk of injury and get the most out of your workouts.