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Dumbbell Shoulder Workouts

Ready to get started? Go directly to the workouts and workout routine.

Why Perform Shoulder Workouts?

Looking to tone and sculpt your shoulders but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place! First, let’s dive into the importance of training the shoulder muscles. Your shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body which means they are also extremely susceptible to injury. The stronger your shoulder muscles are, the better. Weakness can lead to instability, dysfunction, and pain. Many of the sports we engage in including tennis, swimming, and those that involve throwing place repetitive stress on your shoulders. To continue to enjoy these activities pain-free for many years to come, you want to ensure your shoulders not only look good, but feel good too.

What Are the Shoulder Muscles?

The shoulder joint, formed by the humerus (upper arm bone) and the scapula (shoulder blade) is one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body. It’s surrounded by ligaments, muscles, and tendons including the posterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, the anterior deltoid, and four rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres major, teres minor).

Names of the muscles that make up the shoulder.

Dumbbell Shoulder Workouts

Ready to jump into the movements? Here are a few tips on how to properly perform some of the most popular shoulder exercises.

Shoulder Press for Beginners

The shoulder press involves a weight being pressed straight upwards until the arms are locked out overhead, all while the legs, lower back, and abs remain in balance. It has many variations and can be performed while standing or sitting. If you're just beginning to use dumbbells and want to mix in a great exercise to work your shoulders, the shoulder press is a great way to start. This video will show you how to do a proper shoulder press while sitting or standing.

How to do the Perfect Shoulder Press

The key points to doing the perfect shoulder press that are talked about in this video are:

Control the movement, don't use momentum
Stop when your elbows are about in-line with your shoulders
Choose a weight that is challenging, but that you can still control

Lunge with Shoulder Press

To perform a lunge with a shoulder press, stand with your feet about shoulder width apart with dumbbells at ear-height. Perform a forward lunge, pausing at the bottom as you press the weight upward.

Shoulder Side Raise

The side raise is a great exercise to not only get your shoulders looking great, but also build strength in your shoulders to help prevent injury. In order to maximize the benefits of the shoulder side raise, you will want to make sure you are doing them in the correct way. Watch the video to learn more.

Rear Delt Fly

The Rear Delt Fly strengthens the upper back and shoulder muscles. Stand with your legs hip-width apart. Bend your torso forward so that arms extend beyond the body. Exhale and raise your arms outward with hands facing down. Inhale and return to starting position.

Forward Step to Statue of Liberty

While holding a dumbbell in your right hand overhead, step forward with your left foot. Extend the dumbbell towards your ankle. Return to the starting position.

Shoulder Workout Routine

Looking for a quick shoulder workout routine that combines multiple different movements and exercises? Grab a pair of dumbbells and follow along with the exercises in the video to get a great shoulder workout in only three minutes.