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Shoulders · Dumbbells · 58 exercises

Shoulder workouts with dumbbells

A dumbbell shoulder workout that covers the front, side and rear delts with one pair of dumbbells.

The deltoid has three heads. Overhead presses work the front and side heads hard, but the side head grows best from raises, and the rear head needs its own work from reverse flyes, face pulls and rear-delt rows. A balanced shoulder workout covers all three.

Dumbbells load each side on its own, so your stronger side can’t cover for your weaker one, and they let your wrists and elbows find their own path. A pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench covers every exercise below.

Dumbbell shoulder workout

Press heavy, then use lighter dumbbells for strict raises.

  1. Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press
    Sets
    4
    Reps
    8–10
    Rest
    2 min
  2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
    Sets
    4
    Reps
    12–20
    Rest
    60 s
  3. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    15
    Rest
    60 s
  4. Dumbbell Arnold Press
    Sets
    3
    Reps
    10
    Rest
    90 s
  5. Dumbbell Front Raise
    Sets
    2
    Reps
    12
    Rest
    60 s

Can’t do one of these?

Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.

Tips

  • Keep lateral raises light and strict. The side delt is small, and a weight you have to swing is mostly trained by your traps and momentum.
  • Press with your ribs down and glutes tight so the bar travels over your midfoot instead of your lower back arching to make room.
  • Give the rear delts as many sets as the front. Most pressing already trains the front head; the rear head is the one that lags.
  • When dumbbells get too heavy to get into position, switch to a harder variation or more reps instead of fighting to set up.

Run this workout in SPLYT

Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.

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58 shoulder exercises with dumbbells

Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.

All shoulder exercises →

Questions

How many shoulder exercises can you do with dumbbells?

SPLYT’s exercise library has 58 shoulder exercises you can do with dumbbells, including Dumbbell Rear Fly, Dumbbell Front Raise and Dumbbell Arnold Press. Each one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration.

How many sets should I do for shoulders?

Around eight to sixteen hard sets a week of side and rear delt work, on top of your pressing. The front delts get plenty of work from chest and shoulder presses already.

Are upright rows bad for your shoulders?

A narrow grip pulled high can pinch the shoulder for some people. A wider grip, pulled to about chest height, is easier on the joint and still trains the side delts and traps.

Can you build muscle with only dumbbells?

Yes. As long as you can keep adding weight or reps, dumbbells train every muscle well. A wide enough set of weights, or adjustable ones, is the main thing you need.

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