If you are looking for effective dumbbell shoulder workouts that you can perform at home, you are in the right place. Shoulders can be considered a gem of the upper body.
They help to showcase a muscular physique and also visually compensate for other lacking muscle groups.
Growing a boulder shoulder helps to emulate the V-taper look that every fitness enthusiast wants. However, growing the shoulders is a challenging task, and it requires patience and correct exercise techniques.
If you do not have access to the gym, can you not grow your shoulders? Many beginners have this question.
The answer is definitely yes. There are many effective dumbbell exercises that you can perform to develop your shoulders at home. This article will only focus on dumbbell shoulder workouts that will help you build boulder shoulders at home.
Even without the gym or bodybuilding activities shoulders play a crucial role in our day-to-day activity.
From carrying groceries to lifting something, our shoulder directly or indirectly supports many activities that we perform on a daily basis.
Before I start discussing the dumbbell shoulder exercises for improving your shoulder development. It will help you greatly if you know the basic anatomy of the shoulder muscles.
Our shoulder has 3 heads. They are:
- Front head
- Side head
- Rear head
I will discuss the best dumbbell exercises for developing each head of the shoulder that you can easily perform at home.
Dumbbell EXERCISES for anterior head/Front Delts
We know our front delts get activated when we raise our hand in front of us or press our hands overhead.
Our front delts get good enough stimuli or in simple terms, they get trained indirectly when we do upper chest exercises.
So many people do not train the front head/Anterior head separately. If you have good front delts then you also do not need to train them separately.
If you ask me I would tell you to separately train them at least once a week.
Based on the principles of front delts movement, the best exercises for front delts using dumbbells are:
Dumbbell Overhead Press
If you are training at home, the dumbbell overhead press is the best exercise for growing your front head of the shoulder. It is easy to perform, so any beginner can incorporate it into their routine.
I would recommend that you do it seated. To perform the dumbbell overhead press, you just need a chair and a pair of moderate-weight dumbbells.
How to perform:
- Grab the dumbbells.
- Hold the dumbbells at shoulder width, with the palm facing outward.
- Press the dumbbells up without using any momentum.
- You can touch both dumbbells at the top to get the full range of motion.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells.
- Perform 8 to 12 reps for 3 sets.
Additional Tips:
If you want to perform it standing I would recommend you to perform the dumbbell overhead press one hand at a time.
It will enable you to get deeper in the stretch position.
Mistakes To Avoid:
One of the common mistakes while performing the dumbbell overhead press is pushing the weight up by generating force through the legs.
It may help to do more reps or push heavier weights but you will not be utilizing the the shoulder fully.
That is why I love the seated variation and always recommend beginners to perform the seated version of the dumbbell overhead press.
Dumbbell Front Raise
The Dumbbell front raise is performed in a way that checks the other essential function of the anterior deltoids, which is raising the hand in front of the body.
The dumbbell front raise is one of the best shoulder workouts to target your front delts.
How to perform:
- Grab a pair of moderate-weight dumbbells.
- Embrace the core for more stability. Hold the dumbbells on the side of each thigh.
- Do one hand at a time.
- Raise the dumbbells on a crosspath to get full activation. Maintain control while lowering the dumbbells.
- Perform 8 to 12 reps for 3/4 sets for each hand.
Additional Tips:
If you have a bench or something to support your chest while performing the dumbbell front raises then use it.
The reason behind that is it will make you more stable throughout the exercise and also you will not be able to cheat by using extra momentum.
Mistakes to Avoid:
Never use weight that is too heavy for you as it can cause injury.
Most people do not control the eccentric portion while performing front raises. You need to slowly lower the weight to gain the maximum benefit of this exercise.
Do not swing your body or hips to generate momentum. If you cannot perform the dumbbell front raises with a particular amount of weight then it is too heavy for you.
Drop the weight and perform it with proper form.
Dumbbell Exercises for developing Lateral Head/Side Delts
When people talk about round 3d shoulders, the head that plays the most significant role is the lateral head or the side delts.
When training the lateral head, your primary focus should be on the exercise form rather than the weight.
The lateral head gives you a muscular look when viewed from the front. When you are training at home, you should train your lateral head at least two times a week.
The best shoulder workouts with dumbbells to train the lateral head are:
Dumbbell lateral raise
Among the various dumbbell shoulder workouts, lateral raises are one of the best for isolating the side delts.
Dumbbell lateral raises are among the most popular and practical exercises for developing your side delts.
Ensure you use lightweight dumbbells when doing lateral raises; otherwise, you will cheat using excessive momentum from your traps. Form is the key when you are trying to grow side delts.
How to perform it:
- Grab a pair of lightweight dumbbells and position them on each side of your thigh.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- You can bend forward a bit or remain straight to perform the exercise.
- Lift the weight at least to your shoulder level. If you have good shoulder mobility, you can even rise further.
- To make the exercise more effective, lower the weight slowly till it reaches waist height. It will put constant tension.
- Go for higher reps, like 12 to 15 for 4 sets
Dumbbell upright row
This exercise is controversial. Many people feel pain in their shoulders when performing it. However, it can provide greater stimuli to the lateral head if performed correctly.
How to perform:
- Grab moderate weight dumbbells.
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding the dumbbells.
- Hold the dumbbells in front of the body on the line, palm facing inwards (Palm facing body)
- Pull the weight up to your chest level
- Slowly lower the weight down.
- Perform 12 to 15 reps for 3 sets
The common mistake I see that almost every beginner makes while performing upright row is pulling arms too high almost to their face level. It puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint.
Another mistake that beginners make is that sometimes they put their hands on the sides, which turns the dumbbell upright row into shrugs.
Dumbbell Shoulder Workouts for Posterior Head/Rear Delts
Training the posterior deltoids at home can be a bit tricky, but you should not worry because when you train your upper back, the rear deltoids also gets trained.
Usually, most of the effective rear delt exercises require cable setup. There are not many dumbbell exercises that you can perform at home but there is nothing to worry about.
One exercise is good enough to grow your rear delt at home. That exercise is:
Dumbbell Rear delt fly
This exercise can feel hard to perform at first. However, performing a dumbbell rear delt fly feels much easier when you get used to it.
The main challenge for beginners is the requirement of stability to perform this exercise. However, once you get used to it you will love this exercise. it can also act as an alternative for traditional rear delt exercises like face pulls.
How to perform:
- Grab moderately low-weight dumbbells.
- Sit on a chair or bench for more stability.
- Hold the dumbbells down toward your leg.
- Maintain or hold a slight bend in your elbow.
- Pull the dumbbells backward as much as you can.
- Slowly lower the weight with control and return to the starting position.
- Perform 8 to 10 reps for 3 sets.
While performing rear delt fly always keep your head in a neutral position as shown in the video.
When pulling the weight up imagine a rope is tied to your elbow and you are pulling your elbows up while squeezing your feet shoulder width apart holding the dumbbells. This form cue helps to put more emphasis on the rear delts.
Mistakes to Avoid:
Never use heavier weights when performing dumbbell rear delt fly as it will break your form.
Most people rush this exercise which reduces the effectiveness of this exercise. They move their arms so fast that it looks like they are trying to fly.
Don’t rush, control the eccentric portion for maximum benefit.
At the very end, I can say building a boulder shoulder takes time and effort. It cannot be built overnight. The shoulders are one of the hardest muscles to grow so you need to have patience.
By incorporating the shoulder workouts mentioned into your routine, you can effectively target all three heads of the shoulder and grow them significantly.
Whether you have gym access or a pair of dumbbells at your home you can develop your shoulders if you are consistent.
The mentioned exercises will cover all the tick boxes to build a round shoulder at home.
Let me know your thoughts on the comments.
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