5 Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises That Give You Ripped, Muscular Shoulders

In this article, we're going to share with you a few dumbbell shoulder exercises that can help increase your shoulder muscle definition.

The best part about these exercises is that they can be done at home or in the gym. If you want to build a nice set of shoulders and improve your overall upper body strength, read on.

Dumbbell Exercises For Ripped, Muscular Shoulders

Here's a look at five such exercises:

#1 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

The shoulder press is a compound exercise that works the deltoids, triceps, and chest. This is one of the best exercises for building muscular shoulders. It can be performed with or without a bench.

To do this exercise:

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold dumbbells in front of your upper chest.
Push the weights overhead while keeping them close together till they touch above your head. Lower them back down to the starting position as you exhale to complete one rep.

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#2 Dumbbell Front Raise

This exercise is a great way to target the anterior deltoids, which are located at the front of the shoulders.

You can perform this exercise with either one or two dumbbells. To do it correctly, keep your palms facing inward throughout the entire movement.

Proceed as follows:

Stand straight up with dumbbells hanging at arm's length by your sides; bend over slightly so that you're not engaging your back.
Keep your knees slightly bent and core engaged throughout the exercise; don't arch back too far or else you will risk hurting yourself.
Slowly raise both dumbbells up till they reach shoulder height — do not swing them up.
Make sure to move slowly as well, as moving too fast can make it seem like there isn't much weight being lifted when in fact there could be quite a bit more depending on how heavy the weights are.

It's also important for form reasons — it's easy for someone who isn't used to lifting weights to cheat by swinging them instead of using the proper technique.

#3 Dumbbell Lateral Raise

This exercise works the shoulders by strengthening both the anterior deltoid (front) and posterior deltoid (back) muscles.

It also activates all the surrounding stabilizing muscles — the rotator cuff, biceps brachii, coracobrachialis, pectoralis major, rhomboid major/minor and serratus anterior. It also increases scapular stability strength, which is important for maintaining proper posture while performing other exercises or daily activities like typing on a keyboard or carrying grocery bags.

To do a dumbbell lateral raise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Proceed as follows:

Keeping your torso upright and weights pointed towards the floor, slowly lift them out to the sides till they’re in line with your shoulders.
Pause for a second, and slowly return to the starting position.

Add resistance by increasing weight (if you’re using free weights) or adding resistance bands around your arms if you're using cable pulleys.

#4 Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

For this exercise, you will need a set of dumbbells. Select a weight that's not too heavy but is heavy enough that you can only lift it for 10-12 repetitions.

To begin

Stand up straight with your arms hanging by your sides and feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend forward, and flex your core and delts.
Keeping your back straight and chest out, raise your arms straight back till it's parallel to the floor, keeping your elbow close to your body and pointing down towards the floor.
Once you're there, hold for a second before returning to the starting position under control. Repeat on the other side.

#5 Dumbbell Upright Row

This is an excellent movement for building thickness and strength in your lateral deltoid muscles on both sides of the shoulders.

It also involves some rear deltoid action and medial rotation through your scapula (shoulder blades). The upright row targets all three heads of each muscle group brutally, making it a great movement for adding mass while increasing definition.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Your arms should be straight and fully extended out towards the floor.
Pull the dumbbells up in front of you till they're level with your shoulders.
Lower them back to the starting position under control, and repeat for reps of 8-20.

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Takeaway

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this article and are now armed with knowledge on some of the best shoulder exercises you can do with dumbbells. Remember that if you want to get big, strong shoulders, it takes hard work and dedication.