Maintain your gains at home with these dumbbell exercises for strengthening your arms and shoulders. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and a chair in your front room.
If you spend hours in the gym working on your upper body, you may be wondering how to maintain these gains when stuck at home. Luckily, working on your arms and shoulders doesn’t necessarily require heaps of hardcore equipment. The following dumbbell exercises are the best options for building strength in your arms and shoulders – a pair of adjustable dumbbells or fixed dumbbells and a chair are all you need!
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How to do these exercises
- Complete 12-15 reps for each exercise.
- Move straight on to the next exercise in the superset.
- Take a 60-second break between each superset (after 1c).
Try these dumbbell exercises for arms and shoulders
1a. Seated press
1b. Lateral raise
1c. Reverse lateral raise
2a. Seated curl
2b. Standing curl
2c. Triceps extension
1a. Seated press
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Rest | Straight into 1b |
Why we like it: This is an optimal workout for your shoulders, hitting the anterior deltoid (front delts), medial deltoid (middle delts), and the upper portion of the pectoralis major (chest). Its unilateral aspect means you’re working on muscle symmetry and coordination too.
How to do a seated press:
- Sit on a bench/chair with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height
- Keeping your chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start
1b. Lateral raise
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Rest | Straight into 1c |
Why we like it: Lateral raises target your delts – specifically the lateral head of the deltoid muscle. So they’re great for helping you develop broader, more flexible shoulders, while strengthening them independently – helping to correct any imbalances.
How to do a lateral raise:
- Stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand with palms facing
- Keeping your chest up and a bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start
1c. Reverse lateral raise
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Sets | 4 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
Why we like it: This version, with bent arms, moves the emphasis to the lower portion of the lateral deltoids and the posterior (rear) deltoids. In doing so, the exercise reduces the strain on your shoulder joints, as well as strengthening other muscles, including your trapezius and rhomboids.
How to do a reverse lateral raise:
- Bend forwards from the hips with a light dumbbell in each hand, palms facing
- Keeping a bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start
2a. Seated curl
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Rest | Straight into 2b |
Why we like it: The great thing about seated dumbbell curls is that they allow you to work your arms through the full range of motion. That in turn enhances joint mobility, plus your developing good grip strength too.
How to do a seated curl:
- Sit on a bench with dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forwards
- Keeping your elbows tucked in, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top
- Lower the weights back to the start
2b. Standing curl
Target your biceps with this dumbbell exercise.
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Rest | Straight into 2c |
Why we like it: This has got to be one of our go-to exercises for enhancing upper-body stability, thanks to its unilateral nature. Of course, improved grip strength and biceps size are handy by-products too.
How to do a standing curl:
- Hold dumbbells by your sides with straight arms, palms facing forwards
- Keeping your elbows tucked in, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top
- Lower them back to the start
2c. Triceps extension
| Reps | 12-15 |
| Sets | 4 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
Why we like it: This classic move is ideal for adding to any dumbbell triceps workouts. The beauty of the triceps extension is its ability to work all three triceps heads at once. It’s also a good exercise for improving upper-body posture and balance.
How to do a triceps extension:
- Stand tall holding a dumbbell over your head with both hands, arms straight
- Keeping your chest up, lower the weight behind your head, then raise it back to the start
As you can see, there are a bunch of effective exercises for dumbbell arms workouts and dumbbell shoulder workouts. If you want to zoom in even closer and target specific muscles, try some dumbbell forearm exercises or head to our sister site, Women’s Fitness UK, to discover the best exercises to tone your upper arms.
Need a new dumbbell set? We recommend the Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells. On test, we were impressed by the floor-friendly design and excellent weight range, making these dumbbell sets an ideal choice for any home gym.
