12 Best Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises to Build Perfect Delts

In a series of dumbbell exercises, I’ve shared detailed workouts for building strong, defined, and rounded shoulders in this article.

I’ve rounded up the 12 best exercises that bolster each shoulder muscle as well as the upper trap and rotator cuff.

Here’s a quick list of all the dumbbell shoulder exercises you’ll see in this blog:

1. Seated FDL Raises
2. Overhead Press
3. Arnold Press
4. Front Raises
5. Lateral Raise
6. Seated Rear Delt Raises
7. 45-Degree Incline Row
8. Upright Row
9. Shoulder Shrug
10. Incline Prone Y Raises
11. Power Press
12. Bent-Over Face Pull

Whether you train at home or lift in the gym, you can program these exercises into your workout routine to build strength, power, mobility, and muscle mass.

Can You Build Your Shoulders with Dumbbells Only?

Dumbbells are super effective when it comes to training shoulders from all angles.

The shoulders are a group of three deltoid muscles: anterior deltoid, lateral delt, and rear delt. Besides delts, you’ll also need to train the upper trap and rotator cuff, as they improve the shoulder’s overall health and appearance.

Hitting all these muscles from multiple angles isn’t possible with just one piece of equipment, except dumbbells.

Dumbbells are easy to grip, require a little space, and are suitable for all fitness levels.

Here are some crucial benefits of performing shoulder workouts with dumbbells:

• Dumbbells build muscles through mechanical and metabolic overload. Heavy dumbbells elicit mechanical overload while training with moderate-weight dumbbells combined with high reps until failure can produce metabolic overload.¹ Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(24):4897. Published 2019 Dec 4. doi:10.3390/ijerph16244897, ²5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training – Pete Call, 2015, American Council of Exercise (ACE)
• With dumbbells, you can do unilateral exercises. This means that you can use one arm at a time to train each side of the shoulders individually.
• They provide various exercise options over machines and barbells so that you can bolster all three deltoids, upper traps, and rotator cuff efficiently.
• Dumbbell exercises are easy to customize. For example, you can adjust the grip and modify the angle to target muscles from every angle.

Now, let’s see how to perform each exercise step by step and what muscle they target.

The Ultimate Dumbbell Exercises to Build Perfect Shoulders

1. Seated FDL Raises

The FDL raises are a compound exercise that involves three different movements: front raises (F), diagonal raises (D), and lateral raises (L).

The combination of all three movements hits the anterior and lateral deltoids and helps you build sturdy shoulders.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Anterior and Side Delts
• Force Type: Push
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and Bench (You can also do it in the standing position)
• Goal: Build Muscle Mass and Endurance

Steps to Perform:

1. Holding one dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, sit on the edge of a flat bench with your feet firmly on the ground. Keep your core tight and back straight. That’s the start.
2. Raise your arms in front of you all the way over your head so your arms are straight toward the ceiling. Hold for a moment at the top and then slowly return to the start.
3. Now, raise your arms slightly out to the sides to form the “Y” letter. That’s Y raises.
4. To do the last move, raise your arms outward so that they form a 90-degree angle. Hold for a couple of seconds, and then slowly return the dumbbells to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Perform three sets of 6-8 reps with light dumbbells.
• Keep your back straight and core tight while sitting and performing the movement.
• Take support from your partner if it feels challenging.

2. Dumbbell Overhead Press

The dumbbell overhead press reinforces the front and side parts of the shoulder. It primarily helps build strength and improve other pressing movements, such as the military press, bench press, and push press.³ Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, et al. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020;75:5-14. Published 2020 Oct 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2020-0033

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Front and Side Delts
• Force Type: Push
• Experience Require: Beginner
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Build Strength and Mass

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on the edge of a 90-degree incline bench with your back resting on it.
2. Hold the dumbbells at your shoulder height with your elbows bent.
3. Keep your core tight and chest up. That’s the start.
4. Raise the dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight.
5. Hold for a moment and then slowly return to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• I recommend doing it standing overhead press for maximum benefits.
• When you perform the standing overhead press,
• When lifting the bar, focus on pushing it straight up and down. As the bar moves past your face, move your head slightly back, then forward once it’s clear.
• Perform the first set with light dumbbells, as this will help prepare your muscles and joints for heavy resistance.

3. Arnold Press

The Arnold press involves rotating your arms and pressing them upward. The blend of these two movements effectively engages the front and medial deltoids and enhances shoulder muscularity and mobility.⁴ Raizada, Shiny & Bagchi, Amritashish. (2017). Comparison among the EMG Activity of the Anterior Deltoid and Medial Deltoid During Two Variations of Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercise. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. 8. 653. 10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00411.9.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Anterior and Lateral Delts
• Force Type: Rotational and Push
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Build Muscles and Flexibility

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab a pair of light dumbbells and sit on an incline bench with your back resting on it.
2. Hold the dumbbell in front of your shoulders with your palms facing in.
3. Rotating your wrist, press the weight overhead until your arms are straight. Your palms will be facing forward at the top. Reverse the steps to complete your first rep.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Use lighter dumbbells than you do during the overhead press.
• Perform each rep in a controlled manner. Aim for three sets of six to ten reps.
• If your goal is to build muscle and definition, I suggest performing this exercise instead of the traditional overhead press.

4. Dumbbell Front Raise

The dumbbell front raise is an isolation exercise that primarily strengthens the anterior delt and helps grow shoulder muscles.⁵ Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Esposito F, Cè E. An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(17):6015. Published 2020 Aug 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph17176015

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Anterior Delts
• Force Type: Abduction
• Experience Require: Beginner
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Develop muscle and symmetry.

Steps to Perform:

1. Holding one dumbbell in each hand, stand upright with your arms straight in front of you and palms facing in. Keep your back straight and chest up. That’s the start.
2. Raise your right arm in front of you till it reaches your shoulder height.
3. Hold for a moment, then lower the dumbbell to the start.
4. Repeat with your opposite arm to complete one rep.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• The front raises can be done in multiple ways, such as with both arms, alternating your arms, using one arm at a time, or holding the dumbbells with a neutral grip. All are effective. You can do one or a combination of all.
• I recommend doing this exercise only when you think your anterior delts need more attention; otherwise, you can substitute with overhead presses.

5. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

The dumbbell lateral raise reinforces the lateral deltoids and builds strong and chiseled shoulders.⁶ Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, et al. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020;75:5-14. Published 2020 Oct 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2020-0033

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Lateral Deltoids
• Force Type: Abduction
• Experience Require: Beginner
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Build muscle mass and improve appearance.

Steps to Perform:

1. Holding one dumbbell in each hand, stand upright with your arms straight at your sides, palms facing in.
2. Raise the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are parallel to the floor.
3. Hold for a moment at the top and then slowly return to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Not all exercises target the lateral deltoids as efficiently as the lateral raises do; that’s why I recommend doing more sets of it if you want to build boulder shoulders.
• You can also do this exercise using one arm at a time to target each side more effectively.

6. Seated Dumbbell Rear Delt Raises

The seated rear delt raises are an excellent alternative to the reverse pec deck fly, which strengthens the posterior parts of the shoulders and the upper trap and helps build a muscular upper body.⁷ Franke, Rodrigo & Botton, Cíntia & Rodrigues, Rodrigo & Pinto, Ronei & Lima, Cláudia. (2014). Analysis of anterior, middle and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 55.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Posterior Delt
• Force Type: Abduction
• Experience Require: Beginner to Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and Bench (Optional)
• Goal: Build lean mass and develop the rear shoulder.

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab one dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip and sit on the edge of a bench.
2. Slightly bend your torso forward, with your face looking down and your back straight.
3. Keep your arms straight below your shoulders with the elbows slightly bent.
4. Raise the dumbbells out to your sides until you feel a good contraction in your shoulder muscles.
5. Pause for a moment and then slowly return to the start. That’s one rep.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Perform this exercise deliberately, feeling the tension in your rear delts. Ensure you concentrate on your delts from lifting the dumbbells up to lowering them down.
• Do not let gravity pull the dumbbells down while lowering them. Use your strength and focus on the descent phase equally to the ascent phase.

7. Dumbbell 45-degree Incline Row

The incline row involves lying prone on a 45-degree incline bench and adducting your arms.

This movement particularly strengthens the rear delt, works on the lateral shoulder, rhomboids, and upper trap to some extent, and helps build sturdy shoulders and an aesthetic torso.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Posterior and Medial Deltoids
• Force Type: Pull
• Experience Require: Beginner
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and Bench
• Goal: Develop the Posterior Torso, especially the Rear Delt and Upper Trap.

Steps to Perform:

1. Holding one dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, lie prone on an incline bench with your chest resting on top of it.
2. Keep your arms straight downward, with your palms facing behind. That’s the start.
3. Pull the dumbbells up until you feel the good contraction in your rear shoulders.
4. Hold there for a moment before you lower the dumbbells to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Keep your elbows flared to engage more of your rear delt.
• Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercises.
• Substitute this exercise with other rowing variations, such as face pull.

8. Dumbbell Upright Row

The upright row is a popular shoulder training exercise that works on the upper trap and medial deltoids and increases shoulder strength, mobility, and flexibility.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Trapezius and Rear Deltoids
• Force Type: Pull
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Bolsters the traps and shoulders and builds an aesthetic upper body.

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip and stand upright with your back straight.
2. Hold your arms straight in front of your thighs with your palms facing in.
3. Pull the dumbbells up toward your neck as high as possible.
4. Hold for a couple of seconds at the top and then slowly lower it back to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Pay more attention to your elbow positions while performing this exercise. The safe and effective way to perform upright rows is to pull the dumbbells toward your chin until your elbows and shoulders are aligned. If your elbows go past your shoulders, it can strain your joints and increase the chances of injury. So, be attentive.⁸ Schoenfeld, Brad & Kolber, Morey & Haimes, Jonathan. (2011). The Upright Row: Implications for Preventing Subacromial Impingement. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 33. 25-28. 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31822ec3e3, ⁹Kolber MJ, Cheatham SW, Salamh PA, Hanney WJ. Characteristics of shoulder impingement in the recreational weight-training population. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(4):1081-1089. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000250
• I see some people lift heavy dumbbells during upright rows, but this isn’t about building strength but about strengthening the upper body and improving posture. So, use light to moderate-weight dumbbells and perform each rep deliberately.

9. Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug

The dumbbell shrug works on neck muscles and adds definition to your shoulders. You can do it as the last exercise to finish your shoulder training.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Shoulder and Traps
• Force Type: Pull
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Build muscles around the neck that contribute to better posture and shoulder health.

Steps to Perform:

1. Holding a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip, stand upright with your arms straight at your sides and palms facing your body.
2. Shrug your shoulders as high as possible, but do not rotate them.
3. Hold for a second, and then slowly return to the initial position. That’s one rep.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Avoid using the movement to pull the dumbbells. Your focus should be on activating the trapezius muscles, not the others.
• Perform each rep slowly, controlling the ascent and descent phases for maximum muscle engagement.
• Maintain straight arms throughout the movement. Flexing your arms will not effectively hit the muscles you are training.

10. Incline Y Raises

As I mentioned earlier, dumbbells allow you to adjust the angle of any exercise and train your muscles from different angles. One example is inclined Y raises, which simultaneously target the medial and anterior deltoids and build sculpted shoulders.¹⁰ Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Esposito F, Cè E. An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(17):6015. Published 2020 Aug 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph17176015

It involves lying prone on a 45-degree inclined bench and lifting dumbbells diagonally, providing the benefits of front and lateral raises.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Front Delts, Medial Delts, Traps, and Rhomboids
• Force Type: Pull
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and an Adjustable Bench
• Goal: Train the shoulders from a different angle and help increase strength and aesthetics.

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab one dumbbell in each hand and lie prone on the bench with your chest on the edge.
2. Adjust your feet, lower your arms, and keep your spine straight. That’s the start.
3. Raise your arms diagonally as if your arms form a Y shape.
4. Pause for two seconds, feel the work, then return to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• It is a single-joint exercise, so perform this exercise with light dumbbells to target the muscles more efficiently.
• Avoid this exercise when you perform DFL raises (exercise #1).

11. Power Press

The power press, also known as the push press, is an explosive exercise that builds speed, strength, and endurance.

It is an alternative exercise to overhead press for those who want to enhance their athleticism while strengthening their shoulders.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Shoulders, Abs, and Legs
• Force Type: Explosive Push Exercise
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Increase endurance and power and build lean mass

Steps to Perform:

1. Grasp one dumbbell in each hand and stand in the hip-width stance.
2. Hold the dumbbells close to your shoulders with your palms facing forward.
3. Dip down a bit by bending your knees and then quickly extend your hips and legs to press the dumbbell overhead until your arms are completely straight.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Power presses not only involve your shoulders but also your hips, legs, and abs. So, ensure your core is tight throughout the movement and properly utilize your lower body to generate speed.
• Power press is primarily for building endurance and explosiveness, so use lighter dumbbells than other exercises and perform at least 8 reps per set.

12. Bent-Over Face Pull

The bent-over face pull is an adduction exercise that targets posterior delts from a different angle than reverse flies and builds firm shoulders.

Exercise Overview:

• Focused Muscles: Posterior delt and Trapezius
• Force Type: Pull
• Experience Require: Intermediate
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells Only
• Goal: Strengthen rear delts and develop upper posterior torso.

Steps to Perform:

1. Grab a pair of light dumbbells and get into your bent-over position (torso parallel to the floor).
2. Keep your arms hanging off with your palms facing in, and brace your abdominal muscles.
3. Pull the dumbbells up with your elbows passing your ears.
4. Hold for a moment, feel the contraction, then return to the start.

The Fitness Phantom Tips

• Staying in a sturdy bent-over position throughout is important to activate the posterior delts effectively. To do that, you must keep your abdominals tight and maintain a neutral spine. It also requires flexibility in your lower back, so I do not recommend it to people with a stiff lower back.

How to Program Dumbbell Shoulder Workouts

You’ve got all the best dumbbell exercises for training shoulder muscles; now, let’s see how to program them to achieve excellent results.

Shoulder Workout A

1. DFL Raises: 4 sets x 6 reps, up to 2-minute rest between sets
2. Overhead Press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 90-second rest
3. Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 10-12 reps, 1-minute rest
4. Chest Supported Row/ DB Face Pull: 3 sets x 8-12 reps, 90-second rest
5. Dumbbell Shrug: 3 sets x 10-12 reps, 90-second rest

Shoulder Workout B

• Push Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps, 45-second rest
• Arnold Press: 4 sets x 8-10 reps, up to 2-minute rest
• Incline Y Raises: 3 sets x 10-12 reps, 90-second rest
• Rear Delt Raises: 3 sets x 10-12 reps, 90-second rest
• Upright Row/Shrug: 3 sets x 8-10 reps, 90-second rest

I recommend following these workouts alternatively to train your shoulders in the most practical way.

You can also make changes to the reps, sets, and volume according to your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

• 1
  Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(24):4897. Published 2019 Dec 4. doi:10.3390/ijerph16244897
• 2
  5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training – Pete Call, 2015, American Council of Exercise (ACE)
• 3
  Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, et al. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020;75:5-14. Published 2020 Oct 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2020-0033
• 4
  Raizada, Shiny & Bagchi, Amritashish. (2017). Comparison among the EMG Activity of the Anterior Deltoid and Medial Deltoid During Two Variations of Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercise. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. 8. 653. 10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00411.9.
• 5
  Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Esposito F, Cè E. An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(17):6015. Published 2020 Aug 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph17176015
• 6
  Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, et al. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020;75:5-14. Published 2020 Oct 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2020-0033
• 7
  Franke, Rodrigo & Botton, Cíntia & Rodrigues, Rodrigo & Pinto, Ronei & Lima, Cláudia. (2014). Analysis of anterior, middle and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 55.
• 8
  Schoenfeld, Brad & Kolber, Morey & Haimes, Jonathan. (2011). The Upright Row: Implications for Preventing Subacromial Impingement. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 33. 25-28. 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31822ec3e3
• 9
  Kolber MJ, Cheatham SW, Salamh PA, Hanney WJ. Characteristics of shoulder impingement in the recreational weight-training population. J Strength Cond Res. 2014;28(4):1081-1089. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000250
• 10
  Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Esposito F, Cè E. An Electromyographic Analysis of Lateral Raise Variations and Frontal Raise in Competitive Bodybuilders. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(17):6015. Published 2020 Aug 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph17176015