Beginner-Friendly At-Home Shoulder Workout

February 18, 2020 39 Comments

Feel and look fantastic in tank tops and bikinis this summer with strong and toned shoulders. This at-home shoulder workout is beginner-friendly. All you need is a pair of dumbbells.

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Summer is right around the corner. At least for most people in the US… not those of us living up here in the frigid north. But, nonetheless, summer bodies are made in the winter.

I love a good booty workout as much as the next girl, but my next favorite body part to train is my shoulders.

Having rounded, toned shoulders looks good with everything. Especially with tank tops, bathing suits, and summery dresses. But, having strong shoulders goes way beyond aesthetics.

Training your shoulders will improve your posture and give you better upper body stability. When you have weak muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, you are at risk of injury.

This doesn’t mean you need to have boulder shoulders. Big muscles don’t always equate to overall health.

This workout alone is not going to give you a bodybuilder physique. Those who achieve that amount of muscle are doing very specific things to get there, including eating in a caloric surplus with high protein intake, training extensively, and often times taking supplements.

With that in mind, adding this at-home shoulder workout to your weekly routine is a great way to keep your shoulders healthy. And with proper nutrition and consistency, you can also get sculpted shoulders.

Beginner-Friendly At-Home Shoulder Workout

For this workout, you will need a set of dumbbells. I recommend having a lighter set and a slightly heavier set for this. Pick a weight that challenges you by reps 8-10. This will look different for everyone.

Resistance training should be free of pride and ego. It doesn’t matter what your friends or the girl on Instagram can lift.

Pick a weight that is challenging but that will allow you to keep your form. If you don’t have a set of dumbbells, I highly recommend the Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Weights.

If you’re don’t have an entire space to dedicate to fitness equipment, this set of dumbbells is the most efficient. They adjust from 5-52.5lbs per weight. If you were using traditional dumbbells, this amount of weight would take up a lot of space.

Plus, it’s super easy to dial the knobs on the side and select a weight quickly. This makes it quick and easy to move from one exercise to the next while maintaining proper form and keeping the workout efficient.

Workout Structure

Complete 10 reps of each exercise in a set with no rest between exercises. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the set 2-3 times. If you are a beginner to exercise, only do one set and focus on proper form.

For the last set, do each exercise for 60 seconds with minimal rest between exercises. You don’t need to repeat this set. It’s a burnout round meant to fatigue your muscles. If you are a complete beginner, do each exercise for 30 seconds.

Set 1

• Front Raise
• Lateral Raise
• Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise

Set 2

• Shoulder Press
• Upright Row
• Side-Lying Rear Delt Raise (10 on each side)

Set 3 (Burnout Round, no weights)

• Small Arm Circles Forward
• Small Arm Circles Backward
• Plank to Push-Up
• Plank with Shift Forward

Front Raise

• Start in a standing position while holding the dumbbells in an overhand grip in front of your thighs.
• Keeping your arms and back straight, with a slight bend in your knees, slowly raise the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
• Release the weights back to your thighs at the same speed you raised them with.

Lateral Raise

• Start in a standing position while holding the dumbbells in an overhand grip at your sides.
• Keeping your arms and back straight, with a slight bend in your knees, slowly raise the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
• Release the weights back to your sides at the same speed you raised them with.

Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise

• Pick a lighter weight for this exercise.
• Stand up tall, holding the weights in an overhand grip. Hinge at the waist, bending your knees so that your back doesn’t round and let the weights hang below your shoulders.
• Slowly, keeping your back straight with a slight bend in your arms, lift the weights up to shoulder height, pinching your shoulder blades together.
• Release the weights back to hanging at the same speed you lifted them with.

*If your flexibility doesn’t allow this standing bent-over position, sit on the edge of a chair with feet on the floor in front of you. Bend over your lower body and let the weights hang at the sides of your legs. Do the exercise from this position.

Shoulder Press

• Start in a standing position, holding the weights with an overhand grip. Lift the weights up to your shoulders.
• With a straight back and slightly bent knees, externally rotate the weights so that your palms are facing forward.
• Keeping the weights directly above your elbows, push the weights straight up above your shoulders to full extension.
• Slowly release the weights back to your shoulders, keeping the weights directly above your elbows the entire time.

Upright Row

• Start in a standing position while holding the dumbbells in an overhand grip in front of your thighs.
• Keeping your back straight, with a slight bend in your knees, pull the weights straight towards your shoulders. Be sure to raise your elbows up and out to the sides.
• Release the weights back to your thighs at the same speed you raised them with.

Side-Lying Rear Delt Raise

• Lie on your side with legs slightly bent to stabilize yourself.
• Holding the weight in an overhand grip with your top hand, place your bottom arm under your head.
• Stretch your top arm out directly in front of your shoulder.
• Keeping your elbow straight or slightly flexed, raise the weight up so that your arm is vertical.
• Slowly release the weight back to the starting position with your arm stretched out in front of your shoulder.

Small Arm Circles

• Standing straight, lift your arms out to your sides so they are parallel to the floor.
• Make your hands into fists with palms down.
• Rotate from the shoulder in a forward (or backward) motion, creating a circle around the shoulder joint with your arm.
• Keep this motion going without returning arms to sides.

Plank to Push-Up

• Start in a basic plank position on your forearms and toes. Be sure to keep your back flat, shoulders stacked over elbows, and hips in a neutral position.
• Lift one arm and place your hand on the floor where your elbow just was. Follow with the other arm to get into a push-up position.
• Lift the first arm and place your forearm back on the floor, followed by the second arm to get back into the plank position.
• Alternate which arm you start with.

*Modify this by doing it from your knees instead of your toes.

Plank with Shift Forward

• Start in a basic plank position on your forearms and toes. Be sure to keep your back flat, shoulders stacked over elbows, and hips in a neutral position.
• Clasp your hands in front of you.
• Shift your body forward, bringing your shoulders past your elbows. Think of trying to kiss your clasped hands.
• Push back to plank position with shoulders stacked over elbows.

*Modify this by doing it from your knees instead of your toes.

Let me know what you thought of this at-home shoulder workout in the comments below. Also, let me know what kinds of workouts you want to see on the blog in the future.