Top Shoulder Exercises at Home with Dumbbells

Are you lacking time or couldn’t you just go to a gym to work on your shoulders due to the pandemic conditions? You can work on your shoulders at home if you have dumbbells in your training gear collection. Here you will learn how to make the most of shoulder exercises with dumbbells at home and how you can perform these exercises perfectly to get the best outcomes.

For getting a perfect V shape body, working on shoulders is a must. Strong shoulders are an essential part of the perfect body. They are also essential to be strengthened for dealing with day-to-day tasks like lifting weights or performing heavy-duty jobs, and most importantly, for prevention against possible injuries while doing other exercises. These are some factors that necessitate you to do shoulder exercise, whether at home or at the gym. Having stronger deltoids and other shoulder muscles can help you perform your other body exercises more effectively to gain maximum muscle.

There is no particular restriction of place and even of equipment to perform shoulder exercises. You can do these exercises anywhere you find feasible and appropriate. If you have the required equipment and tools available at home to perform light or comprehensive workouts, you can definitely do it at home. Moreover, you can also use tutorial videos to learn different shoulder exercises at home. However, if you want instant feedback on your technique or the assistance of an instructor, going to a gym will be a better choice.

Dumbbells are one of the multipurpose workout equipment and you can use them in various ways when it comes to strengthening your shoulders. There are plenty of exercises that revolve around dumbbells.

According to the latest comparative study on barbells, dumbbells, and machine exercises, it is revealed that dumbbells are the more beneficial of these three. They help with increasing stabilization and muscle activation in your shoulders and identify and eliminate strength imbalances. On top of that, while using dumbbells, you can easily increase or decrease the level of intensity of your shoulder strengthening exercises at home as per your requirements. They are also a safe tool to perform any weighted exercise.

To do shoulder exercises at home with dumbbells, you need to have two sets of dumbbells, one of the light dumbbells and the other of heavier ones. However, there are different ways to use dumbbells for people of different levels of expertise in these exercises.

If you are a beginner, you should choose one pair of 5 to 8 lbs. and another pair of 15-20 lbs. Similarly, if you are at the intermediate level, you can choose one pair of 10 pounds and the other of 20lbs dumbbells. And, if you are a pro, you can go for one pair of 15lbs and the second pair of 30lb dumbbells.

Specifically, for at-home exercises, it is suggested to go for rubber dumbbells. They are not just durable but also safe for floors. For shoulder exercises like side raises, go for lighter dumbbells, and for shoulder presses, you should be using heavier ones to maximize your gains.

Here are some of the best shoulder exercises that you can perform at home with dumbbells. To keep your shoulder muscles fit and gain the strength to perform your day-to-day tasks without feeling any discomfort.

If you need to know about the most efficient exercise with dumbbells to strengthen your medial deltoid muscles, dumbbell side raises are perfect to do at home.

Here is how you should be performing this exercise at home:

• Get in a standing position and hold dumbbells in both of your hands while keeping your palms facing each other to start this exercise.
• Lift dumbbells straight out to your side until your arms get parallel to the ground. Stay in this position for 2-3 seconds.
• And return to the starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

This shoulder exercise is specifically focused on strengthening the anterior deltoid and you can perform it in the below-described steps.

• Get into a standing position and hold dumbbells in both of your hands in front of you while keeping your palms facing your body to start this exercise.
• Lift dumbbells straight out to the front until your arms get parallel to the ground. Stay in this position for 2-3 seconds.
• And return to the starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

The shoulder press is another amazing type of shoulder exercise that you can do at home to strengthen your deltoids.

Here is the right way to perform dumbbell shoulder presses to maximize your gains:

• Get in a standing position and hold dumbbells in both of your hands at your chin level while keeping your arms bent against your body with palms facing in.
• Press the dumbbells up over your head while your biceps should be framing your face. Stay in this position for 1 second or 2.
• And return to the starting position for a count of three before going for the next rep.
• Do 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

The dumbbell upright row is an exceptional at-home exercise that can help you strengthen your shoulder. This is also effective for strengthening the upper back.

Here is how you should be doing it:

• Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a dumbbell in both hands. While holding dumbbells, make sure your palms are facing your body and the weights should be resting on top of your thighs.
• Now bend your elbows and bring the dumbbells to your armpit level.
• Hold there for a second or more and then lower your hands back to the starting position.
• Count to three before going for the next rep.
• You can do 2-3 sets of 10 reps.

The dumbbell shoulder shrug is one of the exercises that help you work on your traps, upper body, forearms, and back while working on your shoulders. 

You can also enjoy its perks by following the below steps:

• Get into a standing position with keeping your feet shoulder-width apart while holding dumbbells in both hands with palms inwards and keeping your core engaged.
• Raise your hands as high as you can by contracting your traps.
• Lower the dumbbells back down.
• Do 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

Another little tough but effective exercise that you can perform at home to strengthen your shoulders is dumbbell single-arm external rotation.

Here is how you should be performing it properly:

• Start by standing with feet shoulder-width apart. Grab a dumbbell in your right hand while you should be placing the left hand on your hip.
• Bend your right arm to 90 degrees while keeping palms up and forearms in front of you parallel to the ground.
• Without getting your elbow moved, rotate your dumbbells 45 degrees to the right side.
• Return into the starting position and count for 3.
• Your every set should be 10 reps.

For people who cannot go to a gym or are short on time to do so, dumbbell exercises for shoulder strength can be beneficial because these exercises can be done at home easily. If you are one of them, the described exercises can help you strengthen your shoulder at any time of the day when you find some spare time or even before going to bed.