Get stacked shoulders with a pair of dumbbells and these five exercises

These simple exercises will get you the boulder-shoulders you've been dreaming of

Man doing dumbbell shoulder press
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re looking to enhance the size of your upper body, then one area you cannot neglect is your shoulders. Building muscle and strength in your delts is a one-way ticket to making your upper body appear strong and powerful, especially in a t-shirt. This workout is ideal for showing your shoulders some love and will leave you with a serious pump. It’ll take around 25 minutes and all you need is a pair of dumbbells.

There's more to having strong shoulders than just aesthetics though. For starters, they help you carry out everyday activities, such as lifting and carrying items. Plus, if you do other sport activities that requires a lot of arm movement, such as throwing a ball or swinging a bat, having strength and a good range of motion in your shoulders is essential. But they'll also help your other upper body workouts, whether it's your chest, arms or back, because your shoulders are always involved in the movement to some extent, even if it's just slightly.

You've only got five exercises to get through in this workout, so try and push yourself for each one. You're going to aim for eight to 12 reps for each exercise, with a 30 to 45 second rest between each one. Then, once you've completed an entire round of the workout, you'll then repeat it two more times. Ready? Here's your workout:

  • Shoulder press
  • Alternating bent-over wide row
  • W press
  • Single dumbbell raise with a twist
  • Front raises into upright rows

If you're in need of an even speedier session, then we've got this 15 minute shoulder sculpting workout. Also, don't forget if you're trying to create that 'V' shape then you also need to work your back as well, and we've got the perfect workout for a stronger back using just a single resistance band. Finally, complete the entire package by working your arms too – this standing superset workout will do just that, targeting the triceps and biceps.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.