Dumbbells are an excellent tool for building heavier muscle, but they are not just for arms. While dumbbells usually get a lot of attention for training your biceps and triceps, they are also great for working on your shoulders muscles as well. The deltoids or “delts,” are composed of three muscles which are called the anterior deltoid (front), medial deltoid (middle), and posterior deltoid (rear).
What is the function of the delt muscles?
The deltoids are responsible for raising the arm to the front, side, and back of your body. They also help to rotate the arm inward toward the midline of your body or rotate it outward away from it.
If you want to train your delt muscles in order to make them stronger, bigger, and more powerful you need to perform the exercises that will be discussed in this blog.
Best Dumbbell Workout to Train Your Delts
Dumbbells are the most useful piece of equipment in the gym. They can be used to train your arms, back, and legs, and they are also perfect for building up your shoulder muscles as well. The following exercises will help you to develop bulkier delt muscles with dumbbells.
1. Performing dumbbell clean and press workout.
The dumbbell clean and the press is an excellent shoulder exercise that mainly targets your entire deltoid complex. It’s best for beginners, as it doesn’t require any special technique or equipment.
How to perform?
- Stand with your feet a few inches apart. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with palms facing in the inward direction.
- Bend at hips, knees, and waist as you lift the weights up toward the level of your chest.
- Extend your arms overhead by pressing the weights above your head until your arms are straight but your elbows are not locked.
- Return to the beginning position and repeat the exercise again.
2. Performing dumbbells push press exercise.
The dumbbell push press is the alternative exercise of the military press which utilizes a pair of dumbbells instead of a barbell. The exercise can be performed with one or two dumbbells at a time. It is an explosive movement, meaning it can be performed in a quick motion with little to no rest between reps.
How to perform?
- Stand in such a way that your feet are a few inches apart. Hold one or two dumbbells at your hip level with the palms facing each other and elbows pushed in close to your sides.
- Bend the knees slightly and push against the ground using the heels as you raise the dumbbells up toward the shoulders while keeping them at hip level. This will be your beginning position.
- Press the dumbbell over your head by stretching through your arms until they are fully extended above you, then lower back down until they reach your hip level again.
- Repeat the exercise again.
3. Performing dumbbell front raise.
Dumbbells front raise is an incredible workout to increase the strength of the shoulders and help to improve the posture as well. This workout permits lifting dumbbells from the front to the side, which will help to tone up your shoulders and arms.
How to perform?
- Stand straight on your feet with the two dumbbells in both hands, palms facing towards the body, and elbows twisted at 90 degrees.
- By keeping your upper arms close to the body, slowly raise them upwards until they reach your shoulder height or until elbows are parallel to the ground (depending on how much weight you are using).
- Now slowly lower back down keeping your elbows close to your body until they reach their original position (arms hanging straight down).
- Repeat the exercise again.
4. Performing Dumbbell Arnold Press
Arnold press is an isolation workout and it mainly engages the anterior (front) deltoid muscle.
How to perform?
- To perform this exercise, you need to hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand in a straight position with the feet slightly apart and knees slightly twisted.
- Start with your arms hanging down at both of your sides. Lift the weights upward so that they go behind your head until your arms are fully stretched over your head.
- Now start lowering them back down again until they are at the level of your shoulders and repeat the exercise again by performing 8-12 reps per set.
5. Performing Dumbbell face pulling exercise.
The Dumbbell face pull exercise is also one of the best workouts for your delts. It helps in developing your shoulder muscles and also increases their strength. This workout can be performed at home, with just a pair of dumbbells.
How to perform.
- In order to perform this exercise correctly, grab two dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Twist over until your body is parallel to the ground.
- Hold every dumbbell in one hand with an overhand grip (palms facing forward). Now raise both of the arms up so they are parallel with the body while keeping them straight throughout the entire movement.
- Take a pause at this position then slowly start lowering the weights back down until your arms are fully extended again in front of you (or until they touch the floor if you have a long enough bench).
- You must feel the stretch on your back muscles during this entire movement as well as in both arms as they are being pulled down by the weights.
- Repeat this movement with both arms for 8 to 10 repetitions then switch sides and perform another set.
6. Performing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- In order to perform this exercise, start with both hands holding a dumbbell at the level of your shoulder level.
- Make sure your elbows should be twisted at 90 degrees, with your palms facing each other and the weights hanging downward. This is your beginning position.
- Now slowly raise the dumbbells to the side by extending the arms. The upper arms must be parallel to the floor, while your forearms should remain stationary in front of you throughout the movement.
- Hold the top contracted position for almost a second. Slowly lower back down to the beginning position.
- Repeat the exercise again.
The exercises discussed in this article are the best for beginners who want to build strength without getting injured. You can perform these exercises regularly if you want to target every muscle in your shoulders, upper back, and arms.
