You use your arms and shoulders daily (think pushing, pulling, and lifting items above your head), so it’s imperative you incorporate upper-body exercises into your workout routine.
“Strengthening the arms and shoulders can reduce the risk of overuse injuries, which are common due to repetitive motions in daily life like opening doors, carrying groceries, and lifting children or objects,” says fitness coach J’zotta Rolle.
If you enjoy playing sports, strong arms can also help your performance. Rolle says, “In sports like swimming, tennis, basketball, and weightlifting, training [arms and shoulders] helps in generating power and controlling movements.”
Strong arms and shoulders aren’t just for your single joint movements. They can also level up your entire fitness routine. “Many compound movements like bench presses, deadlifts, and rows rely secondarily on strong arms and shoulders. Developing them enhances your ability to perform these exercises effectively and safely,” says Rolle.
These are some of the best arm and shoulder exercises to help you strengthen your upper body. They’re great because they can be modified to fit your fitness level, and when done from start to finish, work of the major muscles in your arms and shoulders. As a bonus, all of these exercises also require core engagement, so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.
All you need is a light to medium set of dumbbells, and you aren’t sure which weight is right for you, you can use this guide to help.
You can add these exercises into your regular upper-body workout, but you can also stack them into one workout for an effective arm-and-shoulder day. Perform them one after the other for the recommended number of reps, resting for 30 to 90 seconds between each move. Then repeat the sequence again three to four times for a full, quick strength workout.
Related: These 7 Double-Duty Dumbbell Exercises Work Your Arms and Back
PS Photography | Chaunté Vaughn
Bicep Curl
“Curls can be done with dumbbells, a barbell, or resistance bands, even bodyweight, making them super versatile. Given the fairly simple movement pattern it is perfect for beginners,” Rolle tells PS. You’re targeting primarily your biceps with this move but don’t fear: the four following moves recruit your other arm and shoulder muscles.
- Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- With your palms facing away from you, bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
- Straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10 reps.
PS Photography | Chaunté Vaughn
Front and Lateral Raise
Rolle explains that both front and lateral (same movement but with your arms to your sides) raises, recruit your rotator cuff muscles and traps. “They are great for improving shoulder mobility and stability, both of which come very useful when performing any movement that requires us to hold weights away from our body.”
Front raises primarily target the anterior deltoids, but can also activate the pecs, traps, and biceps. Add in lateral raises and you’ll also engage your lateral delts and front delts.
- Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- With your palms facing your thighs, lift your arms straight in front of you until they are shoulder height.
- Optional (as shown): Without lowering your arms, move them out to the sides until you form a T shape.
- Lower your arms to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10 reps.
PS Photography | Chaunté Vaughn
Shoulder Press
“The shoulder press is a powerhouse move for building shoulder strength and size, while also engaging your triceps and upper chest,” says Rolle. “If you want to quickly develop power I suggest you incorporate it into your routine. It also helps with shoulder mobility/stability, balance and core strength,” she adds.
The shoulder press also primarily targets your anterior deltoid, but can also work your deltoid, tricep, pecs, and traps.
- Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Bring your dumbbells up to your shoulders with your elbows out at a 45 degree angle.
- Straighten your elbows to press your arms above your head.
- Bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders.
- Repeat for 10 reps.
PS Photography | Chaunté Vaughn
Tricep Kickback
Rolle says that triceps kickbacks are another great arm exercise for beginners to master. “They’re one of the very few, if not the only, tricep exercise that if done right only relatively light resistance should be applied regardless of fitness level,” she says. Triceps kickback targets your triceps, the large muscle on the back of your arm. But that doesn’t make it a one-hit wonder. The triceps are involved with elbow extension and shoulder movement, so ensuring they’re strong helps support your other muscles too.
- Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- With soft knees, hinge forward slightly until your body forms a 45 degree angle.
- Bend your elbows and lock them into your hips.
- Straighten your elbows and push your arms back behind you.
- Bend your elbows to return to the start of the kickback.
- Repeat for 10 reps.
PS Photography | Chaunté Vaughn
Up-Down Plank
The up-down plank is great for not only your arms and shoulders, but for core stabilization as well. It targets your shoulders, chest, triceps, obliques, and abs. Rolle suggests performing this movement from your knees if you are a beginner or need a modification.
- Start in a low plank position with your elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Replace your right elbow with your right hand and your left elbow with your left hand, ending in a high plank position.
- Replace your right hand with your right elbow and your left and with your left elbow, ending in a low plank position.
- Repeat for 10 repetitions, alternating the starting hand.
Brittany Hammond is a NASM-certified fitness instructor, a fitness writer, and an avid reader. In addition to POPSUGAR, she has contributed to Livestrong.com, Well+Good, Verywell Fit, and Health.com. She has worked as a group fitness coach for the past seven years.
