12 Best Chest and Shoulder Workouts With Dumbbells

12 Best Chest and Shoulder Workout With Dumbbells

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Hope you are looking for the Chest and Shoulder workout with dumbbells to build muscle mass and strength of upper body. Here we discuss the effective chest and shoulder workout that you can do with the help of dumbbells to build muscle mass and strength.

The combination of chest and shoulder workout with dumbbells help to increase your muscle strength and endurance in chest and shoulder. Chest and shoulder is a muscle pairing as old as the dumbbell press, push-ups.

The chest muscle is the main targeted muscle in most pressing exercises, and the shoulder and triceps are crucial synergistic muscles.

Chest and Shoulder Muscles Anatomy

The chest muscle, aka pectoralis muscle, is mainly divided into the upper and the lower sections. It’s important to train the chest with a variety of exercises to develop the upper and the lower, pectorals, the inside and the outside pectorals.

Chest ( pectoralis) anatomy

The shoulder muscle aka deltoid muscle is consists of three separate sections or heads.

The anterior deltoid (In front), lateral deltoid (at the side), and posterior deltoid (behind), and you need to work all three of them, along with the trapezius muscle in the upper back, to build an impressive shoulder.

Shoulder Anatomy
Advantages of doing a Chest and Shoulder workout using dumbbells:
  • The Chest and Shoulder workout with Dumbbells require more balance as compare to barbells or machines that can lead to greater muscle fiber recruitment.
  • Dumbbell affords a greater level of variety, which prevents physical and mental burnout.
  • Dumbbell requires more muscular control, and enhancing kinesthetic awareness.
  • Chest and shoulder workout with dumbbells allows for greater joint safety and stabilization and allows the joints to move naturally within their range of motion.
  • Dumbbell variations allow for a greater range of movement (ROM), which leads to an increased number of muscle fibers recruited.
  • Chest and shoulder workout with dumbbells allow unilateral training (training one limb at a time), increase core stability, and improve muscular imbalances.
Why You Should Train Chest and shoulder together on same day workout session

During a compound workout, many targeted muscles work together with other Synergistic and stabilizer muscles to function. Targeting one muscle may not fully engage these other supportive muscles, but they may be in use to some degree.

Training chest and shoulder together in the same workout is something that bodybuilders have been doing for decades. The reason for training those muscle groups together is very logical.

Like when you are doing a dumbbell press, the pectorals (chest) is one of the target muscles. However, there are many other Synergistic and stabilizer muscles acting in this motion, such as the Anterior Deltoid, Triceps Brachii, Biceps Brachii.

12 Best Chest and Shoulder Workouts With Dumbbells

It’s important that first, you train your chest than your shoulder during your workout routine. This is because your chest muscle will need your full energy and is most likely the heavies to train and gain in terms of muscle.

12 Best Chest And Shoulder Exercises With Dumbbells

So here’s a list of a few of the best chest and shoulder exercises using dumbbells that’s helping to you to build up a strong and healthy body and muscle.

Chest Exercises

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press is a great way to add muscle mass to the chest. The shoulders and triceps will be indirectly involved as well. Barbell Bench Press has a limitation that it does not involve the full range of motion, a limitation dumbbell bench press overcomes.  

The dumbbell bench press provides an extra range of motion at the top for complete chest development. Moreover, dumbbells also demand better coordination, forcing the stabilizing muscles to assist as well.

Dumbbell Bench Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Pectoralis Major

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps
  1. Lie flat on the bench, keeping your feet on the floor for better balance, with a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Hold the Dumbbells straight overhead, palms facing forwards.
  3. Now, lower the weights to your outer chest, stretching the chest to the maximum at the bottom.
  4. Then raise it until your arms are nearly locked out, keep dumbbells very close to each other.
Tips
  • Keep a controlled motion, and avoid jerky movements.
  • Keep your elbows close to your sides.
  • Let your back keep a natural arch so that you have a slight gap between your lower back and the bench.

2. Dumbbell Pullover

Dumbbell Pullover is the best exercise to build a strong rib cage and build serratus anterior muscle to build a complete chest and back.

Pullovers work directly on the serratus anterior muscle to develop the back. This exercise is done lying across a bench with a heavy dumbbell.

Dumbbell Pullovers
Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower Pectoralis.

Secondary: Shoulder, triceps, Back

Steps
  1. Lie across on a bench on your shoulders so that your head is hanging.
  2. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and get it straight over your chest.
  3. Lower the dumbbell in an arc, slowly getting a good stretch in your rib cage.
  4. Lower the dumbbell as far as possible and then raise it back to the starting position.
Tips
  • Exhale while you exert.
  • Maximum stretching ensures the greatest expansion on the rib cage.
  • Relax your hips and let them fall as relaxed hips help in extra expansion

3. Incline Dumbbell Press

Incline Dumbbell Press Exercise is an excellent way to develop the middle and the upper pectoral muscles.

Just like the Incline Bench Press, the Incline Dumbbell press works mostly on the upper pecs, but dumbbells allow full range of motion, and therefore in some ways better than the bench press.

It adds an extra range of motion at the top for complete chest development. Also, dumbbells demand better coordination, forcing the stabilizing muscles (Triceps, shoulder) to assist as well.

Incline Dumbbell Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper pectoralis.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps
  1. Lie back on an incline bench. Make sure the bench is adjusted to between 30-45 degrees on an incline.
  2. Clean the dumbbells and lift them straight overhead. Feel a good chest squeeze at the top.
  3. Lower the dumbbells and feel a good chest muscle stretch at the bottom.
  4. Hold for a second and then press the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Tips
  • Exhale whilst pushing dumbbells upwards and do in a controlled manner.
  • Set bench at about 30-45 degrees inclined. Do not go more upright as the stress shifts more to shoulders rather than chest area.
  • Vary bench angles to hit different angles of the chest.

4. Dumbbell fly

The dumbbell fly utilizes a chest fly movement pattern to isolate the muscles of the chest, help the muscles to grow better and become stronger. It is often thought of as a classic bodybuilding movement, as the goal of the exercise is to isolate the chest for aesthetic purposes.

The dumbbell fly targets all areas of the pecs, but most significantly the inner chest.

Dumbbell Fly
Muscles Involved

Primary: Inner and upper pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps
  1. Lie on the flat bench with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
  3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
  4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.
Tips
  • Perform press in a controlled manner.
  • Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion.

5. Decline Dumbbell Fly

The decline dumbbell chest fly is a variation of the dumbbell fly used to target the muscles of the chest. In particular, the decline dumbbell chest fly targets the lower chest due to the decline angle used.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower pectoralis.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps
  1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back on a decline bench. Hook your feet into the footpad or roller.
  2. Extend the dumbbells above your chest. Turn the palms to face each other and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
  3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
  4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your lower pec muscles to draw them back together.
Tips
  • Keep the movement slow and controlled.
  • Use a slight decline, such as 30 degrees. Extremes are never the best option.
  • If you’re using very heavyweights, have a spotter to handle dumbbells for you once your body is in position.

6. Dumbbell Push-Up

Push-Ups is the best Bodyweight exercise to build your entire upper body and shoulder, chest, and arms. Push-Ups can be a real challenge if done in various angles and Intensity to Build Muscle and Strength. This exercise is done on the floor with dumbbells. In your workout regime add this dumbbell chest exercise.

Dumbbell Push Ups
Muscles Involved

Primary: Pectoralis major.

Secondary: Shoulder, triceps, and core.

Instructions
  1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand and get into a plank position with your palms facing down towards the floor. 
  2. Now raise yourself off the ground straightening your elbows and your arms but keep your elbows close to your body.
  3. Raise until your elbows are locked and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
  4. Now lower your body under slow sustained motion, feeling the motion all the way down until your chest is very close to the ground.
Proper Form
  • Exhale while you exert.
  • Brace your core throughout your chest workout to keep it engaged.

Shoulder Exercises

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercises

Dumbbell Shoulder Press exercises are an excellent variation to Barbell Shoulder Press. The fact is that the dumbbells allow a full range of motion.

Dumbbell press is a very significant exercise to build front and side deltoid muscles. This exercise helps to Build Muscle Mass in the front and side of the deltoids.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Anterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, triceps, trapezius, upper pectoralis.

Steps
  1. Sit at the end of a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing forward.
  2. Lift the dumbbells overhead until they nearly touch at the top and then lower them as low as possible.
  3. Feel a good stretch at the bottom and then continue the next rep.
Tips
  • Exhale during effort, inhale during rest.
  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Go as heavy as possible.

2. Arnold Shoulder Press

Arnold Dumbbell Shoulder Press exercise is an excellent Shoulder muscle-building exercise. Arnold’s press stands out from the crowd when it comes to the best exercise with the best range of motion for shoulder muscles.

It gives a wide range of motion as you lower the dumbbells well down in front, giving that maximum stretch other shoulder exercises lack.

Arnold Press
Muscles Involved

Primary: Anterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, triceps, trapezius, upper pectoralis.

Steps
  1. Stand straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder position with palms facing you.
  2. Now press the dumbbells overhead just like dumbbell presses but twisting them so that palms face forwards at the top of the movement.
  3. Now lower the dumbbells in a reverse movement.
Tips
  • Inhale when you lower the weight and exhale when you lift.
  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Keep a strict form.
  • Do not lock your arms overhead.

3. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Lateral Raise is the best exercise to build side deltoids. To build the middle head of the deltoid muscle, make Lateral raises a regular part of your shoulder workout. It’s a must-do exercise.

Lateral Raise
Muscles Involved

Primary: Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, trapezius, supraspinatus.

Steps
  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bring the weights together in front of you. The palms should be facing each other.
  2. Now bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells to your sides.
  3. Lift them to a point slightly higher than your shoulders.
  4. Now lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner back to the starting position.
Tips
  • The form is a very important part of this exercise.
  • Don’t just swing your arms. Keep controlled motion throughout the exercise.
  • Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1-2 sets.

4. Bent over Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Bent Over raises are an excellent exercise to isolate and work specifically on rear deltoid muscles. For complete shoulder muscle development, bent-over raises are a must-do.

This exercise hit specifically the rear shoulder head by isolating it better than any other shoulder exercise. This exercise can be performed in both a standing and a seated position. Prefer the seated version as it calls for strict movement.

Lateral Bent over row
Muscles Involved

Primary: Posterior deltoid.

Secondary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius, rhomboids, infraspinatus, teres minor, teres major.

Steps
  1. Sit at the end of a bench with a pair of dumbbells.
  2. Bend forward and let the dumbbells hang on your sides.
  3. Lift the dumbbells, raising them on your sides to a level slightly upper than your shoulders.
  4. Now lower the dumbbells back to your sides.
Tips
  • Your arms should be parallel to your shoulders.
  • Keep strict form to isolate the rear delts.

5. Dumbbell Upright Row

The heavy Upright Row is an excellent exercise to build huge Trapezius muscles and create that deltopectoral separation.

Heavy Upright Rows along with Shrugs build massive traps. You can use either a barbell, dumbbells, Cable, or Smith Machine to perform Upright Rows.

Upright Rows can be done with both narrow grips and wider ones. The narrow grip focuses on Trapezius, and the wider focuses on the entire shoulder girdle.

Upright Row
Muscles Involved

Primary: Lateral deltoid, trapezius.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, teres minor.

Steps
  1. Hold a bar with a narrow overhand grip and let it hang in front of you.
  2. Lift the bar, get it as close as possible to the chin using your arms, and elevate your shoulders to squeeze your trapezius muscles.
  3. Now lower the bar under controlled motion until it comes back to its starting position.
Tips
  • Remember to exhale while you exert.
  • Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
  • Keep your back straight.

6. Dumbbell Shrug

The dumbbell shrug is a variation and one of the best exercises to build bigger and stronger trapezius muscles.

This exercise can be done extremely heavily to thicken the traps, which really helps you in doing back poses. This is one of the best trap isolation exercises for trapezius muscle.

Dumbbell Shrugs
Muscles Involved

Primary: Trapezius, Lateral deltoid.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, teres minor.

Steps
  1. Stand upright keeping arms at sides and with a heavy dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Raise your shoulders as high as you can, as if trying to touch them to your ears.
  3. Hold at the top for a moment, then release and return to the starting position.
Tips
  • Inhale when you lower the weight and exhale when you lift.
  • Adding a pause at the top of the movement can help to enhance the mind-muscle connection.
  • Limit momentum and excessive jerking or bouncing of the weight.

FAQ

Can you train chest and shoulder together?

Yes, you can train chest and shoulder together by using dumbbells in your workout regime. It’s actually preferred by many fitness gurus and bodybuilders to train them together, since you are already working the shoulder when doing chest.

How Many Sets and Reps Should I Do?

For just about every exercise of the chest or shoulder, 3–4 work sets (the real work you do, not warm-up sets) is a good choice. But rep ranges fluctuate. You can go as low as 5 reps on heavy presses, and up to 15–30 reps for accessory work.

Chest and shoulder superset workout

  1. Dumbbell Bench Press Superset with Dumbbell Shoulder Press
  2. Dumbbell Pullover Superset with Arnold Shoulder Press
  3. Incline Dumbbell Press Superset with Dumbbell Lateral Raise
  4. Dumbbell fly Superset with Bent over Dumbbell Raise
  5. Decline Dumbbell Fly Superset with Dumbbell Upright Row
  6. Dumbbell Push-Up Press Superset with Dumbbell Shrug

The Best Superset is that you can simply and effectively implement it in your workout. Try this workout Superset.

I hope you enjoy the chest and shoulder workout with the dumbbells.

STAY FIT, LIVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE

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