Maintain your gains at home with these dumbbell exercises for strengthening your arms and shoulders. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and a chair in your front room…

If you spend hours in the gym working on your upper body, you may be wondering how to maintain these gains when stuck at home. Luckily, working on your arms and shoulders doesn’t necessarily require heaps of hardcore equipment. The following dumbbell exercises are the best options for building strength in your arms and shoulders – a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells or fixed dumbbells and a chair are all you need!

How to do these exercises:

Ready to work on your upper body at home? Try these dumbbell exercises for strengthening your arms and shoulders…

Complete 12-15 reps for each exercise. Move straight on to the next exercise in the superset. Take a 60-second break between each superset (after 1c).

Best dumbbell exercises for arms and shoulders:

1a. Seated press
1b. Lateral raise
1c. Reverse lateral raise
2a. Seated curl
2b. Standing curl
2c. Triceps extension

Keep reading for full instructions on how to perform the best dumbbell exercises for arm and shoulder strength.

Jordan Fitness Premium Urethan Dumbbells

Need a new dumbbell set? We recommend the Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells. On test, we were impressed by the floor-friendly design and excellent weight range, making these dumbbell sets an ideal choice for any home gym.

SQUIRREL_TEXT_12996063

Buy now

Dumbbell arm and shoulder workout: exercise instructions

man demonstrating seated press; he sits on a bench holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, before raising them up then lowering them

1a. Seated press

Reps: 12-15
Rest: Straight into 1b

How to do a seated press:

  • Sit on a bench/chair with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
  • Keeping your chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.
man demonstrated lateral raise; he stands tall holding two dumbbells at his side, before raising them to shoulder height then lowering

1b. Lateral raise

Reps: 12-15
Rest: Straight into 1c

How to do a lateral raise:

  • Stand tall with a light dumbbell in each hand with palms facing.
  • Keeping your chest up and a bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start.
man demonstrated reverse lateral raise; bent forwards at the hips, he holds two dumbbells with palms facing, then lifts his arms out to the side until level with his shoulders

1c. Reverse lateral raise

Reps: 12-15
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 4

How to do a reverse lateral raise:

  • Bend forwards from the hips with a light dumbbell in each hand, palms facing.
  • Keeping a bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start.

man demonstrated seated curl; sitting on a bench, he lifts and lowers two dumbbells in either hand

2a. Seated curl

Reps: 12-15
Rest: Straight into 2b

How to do a seated curl:

  • Sit on a bench with dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forwards.
  • Keeping your elbows tucked in, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top.
  • Lower the weights back to the start.

man demonstrated standing curl in dumbbell arm and shoulder workout; standing tall, he holds two dumbbells and repeatedly lifts and lowers them, keeping his elbows tucked in

2b. Standing curl

Target your biceps with this dumbbell exercise.

Reps: 12-15
Rest: Straight into 2c

How to do a standing curl:

  • Hold dumbbells by your sides with straight arms, palms facing forwards.
  • Keeping your elbows tucked in, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top.
  • Lower them back to the start.

man demonstrates triceps extension in dumbbell shoulder and arm workout; standing tall, he holds a dumbbell behind his head with both hands before raising it up and lowering it

2c. Triceps extension

This classic move is ideal for adding to any dumbbell triceps workouts.

Reps: 12-15
Rest: 60 secs
Sets: 4

How to do a triceps extension:

  • Stand tall holding a dumbbell over your head with both hands, arms straight.
  • Keeping your chest up, lower the weight behind your head, then raise it back to the start.

As you can see, there are a bunch of effective exercises for dumbbell arms workouts and dumbbell shoulder workouts. If you want to zoom in even closer and target specific muscles, try some dumbbell forearm exercises or head to our sister site, Women’s Fitness UK, to discover the best exercises to tone your upper arms.