45 Minutes Beginner Shoulders Workout with Dumbbell
A 45 minutes muscle building workout targeting your shoulders using dumbbell equipment. 3 exercises, 12 total sets, designed for beginner lifters.
45 Minutes
Duration
12
Total Sets
8-12 reps
Rep Range
~630
Est. Calories
The Workout
Start with this as your primary movement. Warm up with 2 lighter sets first.
Form cues
- Stand with dumbbells at your sides, thumbs pointing slightly upward.
- Raise your arms in the scapular plane — about 30 degrees forward from a straight lateral raise.
- Lift until your hands reach shoulder height, keeping a slight elbow bend.
Hinge forward at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
Form cues
- Hinge forward at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
- Let the dumbbells hang directly below your shoulders with a slight elbow bend.
- Raise the dumbbells out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Finish strong — take the last set close to failure.
Form cues
- Start with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Press straight up to full lockout, bringing the dumbbells close together at the top.
- Lower under control to the starting position — feel the stretch in your delts.
Why This Workout Works
This workout is built around the principles of muscle building training. Use moderate loads (65-80% of your 1RM) with controlled eccentrics and full range of motion. Prioritize progressive overload by adding reps before adding weight. Train each muscle group 2x per week with 10-20 hard sets per muscle per week.
Training Parameters
- Rep Range: 8-12 reps — the hypertrophy sweet spot for maximum muscle growth
- Rest Periods: 60-90 seconds — long enough for quality reps, short enough for metabolic stress
- Sets Per Exercise: 3-4 sets — optimized for muscle building
Shoulders Training Tips
- *Most lifters over-train the front delt and neglect the rear delt — prioritize face pulls and reverse flyes.
- *Lateral raises work best with lighter weight and strict form — no swinging.
- *Press overhead with a slight forward lean to keep the bar path over your center of gravity.
Get this shoulders workout personalized for you
Revy's AI will analyze your training history, recovery status, and strength levels to customize every set, rep, and weight for maximum muscle building results.