45 Minutes Intermediate Shoulders Workout with Dumbbell
A 45 minutes muscle building workout targeting your shoulders using dumbbell equipment. 3 exercises, 11 total sets, designed for intermediate lifters.
45 Minutes
Duration
11
Total Sets
8-12 reps
Rep Range
~578
Est. Calories
The Workout
Start with this as your primary movement. Warm up with 2 lighter sets first.
Form cues
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your thighs.
- Raise one or both dumbbells to eye level with arms nearly straight.
- Pause briefly at the top and lower under control.
Start with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you (like the top of a curl).
Form cues
- Start with dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing you (like the top of a curl).
- As you press up, rotate your palms to face forward at the top.
- Lock out overhead with palms facing away from you.
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.