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Video7 minWith Nikkiey Stott

Dumbbell Only Shoulder Workout: Front, Side and Rear Delts

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This video is part ofStrength Training for Women266 lessons · where to start, common questions and more

In this video

All you need for this shoulder workout is a set of dumbbells. Nikkiey Stott takes you through a session that hits every head of the shoulder: shoulder presses, lateral raises, front raises and rear delt flyes, each for three sets of 10 reps. She finishes with an around-the-world burnout done for one set to failure.

Along the way she gives practical form cues. Don't swing weights that are too heavy on your lateral raises. If your traps are screaming during rear delt flyes, your form has slipped. Pick up light dumbbells for the burnout instead of trying to be a hero. She uses five-pound weights, and they still burn.

Nikkiey also shares why she thinks training in a gym can push you harder than working out at home. She closes with a mindset point she wants you to take into every hard set: your mind gives up before your body does, so when you feel done, there is usually more left in the tank.

Key takeaways

  • Start the workout with a dumbbell shoulder press for three sets of 10 reps.
  • Do dumbbell lateral raises for three sets of 10, and skip any weight so heavy you have to swing it up.
  • Hit the front of the shoulders with dumbbell front raises for three sets of 10 reps.
  • Use rear delt flyes for three sets of 10 to work the back of the shoulders.
  • If your traps are screaming during rear delt flyes, your form is off and you are not working the right muscle.
  • Finish with an around-the-world burnout for one set to failure, using light dumbbells. Nikkiey uses five-pounders.
  • Nikkiey believes training in a gym lets you feed off other people's energy, so if you work out at home, ask yourself whether a gym membership would help.
  • When you feel like you can't do another rep, keep going, because your mind gives up before your body does.

Questions answered

What dumbbell exercises work all parts of the shoulders?

This workout uses dumbbell shoulder presses, lateral raises, front raises and rear delt flyes to hit every head of the shoulder. Each is done for three sets of 10 reps, followed by an around-the-world burnout.

How heavy should the weights be for an around-the-world burnout?

Go light. Nikkiey warns against trying to be a hero with the weights and uses five-pound dumbbells for one set to failure, which she says still burns.

Why do my traps hurt when I do rear delt flyes?

Nikkiey says that if your traps are screaming during rear delt flyes, your form is off. The exercise should target the back of the shoulders, not the traps.

Is working out at the gym better than working out at home?

In Nikkiey's view, the gym gives you an environment where you feed off the energy of people doing the work. At home the only energy you have is your own, and you can show up half-hearted without realizing it.

What should I do when I feel like I can't finish a set?

Keep going. Nikkiey says your mind will tell you you're done before your body is, and there is usually more left in the tank, so trust your body.

Full transcript

Nikkiey: What's going on, you guys? Welcome back to a dumbbell-only shoulder workout. It sounds just like that, a dumbbell-only shoulder workout. And we are going to hit every single head of the shoulder. Let's get to it.

All right, so the first exercise we're going to hit up today is going to be a dumbbell shoulder press. We're going to do three sets, 10 reps. Let's go.

Next up, we've got dumbbell lateral raises, three sets, 10 reps. Let's go. It's my favorite exercise.

This is what monkeys look like in the gym when they shouldn't be lifting the weight that they're lifting and it's too heavy. Don't do that, my friends. Don't do that. Don't be that person.

Pumpkin! We're in pumpkin season, baby. Get those pumpkins.

Third exercise of this shoulder day is dumbbell front raises. Three sets, 10 reps. Let's go.

Where are my ladies at? Where are the women at? Come on, girls. A lot of fucking testosterone in here right now.

I will tell you something, though. Coming to a gym and working out is way different than working out at home. You're in this environment, you're with all the people that are here, putting in the work, doing the work, doing the hard shit, and you feed off of that energy. It's hard when you're at home and the only energy you've got to feed off of is your own. You could be showing up half-assed and think you're showing up good, but you ain't. You come here, it's a different vibe. You home-goers that work out at home, question yourself if you should get a gym membership right now.

Our second-to-last exercise: we have rear delt flyes, so we're going to focus on the back of our shoulders now. Three sets, 10 reps.

All right, last set of this exercise, and then we're going to move on to a burnout. It's going to hurt.

I don't know, man, that was shitty form. That was really shitty form. You know you did yourself dirty with form when your traps are screaming during that exercise. This should not be the case.

Okay, last exercise. This one's a burner. We're going to do around the world. So if you're going to try this workout, don't go trying to be a hero with the weights right now. You're going to see me pick up some five-pounders, and it's going to burn. We're going to do one set till failure.

Yo, I definitely can't feel them right now. They're very numb. I cannot pick up my arms. Really tired. That was a challenge, man. You saw me struggle there a couple of times.

Dude, your mind will totally tell you that you can stop, or that you feel like you can stop, and your body is going to do the same thing. There's way more left in the tank. So if you feel like you can't, just keep going. Your mind gives up before your body does. Your mind will be like, you're done, but your body can keep going. So trust your body.

If you guys want more tips and tricks like this, be sure to check out WarriorBabe in the description below. We are so much more than that. If you want to know how to build muscle and you want the back-end coaching support, one-on-one, all the jazz that comes with it, check it out. See you next time.

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