Shoulder Exercise, Dumbbell Raise

Part of the You Can Learn Weightlifting series.
By Ken Brown
Editor, YouCanLearnSeries.com
Updated: April 23, 2005

The Dumbbell Raise will work your shoulder muscles. It is a great shoulder workout that keeps the concentration on the middle deltoids.

Remember to breathe in when coming down and to breathe out when pushing up. Tighten your abdominals (stomach muscles) when doing this exercise. Concentrate on maintaining good posture.

When athletes are looking for larger shoulder muscles, this workout focuses on the middle delts. Here are a couple of photos of the exercise at the beginning of the dumbbell raise and the end of the dumbbell raise. Most weightlifters use this shoulder exercise on a regular basis.

As always, if you haven't exercised in a long time or you have long standing medical problems, be sure and see a doctor before starting this or any exercise routine.

Shoulders - Dumbbell Raise

Hold dumbbells next to your side.
Raise dumbbells up to your armpits.
Hold for one second
Slowly lower dumbbells to start position.
Repeat 6 to 12 times.
For conditioning and good health do 2 sets
BodyBuilders do 3 to 5 sets increasing weight with each set.

Photo of Dumbbell Raise beginning position
Begin position of dumbbell raise shoulder workout.

Closeup of dumbbell raise.

Photo of dumbbell raise end position
End position of dumbbell raise shoulder exercise.

Larger image of dumbbell raise up position.

This page shows photos of the dumbbell raise. The exercise works the shoulder muscles and should be included in most shoulder weightlifting workouts.