You don’t need a cable machine or a bunch of fancy equipment for a solid shoulder day workout.
A pair of dumbbells and about 17 minutes will do the job.
Today’s shoulder workout for women at home includes 5 exercises — 12 reps each for 3 sets. It’s one of the best shoulder workout routines for building definition without ever leaving your house.
Grab your dumbbells and let’s get to it:
Underhand Grip Shoulder Press
Let’s start this shoulder workout with something that might feel a little different.
For this one, you’ll flip your grip so your palms face toward you instead of away.
It’s a small change, but you’ll feel it hit your shoulders in a whole new way.
Just make sure you don’t lock your elbows out at the top — keep a slight bend to protect those joints.
How to perform:
- Hold your weights with an underhand grip so that your palms are facing toward you.
- Press the weights all the way up.
- Keep a nice bend in your elbows at the top of the movement, making sure not to lock them out.
- Lower the weights, maintaining control on the way down.
- Complete 12 repetitions.
Half to Full Front Raise
This is one of those shoulder exercises that looks simple until you’re actually doing it.
You’ll raise the weight halfway, bring it back down, then go all the way up overhead — and that counts as one rep.
The trick? Keep your body still.
If you catch yourself swinging to get the weight up, it might be time to go a little lighter. No shame in that!
How to perform:
- Hold a single dumbbell with both hands.
- Raise the dumbbell halfway up, using just your arms.
- Control the weight and bring it all the way back down.
- Raise the dumbbell all the way up above your head.
- Bring it all the way back around and down to complete one single rep.
- Keep your body still and ensure you do not swing your body to move the weight.
- Complete 12 repetitions.
Upright Rows
Upright rows are one of the best shoulder exercises for building stronger shoulders, and they’re a staple on any good shoulder day workout for a reason.
For this move, you’ll pull the weights up while keeping your elbows wide and out to the sides.
Focus on controlling the weight on the way down — that’s where a lot of the work happens.
How to perform:
- Hold your weights with your palms facing toward your body.
- Bring your hands upward, pulling the weight up.
- Keep your elbows nice and wide, flaring them out to the sides as you lift.
- Control the weight on the way back down to the starting position.
- Complete 12 repetitions.
Side Lateral Raises
Here’s a little heads-up with this one: your arm position matters more than you think.
You want your arms coming up just slightly in front of your body, not straight out to the sides.
That small adjustment is one of the best ways to grow your shoulders while keeping them safe.
You’ll raise to about shoulder height and come right back down with control.
How to perform:
- Hold your weights with your palms facing downwards.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement.
- Raise your arms up until they reach shoulder height.
- Ensure your arms are coming up slightly in front of your body, rather than directly out to the sides, to protect your shoulders.
- Lower the weights back down with control.
- Complete 12 repetitions.
Double Single Arm Press
Time to finish strong! For this last exercise, you’ll press one arm at a time while the other holds steady.
It sounds easy, but don’t let that fool you.
The non-pressing arm has a job too — keep it locked in position and don’t let that elbow drop.
You’ll do 6 on each side, so both shoulders get equal work.
How to perform:
- Hold both weights at shoulder level to start.
- Press one arm up while keeping your supporting, non-moving arm strong and holding its position without dropping the elbow.
- Keep a slight bend in your pressing elbow at the top of the movement to protect the joint and keep tension on the shoulder; do not lock it out.
- Lower the pressing arm back down, making sure not to drop your elbow too low to maintain shoulder tension.
- Perform the same pressing motion on the opposite arm.
- Complete 6 repetitions on each arm for a total of 12 presses.
Article Medically reviewed by
I’m fitness coach Ashley Castleberry, an NASM-certified personal trainer and nutritionist, as well as a coach on an established YouTube Channel with over 1 million followers. With certifications from major fitness brands, I specialize in athletic, HIIT, and strength training. Leveraging my experience coaching clients on lifestyle changes, I provide customized exercise and nutrition guidance to help people reach their fitness goals, whether that be weight loss, muscle gain or overall health improvement.
