Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Best Shoulder And Bicep Workout

While the shoulders and biceps are two of the smallest upper body muscles, they often have the biggest impact on how you look – especially when you’re rocking your cut-off T-shirt or sleeveless vest.

A lot of people like to train their shoulders with their chests, and their biceps with their back, but this is not necessarily the best approach. If your shoulders and biceps are lagging behind the rest of your body, they deserve a workout where they get the starring role.

In this article, we reveal our favorite shoulder and biceps workout for strength and size. Do it weekly for the best results!

While you don’t need a degree in anatomy and physiology to build impressive shoulders and biceps, knowing a little more about these muscle groups may help make your workouts more effective. If nothing else, you’ll be able to dazzle your workout buddies with your newly acquired anatomical knowledge!

The correct name for the muscles of your shoulders is the deltoids. There are three sets of fibers that make up the deltoids, which are commonly referred to as heads. The deltoid heads work together to control your shoulder joint. Still, they can also be emphasized individually with certain exercises and movements.

The three deltoid heads are:

Anterior deltoid – located on the front of your shoulders, the anterior deltoid flexes and medially rotates your upper arm. Exercises that emphasize this head include front raises and overhead presses.

Medial deltoids – the medial or middle deltoid is located on the side of your shoulder joint. Its function is to abduct your upper arm, meaning it raises your arm up and out to the side. The medial deltoid gives your shoulders their width. Exercises that target the medial deltoid include dumbbell and cable side raises.

Posterior deltoid – also known as the rear deltoid, this head is located on the back of your shoulder. It works in opposition to the anterior deltoid and is responsible for shoulder joint extension and external rotation. Exercises that target the posterior deltoid include reverse dumbbell flys and reverse cable crossovers.

You probably already know more than enough about your biceps. After all, it’s the most famous muscle in the human body. Even non-lifters can usually identify their biceps and are happy to throw up an arm and flex for a biceps pose!

Still, we’ve told you all about the deltoids, so it’s only fair that the biceps get the same treatment…

Biceps brachii – the full name for the muscle on the front of your upper arm is biceps brachii, which means two-headed arm muscle. Known as the biceps for short, this muscle is responsible for flexion of the elbow, flexion of the shoulder, and supination of the forearm. The biceps have two heads (the long head and the short head) which refer to where they attach onto the shoulder joint.

This workout is designed to be done as part of a body part split routine, where you train different muscles on different days. For example, you might train your chest one day, your legs the next, and then hit your shoulders and biceps a day later.

You can do this workout once or twice a week as needed. Do it twice if you want to build your shoulders and arms more quickly. However, avoid hitting the same muscles on consecutive days, as they need time to recover between workouts.

But, before hitting the weights, make sure you spend a few minutes warming up and preparing your body and mind for what you’re about to do.

Begin with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, such as rowing, air bike, elliptical, or jump rope. Next, do some dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the muscles and joints you’re about to use. Finally, end your warm-up with 2-3 sets of the first exercise of the workout.

All warmed up? Good job! Now you are ready, let’s get to work! Here is your shoulder and biceps workout for strength and size.

Exercises 2a and 2b are to be performed as a superset. Do a set of dumbbell lateral raises and then, without resting, immediately do a set of face pulls. Rest for the prescribed time and then repeat the pairing for the specified number of supersets.

There are two ways to do any exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way is safe and effective, putting plenty of muscle and strength-building tension on the target muscles and not on your joints. The wrong way increases the risk of injury and may not be as effective. So, when given a choice, you should always do the exercises in your workout the right way.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to get the most from all the exercises in your shoulder and biceps workout.

The barbell military press is your main shoulder strength builder. Because it’s a compound exercise, it works all three deltoid heads as well as your triceps, so you should be able to lift reasonably heavy weights.

The military press is a strict exercise, and you must not use your legs to help you lift the weight. Instead, keep them straight, like a soldier standing to attention, which is where this movement gets its name.

Dumbbell lateral raises target your medial deltoids. Well-developed medial deltoids will add a lot of width to your shoulders. This exercise is the first part of a superset, so move your dumbbells over to wherever you’ll be performing the next exercise (face pulls).

Working your posterior deltoids, face pulls also hit the muscles across and between your shoulder blades, which are the middle trapezius and rhomboids. As such, this exercise is not just good for your shoulders but your posture, too.

Most people do clean and presses with a barbell and while standing. This seated variation uses dumbbells, so you’ll need to work extra hard to lift and stabilize the weights. This exercise will produce a deep burn and pump in all three deltoid heads.

Straight barbell curls are an excellent biceps exercise, but they can be hard on your elbows. Using an EZ bar takes stress off your joints and allows you to really focus on working your biceps as hard as you can.

The semi-supinated grip also increases brachialis and brachioradialis engagement, which are smaller but no less important arm muscles.

Even with the most determined will, almost every lifter will use their legs and back to lift the bar during biceps curls. This exercise eliminates all possibilities of cheating and also keeps your biceps under constant tension to deliver an excellent upper arm workout.

According to the American Council on Exercise, or ACE for short, concentration curls are the best biceps exercise you can do. In studies, this exercise produced the most significant degree of muscle activation. However, because it uses relatively light weights, it’s best left to the end of your workout when your biceps are beginning to fatigue.

This is your final exercise. It works your shoulders and biceps at the same time. Instead of doing regular sets and reps, this is a high-rep finisher. Simply grab a weight that you can use for 12-15 reps and then try to crank out 50 reps in as few sets as possible. Don’t be surprised if this leaves your shoulders and your biceps pumped and burning – that’s kinda the point!

Big shoulders and muscular arms don’t just happen by accident. You need to work hard if you want to build the upper body of your dreams! This workout will add mass to your deltoids and biceps and increase your strength, so you don’t just look strong but ARE strong!

Combine this workout with your favorite split routine, train hard, eat right, get plenty of sleep, and you’ll soon be on your way to building an impressive upper body.

Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.

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