15 Best Upper Body Dumbbell Exercises for Muscle and Strength

Have you run out of exercises or they’re variations to make your workouts more exciting and give you a new stimulus to increase the potential of your gains? In this post, I listed 15 of the best upper body dumbbell exercises that I could think of that will make your workouts more enjoyable and efficient.

I will also be sharing two upper body dumbbell workouts for building muscle and strength at the end of the article.

Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises

The main movement that everyone is familiar with has to be the bench press. It’s one of the best compound exercises to build strength and muscle in your upper body.

But it’s important to include some variations so that you introduce the muscle to new stimuli and don’t develop an overuse syndrome. That’s where the dumbbells come in handy.

Dumbbell Flyes

The dumbbell flyes are an excellent way to work the chest muscles through their full length with relatively light weight. If you want to hit more of your upper chest then you can simply switch to an incline bench.

One thing I want to note is that you should keep a slight bend in your arms when performing this movement as this will take some of the stress off your elbows.

Overall, dumbbell flyes can be a great exercise to induce hypertrophy and get a massive pump. That’s why I think it’s one of the best upper body dumbbell exercises.

How to Do Dumbbell Flyes

• Lie back on a flat bench, holding dumbbells directly above your chest, palms facing each other.
• With a slight bend in your elbows, lower arms out to the sides in a wide arc.
• Stop when your elbows are in line with your chest, then aim to bring them together to return dumbbells to start.
• Keep the motion controlled; avoid using momentum.

Dumbbell Bench Press

One of many great variations for the regular barbell bench press. The movement pattern is very similar but because you’re using 2 separate weights, one in each hand, the movement becomes a lot more unstable. 

Plus if you’re familiar with powerlifting then you know that leg drive is a huge component of bench pressing. Switching to dumbbells takes that away to some degree, forcing you to decrease the weight. 

You’ll still be getting a good stimulus for your chest, shoulder and triceps, but it makes the movement more friendly for your shoulder joints, especially when doing high volume/repetition sets.

How to Do the Dumbbell Bench Press

• Lay down on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand
• Hold the dumbbells with your arms straight, palms facing your feet.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor and back flat on the bench.
• Lower the dumbbell to your chest.
• Press back up to the starting position.

Best Dumbbell Back Exercises

Rows are an important movement to include in any routine. If you add dumbbells to the mix then you should never run out of variations to hit your back with a new stimulus.

Bent Over Rows

Bent over rows are an incredible way for you to work your lats and your upper back muscles. They’re very accessible since you only need a pair of dumbbells to perform them. 

Now, in the video the instructor tells you to protract your shoulder blades. That’s a good idea if you want to involve more of the upper back musculature and build overall strength in your back.

But if you want to focus on increasing the size of your lats more than anything, then I’d say don’t protract and try to keep the tension in your lats even at the bottom. This increases the time under tension which is associated with hypertrophy.

How to Do Bent Over Rows

• Stand with feet shoulder-width, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Lean forward with your arms straight and knees slightly bent.
• Pull the dumbbells to your waist, elbows close to your body.
• Lower to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Seal Rows

Dumbbell seal rows are one of my favorite upper body dumbbell exercises. The reason being is that they take away almost all of your ability to aid yourlats and upper back with your lower back and legs.

The same principle applies here as with the bent over dumbbell rows. If you’re looking to maximize muscle growth in the lats, don’t protract your upper back at the bottom. Go to the point where you feel your lats are under the most tension and then come up.

How to Do Seal Rows

• Lie face down on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand underneath.
• Pull the dumbbells towards your waist.
• Lower to the starting position slowly.

Tip: you can also try to squeeze at the top to get a better mind-muscle connection.

Monkey Shrugs

This one is honestly something special. I was first recommended this by my physio because of my weak upper back muscles. When I started doing them, I immediately felt a contraction in my upper back like I’ve never felt before. It was amazing!

With monkey shrugs, you have to keep in mind that if you first start doing them, you’ll want to pick very light dumbbells. If you start too heavy then you won’t be able to fully incorporate your upper traps.

How to Do Monkey Shrugs

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand.
• Bend slightly at the knees and lean forward, keeping your back and arms straight.
• Shrug your shoulders upwards, then lower back to the starting position.

Best Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises

Arnold Press

In my opinion, the arnold shoulder press is the best upper body dumbbell exercise for the shoulders. It works through the full range of motion of the shoulder joint, stimulating both the frontal deltoids and the medial deltoids.

Range of motion (ROM) is one of the key factors influencing hypertrophy.

How to Do the Arnold Press

• Sit with your back straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your shoulders with your palms facing your shoulders.
• As you press the dumbbells up, rotate your hands so that the palms face forward at the top.
• Return to the starting position by rotating back on the way down.
• Keep your core engaged throughout.

Leaning One-Arm Lateral Raises

One of the main exercises for building your medial deltoids. There really isn’t a better way to hit the side delts than the dumbbell lateral flyes. Although there are some variations you can do to make the exercise more efficient.

I like leaning one arm lateral raises the most because they allow you to stretch the medial head at the bottom, and work them through a larger range of motion. I prefer using another machine or a post to lean against, but you can also lay down on your side on a bench.

How to Do One-Arm Lateral Raises

• Stand next to a support and lean in to it. For example a bench, a machine, or a wall.
• Keep a slight bend in your arm that’s holding the dumbbell.
• Raise the dumbbell out to the side until the arm is about parallel to the floor.
• Lower it back to the starting position.

Tip: you can try and do these slow and controlled or fast and explosive. Whatever works best for you and for what you’re trying to achieve. I’ve found the latter works best for me. After going fast I like to hit some partial reps to maximise the pump.

Rear Delt Flyes

For those of you looking to build your rear delts, the reverse flyes are a must. They allow you get a nice stretch on your posterior deltoids and work them through their full range of motion.

Just don’t be greedy and take a weight that’s so heavy that your whole back has to step in to get the weight moving. Pick a very light weight and do a lot of repetitions. 

You can take it slow on the way down to fatigue the muscle even more.

How to Do Read Delt Flyes

• Bend forward at the waist, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• With a slight bend in your elbows, lift the dumbbells to the side.
• Try to squeeze at the top, then lower to the starting position.

Best Dumbbell Triceps Exercises

Dumbbell Skullcrushers

The dumbbell variation of skullcrushers is great because it allows you to take a neutral grip, meaning your palms will be facing each other. In my opinion, this makes the movement feel more natural and helps you focus more on the triceps.

Whether performed with dumbbells or a barbell, are one of the best upper body dumbbell exercises because they work all 3 triceps heads (Medial, Lateral, and Long Head).

Most people don’t know this, but the long head of the triceps crosses over the shoulder joint and attaches to the scapula. Not only does it perform elbow extension like the other triceps heads, it also plays a role in shoulder extension.

That is special because most other triceps exercises don’t go into shoulder flexion, meaning you won’t be able to recruit the long head of your triceps. This is horrible because the long head is the largest part of your triceps.

This means that if you want to build the biggest and strongest triceps possible then you should include an exercise, like the skullcrushers, in your workout.

How to Do Dumbbell Skullcrushers

• Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms straight.
• Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells over and behind your head.
• Extend your arms straight to return back up.

Tip: the key element is to keep your elbows in line with your eyes when performing skull crushers. This ensures that the long head of the triceps is maximally engaged with every repetition.

Standing One-Arm Triceps Extensions

The standing triceps extensions is a popular exercise, probably because you can perform them with a very heavy dumbbell when using both arms. I wouldn’t recommend that, because that puts a lot of stress on your shoulder joints, especially if you already struggle with shoulder mobility.

Instead, do them with one arm at a time and pick a very light weight. That means you’ll have to perform a lot more reps to reach the same intensity but it will be better for your elbows and shoulders.

To make it more challenging, lower the weight very slowly to increase the time under tension and cause more damage to the muscle fibers.

How to Do Standing One-Arm Triceps Extensions

• Stand with a dumbbell in one hand, feet shoulder-width apart.
• Raise the dumbbell overhead to get to the starting position.
• Bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell behind your head.
• Extend your arm straight back to the starting position.

Best Dumbbell Biceps Exercises

Twisting Curls

An excellent exercise to train both the short head and the long head of your biceps. It’s one of my favorite because it allows you to work through the full range of motion of the biceps.

You’ll get a nice stretch at the bottom and a good squeeze at the top, especially if you slightly flex your shoulder.

How to Do Twisting Curls

• Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight at your sides, palms facing you.
• Curl the dumbbells up while supinating your wrists. (See the image below!)
• Squeeze at the top, then lower to the starting position.

Tip: for the most muscle growth, it’s best to keep the tension in your biceps at the bottom of the curl.

Hammer Curls

Hammer curls are a great variation to the standard dumbbell curls. They target the long head of the biceps more than the regular curls and they also work your forearms in a different way then most exercises do.

How to Do Hammer Curls

• Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing toward you.
• Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
• Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls

Seated incline dumbbell curls are a killer exercise. What makes them so deadly is the fact that you’ll be putting your biceps in a position where they can’t relax at the bottom of the movement. This means that there is constant tension on your biceps which makes them superior to a regular bicep curl.

The next time you see someone doing curls with their whole body, tell them to try the seated incline curls with the same weight and watch them get destroyed.

How to Do Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls

• Sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders while keeping your elbows still.
• Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower back to the starting position.
• Keep your back firmly against the bench.

Best Dumbbell Core Exercises

Dumbbell Russian Twists

Russian twists are one of the most beginner-friendly core exercises. They target the obliques very well, as they involve the rotation of the trunk, and are easy to progress. 

One of the first progression would be to add a weight to the movement. In my opinion, dumbbells are better than weights because they are more comfortable to hold and allow you to rotate more to the side.

How to Do Dumbbell Russian Twists

• Sit on the floor with knees bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Lean back slightly, keeping your spine straight.
• Twist your torso to each side, moving the dumbbell across your body.
• Return to the starting position after each twist.

Overhead Dumbbell Crunches

Even though the overhead dumbbell crunches don’t make you go through a huge range of motion, they provide you the opportunity to squeeze your abs harder than any other exercise.

As with any other ab exercise, I’d recommend you do 20+ repetitions to really fatigue the abs. If you do less than 15 reps or so, you’ll likely be doing them with a weight that gets too heavy at the end, meaning your body will start activating other muscles as well.

How to Do Overhead Dumbbell Crunches

• Lie on your back with knees bent and a dumbbell in each hand.
• Extend your arms above your chest.
• Lift your upper body off the ground in a crunch, while keeping arms straight.
• Lower back to the starting position.

Next, I want to give you 2 simple workouts each focusing on muscle growth and strength. Both of these workouts involve many of the previously listed exercises or their variations.

Upper Body Dumbbell Workout for Muscle Growth

This workout is designed to target the entire upper body in a single session, making it efficient and effective for muscle growth. It’s best to perform this workout 2-3 times a week, allowing for rest or performing lower body workouts on other days.

Warm-Up (Optional)

• 5-10 minutes of light cardio (e.g., jogging or jumping jacks)
• Dynamic stretching focusing on the upper body

Workout Routine

1. Dumbbell Bench Press
   • 3 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
2. Bent Over Rows
   • 3 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Focuses on the lats, traps, and rear deltoids.
3. Arnold Press
   • 3 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Works the entire shoulder complex, especially the front and side deltoids.
4. Dumbbell Skullcrushers
   • 3 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Hits all three heads of the triceps.
5. Twisting Curls
   • 3 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Engages both the biceps and the forearms.
6. Seal Rows
   • 3 sets of 10-15 reps
   • Further targets the upper back and lats.
7. Rear Delt Flys
   • 3 sets of 15-20 reps
   • Focuses on the rear deltoids and upper back.
8. Hammer Curls
   • 3 sets of 10-15 reps
   • Works on the biceps and forearms, with emphasis on the brachioradialis.
9. Dumbbell Russian Twists
   • 3 sets of 15-20 reps
   • Engages the core, especially the obliques.

Cool Down (Optional)

• 5-10 minutes of light cardio (e.g. walking) to lower heart rate
• Static stretching for the upper body

Workout Notes:

• Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets.
• Keep tension on the muscles throughout the movement.
• Control the movement on the negative.

Upper Body Dumbbell Workout for Strength

This workout is tailored for those looking to enhance their upper body strength. It focuses on lower rep ranges with heavier weights to stimulate strength adaptations. Perform this workout 2-3 times a week, allowing for adequate rest and recovery between sessions.

Warm-Up (Optional)

• 5-10 minutes of light cardio (e.g., brisk walking or cycling)
• Dynamic stretching focusing on the upper body

Workout Routine

1. Dumbbell Bench Press
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • A fundamental exercise for chest, shoulders, and triceps strength.
2. Bent Over Rows
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Strengthens the back, particularly the lats and middle traps.
3. Arnold Press
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Comprehensive shoulder development, targeting all deltoid heads.
4. Dumbbell Skullcrushers
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Focuses on triceps strength, crucial for pressing movements.
5. Hammer Curls
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Targets the biceps and forearms, essential for pulling strength.
6. Monkey Shrugs
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Strengthens the upper traps and supports overall shoulder health.
7. Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls
   • 4 sets of 5-8 reps
   • Enhances bicep strength through a full range of motion.
8. Overhead Dumbbell Crunches
   • 4 sets of 10-15 reps
   • Strengthens the core, particularly the abs, for a strong upper body foundation.

Cool Down (Optional)

• 5-10 minutes of light cardio (e.g. walking) to lower heart rate
• Static stretching for the upper body

Workout Notes:

• Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets for the best performance.
• Choose heavier weights that challenge you within the 5-8 rep range.
• Ensure proper form to prevent injury and maximize strength gains.

Wrap Up

Alright, let’s quickly wrap this up! We’ve gone through 15 awesome upper body dumbbell exercises that are perfect for spicing up your workouts and getting those gains. From the trusty Dumbbell Bench Press to those cool Monkey Shrugs, each exercise is geared to hit all the right spots – your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and even your core.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to mix things up in your fitness routine, these dumbbell exercises are a solid choice. They’re straightforward, effective, and hey, you can do them just about anywhere with a set of dumbbells. So, give them a try and keep pushing for those results – you’ve got this!

If you don’t know how to start or have any questions related to training, check out my services page!