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Building a powerful set of shoulders and triceps is critical for achieving the torso of your dreams.
But not all workouts are suitable, and you need to prioritize a well-rounded workout plan.
Try out our simple yet comprehensive shoulder and triceps workout for maximum gains that target all the important muscles.
We’ve scoured several shoulders and triceps workouts by experts to find the perfect regime to help you gain upper body strength without overcomplicating things.
You can learn how to get the most out of each workout for a ripped physique by following the experts’ advice.
All fitness experts agree that the secret to building a strong set of shoulders and triceps is to target all of the heads of your shoulder and tricep muscles; this will add mass to your frame and go a long way towards building strength in your upper body.
See the table below if you wish to see products that can help your workouts.
Key Takeaways:
Five shoulder and tricep superset workouts:
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- Seated dumbbell shoulder press + dips
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- Barbell shrugs behind the back + skull crushers
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- Lateral raise + seated dumbbell kickback
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- Arnold press + bent-over reverse fly
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- Halo + bent-over tricep kickbacks
Best shoulder, bicep & tricep workouts
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- Shoulders: overhead dumbbell press, push press, Arnold press, and shoulder raises
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- Biceps: bicep curls, hammer curls, concentration curls
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- Triceps: overhead extensions, kickbacks, skull crushers, dips
So, do you want a workout targeting your shoulders and triceps to help you significantly gain upper-body strength?
Follow our workout plan to build muscle in all the right places.
Contents
Shoulder and Tricep Superset Workouts
We’ve created a shoulder and triceps workout for you based on the advice of personal trainers such as Matt Crane, Jenny McCoy, and Lindsey Bomgren. They have put together routines suitable for fitness fanatics at every level. They are simple, effective, and fun!
You should always use light-to-medium weights when doing this workout and maintain the best possible form.
It’s helpful to push yourself to the limit and go up a weight class regularly, but you don’t want to overexert and injure yourself or lift with poor form and fail to target the appropriate muscle groups.
Shoulders and tricep workouts should hit all three deltoids in your shoulders and all planes of motion for your triceps.
It also doesn’t hurt to mix in a few bicep exercises that will add to the aesthetic of a powerful upper body.
Superset 1
Seated Dumbbell Press
4x sets
8x reps
10-sec rest
Sitting on a bench, hold two dumbbells in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing upwards.
Lift until your arms are fully extended and slowly return to the starting position.
See our top three recommended dumbells below.
Dips
4x sets
8x reps
60-sec rest
Grab the bars of the dipping machine with your palms facing down.
Lift your feet and hold yourself in a position where your elbows are at a 90º angle, tucked in your body.
Push yourself up until your arms are straight and slowly return to the starting position.
Superset 2
Barbell Shrugs Behind The Back
Image Source: The Optimal You
4x sets
12x reps
10-sec rest
Grab a barbell behind your back with your palms facing backward.
Slightly bending your arms and keeping your back straight, lift your shoulders towards your ears until your elbows reach a 90º angle.
Slowly drop your shoulders and elbows back to their original position.
See our top three recommended barbells below.
Skull Crushers
Credits: Men’s Health
4x sets
10x reps
60-sec rest
Hold an EZ bar on the inner grips with your palms facing up, and extend your arms until they’re straight with your elbows tucked in.
Then lower the bar until it’s in front of your head before extending your arms back to the starting position.
Superset 3
Lateral Raises
4x sets
10x reps
10-sec rest
Take a dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms straight to the side of your body, your palms facing your body.
Lift them sideways while engaging your core and holding your body in position; once you’ve lifted the dumbbells until your arms are parallel with the floor, slowly lower them back to the starting position.
Do not swing your arms and maintain good form.
Seated Dumbbell Kickback
4x sets
10x reps
60-sec rest
While sitting on a bench, holding a dumbbell in one hand, bring your arm up until your elbow is at a 90o angle, and extend your arm until it’s straight. Repeat the motion with your other arm.
Superset 4
Arnold Press
3x sets
12x reps
120-sec rest
While seated on a bench, hold two dumbbells in each hand with your arms facing up and lift them like a standard bicep curl up to your chest.
Then turn your wrists to an underhand grip and lift the dumbbells above your head, extending your arms until they are straight.
Reverse the motion slowly until you’ve returned to the starting position.
Check out our top three recommended workout benches below.
Bent-Over Reverse Fly
3x sets
12x reps
120-sec rest
Sitting on a bench, keeping your back straight, bend over at a 45º angle, holding the dumbbells in either hand with your palms facing your body.
Lift the dumbbells outwards (sideways) with control until they’re level with your shoulders and your elbows slightly bent, then lower the dumbbells with control back to the starting position.
Superset 5
Halo
Credits: Very Well Fit
2x sets
12x reps
90-sec rest
Hold a single dumbbell horizontally in front of your head with both hands.
Rotate your arms to bring the dumbbell next to your left ear, around the back of your right ear, and back to the front of your head. Reverse the motion to target the other side of your body.
You can also use a kettlebell for this set.
See our top three kettlebells to get if you want to buy one.
Bent-Over Triceps Kickback
2x sets
12x reps
90-sec rest
Like the seated dumbbell kickback, bend over with a straight back at a 45º angle and your feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold two dumbbells in your hands with your palms facing your body and elbows at a 90º angle.
Extend your arms until they’re straight, and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position while maintaining the bend in your back and keeping your body aligned.
Best Workouts for Triceps, Biceps & Shoulders
The following exercises are considered the most effective for triceps, biceps & shoulders.
Triceps
Your triceps are three muscles at the back of your arms, the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head. The top exercises for building bigger triceps include:
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- overhead tricep extensions
- skull crushers
- tricep dips
- tricep kickbacks
Biceps
The biceps consist of two-headed muscles, the biceps brachii, and the biceps femoris. For biceps, your ideal exercises will include:
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- standard bicep curls
- hammer curls
- concentration curl
Shoulders
The shoulders consist of three deltoids, namely the anterior, medial, and lateral deltoids. To attain well-built shoulders, you should focus on exercises such as:
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- overhead dumbbell presses
- barbell push presses
- Arnold presses
- shoulder raises
Conclusion
Suppose you’re looking for a shoulder and triceps workout to help you consistently and proportionately build muscles for upper body strength.
In that case, our simple workout will go a long way towards achieving the physique you want.
Good form and consistency are critical for targeting the right muscles and putting them under tension.
Once you’ve perfected this regime, enhance your progress by increasing the weights on your dumbbells and adding more sets and reps.
Before you know it, you’ll have well-defined shoulders and triceps critical for all other upper-body workouts.
Keep following us for more workouts and fitness advice. Also, see the post below for more tips.
Last update on 2022-10-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
