by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Are you wondering what to do to exercise your shoulders and abs? Here are quick and effective shoulders and abs workout for beginners you can safely do at least once a week.
You need to train shoulders weekly to see results. Abs can be trained two to three times a week, either post-workout or on a particular day.
A good shoulder workout consists of both compound and isolated movements. With an ab workout, you want to focus on your whole core.
If you’re reading this, chances are you just started on your fitness journey. It’s so hard to choose from the thousands of workouts you see on social media and the internet every day.
See the products below for the best shoulder workout products.
It’s important to get fitness advice from people specializing in exercise science, sports science, or personal training. The workouts in this article are from certified personal trainers.
There is so much fitness equipment at the gym, and it can be overwhelming to know where to start. However, as a beginner, you need to start with the basics.
The key is to keep it simple and do everything in the correct form.
Some of the topics to be discussed today include:
- Work Out Your Shoulders and Abs At The Gym
- Dumbbell-Only Shoulders and Abs Workout
- No-Equipment Shoulders and Abs Workout
- Shoulders and Abs Workouts are for Women Too
Let’s look at the workouts you can do to train your shoulders and abs effectively.
Contents
Work Out Your Shoulders and Abs at the Gym 💪
The following shoulder workouts feature exercises recommended by Sabrena Jo and Doug Lawrenson.
Sabrena Jo has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in physical education/biomechanics.
Doug Lawrenson was a physical trainer in the army and is an ex-bodybuilder with over 20 years of fitness experience.
Seated or Standing Dumbbell Press
Do 3 sets x 10 to 15 reps.
- Take your dumbbells and sit against a 90-degree angle bench. Then, kick your knees up to get your dumbbells into place.
- Your palms should be facing forward. At the same time, while inhaling, press your dumbbells up, engaging the deltoid.
- Then, slowly lower them down to the starting position at your exhale.
The dumbbell press is a great compound movement that mainly hits your shoulders, traps, and triceps. You can also do this standing.
Here are our top three recommended adjustable dumbells you can use to exercise.
Lateral Raise
Do 3 sets x 10 to 15 repetitions.
- Grab your dumbbells and stand upright. Your palms should be against your sides.
- With an inhale, slowly raise your dumbbells to shoulder height.
- Do not let your wrists go above the elbows. This ensures that you are working your side deltoid.
- Pause, and slowly lower your dumbbells back to starting position on an exhale. Do this for two to three rounds of 10 reps.
This isolated movement hits your shoulders and is great for building width in your upper body.
Front Raises
Practice 3 sets x 10 reps.
- Start with standing hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding your dumbbells in front of you.
- Palms should be at your front, and dumbbells touching your quads.
- Raise your arms straight up and slowly return to the starting position
This isolated movement hits your shoulders and chest.
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Do 3 sets x 10 reps.
- Stand hip-width apart with your dumbbells.
- Slightly bend your knees and with a straight back, hinge your hips back to get your body at a 45-degree angle.
- Your palms should be close and facing each other with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Make sure your lats are engaged by rotating your shoulders outward.
- To lift your dumbbells, squeeze your upper back and lift your arms until they are even with your back. Then, slowly lower the dumbbells to starting position. Repeat this for two rounds of 10 reps.
This isolated movement mainly hits your shoulders, traps, and triceps. You can also do the reverse fly with a cable machine.
Here are our top three recommended cable machines to buy if you need one.
Barbell Upright Rows
Do 3 sets x 10 reps.
- After loading the barbell with the amount of weight you want to use, grasp it with an overhand grip with your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your back straight, bend at the knees and pick the barbell up
- Lift the barbell straight up to your chest while keeping it close to your body.
- Pause at chest height and slowly lower it down. Repeat for two rounds of 10.
This compound movement mainly hits your traps and your biceps and shoulders.
Here are the top three recommended barbells to order if you don’t have one already.
Abs Finisher
You can do an ab workout on the same day you train shoulders.
To work your abs finish with the following quick and effective beginner ab routine from certified personal trainer Lindsey Bomgren to stabilize your core:
- Lying Bent Knee Toe Taps
- Dead Bug
- Knee Down Side Plank (with optional toe touch), Right
- Beginner Plank on Knees to Forearm Plank on Toes
- Knee Down Side Plank (with optional toe touch), Left
Do every exercise for 30 to 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Do one or two rounds of this circuit.
She suggests doing this workout one to three times per week. You can add this at the end of your main workout.
Dumbbell-Only Shoulders and Abs Home Workout 🦾
You can work your shoulders and abs from home with either dumbbells or bodyweight.
You can do the same workout as listed above for the dumbbell-only workout, except instead of barbell upright rows, you will be doing it with dumbbells.
Finish with Lindsey Bomgren’s quick ab workout.
No-Equipment Shoulder and Abs Workout 🙆♂️
If you don’t have dumbbells, don’t fret! There are tons of bodyweight shoulder workouts you can try.
Try Lunden Souza’s workout from Adidas Runtastic. Souza is an Online Fitness & Lifestyle Transformation Coach.
Incline Pushups
Do three sets x 8 to 10 reps.
Put your upper body higher than the rest of your body and do a pushup.
Plank to Down Dog
Do three sets x 8 to 10 reps.
Start in plank position and then exhale while shifting your hips backward to come into a downward dog. Then, inhale back to starting position.
Pike Pushups
Do three sets x 8 to 10 reps.
Start in the downward dog position and with your feet elevated. Look at your legs and keep your spine neutral.
Inhale and lower your head to the ground. Exhale and return to starting position.
Prone I to Y
Do three sets x 6 to 10 reps.
This move is an effective activity from Nicole Davis, a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor.
- Lay on your stomach while fully extending your arms and legs. While engaging your core, lift your chest and shoulders off the ground, maintaining an “I” shape.
- Pause and then move your arms into a “Y” shape. Pause again, go back to an “I” shape, and lower your chest and arms.
You can do this laying on a table or on the floor. Then, finish with Lindsey Bomgren’s quick ab workout.
These Shoulders and Abs Workouts Are for Women Too 🏋️♂️
We don’t need to distinguish between men’s and women’s workouts.
What matters is your ultimate goal. If you are a woman and plan to build muscle and get stronger, the above shoulder and ab workouts are perfect.
If you’re doing weighted workouts, make sure you have at least two to three days of recovery time between shoulder workouts.
Final Thoughts 🤗
The above shoulders and abs workout are perfect for men and women looking to build muscle and increase their strength.
Shoulder workouts can be performed one to two times a week.
The ab workout can be added as a finisher to the shoulder workout or a standalone workout.
You can work out your shoulders with no equipment, so do not worry if you don’t have access to a gym. Suppose you have dumbbells, even better!
Last update on 2022-10-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
