A Superb Exercise Plan for Powerful Arms and Shoulders

Employ This Strategy for an Outstanding Arms and Shoulders Routine

Want to create a routine that targets your arms and shoulders? Here's what you need to know. I've already covered the best exercises for biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Now it's time to combine them.

You can customize this workout to include your favorite exercises. The structure is as follows:

Start with a heavy compound exercise that works your arms and shoulders together.
Move on to moderately heavy exercises, beginning with those that didn't receive much attention on the compound move.
Superset exercises when possible to save time.

Here's a sample workout:

Choose a shoulder press (any type will do), 5 sets, heavy, 3-8 reps, with 2 minutes between sets. You could also add rear delt work for 3 sets of 8-12 reps if you wish.
Perform a bicep/tricep superset, 3 sets of 8-12 reps each.
Do a shoulder superset, 3 sets of 10+ reps each.
Optional: Include a light bicep/tricep superset, 3 sets of 12-15 reps each.

A 30-minute workout could involve only a shoulder press, a bicep/tricep superset, and a shoulder superset. The first 15 minutes will consist of the shoulder press and rest periods, with the optional components taking only a short amount of time.

For more challenging workouts, incorporate the optional sections. If this works well for you, consider adding additional bicep/tricep supersets or extending the duration of specific components.

The ideal frequency for this routine is twice a week. It's also acceptable to perform this once per week, alternating it with a different upper-body workout.

Use This Formula for a Great Arm and Shoulder Workout

Keep in mind that this routine does not focus on your chest and back, so it's not a complete upper-body workout. However, you can adapt it by including a push/pull superset involving chest and back muscles. We'll discuss this further in the next section.

Part 1: The Press

You have various options for the shoulder press or overhead press here, varying in equipment. Good choices for the press are:

Standing barbell strict press
Seated dumbbell shoulder press (not incline)
Standing single or double kettlebell press
Z-press (sitting on the floor with legs spread for stability)
Landmine press (recommended for those with shoulder pain when their arms are overhead)

If you prefer another specific press, feel free to swap it in. Push presses are not advised for this section. Keep your knees straight on any standing presses. Push presses are great, but not during this routine.

2 minutes or more is recommended for rest between sets. This press at the beginning of the workout is intended to be a heavy exercise for strength building, so allow ample rest time.

Reps per set: Approximately 5. Keep the reps in the single digits. You can choose between 3 and 8 reps per set, but avoid going above 8. If you prefer, you can think of this as a "5x5" routine.

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Choose your own weight: Select a weight that matches the desired number of reps. Feel free to use different weights for each set if you'd like. Ensure the last set is heavier.

How to progress: Choose a progression method that works best for you. Based on your previous workout, increase weight or reps in at least one set. For example:

Last week, you completed 8 reps with 50 pounds on all five sets. This week, lift 55 pounds for your last two sets to see how many reps you can get.
Last week, you did 5 reps each at 20, 25, 30, 30, 30 pounds. This week, do 5 reps each at 25, 30, 30, 30, 35.

Variety can be fun and beneficial to us, so don't stick to a rigid progression if you don't want to.

Workout: Shoulders and Arms

In today's routine, we'll be focusing on shoulders and arms. First, let's start with a piece of equipment called a Landmine Attachment for Barbell by SEWD. This attachment serves as a portable base for performing various exercises, such as presses, T-bar rows, rotations, and split squats. Its compact size makes it ideal for home gym workouts.

Now, let's turn our attention to the rear delts, which are sometimes neglected. These muscles are part of your deltoids, located at the back of your shoulders. Here are some exercises that can help strengthen them:

Bent-over dumbbell reverse fly
Reverse fly performed on an incline bench
Band pullaparts
Face pulls using a cable machine
Reverse fly on a machine like a pec deck

Take a 90-second break between these exercises or pass the time by doing a few bicep curls.

Here's a recommended set-up for these movements:

3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
Rest for 90 seconds or less
Progressively add weight or reps to challenge yourself

Now, it's time for the fun part - a bicep and tricep superset. You have several options for isolation exercises:

Bicep: Barbell curls, Ez-bar curls, dumbbell curls, hammer curls, or Zottman curls
Tricep: Skullcrushers, overhead dumbbell tricep extensions, French press, tricep kickbacks, or cable pushdowns

For a more comprehensive upper-body workout, you could try:

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Bicep: Chinups, pullups, seated cable rows, barbell bent-over rows, or Pendlay rows
Tricep: Close grip bench press, dips, pushups, incline or overhead press (choose a different variation from earlier in the workout)

The goal is to do two more balls out sets of a push and pull exercise. You can alternate between each type of exercise or choose one as your main focus and include a tricep or bicep isolation to finish.

Take a break as needed, but remember to rest for only 30 seconds after completing both exercises. Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps for each exercise. The progression should be adding reps or increasing the weight when you can complete 3 strong sets.

Lastly, we'll finish with a shoulder superset. This involves performing dumbbell front raises, dumbbell lateral raises, and bent-over dumbbell reverse fly in a circuit. You can start with a different exercise each time to keep things interesting:

Front/Lateral/Rear
Lateral/Rear/Front
Rear/Front/Lateral

Choose a weight that allows you to perform at least 10 reps for the first exercise and maintain that weight throughout the circuit. Take a 30-second break between each round.

The progression should be adding weight when you can easily perform 15 reps on multiple sets.

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This time, for your finish, we'll focus on biceps and triceps with a different set of exercises. Pick lighter weights from the list provided, and choose different exercises than what you used previously in your workout. If you did push-ups and pull-ups earlier, opt for Zottman curls and skullcrushers.

I'll provide you with two ways to structure this:

Option 1:Rest, reps, and weight - complete 3 sets with 12 or more reps each. Take at least 30 seconds of rest between the supersets. Increase the weight when you can achieve 15 or more reps for all sets.

Option 2:Choose a weight that you think you can manage for at least one set of 15 reps. Set a timer for five minutes and do as many sets as possible, with as little break as possible, until the clock runs out. Expect your reps to significantly reduce - perhaps you do 15 in the beginning but only manage 3 by the end. The goal is to move as much as you can during the 5 minutes.

In conclusion, you have a full arms and shoulders workout, which can be converted into a comprehensive upper-body routine if desired. It can be completed in just 30 minutes or extended for an hour plus at the gym. Keep track of your progress through a notebook, app, or even a note on your phone and be amazed as your arms and shoulders strengthen.

Read also:

This routine includes a heavy compound exercise that is ideal for building strength in your best arm and shoulder workspace. For example, you could choose a shoulder press for this exercise, performing 5 sets, heavy, with 3-8 reps, allowing for at least 2 minutes of rest between sets.

To ensure a full upper-body workout, consider incorporating a push/pull superset involving chest and back muscles, such as a bench press and cable rows. This will help to balance out the focus on your arms and shoulders.