The Perfect Dumbbell Complex Workout Finisher To Sculpt Your Shoulders

Chisel Perfect Shoulders With This Exercise Combo

Live Lean Nation, on today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m showing you the perfect dumbbell complex workout finisher to sculpt your shoulders, as well as the most common mistakes to avoid.

You can do this tri-set of moves at the end of your next shoulder workout.

After you finish your overhead shoulder press compound lifts, for example the standing single arm dumbbell shoulder press and the standing barbell shoulder press, this is when you need to go in and sculpt the shoulders with isolation exercises.

The end of your shoulder workout is a great time to focus on isolation exercises that can help shape, sculpt, and chisel the definition of all three heads of the deltoids.

Dumbbell Shoulder Complex Workout Finisher

For this dumbbell shoulder complex workout finisher, we’re selecting the following three isolation dumbbell shoulder exercises that will target the following three heads of the deltoids:

• Anterior front side of the shoulders
• Medial middle side of the shoulders
• Posterior rear side of the shoulders

Since this is a dumbbell complex workout finisher, there is no resting between the exercises, therefore select one set of dumbbells to complete all three exercises.

Be sure to select a weight you can complete for every exercise, since these dumbbells will remain in your hands as you complete all three moves, back-to-back-to-back.

Typically people are weakest on the bent over rear delt raise, so select a dumbbell you can complete for 8 reps for that exercise.

After completing the complex, rest 60 seconds, then repeat for a total of 3 complexes.

A1. Standing Dumbbell Front Raise

The standing dumbbell front raise primarily targets the anterior front deltoids.

• Reps: 8
• Rest: 0 seconds
• Sets: 3

Key Points To Perform The Standing Dumbbell Front Raise Correctly:

1. Keep your core tight with your glutes turned on to minimize swaying of the body.
2. Grip the dumbbells with your palms facing down.
3. When coming down, do not allow your shoulders to relax by resting the dumbbells on your thighs.
4. Keep the tension on the shoulders by stopping a few inches from your thighs, then lift the dumbbells back up again.
5. This will keep the tension on your shoulders at all times.
6. After you complete 8 reps, immediately transition into the standing dumbbell lateral raise.

Avoid These Common Front Raise Mistakes:

1. A lot of times you’ll see people doing a hip thrust to create momentum to raise the dumbbells.
2. Thrusting your hips for momentum gives you a glutes workout rather than a shoulder workout.
3. Before lifting the weight, lock your body down by turning on your glutes and keeping your shoulders back.
4. Once your body is tight, initiate the movement by first using the muscles in shoulders to lift the dumbbells up, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down, stopping before they hit your thighs.

A2. Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Now we’re going to move on to the standing dumbbell lateral raise to hit the medial middle deltoids on the side of the shoulders.

• Reps: 8
• Rest: 0 seconds
• Sets: 3

Key Points To Perform The Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise Correctly:

1. At the top of the lift, you want to make sure the side of your shoulders are facing the ceiling.
2. To ensure your shoulders are facing the ceiling, I like to think about pouring water out of a jug at the top of the lift.
3. This means your pinky fingers will come above your thumbs.
4. Complete all 8 reps in a nice and slow controlled motion.

Avoid These Common Lateral Raise Mistakes:

1. Similar to the front raise, people often use momentum to lift the weights, rather than initiating and controlling the weight by contracting the shoulder muscles.
2. If it looks like you are quickly flapping your chicken wings, you are not controlling the weight.
3. It’s also important to note that bending your elbows too much can negatively impact your results.
4. The further you extend the weight out, the more tension will be placed on the shoulder muscles.
5. If your elbows are bent too much, it will look like you are doing the chicken dance.
6. Say no to chicken wings by extending your arms out to the sides for more shoulder gains.

A3. Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

After completing 8 reps of the standing dumbbell lateral raise, move immediately into the bent over rear delt raise to target the posterior rear deltoids on the back of the shoulders.

• Reps: 8
• Rest: 60 seconds
• Sets: 3

Key Points To Perform The Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise Correctly:

1. Remember, do not let go of the dumbbells between exercises.
2. Try not to lose tension off of the shoulders at the bottom of the lift.
3. At this point of the dumbbell complex, you may want to use momentum, however avoid this by trying to maintain a flat back.
4. Once you finish the first set of the dumbbell complex shoulder finisher, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat the complex 2 more times, for a total of 3 sets.

Avoid These Common Rear Delt Raise Mistakes:

1. It’s important to maintain a flat back, without extending your lower back for momentum to move the weights.
2. A lot of times this happens because the weights are too heavy.
3. Remember, your muscles do not know how much weight you’re lifting.
4. All your muscles know is the amount of tension being created and placed on it.

There you go.

Give This Dumbbell Complex Workout Finisher A Try

This is the perfect dumbbell complex workout finisher you can use to hit all 3 heads of the shoulders.

Once again it is going to hit your front anterior deltoids, your medial deltoids, and your rear deltoids to give you the boulder shoulder look.

Both guys and girls can do it at the end of your next shoulder workout.

Complete three sets of eight reps for each of those three exercises.

Go in there and kill it.