You don't need the gym to build stronger shoulders, just a pair of light dumbbells and these 7 upper-body moves
Try this Barre inspired shoulder sculpting routine
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If you're less about muscle building and more about focusing on developing strength, definition and muscle endurance then we think you'll enjoy this Barre-inspired workout especially designed to target your shoulders. All you'll need is a set of light dumbbells and this seven-move routine from fitness trainer, Britany Williams.
Williams uses a set of 5 lb dumbbells, which are typically quite affordable from places like Amazon and local sports shops. Alternatively, you can adjust the weight on a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells if that’s what you usually train with at home.
To complete this workout, perform 10 reps of each exercise and complete two rounds. If you're worried about maintaining momentum, you’ll be glad to know you can take a minute's rest between each round. Also feel free to take short breaks between each exercise to keep good form and energy right through to the end.
Watch Britany Williams 7-Move Shoulder Workout
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Barre is a form of workout inspired by ballet and incorporates elements from Pilates, dance, and yoga. It focuses on small, isometric movements to enhance strength, flexibility and endurance. While a traditional ballet barre is often used for this style of exercise, you can achieve similar results by adopting the core principles of Barre: high repetitions and low-impact exercises.
In this instance, you are incorporating a pair of light dumbbells to develop strength in the upper body and sculpt the shoulder muscles. When you introduce light weights into traditional Barre exercises, you can make the movements more challenging and target the muscles more effectively.
As we mentioned earlier, Barre routines are known for their high-repetition, low-impact exercises that focus on small, controlled movements. When you add some dumbbells into the mix, your muscles are subjected to prolonged periods of contraction, training them to have greater endurance.
The combination of high repetitions and resistance also ensures to target the slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for endurance and definition. This approach encourages muscle tone without necessarily adding bulk, making it ideal for those after a lean and defined physique.
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Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her love for keeping fit and fueling her body with healthy and enjoyable food quite naturally led her to write about all things fitness and health-related. If she isn’t out testing the latest fitness products such as the latest running shoe or yoga mat for reviewing then she can be found writing news and features on the best ways to build strength, active aging, female health, and anything in between. Before then she had a small stint writing in local news, has also written for Runners World UK (print and digital), and gained experience with global content marketing agency, Cedar Communications.
Born and raised in Scotland, Jessica is a massive fan of exercising and keeping active outdoors. When at home she can be found running by the sea, swimming in it, or up a mountain. This continued as she studied and trained to become a PPA-accredited magazine journalist in Wales. And since working and living in London, she splits her time between weight training in the gym, trying new fitness classes, and finding scenic running routes. Jessica enjoys documenting this on her fitness-inspired Instagram page @jessrunshere where she loves engaging with like-minded fitness junkies.
She is a big fan of healthy cooking and loves learning more about this area with expert nutritionists she has met over the years. Jessica is a big advocate for building healthy relationships with food rather than building restrictive attitudes towards it. When she isn’t eating or running she also enjoys practicing yoga in her free time as it helps her to unwind and benefits her performance in other sports.