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Build stronger, more defined arms and delts

Best Biceps and Shoulder workouts

Biceps and shoulders are key upper-body muscles that work together in many pulling and pressing movements. In these workouts, you’ll train both areas to improve strength, definition, and symmetry. Compound exercises like overhead presses and chin-ups form the core of your routine, engaging large muscle groups for size and power. These are supported by isolation movements such as lateral raises and hammer curls to refine shape and target specific muscle heads. Whether you're aiming to improve aesthetics, enhance athletic performance, or support better posture and movement, these workouts help you train smarter and grow stronger.

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Workout

Workout 1 Shoulders & Biceps (Maximum Strength)

This shoulder and biceps workout makes you stronger in both areas by combining shoulder presses with various curling exercises that target your biceps from different angles. You perform 8-10 repetitions for most exercises, which builds both strength and muscle mass. The workout balances pressing movements for your shoulders with curling movements for your biceps, giving you a complete session for your upper arms in one workout.

The benefits of bicep and shoulder workouts

Support Joint Health & Boost Strength

Training your biceps and shoulders together supports a more complete and functional upper body. Strong shoulders improve pressing performance and posture, while well-developed biceps increase pulling strength and arm control. This combination helps prevent imbalance and improves coordination in compound exercises. A consistent routine focused on these areas not only builds muscle and definition but also supports joint health and long-term progression in both aesthetics and performance.

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Workout 2 Shoulders & Biceps (High-Volume Development)

This shoulder and bicep workout focuses on building larger muscles by performing more total sets with higher repetitions (10-12) than typical strength training workouts. You'll do multiple exercises for each muscle group to really pump up your arms and shoulders. The higher rep counts provide the 'muscle burn' and pump that stimulate growth, while the variety of exercises targets your muscles from different angles for complete development.

Workout

Workout 3 Shoulders & Biceps (Targeted Muscle Training)

This shoulder and bicep workout focuses on perfect execution and truly feeling every muscle work during each exercise. You'll use controlled, deliberate movements with moderate weights to ensure your shoulders and biceps do all the work without other muscles assisting. The exercise selection includes isolation movements that allow you to focus on specific areas of your shoulders and biceps for better muscle development and definition.

Train biceps and shoulders specifically

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You have just discovered some of the most effective biceps and shoulder workouts: ideal for building mass, strength, and balance. With the app, you can combine these into a weekly routine that will keep you making progress without guesswork.

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FAQs: The Best Biceps and Shoulder Workouts

How do I avoid overtraining when combining these workouts?

Ensure adequate rest, limit total sets per session (4–6 exercises total), and vary intensity across the week to allow for recovery.

Should I use heavy weights or high reps for arms and shoulders?

A combination works best, heavy weights for compound lifts and higher reps for isolation movements helps build both size and endurance.

 

What are the most effective biceps and shoulder exercises?

Barbell curls, chin-ups, and hammer curls for biceps; overhead presses, lateral raises, and rear delt flyes for shoulders.

 

How many times per week should I train these muscles?

Training each muscle group 1–2 times per week is ideal for growth and recovery, depending on your overall program.

 

Can I train biceps and shoulders in the same workout?

Yes, biceps and shoulders can be trained together effectively, especially when using a push/pull or upper-body split.

Discover more biceps and shoulder workout variations

Related Biceps and Shoulder Workouts

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Best Bicep workouts

Bicep workouts target the muscles on the front of your upper arms, helping you develop strength, improve performance in pulling movements, and create well-defined arms. In these workouts, you’ll combine proven compound lifts and isolation exercises to maximize muscle growth and endurance. Exercises like barbell curls, chin-ups, and hammer curls form the foundation of your workouts by engaging the biceps through different angles and grips. These movements are complemented by variations such as concentration curls and cable curls to isolate each arm and enhance shape and detail. Whether you’re training for strength, aesthetics, or overall fitness, dedicated bicep workouts are an essential part of any balanced routine.

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Best Shoulder workouts

Shoulder workouts target the deltoid muscles: front (anterior), side (lateral), and rear (posterior) which play a key role in pressing, lifting, and stabilizing your upper body. In these workouts, you'll train all three heads for balanced development, improved strength, and injury prevention. Compound movements like the overhead press and push press build raw strength, while isolation exercises such as lateral raises and rear delt flyes help shape and define the shoulders. Whether you're chasing performance, symmetry, or aesthetics, dedicated shoulder workouts are essential to complete upper body training.

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Best Arm workouts

The arms are made up of essential muscle groups, including the biceps, triceps, and forearms. In these workouts, these muscles are trained together to create balanced strength and impressive definition. Core compound movements like close-grip bench presses, tricep dips, and barbell curls lay the foundation by engaging multiple muscles at once. These exercises are complemented by isolation work such as hammer curls, tricep pushdowns, and wrist curls to target specific areas and maximize arm development.

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Best Side Delt workouts

The side delts, or lateral deltoids, are responsible for the width and rounded shape of your shoulders. Well-developed side delts enhance upper body aesthetics and play a functional role in shoulder abduction and stabilization. These workouts focus on isolating the lateral delts using exercises like lateral raises, upright rows, and overhead presses. Whether you're training for appearance or performance, strong side delts contribute to balanced, injury-resistant shoulders.

Train smarter with weekly schedules

Routines for biceps and shoulder gains

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Bodybuilding Split (5x/week)

This 5-day bodybuilding split is designed for lifters who want to build size, definition, and symmetry through dedicated muscle group specialization. Each day focuses on specific muscle groups with enough volume and intensity to maximize hypertrophy while allowing adequate recovery between sessions. Perfect for intermediate to advanced lifters who want to sculpt their physique with precision.

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Barbell Only Split (4x/week)

This 4-day split is all about moving the biggest loads with the classics. No machines, no isolation fluff, just the foundational compound movements that have built athletes for decades. Whether you're training at home with a simple setup or prefer the simplicity of barbell-only sessions, this program delivers complete body development using nothing but the most effective compound lifts. With four focused sessions across the week, you'll hit every major movement pattern while allowing proper recovery between training days.

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Athlete Builder (5x/week) routine

This program is built for individuals who want to become faster, more explosive, and stronger: regardless of their sport. The Athlete Builder routine combines mobility, strength, conditioning, and power-based movements across five focused days. Whether you're an athlete, a coach, or someone who simply trains like one, this plan delivers high-performance results through structured, repeatable progress. Expect improvements in force production, joint control, and total-body resilience.

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PPL + Abs Add-On (6x/week) routine

This high-frequency training schedule for those craving real muscle size and core strength. This approach combines the classic push/pull/legs split with dedicated abdominal work to maximize both muscle growth and functional core strength. Six training days per week allow optimal volume distribution across all muscle groups while providing the attention to detail that serious lifters demand. Every session builds on the previous one, creating cumulative muscle development and robust core function.