This Dumbbell-Only Shoulder and Back ‘Giant Set’ Finisher Builds a Thicker Upper Body

Andrew Tracey
·2-min read
muscular male bodybuilder standing front on to camera holding dumbbells looking down in industrial gym
Grow Your Shoulders and Back with This FinisherMike Harrington

This dumbbell-only back and shoulder finisher is designed to be employed at the end of your upper-body workout day. Delivering a brutal pump and forcing metabolic stress and muscle damage, this stingy workout is geared towards nothing else other than muscle growth.

You only need a set of light/medium dumbbells too, making this the perfect finisher to a heavy weight or functional workout.

Form Check:

Perform three sets of the following three-move 'giant set', resting for two minutes between each round. Take each set of each movement to technical failure – the point at which you can't perform any more reps with good form – before moving immediately onto the next movement. Each movement gets progressively easier, meaning you can keep working at a high intensity throughout.

Lateral Raise x work to failure

lateral raises shoulder exercise
Phil Haynes - Hearst Owned

Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides (A). Avoiding momentum from the hips, raise both arms up, straight, either side of your body until they’re parallel to the ground (B). Pause here before slowly lowering the dumbbells under control to your sides. Repeat.

Rear Delt Fly x work to failure

rear delt fly
Phil Haynes - Hearst Owned

Lay prone on a bench, or hinge at the hips until your torso is parallel to the ground, holding a pair of dumbbells with arms at full length. (A) With a slight bend in your arms, raise your dumbbells up and away from the ground, finishing in a ‘crucifix’ position (B). Pause here, squeezing your shoulder blades together before slowly lowering your dumbbells back to their starting position. Repeat.

Bent-Over Row x work to failure

weights, exercise equipment, shoulder, overhead press, kettlebell, arm, dumbbell, physical fitness, standing, muscle,
Hearst - Hearst Owned

Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides and hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor, dumbbells hanging at your shins (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your hips (B), squeeze here and lower under control to the start before repeating.

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