Beat desk-related aches with this 20-minute upper-body dumbbell workout
Target muscles weakened by sitting with these five moves
While sitting is a normal part of life, spending long periods in the same position can leave your body feeling achy and stiff, and may even compromise how it functions.
Slouching on the sofa and hunching over your screen of choice can also contribute to neck and back pain.
While no one move can fix poor posture from prolonged sitting, strengthening the muscles around your shoulders and upper back can help you hold an upright posture for longer, so you feel less stiff (although it’s still important to take regular movement breaks).
This workout features five moves to target those muscles. So if you feel like a curled-up prawn after a day at your desk, this workout is for you.
How to do this workout
Perform each of the five exercises below for 40 seconds, taking 20 seconds between exercises to get set up for the next move and to rest. Perform all five exercises to complete one round. Perform four rounds in total.
- Bent-over rear delt flye
- Dumb waiter to Y-raise
- Arnold press
- Arm circles
- Bent-over row to triceps kickback
1. Bent-over rear delt fly
Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides, palms facing inward.
- Hinge at your hips and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
- Raise both arms out to the sides to shoulder level, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together, pausing briefly at the top of the move.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to start position.
- Avoid using momentum to lift the weights.
How it helps: Strengthens the muscles around the back of your shoulders and shoulder blades, helping counter the rounded-shoulder position many people slip into when working at a desk.
2. Waiter to Y-raise
Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent at 90° in contact with your waist, forearms extended in front, palms facing up and dumbbells touching.
- Rotate your forearms outward as far as possible. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Press the weights to a 45° angle, creating a Y-shape with your arms.
- Pause briefly at the top then slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
How it helps: Stretches your chest and strengthens your lower trapezius muscles, which help control shoulder blade movement. Improves overhead shoulder mobility and encourages better movement through your shoulder blades, helping to reduce stiffness around your shoulders and neck.
3. Arnold press
Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec
- Sit or stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your face, palms facing you and elbows bent at 90°.
- Rotate your arms out to your sides so your palms are facing forward, then press the weights overhead, extending your arms fully.
- Pause briefly at the top then reverse the move with control.
How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and strengthens the muscles that support good posture. Moves your shoulders through a wide range of motion, helping counter the fixed positions of desk work.
4. Arm circles
Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a light weight in each hand.
- Raise your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, palms facing down.
- Rotate your arms backward making small circles.
- Every 10 seconds pause and rotate in the opposite direction.
How it helps: Improves shoulder mobility and increases blood flow to the muscles around your shoulders and upper back.
5. Bent-over row to triceps kickback
Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
- Engage your core.
- Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower your torso to a 45° angle, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
- Lift the dumbbells toward your ribcage, squeezing your shoulder blades at the top of the movement, keeping your arms tucked close to your body.
- Extend your arms fully behind you, straightening them at the elbows.
- Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
How it helps: This move strengthens your upper-back muscles that help support an upright posture and encourages you to keep your core braced as you work through the movement. The kickback strengthens your triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arms, which helps improve shoulder alignment
