Working Out With Hand Weights

Shoulder Press
As its name suggests, the shoulder press exercises your shoulder muscles. It also works on your triceps through elbow extension. To do shoulder presses, sit upright on a bench or chair, and hold your weights about an inch in front of your shoulders. Repeatedly extend your arms straight upward to lift the weights, and let them back down.

Front Raises
Front raises build your anterior, or front, and middle deltoid muscles on your shoulders. To perform front raises, first stand with hand weights at your sides. While keeping your arms straight, raise the weights forward to shoulder height, and slowly lower them back down. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Lateral Raises
Lateral raises are similar to front raises because you perform them from the same starting position. However, instead of lifting your hand weights forward, lift them sideways away from your body; this action is called shoulder abduction. Lateral raises emphasize the middle part of your deltoid muscle.

Biceps Curls
Your biceps muscles help you flex your arms at your elbow joints. Biceps curls use this range of motion to strengthen your biceps and the other muscles that contribute to elbow flexion. To execute biceps curls, hold your hand weights at your sides, and repeatedly flex and extend your arms to lift the weights to your shoulders and lower them back down.