This Brutal HIIT Shoulder Workout Takes Just 3 Minutes

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Back when I used to box, our coach would have us perform a brutal HIIT shoulder workout at the end of the session as a quick finisher.

Bear in mind that this was after 90 minutes of jump rope, ab work, and 15 to 20 rounds of repeatedly hammering the heavy bag and sparring. 

So by the time we got to this point in the workout, I was already pretty much spent.

Now, up until recently, I hadn’t really given this exercise much thought. 

But after heading back down to the boxing gym recently after a few months layoff, I was quickly reminded of how hard it actually was. 

Which is ultimately what inspired me to write this blog post. 

Anyway…

Before I get into the specifics of this workout, I just want to point out that you can still get your hands on a copy of Mike Whitfields Workout Finishers 2.0

Basically, Mike has put together a killer combination of over 50 gut-wrenching HIIT workouts designed to kick your ass halfway to hell and back.

Better still, these workouts are proven metabolic boosters, meaning they are pretty much guaranteed to torch fat from your frame in record time.

Here’s the link if you’re interested…

The Brutal HIIT Shoulder Workout That Takes Only 3 Minutes

Now, to execute this HIIT shoulder workout, you’re going to need a set of dumbbells.

You don’t need to go heavy here either. Anything from 8-20 lbs will be ideal, depending on your size and fitness level.

If you’re a bigger guy, you might want to pick a weight on the higher end of the scale…

…But if you’re on the smaller side, I’d go for something like 8-12 pounds and see how you get on.

You can always up the weight next time round if it’s a little too light.

Anyway, this workout basically consists of six exercises that you’re going to perform in 30-second intervals.

There’s no break here either. So as soon as you’ve finished the first interval, you’re going to move straight into the next one with no rest.

The entire workout itself only takes 3 minutes, but I promise by the time you’re done, 3 minutes will seem like an eternity.

So here it is in all its glory…

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• High Curls
• Dumbbell Shrugs
• Lateral Raises
• Bicep Curls
• Weighted Punches (1-2 combination)

And that’s it, ladies and gentlemen.

Again, remember that each exercise lasts 30 seconds. So ideally, you’ll need some sort of interval timer to avoid watching the clock.

Each exercise should be performed at maximum intensity. And you should do your best not to stop at any point during the routine.

Now, if you find the workout too easy, then the weight was obviously too light. So remember to up the weight next time you try it.

On the flip side, if you’re constantly stopping and/or having to drop the weights. Then lighten the load a little next time around.

The Perfect HIIT Workout For Shoulder Endurance

Now, this workout was designed to be boxing specific, which is why it lasts 3 minutes. 

It’s also why the weights are kept light because the main focus is to work on increasing your muscular endurance.

Having said that, there’s a lot of other things you can do with this seemingly simple workout, which I’ll highlight in more detail below…

A 12-Minute HIIT Workout That Will Make Your Cry

So, there was one occasion (one I’d rather forget) where our trainer took this already beast of a workout to a new level of extreme.

I’ve only done it once, and to be honest, I hope I never do it again.

Basically, it involved completing four rounds of the same 3-minute circuit with a little twist.

The twist was that both the second and fourth rounds were unweighted.

Sounds simple enough, right?

No, it’s not.

In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that this is the closest thing you’ll ever feel to torture in your life.

Attempt it at your own risk…

• Set 1: 3 Minutes (with dumbbells)
• 1 Minute Rest
• Set 2: 3 Minutes (unweighted)
• 1 Minute Rest
• Set 3: 3 Minutes (with dumbbells)
• No Rest
• Set 4: 3 Minutes (unweighed)

Again, this might not look too difficult since there are two unweighed rounds.

But I promise by the time you hit the last set, you’ll barely be able to lift your arms.

So all I’m going to say here is good luck and godspeed.

Adapting Your HIIT Workout To Suit Your Goals

Now, due to the nature of boxing, this workout is very sport-specific.

I also understand that this style of HIIT training might not be to your benefit, and your goals might be completely different from mine.

If that’s the case, then here’s a few things you can do to spice your routine up.

Focusing On Muscle Size

If hypertrophy (muscle size) is your goal, then you can still get a killer pump from this workout.

The only difference is that you’ll want to change up a few things like the intervals and rep ranges.

I’d recommend doing something like this…

• Shoulder Press (10-12 reps)
• High Curl (10-12 reps)
• Shrugs (10-12 reps)
• Lateral Raises (10-12 reps)
• Bicep Curls (10-12 reps)
• Weighted Punches (1-2 combination)

Now, the only difference here is that you’ll want to drop the 30-second intervals from the workout so you can focus purely on hitting your reps.

Obviously, you’ll want to up the weight to get the most bang for your buck and add in a brief 15-30 second rest if you feel like you need it.

But other than that, it’s basically the same workout that takes a slightly different approach.

The Dropset Approach

This is another take on the same workout that includes dropsets.

Now, if you don’t know what a dropset is, it’s basically the principle of lowering the weight every time you hit muscle failure.

So, for instance, you start with, let’s say a 25-pound overhead press and rep this exercise out until failure…

…Drop the weight.

And then keep repping out more presses with a lighter weight.

You’d continue to do this until you were working with, let’s say 5-pound dumbbells.

Kinda like this…

Rep out with 25-pounds to failure…

…Then 20-pounds to failure

…Then 15

…10

…And finally, 5-pounds until you can’t perform another rep

After that, rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat the other 5 exercises until you’ve hammered your shoulders into oblivion.

Related Blog Post: Tabata Pushups – Getting The Most Out Of 4 Minutes Of Hell

What To Do If It’s Too Hard?

Even though this exercise is only 3-minutes. To a beginner with no training experience, it can still be quite taxing regardless of how short the routine is.

So if you’re new to HIIT training and you want to slowly ease yourself into the process, here are a few things you can do

Firstly, you could just lower the weight.

The problem with this, however, is that the weight is already relatively light. And reducing it further won’t have the desired effect you want it to if your aim is to exhaust the muscles.

The second (and probably better option) would be to reduce the intervals down to 25 or even 20 seconds until you’ve built up the muscular endurance to smash through all six, 30-second intervals.

In addition to this, you could always perform one interval…

…Drop the weight for 10-15 seconds.

And then continue in the same fashion until you’ve completed all six exercises.

Kinda like this…

• Overhead Press (30 seconds)
• 10-15 second rest
• High Curl (30 seconds)
• 10-15 second rest
• Shrugs (30 seconds)
• 10-15 seconds rest
• Lateral Raises (30 seconds)
• 10-15 seconds rest
• Bicep Curls (30 seconds)
• 10-15 seconds rest
• Weighted Punches (1-2 combination)

This will add a minute or so to the workout, but it’ll also be a great stepping stone to working thought the routine with no rest.

As long as you’re consistent, work hard and always strive to improve. You’ll find that your muscles will quickly adapt to the workload. And in time, you’ll be able to complete the entire 3-minute with full force and intensity.

Taking Your HIIT Workout To The Next Level

Now, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to building an effective HIIT workout. 

And if you’re willing to think outside the box. There are literally dozens (potentially hundreds) of high-intensity workouts you can create if you’re willing to experiment.

However, being the HIIT enthusiast I know you are. I understand you might not have time to spend days (even weeks) going through the trial and error of creating your own HIIT workouts and seeing what works.

That’s kinda like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

So instead, I thought I’d give you something that’s going to cut through all the unnecessary BS. And provide the ultimate kick-ass workout that you can start implementing immediately.

It’s called Workout Finishers 2.0 by Mike Whitfield

And it’s a no-nonsense, yet incredibly unique training guide with over 51 high-intensity workout finishers for the ultimate fat burn.

Even better, these workouts are proven metabolic boosters that you can finish in as little as 3 minutes.

How’s that for time-saving?

Anyway, I’m not the type of guy who likes to oversell or hype things up because it’s not really my style.

Instead, I’d rather you just check it out so you can see if it’s right for you…

So here it is for you to take a look…

Wrapping Things Up

If I’ve done my job, then hopefully, this post has given you one or two ideas on how to effectively plan your own HIIT shoulder workout.

The important thing to remember here is that there really isn’t a limit on what you can accomplish with HIIT training when you put the time in and work hard. 

But before you hit the back button on your web browser and leave my site forever. 

If you happen to have any other HIIT workouts you’d like to share… 

…Or have an opinion on how this post can be improved. Feel free to drop them in the comments below…