Construct energy, definition and muscle tone within the higher physique with this dumbbell exercise routine: the 7 greatest dumbbell arm workouts. We love this strict-set format for pushing every muscle group to fatigue, leading to muscle progress. It is a full higher physique exercise, focusing on the biceps, triceps, again, chest and shoulders in underneath half-hour.
If I wish to assure I’ll really feel sore the day after my exercise, I program strict units.
Strict units (repeating an train back-to-back earlier than shifting on to a brand new train) are significantly useful in case your aim is muscular hypertrophy, or muscle progress. I like this technique of structuring exercises as a result of though it’s easy, this can be very efficient.
A few of our hottest muscle-building isolation exercises (comparable to our chest workout and shoulder workout) make the most of strict units. Right now’s exercise applies this format to the complete higher physique, with a dumbbell arm train devoted to every main higher physique muscle group.
That is one in every of my private favourite codecs as a result of I discover it encourages progressive overload, or rising weights over time.

25-Minute Dumbbell Arm Exercise
Construct higher physique energy and definition with these dumbbell arm workouts.
An entire arm exercise focusing on each muscle group within the higher physique: the biceps, triceps, again, shoulders, chest and core.
Add an arms and shoulders workout like this one to your home strength training program 1-2 occasions per week to construct and preserve energy.
Exercise Directions:
Comply with together with the guided Upper Body Dumbbell Workout Routine on YouTube, led by licensed private coach, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Exercise Appears to be like Like This:
- 7 Dumbbell Arm Workout routines
- Timed Intervals (30 seconds work per train, adopted by 15 seconds relaxation)
- Strict Units (repeat every arm train x2 units, back-to-back)
Exercise Tools:
Medium Pair of Dumbbells. I like to recommend between 5-25 lbs relying in your health stage. We used 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in at present’s exercise.
Exercise Define
- Across the World Shoulder Increase
- Hammer Bicep Curl to Extensive Bicep Curl
- Reverse Grip Again Row and Slim Grip Again Row
- Commonplace Chest Press and Slim Chest Press
- Cranium Crusher
- V-Sit Crunch, Bicep Curl and Shoulder Press
- Push Up and Plank Row
7 Dumbbell Arm Workout routines
1. Across the World Shoulder Increase
Targets: Shoulders (deltoids), rotator cuff muscle groups and core.

How To Do Across the World Shoulder Raises
- Begin with ft underneath hips, core engaged. Maintain a dumbbell in every hand at your sides, palms going through outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
- Retaining your arms as straight as potential, raise each dumbbells in broad arcs out to the facet, slowly elevating your arms till the dumbbells are straight overhead. Think about you’re drawing a big circle together with your dumbbells.
- Slowly and with management, reverse the movement, decreasing your dumbbells to return to the beginning place.
Modification: Scale back vary of movement and lift your arms solely as excessive as feels snug. Alternatively, sub a lateral raise.
2. Hammer Bicep Curl to Extensive Bicep Curl
Targets: The lengthy head of the bicep in addition to the brachialis (one other muscle within the higher arm situated on the elbow joint) and the brachioradialis (a forearm muscle groups).

How To Do Hammer Bicep Curls to Extensive Bicep Curls
- Begin standing, ft hip width aside, core engaged. Maintain the dumbbells at your sides, palms going through in in the direction of one another (hammer curl grip, or impartial grip).
- Squeeze your bicep muscle to twist the weights as much as shoulder peak, retaining the elbows locked into your sides as you curl the dumbbells up.
- Then, retaining elbows bent, open by the chest as you barely rotate the dumbbells out in the direction of the corners of the room, every palm about 45 levels away out of your physique.
- Maintain this exterior rotation as you slowly decrease the dumbbells to your hips, earlier than squeezing the entrance of your arm to twist the dumbbells as much as shoulder peak (performing a large bicep curl).
- On the high of your bicep curl, rotate your palms in in the direction of one another, discovering a impartial grip.
- Slowly and with management, decrease the dumbbells to your hips, returning to the beginning place.
3. Reverse Grip Again Row and Slim Grip Again Row
Targets: Latissimus dorsi (or lats; the biggest again muscle recognized for its giant, flat “V” form).

How To Do Reverse Grip Again Rows and Slim Grip Again Rows
- Stand together with your ft shoulder-width aside, knees barely bent. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms going through in in the direction of one another (slender grip).
- Hinge on the hips till your physique is in a straight line, neck in keeping with your backbone, flat again, and stomach button pulled again in the direction of your backbone.
- As you pull the weights again in the direction of your hips in a rowing motion, squeeze your shoulder blades collectively. Cease when your elbows are in keeping with your hips.
- With management, slowly decrease the weights again to the beginning place, arms straight. Assume up on a one-count, down sluggish and managed on a two-count. Repeat the bent over row thrice.
- Then, rotate the dumbbells so your palms are going through away out of your physique (reverse grip).
- Carry out three extra again rows, pulling the weights again in the direction of your hips earlier than decreasing slowly and with management.
4. Commonplace Dumbbell Chest Press and Slim Chest Press
Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, higher again, mid-back, abs and core muscle groups.

How To Do Commonplace Dumbbell Chest Presses and Slim Dumbbell Chest Presses
- Lay flat in your again (on the bottom, on a bench, incline bench, or on a stability ball) with knees bent and ft flat on the ground. Maintain one dumbbell in every hand (palms going through knees), elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale as you push each dumbbells overhead on the similar time; dumbbells stacked over shoulders on the high of the press. Ensure your wrists are sturdy and in keeping with your shoulders.
- Decrease the dumbbells again in the direction of your chest with management. Repeat thrice, performing three commonplace dumbbell chest presses.
- On the high of your third commonplace chest press, rotate your palms in to face one another, discovering a slender grip.
- Slowly and with management, decrease the dumbbells down in the direction of your chest. Repeat thrice, performing three slender chest presses.
5. Cranium Crusher
Targets: All three heads of the tricep muscle (lateral head, medial head, and lengthy head).

How To Do Cranium Crushers
- Lie flat on the bottom or on a bench or stability ball; legs bent at 90 levels.
- Maintain a dumbbell in every hand and lengthen your arms, dumbbells stacked over shoulders.
- Bending on the elbows, slowly decrease the dumbbells in the direction of your head (simply bending on the elbows, decreasing the dumbbells in the direction of your temples).
- Pause on the backside, then squeeze by the again of your arms to straighten your elbows, urgent the dumbbells again overhead and returning to the beginning place.
6. V-Sit Crunch, Bicep Curl and Shoulder Press
Targets: Shoulders, biceps, hips and core.

How To Do V-Sit Crunches, Bicep Curls and Shoulder Presses
- Begin sitting flat in your mat, sending the legs straight out in entrance of you, forming a “V” form together with your legs. Place a pair of dumbbells on the bottom between your legs inside straightforward attain.
- Participating your core, slowly roll down the size in your backbone, decreasing till you’re laying flat on the bottom. For an additional problem, preserve your arms prolonged in entrance of you.
- Squeeze by your abs to carry out a sit up, pulling your torso up till you’re seated upright, again straight.
- Then, seize a dumbbell in every hand, palms going through in in the direction of one another (impartial grip) and curl the weights up in the direction of your shoulders, performing a bicep curl.
- On the high of the bicep curl, press the weights straight overhead, performing a impartial shoulder press.
- Slowly and with management, return the dumbbells to your shoulders earlier than reversing the curl, decreasing the dumbbells to the ground between your legs and returning to beginning place.
Modification: Omit the crunch, performing alternating seated bicep curls and shoulder presses as a substitute.
7. Push Up and Plank Row
Targets: Latissimus dorsi (or lats), higher again, chest, shoulders, arms and core.

How To Do Push Ups and Plank Again Rows (Renegade Rows)
- Begin in a excessive plank place, each palms in your dumbbells, shoulders stacked over wrists, core engaged.
- Slowly decrease your chest down in the direction of the bottom as your elbows fall again in the direction of your hips (preserve elbows tight to the physique).
- As soon as on the backside of your push up, exhale as you push again up into excessive plank place (high of your push up place).
- Then, maintain a excessive plank place as you pull your proper elbow in the direction of your proper hip, squeezing your again muscle groups to raise the dumbbell in your proper hand, performing a plank and row.
- Slowly and with management, decrease the dumbbell to the bottom. Repeat, performing two renegade rows.
- Proceed this sample, alternating one push up with two renegade rows.
Modification: Drop to your knees, performing a modified push up and plank.
Widespread Errors to Keep away from
Bent Wrists
Keep away from bent wrists throughout dumbbell arm workouts. Your wrists ought to be straight and dumbbells ought to be stacked straight over your wrists. Bent wrists or poor kind can result in harm.
Utilizing The Fallacious Weights
It’s necessary to persistently consider the dumbbell weights you’re utilizing for various workouts. Keep away from utilizing momentum to raise the weights. If you end up swinging your arms to get the dumbbells as much as your shoulders throughout a bicep curl, you possible want to make use of lighter weights.
Utilizing the appropriate weights can even assist make sure you’re taking muscle teams by their full vary of movement. If the weights are too heavy and trigger you to cease a rep mid-range, you received’t really take a look at your energy or problem your muscle groups correctly.
Improper Core Engagement
Your core stabilizes you as your legs and arms transfer away out of your physique, so it’s necessary to have a powerful core throughout dumbbell arm workouts. Should you don’t brace your core throughout an overhead shoulder press, you’ll arch your decrease again and rely extra in your chest to press the weights into the air. This doesn’t have interaction the proper muscle teams and may result in low again ache and harm.
Performing Damaging Reps
A unfavourable rep focuses particularly on the “decreasing” a part of the movement. Specializing in a sluggish, managed descent will maximize muscle engagement, which is the place true muscle progress occurs.
Eccentric bicep curls and overhead tricep extensions provide good alternatives to deal with unfavourable reps. Throughout a unfavourable rep, you’ll deal with slowly decreasing the load throughout the “unfavourable” a part of the motion (usually decreasing on a two- or three-count). Problem your self to succeed in for heavier weights throughout unfavourable reps.
Correct kind is necessary, significantly when you’re rising the weights you’re utilizing. Give attention to core engagement and mind-muscle connection. Chances are you’ll carry out fewer unfavourable reps in a set to maximise muscle engagement and keep away from danger of harm.
FAQs
The simplest higher physique exercises deal with compound workouts that have interaction a number of muscle groups within the higher physique without delay. This will increase muscle engagement and saves time. You may also add isolation workouts to deal with muscle imbalances or weaknesses. Isolation workouts deal with a particular muscle group and will embody bicep exercises, shoulder exercises, back exercises, tricep exercises and chest exercises.
Dumbbell workouts are efficient at constructing energy in each muscle within the higher physique. In case your aim is to enhance definition in your arms, attain for heavy weights. You’ll know you selected the appropriate weight if the final 2-3 reps in a set are difficult to finish with correct kind (The American Council on Exercise).
This relies on how typically you’re coaching arms and at what depth. In case you are lifting difficult weights and following a well-rounded energy coaching program, you possibly can anticipate to really feel a change after 4-8 weeks of constant lifting.
Typically, it is best to exhale throughout the hardest a part of the motion. For instance, when performing a bicep curl, exhale as you curl the weights up in the direction of your shoulders, then inhale as you’re decreasing the weights. When performing a chest press, exhale as you’re pushing the dumbbells away out of your physique, then inhale as you decrease the weights again down. Exhaling throughout the hardest a part of the motion might help you’re employed by the motion with correct kind.
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