Trainers Say These Are The Top 19 Exercises For Strong, Sculpted Arms
If having toned, strong arms, like J.Lo, Brie Larson, or Natalie Portman, is one of your fitness goals, you’re not alone. And it's honestly pretty doable and easy to get started: You don't need a complicated workout split or a gym full of fancy equipment to make real progress with your arm workouts. All you really need to sculpt your arms is a pair of weights, about 20 minutes, and this list of trainer-programmed arm toning exercises.
A basic pair of dumbbells make it possible to work your arm muscles from every angle—think your delts (shoulders), biceps (fronts of your upper arms), and triceps (backs of your upper arms)—from pretty much anywhere, whether it's at the gym, in your backyard, or in a hotel room.
Meet the expert: Tatiana Lampa, CPT, is a personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist, and creator of the Training with T App.
How To Integrate Arm Workouts In Your Routine
Your best bet is to incorporate a variety of strength training arm exercises into your workouts regularly—aim for two to four times a week. You can either pick and choose a few exercises to incorporate into a full-body or upper-body workout, or dedicate a few sessions per week to target upper-body muscle groups. That could look like:
Upper-body day 1: Back and biceps
Upper-body day 2: Chest and triceps
Upper-body day 3: Shoulders
It's also a smart move to switch up your programming after six to 12 weeks of doing the same schedule, according to Lampa, to continue challenging your muscles.
Best Arm Workouts For Women
Time: 20 minutes | Equipment: dumbbells | Good for: arms
Instructions: For a full arm workout, choose six moves from the list below. Perform 10 to 12 reps of each, then continue to the next move without a break. When you finish all six, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat three more times for a total of four rounds. Choose a set of weights that makes it hard to get to the end of a set of 12 reps.
To DIY your own comprehensive arm burn, choose two exercises for each of the following:
Biceps (think: biceps curl, hammer curl, chin-up, pullup)
Triceps (think: dips, triceps extension, triceps pushdown)
Shoulders (think: upright rows, overhead press, Arnold press)
1. Biceps Curl
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width holding a pair of dumbbells at sides. Palms should be facing forward with back straight and chest upright.
Without moving upper arms, bend elbows and bring weights up toward shoulders.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to starting position with control. That's 1 rep.
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2. Cactus Arms
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width, holding dumbbells in both hands. Bring elbows together and up so arms form 90-degree angles and elbows are at shoulder height.
Keeping your core engaged and body stable, open elbows as wide as possible.
Bring them together again. That's 1 rep.
3. Upright Row
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width, arms resting in front of your body and a dumbbell in each hand.
Lift dumbbells by raising elbows until they reach chest-level.
Slowly lower them back down to waist with control, and repeat. That's 1 rep.
4. Skullcrushers
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width flat on the floor, about a foot from your butt. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend arms up over shoulders, palms facing toward each other.
Slowly bend at the elbows to bring weights toward the floor, close to temples.
Pause, then, slowly extend arms to bring the weights back overhead. That's 1 rep.
5. Alternating Bent-Over Row
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width, holding one dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other.
Hinge at hips, keeping head in-line with tailbone.
Bracing core, pull right elbow back until right wrist is near ribs.
Lower with control to return to start position.
Bracing core, pull left elbow back until left wrist is near ribs.
Lower with control to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: For any single-side moves, don't forget to switch sides and complete all the reps on the other side before moving on.
6. Triceps Kickback
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width and knees slightly bent.
Lean forward slightly, with a dumbbell in each hand and elbows at 90-degrees by sides.
Press dumbbells back and up, and as you straighten arms, squeeze triceps.
Lower weights with control to return to start. That's 1 rep.
7. Curtsy Lunge With Biceps Curl
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Take a big step back with your right leg, crossing it behind left while keeping hips facing forward.
Bend knees and lower down until the right knee almost touches the floor. At the same time, bend elbows and bring the weights toward shoulders, keeping elbows pointing down.
Step through the left heel as you return to standing. That's 1 rep.
8. Renegade Row
How to:
Start in plank position, holding dumbbells in either hand on the floor.
Pull your right elbow toward the ceiling until your right wrist is near ribs, then return it to the floor.
Repeat on the opposite side. That's 1 rep.
9. Rear Delt Fly
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width and knees slightly bent.
Hinge at the hips and let arms hang straight down from shoulders, palms facing your body, holding a pair of dumbbells.
With a soft bend in the elbows, raise both arms out to the sides while squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Lower weights with control to return to start. That's 1 rep.
10. Alternating Military Press
How to:
Start kneeling with right leg forward, tailbone tucked and core engaged.
Raise right elbow out to the side to shoulder-height, like a field goal, with dumbbell in hand.
Press your right arm straight up towards the ceiling until your right bicep is next to your right ear.
Lower down with control to return to field goal position, not allowing the elbow to drop below shoulder-height.
Repeat with the left arm. That's 1 rep.
11. Triceps Dip
How to:
Sit in a chair and grip the front edges of it with both hands.
Scoot butt forward until it's hovering just off the seat and legs form 90-degree angles and straighten arms.
Lower body down until elbows form 90-degree angles.
Engage the back of your arms to press back to start. That's 1 rep.
12. Seated Arnold Press
How to:
Sit or stand, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your face with palms facing each other.
Creating an outward and upward arc motion, open elbows up and out to sides to move through a goal post position (palms face forward), then pressing weights towards the ceiling to extend arms straight overhead.
Reversing the same arc, bring elbows down and back together to the starting position. That's 1 rep.
13. Overhead Triceps Extension
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width, holding one dumbbell laterally with both hands. Lift the weight overhead, extending the arms straight.
Keeping your biceps as close to the ears as possible, slowly bend elbows to lower the weight behind your head and pause.
Straighten arms, returning to start. That's 1 rep.
14. Dumbbell Floor Press
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width flat on the floor, about a foot from your butt.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend arms up over shoulders, palms facing toward each other.
With control, bend arms and lower them to sides until triceps touch the floor (dumbbells will still be over wrists). Elbows should form a 45-degree angle with the body.
Slowly reverse the movement and return to start. That's 1 rep.
15. Plank With Biceps Curl
How to:
In a plank position, hold a dumbbell in each hands on the floor, directly beneath shoulders.
Keeping core engaged and hips stable, slowly curl the right dumbbell toward the right shoulder.
Lower it back down to the floor with control.
Repeat on the other side. That's 1 rep.
16. Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press
How to:
Lie on back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width flat on the floor.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your elbow bent and triceps resting on the floor. Elbow should form a 45-degree angle with the body.
Press the dumbbell toward the ceiling and extend arm straight up over your chest, palm facing away from you.
Reverse the movement with control and return to start. That's 1 rep.
Complete all reps on one side, then switch arms.
17. Write Your Name
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width, holding a single dumbbell in both hands at your sides.
Extend arms out in front at chest height.
Slowly and with control, write your name in the air. Each letter is 1 rep.
18. Alternating Dumbbell Floor Press
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest upper arms on the floor with elbows bent at 90 degrees. Upper arm should form a 45-degree angle with your body.
Extend right arm up above shoulder under straight.
Slowly bend your right arm and lower it to the side, until right elbow touches the floor.
Repeat on the right side. That's 1 rep.
19. Alternating Front And Lateral Raise
How to:
Stand with knees slightly bent, feet hip-width, arms extended at sides, holding dumbbells in each hand.
Raise arms in front until hands reach shoulder height.
Lower arms with control back to sides.
Raise arms out wide until parallel to the floor.
Lower arms slowly to return to start. That’s 1 rep.
How can I tone my arms fast?
There’s two things to focus on if you want to see prompt results from arm workouts, according to Lampa.
Work on muscular endurance: Instead of lifting heavy for fewer reps (six or less), use a moderate weight and do at least 10 reps in each set to emphasize endurance. "We want to challenge the arms to the point of fatigue," says Lampa.
Consume enough protein: Aim for 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal, including snacks. Regardless of the work you’re putting in in the gym, you need to eat enough protein to build muscle and see results.
How long does it take to get toned arms?
Even with these effective arm exercises above, toned arms won't come overnight. It takes a minimum of three months to see that definition, Lampa says. There's a possibility that you can see faster results depending on your starting fitness level, training frequency and intensity, and diet, but the timeline will differ for everyone.
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