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This Quick 7-Minute Workout From A Trainer Sculpts Defined Arms With Heavy Weights

Grab your dumbbells and get to work.

Headshot of Erin WarwoodBy Erin Warwood
quick arm sculpting workout with heavy weights

Picture this: It’s Friday night. You’re headed out (on a date, dancing with your friends, grabbing dinner at a fave restaurant, you name it!) and hoping to feel fierce. So, you pick out one of your favorite tops—sleeveless and totally sexy. Your arms are feeling so strong. (I'm talking Natalie Portman- or Brie Larson-level defined muscles.)

If you’d like to make some version of that scenario a reality, keep reading: With this 7-minute (really!) routine from trainer Kristina Earnest, CPT, you’ll use heavy dumbbells to sculpt strong arms of your very own.

Here’s the thing about lifting heavy: Yes, it can give you more muscle definition, according to Earnest, but it’s (more importantly) beneficial for your health and day-to-day life. “A stronger upper body will improve your push-up form, help you lift objects overhead, or pull in the garbage bins,” she says. In other words, lifting heavy is a win-win.

Meet the expert: Kristina Earnest, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and leads a variety of workouts online, on her app, and IRL.

Now, you might wonder what counts as “heavy.” Good question: “It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all type of thing,” Earnest says. Her rule of thumb is that you should be able to complete the prescribed reps properly—and the last few reps might feel a bit more challenging. That means, you shouldn’t be shaking by the second rep or flying through them all. Err on the side of caution to start, she adds, and recognize that what’s “heavy” can change based on the exercise.

7-Minute Arms-Sculpting Workout

Time: 7 minutes | Good for: Upper body | Equipment: Dumbbells and/or kettlebells

Instructions: You have the option to do this workout for time or for reps. If you’re using a timer, perform each exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. Go through the circuit twice, resting as needed between rounds. If you’re going for reps, perform 10 reps for each exercise, then move on to the next exercise and repeat for three rounds.

Workout it in: Earnest recommends adding this heavy arms workout to your routine twice a week, but not on back-to-back days to see results and let your upper bod recover sufficiently.

1

Dumbbell Floor Press

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Why it rocks: Earnest likes that this move works the front of your body and helps with balance and stability when you’re working other parts of the upper body.

What it works: The main focus is the chest (specifically your pectoral muscles), but your triceps and supporting muscles in your shoulders (primarily the front deltoids) will be put to work a bit as well, Earnest says.

How to:

  1. Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent and feet planted, holding two dumbbells in a goal post position (drop your elbows to the ground and create 90-degree angles with your arms).
  2. Tuck your hips under and actively press your spine down to the mat to engage your core and align your spine down. (Think: you shouldn’t have an arch under your back.)
  3. Exhale and press dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended above your chest.
  4. Inhale and slowly lower back to the starting position. That's one rep.
2

Upright Row

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Why it rocks: This one is an all-over upper-body burner, Earnest says. It recruits pretty much all your muscles from the waist up.

What it works: You’ll work your deltoids, traps, biceps, and triceps—and you’ll feel it a little bit in your core, according to Earnest.

How to:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length in front of your waist, palms facing toward you. Tuck your hips to actively engage your core.
  2. Exhale as you slowly lift the weights in front of your torso, keeping dumbbells close to your body, until your elbows are slightly above shoulder height.
  3. Inhale as you reverse the movement, controlling the descent of your weights back to the starting position. That's one rep.
3

Hammer Curl

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Why it rocks: Curls are an upper-body staple, Earnest notes. But the grip you’ll use with this move allows you to lift heavier, she explains.

What it works: This one works the biceps, per Earnest.

How to:

  1. Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing in, knees slightly bent, and your core engaged.
  2. Exhale and slowly lift your left arm toward your left shoulder, keeping your elbows plugged into your sides and isolating and engaging the bicep.
  3. Inhale as you lower back to the starting position. Repeat with the right arm. That's one rep.
  4. Continue alternating sides.
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4

Bent Over Row

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Why it rocks: This is another movement that allows you to lift heavier than you would with other upper-body dumbbell movements, Earnest says, because the back of your body is very strong.

What it works: You’ll work your rear deltoids and mid to lower traps with this move, along with your lats, Earnest says.

How to:

  1. Begin standing holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing in.
  2. Hinge forward with knees slightly bent until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor (or slightly above). As you push your butt back and lower your chest, you’ll feel your core activate.
  3. Exhale and begin the movement by driving the elbows behind the body while retracting the shoulder blades. Aim to bring your thumb toward your ribcage.
  4. Pull the dumbbells toward your body until the elbows are at (or just past) the midline.
  5. Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. That's one rep.
5

Push Press

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Why it rocks: What makes this move special is that it’s more explosive than the others, Earnest explains. “Adding a little bit of that cardiovascular activity in a strength workout really gives a good blend,” she adds.

What it works: This exercise will work a bunch of different muscles, according to Earnest. You’ll target your shoulders (think: deltoids and rotator cuffs) and upper back (you should be engaging your traps) as you press the weight overhead, and the muscles in your chest (think: your pecs) will work to keep you upright once you’re locked into that position while your forearm muscles help balance the weight on your wrist. As you bring your arm back down, you’ll target your triceps, she adds.

How to:

  1. Stand tall with two dumbbells held at shoulder height. Tuck your hips under and engage your core.
  2. Bending at your knees (and maintaining your alignment with your hips tucked under), dip two to three inches and then reverse momentum and exhale as you perform an explosive overhead press with right arm, keeping the other dumbbell in the starting position at shoulder.
  3. Squeeze your glutes for stabilization and lock the press overhead.
  4. Inhale as you lower the weight back to your shoulder.
  5. Repeat the movement with your left arm. That's one rep.
  6. Continue alternating arms.

Alternative: Use one dumbbell or kettlebell, as shown, and complete all reps on one side, then switch arms.

Headshot of Erin Warwood
Erin Warwood

Erin Warwood is a San Francisco-based writer, runner, and sparkling water enthusiast. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University. In her free time, you can find her watching Survivor, trying new Peloton workouts, and reading Emily Giffin novels. Her ultimate goal: become a morning person. 

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