Try This Upper-Body Dumbbell Strength Workout For Serious Arm Gains
Follow along with Ari Belgrave, CPT.
Trainer Ariel Belgrave's favorite fitness word? Flex. And you can bet you're going to be doing a whole lotta that during (and after!) the upper-body dumbbell workout coming up. This 20-minute arms and shoulder blaster is made up of compound movements that work multiple joints and/or muscle groups in your top half for an efficient and powerful strength session.
Meet the expert: Ariel Belgrave, CPT, is the creator of The L.E.A.N. Program fitness and nutrition coaching and the program creator behind the Women's Health 28-Day Workout Challenge.
If you want arm muscles that pop, or simply to feel more comfortable and confident playing a racket sport, carrying your kid, or lifting a suitcase overhead, this circuit is for you. The exercises included aim to hit the upper body from different angles (think: an Arnold press followed by a back fly and row), so you get stronger all over and help eliminate muscle imbalances.
Need to modify? That's okay! Feel free to move through the workout without dumbbells first to nail the movement patterns and form. Then, come back again. Or, you can try a round or two with dumbbells and use just your body weight when you feel fatigued. The goal is to keep coming back and getting stronger. Ready, set, sweat along with Belgrave in the video below.
Time: 20 minutes | Equipment: Light to medium dumbbells | Good for: Upper body
Instructions: Warm up with 30 seconds of TYWs and 30 seconds of arm swings (shown below). Then, perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) of each move for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Repeat the workout exercises for a total of 4 rounds.
Follow along with the full workout in this video and get detailed instructions on how to do each move below:
Warm-Up: TYW
How to:
- Start standing with feet hip-width apart, then hinge at the hips to bring your torso slightly forward. Maintain a straight back. Extend arms out to sides to form a T shape.
- Maintaining your body position, swing the arms up so the upper arms align with the ears, forming a Y shape.
- Core engaged the entire time, bend elbows to waist and retract the shoulder blades to form a W shape.
- Continue repeating the sequence.
Warm-Up: Arm Swings
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms extended out to sides.
- Keeping shoulders down and core engaged, bring arms up and around in medium-sized circles.
- After 15 seconds, reverse the direction.
Single Single Double Biceps Curl
How to:
- Start standing with feet hip-width apart, one DB in each hand, palms facing out.
- Core and glutes engaged, raise the DB in the right hand to right shoulder. Lower it back down.
- Repeat with the left side. Lower left hand back down.
- Then, perform a biceps curl with both arms simultaneously. Lower back down. That's one rep.
Arnold Press
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, one dumbbell in each hand, racked at shoulders with palms facing toward you.
- With core engaged, rotate and raise dumbbells overhead, performing a press. At the top of the move, palms should face out.
- Lower the dumbbells back down to starting position. That's one rep.
Back Fly And Row
How to:
- Stand with feet roughly hip-width apart or slightly wider, one dumbbell in each hand at sides.
- Hinge at hips to bring torso and arms and dumbbells forward. This is your starting position.
- Using your back muscles, raise dumbbells out to sides toward sky, so that arms are parallel to ground. Lower DBs back down.
- Next, drive elbows back toward sky to perform a bent-over row, so that the DBs land near hips.
- Lower DBs back to starting position. That's one rep.
Halo And Press Out
How to:
- Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in both hands, resting it on thighs. Raise DB to chest. That's your starting position.
- Bend arms and raise dumbbell toward left shoulder, then continue to circle it around your head to the right shoulder, ending with the DB at your chest.
- When the DB is at the chest, press it out to the left, fully extending the arms.
- Bring the DB back to your chest. That's one rep. After 20 seconds, switch directions.
Skull Crusher
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet planted into ground. Hold one dumbbell in each hand and extend arms straight above chest.
- Without moving the upper arms, bent at the elbows to lower DBs toward the sides of your head.
- Extend DBs back to sky. That's one rep.
Jacqueline Andriakos is the Executive Health & Fitness Director at Women's Health, where she oversees all health and fitness content across WomensHealthMag.com and the print magazine. She has more than five years of experience writing and editing in the wellness space and has contributed to national publications including TIME, Self.com, Health, Real Simple, and People. Jacqueline is also certified in personal training by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
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