Tone and sculpt your arms in one amazing workout. All you need is a pair of dumbbells to add definition and strength to your biceps, triceps, and all three heads of your deltoids. So grab your free weights and let’s get to work.
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6 Dumbbell Exercises To Tone Your Arms
- Bent Over Row To Triceps Kickback
- Curl and Press
- Lateral Deltoid Raises
- Upright Rows
- Biceps Curls
- Overhead Triceps Extensions
Between each of these exercises we’re going to work each and every major muscle group in your arms. Keep reading below to see how to properly perform each exercise…
Looking to tone and tighten your arms but don’t have a gym membership or a lot of equipment to do it? You’ve come to the right place!
All it takes is about 30 minutes, a pair of dumbbells, and these 6 exercises to carve out the arms of your dreams!
We’ll be working all the major muscle groups of your arms and shoulders to eliminate jiggle, increase tone, and ultimately amaze people around you. So grab your dumbbells… it starts right now!
Do this workout with me in real time:
Grab your dumbbells and let’s get to work!
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HOW DO I TONE MY ARMS AT HOME?
When it comes to weight training there are essentially four major muscle groups people workout when they work on their arms.
The deltoid is the “shoulder cap” and has three heads that perform three different functions.
The triceps is the muscle in the back of your arm and straightens your elbow out (also assists in extending the shoulder).
The biceps is the muscle in the front of the arm that bends the elbow.
The wrist flexors and extensors make up what we would call the “forearm” muscles.
When weight training, it’s important to work all of these areas to tone and sculpt your arms.
HOW DO I TONE WITHOUT ADDING BULK?
Often women get nervous when you suggest weight training to them; typically they don’t want to “bulk up” or “put on too much muscle”. Toning vs bulking depends solely on two things – HOW you weight train and WHAT you eat.
**If you keep the number of reps you perform high (10-12) and the number of sets you do low (3-4) then weight training will actually tone and sculpt your arms and give you awesome lean muscle definition.**
**If, on the other hand, you want to bulk up – shoot for fewer reps per set (4-6) with a much heavier weight and perform more sets (4-6). This is the recipe to put on muscle mass.**
Also – when people are trying to gain weight you have to supplement that with eating more calories… A LOT more calories. To put on muscle weight it’s typically recommended to eat 3000 calories/day in addition to the weight training program I just outlined. If toned, tight, lean muscle is what you’re after, stick to a diet of approximately 2000 calories/day in addition to the high reps/low sets weight training program I mentioned above.
WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO GET DUMBBELLS?
If you’re looking to buy a set of dumbbells for your home workouts, I typically recommend one of two sets to people.
THIS SET is perfect for home workout beginners looking to tone muscle with simple home workouts. You get three neoprene-coated dumbbell sets including 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 8 pounds. The more weights you have the more exercises you can do with a weight that is appropriately challenging. CLICK HERE to get yours!
Now, if you’re looking for something a little more serious… THIS SET is the one that I have at home and LOVE it. These dumbbells are adjustable from 5 to 52.5 pounds each and offer a TON of variety to your workouts. They’re so versatile and there’s so much you can do with them. They don’t take up a lot of space and are simple to adjust. CLICK THIS LINK to learn more (affiliate links – I get a small cut of your purchase at zero additional cost to you).
AND NOW LET’S GET ON TO THE WORKOUT!
Push play on the video for demonstration of each exercise; keep reading below to see sets and reps and how we’re going to run through this circuit…
We will be performing these 6 arm-sculpting dumbbell exercises in 3 circuits – AB-AB format.
That means you will alternate performing the first two exercises until you’ve completed 3 sets, then move on to alternating between the 3rd and 4th exercises until you’ve performed three sets, and finally alternating between exercises 5 and 6 until you’ve completed 3 sets.
Sound fun? I thought you might say that!
Circuit A
Bent-Over Row to Triceps Kickback
- Keep your back straight and your stomach tight as you hinge forward at your hips.
- Perform a bent-over row by pulling the dumbbells into your chest.
- Hold your elbows behind you as you straighten out your arms to engage your triceps, then return to the starting position.
Perform 15 reps and then move on to the Curl and Press
Curl and Press
- Stand upright with the dumbbells in your hands, palms facing forward.
- Perform a curl by contracting your biceps, bending your elbows, and bringing the weights to your shoulders.
- From your shoulders, push your dumbbells up and over your head.
Perform 15 reps and then go back to Bent-Over Row to Triceps Kickback
Perform this circuit 3 times and then move on to Circuit B
Circuit B
Lateral Raises
- Stand upright holding your dumbbells at your sides.
- Keep your back straight and your core tight as you lift your dumbbells straight out to your sides up to shoulder height.
- Slowly return to starting position.
Perform 15 reps and then move on to Upright Rows
Upright Rows
- Stand upright with your dumbbells in front of you in each hand.
- Keep your core tight and pull your dumbbells from in front of you up to shoulder height.
- Your elbows should bend and raise out to your sides as the weights come up to shoulder height.
- Pause 2 seconds at the top, then slowly return to the starting position.
Perform 15 reps and then move back to Lateral Raises
Perform this circuit 3 times and then move on to Circuit C
Circuit C
Biceps Curls
- Stand upright with the dumbbells at your sides.
- Keep your core tight as you bend your elbow to curl the dumbbell up to shoulder height.
- Focus on contracting your biceps throughout the movement.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
Perform 15 reps and then move on to the Overhead Triceps Extensions
Overhead Triceps Extensions
- Hold one or two dumbbells (depending on your strength) over your head with your elbows extended.
- Slowly bend your elbows to bring the weights behind your head.
- Contract your triceps (the muscle on the back of your arm) to bring both weights back straight up over your head.
Perform 15 reps and then move on to the Biceps Curl
Perform this circuit 3 times and you’re done! Excellent job!
Looking for more great workouts like this one?
Check out some of our other popular arm workouts you can do at home!
15-Minute Bi’s and Tri’s Workout At Home
20-Minute Arms and Abs Dumbbell Workout
Arm Pyramid Workout
How To Get Rid Of Arm Flab
Arm Workout Without Weights
Make it happen,
Jared
How many days a week should these be done?
Hi Tina – I would say 2-3 times a week would be ideal. The common recommendation is at least 1 but preferably 2-3 days before training the same muscle group in a week. Hope that helps!
If you do this for 2-3 times a week, when should you start seeing some results?
As a general rule with any exercise program – you’ll start to notice improvement at about 4 weeks, friends and family will notice around 8 weeks, everyone will notice around 12. The key is to be consistent and not give up!
What size weight should you start with and when should you increase. I have not exercised in a long time.
Depends on how strong you are, Pam! Whatever weight you can perform 3 sets of 10 quality reps of each exercise is going to be best. I would start with 5 pounds for beginners and then go up from there. Good luck!
How often should you work out your arms? If you are beginning, what weight should you start with?
Hi Janet! How often you workout your arms depends on how many days/week you’re exercising. I would say at least once but not necessarily more than twice (assuming you’re also working lower body, core, cardio, etc). Here’s an article I wrote to give you an idea of how much weight to use: https://tone-and-tighten.com/how-much-weight-i-should-lift.html
Hope that helps! Good luck!
Great article with video. I like the simplicity of this workout and the detail you included. I workout everyday in some way (HIIT to yoga) and teach some classes. This was well worded and easy to follow. Thank you for helping us all get healthy and happier!
What a great comment, Christine! Totally made my day! Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the video!