Toned and strong arms are not just attractive but they also play a major role in overall health and functionality. Arm workouts with weights are an awesome way to strengthen your upper body, tone your muscles, and be more functional in general. Now, whether you like working out at the gym or at home, dumbbell arm exercises can work wonders for your arms. So, let’s check 13 arm workouts with weights to build stronger and bigger arms.
Importance of Arm Workouts with Weights
These arm workouts with weights provides many benefits that go a long way, beyond good looks excellent. Now, let us look at some of the reasons you should be adding them to your fitness regimen:
- Develop Strength: Strength training is an effective way to build muscle. By regularly working out your arms with dumbbells, you are forcing your muscles to adapt over time and grow stronger.
- Bulks up the muscles: Arm workouts help increase muscle size through muscle hypertrophy. This also helps you look better and also increases your metabolism so that you burn more calories while resting.
- Tones Your Muscles: Arm workouts with weights make your arms look more toned and athletic.
- Decreases Injury Risk: Having strong arm and shoulder muscles cushions the shoulder joint, decreasing the risk of injury during exercise and sport.
- Improves posture: Building your arms and shoulders can also help you have a straighter posture with shoulders pulled back and spine aligned.
- Facilitates Joint Stability: Having strong muscles around the shoulder and elbow joints translates into improved stability of the joints themselves. This is important for day-to-day activities and athletic endeavors.
- Improves Functional Strength: A lot of everyday tasks, like lifting, pushing and pulling, require strength from your arm muscles. These types of arm workouts can help improve your functional fitness, so everyday tasks become easier.
- Flexibility: You can do arm workouts with weights anywhere, at the gym, at home, or while traveling.
- Cardio and Strength Training: Weights can be used to do cardio, as well as strength training exercises.
- Accessibility: Weights like dumbbells are readily available in the majority of gyms.
13 Arm Workouts with Weights for Stronger Arms
It’s time to discover a few arm exercises with weights that will target specific muscle groups. Each exercise comes with instructions for how to perform the movement correctly and tips for getting the most bang for your buck.
Forearm Exercises
Palms-Up Wrist Curl
This exercise works the flexor muscles on the underside of your forearm.
How to perform:
- Be seated in a chair or on a bench, knees at 90 degrees.
- With a dumbbell in each hand, your palms are facing up.
- Drape your forearms over your thighs so your hands hang just past your knees.
- Drop your hands, letting the weights drop just below your knees.
- Curl the weights up slowly, and then return to start.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 10–15 reps.
- Weight: 5- or 10-pound dumbbells, to start, and adjust as necessary.
Palms-Down Wrist Curl
This exercise strengthens the extensor muscles on top of your forearm.
How to perform:
- Do the same movements as your palms-up wrist curl, except with your palms face down.
- Reps and Sets: 10 to 15 reps for 2 to 3 sets.
- Weight: Rely on a slightly lighter weight than the palms-up curls.
Bicep Exercises
Bicep Curl
The standard bicep curl works the biceps muscle effectively.
How to perform:
- Stand or sit with a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides, palms facing forward.
- As you inhale, and your exhale begin to curl the weights slowly up towards your shoulders.
- This is not an arm exercise use your biceps to pull the weights up. Avoid swaying or leaning.
- Pause at the top, then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Reps and sets: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
- Weight: Select a challenging weight that allows you to retain good form.
Concentration Curl
This works the biceps in isolation, making it very effective for building strength.
How to perform:
- Bend your knees while sitting on a bench with your legs open and lean a little towards the front.
- Hold a dumbbell in your hand with your elbow resting against the inside of your thigh.
- Hold the dumbbell with your palm up, and curl the weight toward your shoulder.
- Pause, then lower the weight back down to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other arm.
- Sets and Reps: 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions per arm.
- Level: Choose a weight that lets you stay focused and in control.
Hammer Curl
This version hits the biceps and brachialis.
How to perform:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other (neutral grip).
- Keep your elbows close to your sides and curl the weights up toward your shoulders.
- Pause, and then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions
- WEIGHT (choose a weight that fits your FORM)
Overhand Curl
A bicep curl with hands away from your body in an overhand grip.
How to perform:
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing your thighs, arms straight down.
- Pinch your shoulder blades together and engage your core. Lift both dumbbells toward the shoulder until clear of the chest in height and until you feel a bicep contraction.
- Lower the weights back down under control.
- Exercises: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps each.
- Perform the exercise for 3-8 sets (the specific number of sets and reps depends on your fitness training goals).
Tricep Exercises
Triceps Kickback
This exercise isolates the triceps, so it is very effective for toning and strengthening.
How to perform:
- Holding a dumbbell in each hand, with the arms down at your sides, palms facing each other.
- Bend your knees slightly, so you lean towards your waist, your back straight.
- Bend your arms at the elbow joint and draw them back, so the dumbbells are slightly in front of your hips.
- On the exhale, squeeze the triceps to reach the arms straight behind you.
- Pause, then return arms to the starting position.
- Sets and Reps: 2 – 3 sets of 10 – 15 reps.
- Use a challenging weight that lets you maintain control and good form
Overhead Extension
This exercise works all three heads of the triceps muscle.
How to perform:
- Sit or stand tall with your back straight.
- Take one dumbbell in both hands around the handle and press it up overhead.
- SLOWLY bend your elbows so that the dumbbell comes down behind your head.
- Then, lift the dumbbell back to its starting position.
- Sets and Reps: 10-15 repetitions for 2-3 sets.
- Weight: Select a challenging but manageable weight.
Shoulder Exercises
Lateral Raise
This movement primarily works the side deltoids, helping you achieve wider shoulders.
How to perform:
- Stand or sit with arms at your sides and a dumbbell in each hand.
- With your palms facing toward your body and your elbows slightly bent, lift the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly to the starting position.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Weight: When first trying a new exercise, it’s best to use a lighter weight to focus on proper form.
Dumbbell Front Raise
This exercise targets the front deltoids, chest, and biceps.
How to perform:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit or stand.
- Keep your forearms in front of you with your palms facing down and your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lift up the dumbbells with your arms straight, until your arms are shoulder height.
- Slowly bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Sets & Repetitions: 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
- Weight: Pick a weight that enables you to sustain control and appropriate structure.
Military Press
This is sometimes called a shoulder press, and it works the muscles in your shoulders, arms, and chest.
How to perform:
- Stand or sit with your palms facing forward, holding a dumbbell above each shoulder at chin height.
- Exhale as you push the dumbbells up, extending your arms over your head, but avoid locking out that elbow.
- Keep the dumbbells overhead for a second, then bring the weights back to start.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
- Weight: Choose a weight that feels heavy but allows you to keep your form on target.
Chest Exercises
Chest Press
This move is a classic upper-body strengthener, and it engages multiple muscles at once, including your pectorals (chest), triceps and deltoids (shoulders).
How to perform:
Start by lying on the floor or on a bench, feet flat on the floor.
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing forward toward the knees. Keep your elbows bent until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, and your forearms create a 90-degree angle with the floor.
- Inhale and, place the dumbbells just wider than your chest.
- On the exhale, press the dumbbells up, and do not lock your elbows.
- Then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, slowly.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
- Weight: Select a weight you can handle while still having good form
Bent Over Row
How to perform:
- Stand with your feet flat on the ground and your chest bent over your feet. Relax your knees and reach to the side into a dancer’s pose, with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Flexing your bicep and tricep muscles, row your arms in towards each other, and squeeze when the dumbbells are close to your ribs. Repeat.
- Sets and Reps: 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Select a weight that allows you to maintain proper form.
Safety Precautions
- Correct Form: You should concentrate on doing every exercise correctly so that you do not get injured.
- Selecting Weight: Choose a weight that feels challenging but not so heavy that you lose control and form.
- Pay Attention to Your Body: If you feel pain, or any discomfort, stop.
- Warm-Up and Cool Down: Warm-Up before and Cool Down after your workout; this is a must.
- Spotter: Perform particularly heavy exercises with a spotter.
- Seek Professional Guidance: If you are a beginner to weight training or have any medical history, get help from a certified personal trainer or health professional.
Final Thoughts Arm Workouts with Weights
Weight training arm workouts are a key component of any fitness plan. With the knowledge of the benefits, what muscle groups to target, and proper safety precautions, you can successfully build strength, achieve muscle definition, and improve your body overall. For the best results, consistency, patience, and listening to your body are vital.
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Sources:
- www.healthline.com/health/dumbbell-exercises-for-arms
- www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/strength-training/g37617505/dumbbell-arm-exercises/
