Strong arms are in—but at Women’s Health, we believe that arm muscles should be more than just a trend.
Building up strength in your arms makes just about everything easier, whether it’s chasing PRs at the gym or successfully lugging your heavy work tote to the office. And, where discrepancies in strength and muscle mass exist between the sexes, it’s even more prounced when it comes other the upper body, according to a review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Try the WH+ 4 Weeks to Stronger Arms Plan.
Bascially, if you’ve been looking for a sign to pick up a pair of dumbbells: this is it. You don’t need a complicated workout split or a gym full of fancy equipment to make progress with your arm workouts. All you need it a pair of weights, about 20 minutes, and this list of the most effective arm exercices, courtesy of trainer Tatiana Lampa, CPT.
Best Arm Workouts for Women
Instructions: For a full arm workout, choose five moves from the list below, one for your biceps, one for your triceps, one for your back, one for your shoulders, and one for your chest. Perform 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, breaking for 20 seconds between each. When you finish all six, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat three more times for a total of four rounds. Aim to pick weights challenge you by the time you hit the top of the range—you should feel like you can only do one or two more reps beyond your allocated 12.
Time: 20 minutes | Equipment: dumbbells | Good for: arms
Biceps
Biceps Curl
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart holding a pair of dumbbells at sides. Palms should be facing forward with back straight and chest upright.
- Keeping your elbow tucked into your side, bend elbows and bring weights up toward shoulders.
- Slowly lower dumbbells back to starting position with control. That's 1 rep.
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Curtsy Lunge with Biceps Curl
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a step back with right leg, crossing it behind left while keeping hips facing forward.
- Bend knees and lower down until right knee almost touches floor. At the same time, bend elbows and bring weights toward shoulders, keeping elbows pointing down.
- Step through left foot as you return to standing, lowering the dumbbells as you do. That's 1 rep.
Triceps
Skullcrushers
How to:
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted flat hip-width apart 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 elbows to bring weights toward floor, close to temples. Do your best to not move your upper arm.
- Pause, then, slowly extend arms to bring weights back overhead. That's 1 rep.
Triceps Kickback
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width and knees slightly bent.
- Hinge through the hips, keeping torso straight. 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.
Overhead Triceps Extension
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell with both hands. Lift weight overhead, extending arms straight.
- Keeping biceps as close to ears as possible, slowly bend elbows to lower the weight behind your head and pause.
- Squeeze triceps to straighten arms again. That's 1 rep.
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, keeping your body as close as you can to the chair.
- Push through your palms to extend through the elbow and return to the start. That's 1 rep.
Back
Alternating Bent-Over Row
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, 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.
Renegade Row
How to:
- Start in a high plank position, holding dumbbells in both hand on the floor.
- Pull right elbow toward ceiling until right wrist is near ribs, then return it to the floor. Do your best to keep your hips as square as possible to the floor.
- Repeat on opposite side. That's 1 rep.
Rear Delt Fly
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width and knees slightly bent.
- Hinge at hips and let arms hang straight down from shoulders, palms facing your body, holding a pair of dumbbells.
- With a soft bend in elbows, raise both arms out to sides by squeezing shoulder blades together.
- Lower weights with control to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Shoulders
Cactus Arms
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in both hands. Bring elbows together and up so arms form 90-degree angles and elbows are at shoulder height.
- Keeping core engaged and body stable, open elbows as wide as possible.
- Bring them together again. That's 1 rep.
Upright Row
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms resting in front of body and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Lift dumbbells by fanning elbows out wide.
- Slowly lower them back down to waist with control, and repeat. That's 1 rep.
Chest
Dumbbell Floor Press
How to:
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width apart flat on 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.
Need a new pair of dumbbells? These are fitness expert faves.
Lifepro Adjustable Dumbbells
Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet planted hip-width apart flat on floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in right hand with elbow bent and triceps resting on the floor. Elbow should form a 45-degree angle with the body.
- Press dumbbell toward 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.
Shoulders
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 right arm straight up towards ceiling until right bicep is next to right ear.
- Lower down with control to return to field goal position, not allowing elbow to drop below shoulder-height.
- Repeat with left arm. That's 1 rep.
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 ceiling to extend arms straight overhead.
- Reversing the same arc, bring elbows down and back together to starting position. That's 1 rep.
Alternating Front and Lateral Raise
How to:
- Stand with knees slightly bent, feet hip-width apart, 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 to Integrate Arm Workouts Into Your Routine
When it comes to working your arms, you have a few options. Overall, you want to aim to hit those muscles two to four times a week, but how you do that is your choice. You can either pick and choose a few exercises to incorporate into a full-body workout, have dedicated upper-body days, or even allocate a few sessions per week to target the different 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.
How Can I 'Tone' My Arms Fast?
You've probably heard the word 'tone' thrown around a lot—but there's a little more to the story than simply doing an 'arm-toning' exercise. 'Toned' tends to refer to an arm (or any other body part) with visible muscle definition. That requires a low level of body fat in addition to muscle, which is a body recomposition goal. Body recomp takes time, proper nutrition, and yes, working your muscles effectively like with the exercises above.
In order to really get the most from the moves on this list and hopefully not delay the journey to more-defined arms, make sure you're lifting appropriately heavy so that you can really work those muscles to fatigue, Lampa says.
How Long Does It Take to Get 'Toned' Arms?
Even with the most effective arm exercises, muscular arms won't come overnight—and will depend largely on your situation.
Notable muscle definition requires a certain level of body fat, which might take body recomposition as mentioned earlier. The time that takes to achieve depends on the individual, and is best approached with the guidance of a professional, like a certified personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, or a dietitian.
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Talene Appleton is the fitness editor at Women’s Health, where she nerds out over all things fitness, nutrition, and wellness. She was previously the fitness and commerce editor at Men’s Health, where she tested and reported on the newest, buzziest fitness and wellness products to hit the market. As a NASM-certified personal trainer and Precision Nutrition-certified nutrition coach, she is passionate about supporting women at the intersections of fitness, food, and community. Talene was on the George Washington University college dance team (shout out First Ladies) before moving on to become an NBA dancer for the Washington Wizards—you can still catch her at dance classes across New York and LA in her free time. Before entering journalism full-time, Talene was a private chef for four years and still enjoys cooking for and hosting friends and family regularly.
Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health. She spends most of her time interviewing expert sources about the latest fitness trends, nutrition tips, and practical advice for living a healthier life. Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine’s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. She recently ran the New York City Marathon.
