If you’re short on time and looking for an arm workout that will work your upper body in less than 15 minutes, look no further. We turned to a fitness trainer Emily Sky (Opens in a new tab)exercise app creator, Emily Skyfit (Opens in a new tab)for a quick arm workout she did — read on to sculpt your upper body in just five exercises.
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For this exercise, you will need a set of dumbbells. If you are still doing exercises at home, check The best adjustable dumbbells here. When it comes to choosing a weight that’s right for you, be sure to find one that is challenging through the final few reps, but doesn’t force you to compromise on your form. If you’re new to playing sports or are returning to playing sports after an injury, be sure to check your form with a personal trainer to make sure you don’t put yourself at risk of injury.
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Looking for more arm workout inspiration? Read what happened when our fitness writer did 50 Arnold presses daily for a week In an effort to build her shoulders, plus check out the 3 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Triceps.
Dumbbell upper body workout by Emily Skye
Do 30 seconds on each exercise with a 10-second break before moving on to the next. Rest for 30 seconds at the end of the exercise. Complete the circle three times.
If you’re more advanced, you can increase the time you spend doing the runs for more of a challenge, or increase the number of times you complete the circuit.
Arnold Press
Named after the Terminator itself, this is an all-in-one shoulder limiter that activates your deltoids from all angles.
How to make an Arnold Press:
- Sit on an exercise mat with your legs crossed in front of you, your back straight and your core articulated.
- Lift the dumbbells up to your chest, palms facing your body.
- As you raise your arms to lift the dumbbells, rotate your hands outward so that your palms are facing forward when your arms are fully extended above your head.
- Rotate your hands inward as you lower the weights to return to the starting position.
- Hold until you reach 30 seconds.
Kneeling Zottmann curl
Want to sculpt biceps and forearms in one move? You can’t get past Zottman curls. By kneeling for this exercise, you take your leg strength out of the equation, which means your torso and arms have to work harder. “This is how we speed track results!” Sky says.
How to do the Zottman kneeling exercise:
- Kneel on an exercise mat with your knees shoulder-width apart and your core engaged.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides, palms facing your thighs.
- Rotate your hands outward so that as you begin to curl your biceps, your palms are facing directly toward your shoulders.
- At the top of the curl, rotate your hands inward so you lower them down to your thighs.
- Don’t stop the dumbbells at the top or bottom of the curl, make the reps come at a steady pace.
- Hold until you reach 30 seconds.
Kneeling flies
Do you want to look and feel super confident? Backflies augment your back shoulders and upper back to strengthen your posture and leave you standing tall and proud.
How kneeling flies work:
- Kneel on the floor, keeping your knees wide.
- Engage your core and glutes, keeping your back straight and letting your arms hang down by your sides.
- Keeping your back flat, lift the dumbbells out to the side, feeling the pressure between the shoulder blades. (The upper part of your arms should be about shoulder level at the top of the fly.)
- Lower your arms down to the starting position.
- Don’t hold the dumbbells at the top or bottom of the fly for more than 1 beat — keep the reps coming at a steady pace.
- Hold until you reach 30 seconds
Renegade row
Set your core on fire as you sculpt strong shoulders and biceps. For a modification, perform the exercise on your knees. Read what happened when our fitness editor did 40 bouncing classes every day for a week here.
How to make Renegade ranks:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and a dumbbell in each hand.
- With your core muscles engaged (squeeze your glutes and tighten your abs), row the right dumbbell up in line with your belly button.
- Return to the starting position, and complete with the left dumbbell. That’s one rep. To reduce the difficulty, perform the exercise on your knees.
- Hold until you reach 30 seconds.
Dumbbell floor press
Pushing up on the floor will help you develop a strong chest, which is essential for a healthy upper body, firm shoulders, and improve posture.
How to do dumbbell floor press:
- Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, holding two dumbbells at chest height.
- Press the dumbbells up toward the sky, trying to keep them under control and moving in a straight line.
- Slowly lower back to starting position.
- Hold until you reach 30 seconds
Rest for 30 seconds at the end of the cycle before repeating.
Looking for more arm workout inspiration? Check out the 15-Minute Dumbbell Arm Workout, plus 6 resistance exercises that build your arms without weights.