Tone and strengthen your arms with these five foundational dumbbell moves from a strength coach

It’s no secret that classic gym moves like triceps extensions and biceps curls can help you build bigger arms. Pairing them together in a back-to-back superset format is guaranteed to fire up your muscles. 

That’s what strength coach Kirra Mitlo does in her recent workout video. She demonstrates five moves and suggests completing the first four exercises in superset pairings, then finishing with the fifth final move. 

Mitlo recommends doing each move 10-12 times and repeating the whole routine three times, but if you’re a beginner you might want to scale this back with fewer reps or add rest times between exercises. 

Watch Kirra Mitlo’s upper body workout

@kirra_mitlo

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What is a superset, and what are the benefits?

A superset is a training technique where you do two exercises that work opposing muscle groups back-to-back without rest. For example doing a squat, which hits the quadriceps, followed by a deadlift, which targets the hamstrings. Or, like in Mitlo’s workout, triceps followed by biceps.

Supersets can help you build strength and increase your muscular endurance, which is the time your body can sustain doing an exercise. According to the American Council on Exercise, improving your muscular endurance can positively impact your ability to perform everyday tasks (like carrying your shopping) and improve your posture. 

After this workout, you may have some sore muscles the following day. This is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and as much as it may hurt, it’s totally normal. 

Strength training workouts like this one cause tiny tears in your muscle fibers, but your body will repair these tears, which is how we build muscle. Make sure you give your body time to rest and consume adequate amounts of protein to fuel your muscles’ recovery.

Looking for some weights for your home workouts? Browse our guide to the best adjustable dumbbells