Use these seven moves to build stronger arms with just a set of dumbbells
This short routine developed by personal trainer Britany Williams targets your upper body and triceps
You don’t need the gym to build stronger arms. In fact, all you need is a few weights, a bit of space, and this seven-move routine. Do it fairly regularly and you'll soon see improvements in your functional strength.
You can still do this workout at the gym if that's where you prefer to train, but if you like working out at home, we recommend getting your hands on some of the best adjustable dumbbells. These clever bits of kit allow you to increase or decrease the load on a single dumbbell, avoiding the need for a full rack of weights.
Once you've organized your equipment, you’ll be ready to take on this short upper-body routine from personal trainer and Sweat app coach Britany Williams. There are seven exercises to try out, but Williams says you can pick just two to three from the routine and aim to complete 10 repetitions of each, then repeat this circuit three times if you're short on time.
Watch Britany Williams' seven-move arm workout
A post shared by Britany Williams (@britanywilliams)
A photo posted by on
This routine will fire up your tricep and bicep muscles. Your triceps run along the back of your upper arm, while the biceps are on the front, and are responsible for extending the limb.
Many of us are guilty of prioritizing biceps curls when we're working out and neglecting other areas of our arms. But taking on a triceps workout can help you build important muscles in this area, which will help stabilize your shoulders and make handling heavy loads feel easier.
One of the moves in Williams’ routine is the isometric hold tricep push-up, which targets the triceps by getting you to lower to the ground, bending your elbows back towards your body, then coming to rest on your forearms.
This clever push-up variation increases the amount of time your tricep muscles spend under tension, and this kind of challenge can really help build strength. As the move is a multi-muscle compound exercise, the rest of your body gets involved too, especially your core muscle to keep your posture straight.
Get the Fit&Well Newsletter
Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.
Your core plays a vital role in your stability, balance, posture, and a stronger core can even help promote circulation. So, it's a good idea to regularly practice core strengthening exercises as part of your regular workout routine.
Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her career in journalism began in local news and she holds a Masters in journalism. Jessica has previously written for Runners World, penning news and features on fitness, sportswear and nutrition.
When she isn't writing up news and features for Fit&Well covering topics ranging from muscle building, to yoga, to female health and so on, she will be outdoors somewhere, testing out the latest fitness equipment and accessories to help others find top products for their own fitness journeys. Her testing pairs up nicely with her love for running. She recently branched out to running 10Ks and is trying to improve her time before moving on to larger races. Jessica also enjoys building on her strength in the gym and is a believer in health and wellness beginning in the kitchen. She shares all of this on her running Instagram account @jessrunshere which she uses for accountability and for connecting with like-minded fitness lovers.
-
Skip the plank—I’m a personal trainer and these three core moves are what I’m loving right now
Workout You need to try my new go-to alternatives
By Yanar Alkayat Published
-
A yoga instructor says these four moves can get rid of shoulder knots—I put them to the test
Flexibility I'm a desk-job worker with very tight shoulders, but this short routine provided immediate relief
By Alice Porter Published