From bands to body weights to boxing, there are practically endless ways to work out your arms. But if you’re looking to build muscle and definition, the best path forward is to incorporate arm workouts with weights into your fitness routine.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of arm exercises out there, especially if you don’t already have a strong foundation of upper body strength, or a lot of experience in the gym. But rest assured, it’s not as complicated as it seems at first glance!
According to Vinny Faust, certified personal trainer, master wellness coach and founder of ForeverFit, “when you’re lifting weights with your arms, you’ll be mainly targeting the shoulders, biceps, triceps and chest.”
When you focus on those main large muscle groups, things get a whole lot easier. With that in mind, here are 14 arm workouts with weights that will help you build a solid foundation of upper body strength.
But wait! Before you dive straight into arm exercises, you need to warm up first. According to Faust, “As far as arms are concerned, I’d always recommend a stretch and warm up first to prevent muscle strains, especially if you’re new to arm workouts with weights.” Faust recommends the following workout series.
Best Arm Workout With Weights
1. Shoulder press
“To be safe, start your arm workout by targeting the largest muscles, like the shoulders, first,” says Faust. A classic shoulder press is a great place to start. For your first set, Faust recommends using light weights—light enough that you can do 25 reps without stopping. “This will get the muscles warmed up and the blood flowing,” he explains. Then, increase your weight. If you’re looking to build muscle, he recommends increasing your weight to the point where you can only do about 6 to 8 reps for the next two sets. “This is a strategy you can use throughout the entire arm workout series,” says Faust.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your dumbbells at your shoulders.
- With your knees slightly bent and your hips tucked under (No arching the back!) press the weights up until your arms are fully extended above your head.
- In a controlled motion, lower the dumbbells back down to your shoulders.
2. Chest press
The chest is another large muscle group to target early on in your workout, while you’re still warming up. This movement involves lying on your back and pressing two dumbbells towards the ceiling. “For a chest press, your biggest focus is to keep your shoulders away from your ears,” says Faust. They have the tendency to creep up. “Also focus on controlling the weight both ways. When it’s descending towards your body, don’t just let it fall. And on the way up, squeeze your chest and press through your palms,” he continues. Faust recommends doing this exercise on the ground versus a bench if you’re a beginner; that way, you can use the ground for stabilization and put the weights down easily if you need to.
Related: What Are the Effects of Walking With Weights?
How to do it:
- Lie face up with your feet under your knees, legs bent.
- Hold your dumbbells directly over your shoulders with your knuckles facing your head, arms bent.
- Push the weights toward the ceiling and straighten your arms. Keep your knuckles facing towards your head through the whole movement.
- Pause, then slowly bend your arms and in a controlled movement bring the weights back to the starting position.
3 and 4: Front Raise To Lateral Raise
“Raises are good for muscle development and strength,” says Faust, explaining that you can do these moves separately or together in one move. Even though these two moves seem similar, they work different shoulder muscles. The front raise works—you guessed it!—your anterior (or front) shoulder muscles and your lateral raise works the shoulder muscle that runs right through the middle of your shoulder.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your arms down and your dumbbells in front of your body.
- Make sure you activate your abs and tuck your hips. Then, with knees slightly bent, lift the weight straight out in front of you to shoulder-height.
- Pause, then slowly lower your arms back down.
- Repeat this move but this time, lift your arms out to the side to shoulder height. Remember to keep your arms straight the whole time! Pause at the top, then slowly return the weights to the starting position. warms out to the side
- Bracing core and keeping arms straight, lift weights straight up to shoulder-height.
- Lower back down, then raise weights out to sides and up to shoulder-height.
- Return to start. Perform three to four sets of 12 reps, resting for 30 seconds between sets.
5. Skullcrusher
The next three exercises will all target the triceps to varying degrees of intensity. “The skullcrusher is a great exercise for beginners because you have more stability and more control over the weights,” says Faust. This move allows you to work the triceps while lying on your back, with your arms extended up towards the ceiling. Faust also points out that with all of these movements, your breathing plays an important role. ”Anytime you’re pushing and pulling — in other words, anytime you’re doing the work — make sure you’re exhaling to release internal tension,” he explains. Then, “make sure you’re inhaling as you return to the starting position,” he continues.
How to do it:
- Lie on the ground, holding a dumbbell in each hand above you with your arms extended and palms facing towards each other.
- While you keep your upper arms straight, slowly bend the elbows and lower the dumbbells until they are just above your forehead on either side of your face.
6. Triceps Kickback
“This is a great tricep exercise that is a little more challenging than the skullcrusher, “ says Faust. He recommends doing this move for the first time on all fours, so again, you can use the ground to put the weight down if it starts to feel too heavy. Once you get the hang of it on the ground, “you can also kickbacks on a bench or standing bent over, which are all progressively a little more challenging and intense,” says Faust.
Related: 15 Best Workouts for Weight Loss
How to do it:
- Get on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees right below your hips.
- Grab a dumbbell in one hand and hold it up to your shoulder with your elbow bent and your knuckles facing the floor, using your core to stabilize you.
- Using your core to stabilize you, extend your arm behind your back until it’s straight. Pause, then return your arm to the starting position. Do one set with one arm, then switch to the other.
7. Overhead Tricep Extension
“This is the most advanced tricep move because it takes a lot of flexibility in your shoulders and elbows but it also requires a lot of core strength,” says Faust. If you struggle with this one at first, stick to the first two tricep moves until you’ve improved the range of motion in your shoulders enough to get this one down. The other key to a successful overhead tricep extension is to “keep your elbows as close to your ears as possible,’ says Faust. This will help you keep control over the weights and activate your tricep muscles in all the right ways. According to Faust, you can try this one on your knees first; that way, just like with other moves, the ground is there to stabilize you and it’s easier to put the weight down.
How to do it:
- Stand or kneel with your knees bent with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Raise your arms over your head, leaning forward slightly. Lightly press the dumbbells together over your head.
- Slowly with control, bend your elbows to drop the dumbbells to behind your head.
- Pause, then raise the dumbbells back to the starting position.
8. Shoulder Flys
According to Faust, this is a great move for working your middle and back shoulder muscles. “It’s also great for stability and shoulder endurance,” he explains. When he does this move with his clients, he usually mixes this move up and has the person hold the weights up the whole time, then touch them in front slowly, then squeeze them back.
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How to do it:
- Start standing with your feet hip-width apart.
- With one dumbbell in each hand, bring your elbows together and up so arms form 90-degree angles in front of your face.
- Keep your core stable and your hips tucked, and then, open your elbows as wide as possible, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause, then, bring them together in front of your face again.
9. Upright Row
Despite the fact that it looks easy, “The upright row can be a challenging exercise for most people since it activates your arm muscles but also incorporates leg and core stability,” says Faust. This move, which you do with a straight bar, barbell, dumbbells, or even the cable machine, also requires a certain amount of grip and wrist strength.
How to do it:
- To do this move with dumbbells, stand with your feet hip-width apart with your arms resting in front of your body, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Slowly bend your arms and lift dumbbells up to chest-level, allowing your elbows to fall to point to the outside of both sides of your body.
- Pause, then slowly
10. Single Arm Row
According to Faust, “this is a great exercise for your back, but it incorporates a bit of bicep work as well.” He recommends starting this on all fours, with a pad underneath your knees to elevate them a little above where your hands are. “This will give you a fuller range of motion as you complete your single arm row,” he says.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours with your feet hip-distance apart and weight in one hand.
- Keep your head in line with your back, brace your core, and pull your elbow back until your wrist is at your torso.
- Pause, then return to the starting position. Complete one set with one hand, then switch sides.
11. Renegade Row
This one might be the most advanced movement on this list! A renegade row requires a ton of core strength, shoulder stability, and balance. Like the other exercises on the list, Faust recommends starting with light weight, or even no weights on this one. It might be a slow process to get to the point where you can do multiple rows without resting in between, but as Faust points out: “Just have patience and as long as you stay consistent and follow the plan, you’ll get there without injury.”
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How to do it:
- Get in a plank position, with one dumbbell in each hand on the ground.
- Hold your body steady using your core, and pull one dumbbell in towards your armpit.
- Pause, then return it to the floor. Repeat the movement with the other arm and alternate arms for one set.
- Be aware not to tilt your body; try to keep your plank form intact as you complete the movement.
12. Rear Delt Fly
If you want to target the backside of your shoulders, a rear delt fly is a great movement to master. According to Faust, this one also requires quite a bit of stability work in the abs and shoulders, and is one that can be done on the cable machine at the gym, or with a simple pair of dumbbells. This one might feel awkward at first, but as Faust reminds us: “Weight training requires patience just like learning anything else.”
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your knees slightly bent.
- Hinge slightly at the hips and let your arms hang straight down from shoulders, palms facing each other with a pair of dumbbells.
- Slowly lift both arms out to the sides, with your elbows bent slightly. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause, then slowly lower your arms down to the starting position.
13. Chest Fly
“This is one of the most dangerous movements for beginners because your shoulders and shoulder joints and chest are at their most vulnerable position, externally rotated,” says Faust. Therefore, it’s a good idea to proceed with some caution and start with some light weights. “If you can’t control the weight, you can easily injure your shoulder or any of the tendons in your chest,” warms Faust. You may see most people doing this move on the bench, but Faust recommends starting on the ground in a similar position as the skullcrusher.
How to do it:
- Lie on the ground with your feet flat on the floor and your legs bent.
- Hold one dumbbell in each hand, directly above your chest with your palms facing each other.
- Then, slowly arc the dumbbells out to the sides of your body.
- Pause, then using your chest muscles, bring the dumbbells back to the starting position, keeping a bend in your arms through the whole movement.
14. Shoulder Shrug (or Neck Raises)
“This isn’t an exercise everyone wants or needs to do,” says Faust. But if you are looking for a fuller, stronger neck and shoulder area, the shoulder shrug can get you there. “From my years working with women, this isn’t always their goal, though,” says Faust. If you’re looking to simply strengthen your neck without gaining muscle mass, try doing simple head raises on all fours. This will allow you to strengthen and stretch the neck without the use of weights. If you want to try a shoulder shrug with weights, “I recommend using dumbbells versus a barbell so you don’t put too much strain on any part of your neck or traps,” says Faust.
How to do it:
- Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, with dumbbells in both hands.
- Bend your knees slightly and as you inhale, raise your shoulders to your ears in a “shrugging” motion.
- Pause, then lower your shoulders back to a resting position.
As you go through these arm workouts with weights, remember that there’s no competition. As Faust explains, “Focus on your own goals, your own journey, and your own body.”
As a final takeaway, Faust also reminds us that while this roundup of movements may be tailored to just arms, “Anyone that’s starting an exercise routine should always make sure they are focusing on the whole body, not just on the areas they might want to show off.”
Next up: 18 Best Beginner Workouts At Home
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