It’s common for women to avoid arm exercises out of concern that they’ll make them look unattractive or bulky, although this is rarely the case. That’s why most women shy away from arm exercises, but we’re here to help you achieve your fitness goals regardless of your gender.
The exercises we’ll show you below are easy to understand and work, so even if you’ve never done them before, you’ll be able to do well with them.
1. Lateral Raise (aka Side Raise)
Keep your shoulders back and legs slightly bent. With dumbbells in both hands, relax your arms so that they hang at your sides.
Raise the dumbbells out to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows, until they are at shoulder height (make sure your palms are facing the floor).
Bring your arms down, and do 8 to 12 reps.
2. Push-Ups
Works: pectorals, deltoids (shoulders)
With your legs spread apart, your hands should be positioned just below your shoulders, and your arms should be somewhat broader than shoulder-width apart. 2. Start to bend your elbows and lower your chest until it’s just above the floor. 3. Return to the original position with a push. It’s best to count down from three in a pattern of one second on the up, one second at rest, and two seconds at the down. 4. Repeat
3. Triceps Push-Up
Works: pectorals, deltoids, core
Form a push-up by putting your hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your arms straight, and placing your knees on the floor and your feet in the air. Hands should be closer together and under your chest than in a standard push-up.
Tighten your abs and bend your arms so that your chest moves toward the floor. Your back should be straight and your arms should be held close to your sides. Elbows must be tucked in rather than out.
Return to the beginning position with your arms extended, and repeat 8–12 times, or as many as you can.
4. Plank
Get into a pushup position. That’s a position when your feet are hip-width apart and your elbows are under your shoulders. Then, with your body in a straight line, bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms and toes.
5. Overhead Extension
Works: triceps, shoulders, upper back
You should be holding the dumbbell with both hands, with your feet hip-width apart and your knees bent slightly.
Raise the dumbbell vertically above your head. Tend to your wrists so that they are straight. To perform this exercise, lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending your elbows. Keep the tops of your arms close to your head and your elbows pointing up.
Straighten your arms up, and then do this 8–12 times.
6. Dumbbell Row
Works: shoulders, upper back
Grab a dumbbell and get down on hands and knees on a bench. Your back should be straight, your elbows should be slightly bent, and your palms should be facing each other. (Place your hand under your right shoulder and your bent knee should be in line with your hips.)
Tighten the abdominal muscles. Consolidate your shoulder blades, then press upward until your upper arm is perpendicular to the floor and your elbow is pointing slightly behind you.
Return to the start and end of the set. Do 8 to 12 reps, and change sides.
7. Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing
Works: Hamstrings, glutes, abs and shoulders
Keeping your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides, and the kettlebell in both hands, stand tall.
You should your knees and bring the kettlebell down between your thighs.
Quickly straighten your legs and bring your arms forward to eye level to exit the squat. At the peak of this exercise, the kettlebell should float freely in the air.
Just keep going like that for a whole minute. (You can do this arm exercise for a minute, or you can do 8-12 repetitions.)
8. Single-Arm Push-Press
Works: Legs, glutes and shoulders
Your feet should be hip-width apart, and the kettlebell should be held in your right hand, with the fist near to your chest and the elbow tucked in. For the duration of this motion, the kettlebell should rest on your forearm.
Squat down to the floor while keeping your abs in.
Quickly straighten the arm and press through the heels to come up out of the squat, all while pushing the kettlebell overhead (at the top, your palm will face forward). Repeat with right hand for 30 seconds, then left. Repeat this order one more time.
9. Plank to Push-Up
Works: Core, shoulders, arms
To begin, get into a high plank posture (on your hands instead of your elbows) with your arms firmly below your shoulders and your core engaged.
Raise one arm and rest the elbow on the ground; repeat with the other arm, coming up to rest on the elbows (traditional plank).
Then, starting with one elbow at a time, return to a high plank by bringing that elbow up and replacing your hands where they were. In two minutes, do as many as you can.
10. Dumbbell Curl and Press
Works: Biceps, shoulders
Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands next to your hips while you do this exercise.
Curl your arms up to your shoulders, palms facing inward.
Keep extending both arms upward toward the ceiling, pausing briefly at the top before coming back down.
Perform 8 to 12 reps.
11. Dumbbell Kickback
Works: Triceps
Starting with dumbbells in both hands, bend forward from the hips while keeping your spine and chest in a neutral position. Maintain a straight neck and look slightly ahead of you on the floor. The upper arms should be held in a bent position next to the body.
One at a time, reach behind you and flex your triceps for a brief squeeze before releasing and returning to the beginning position.
Perform 8 to 12 reps on each side.
12. Dumbbell Punch
Works: Entire upper body
Hold dumbbells in both hands and stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent slightly (slightly bent).
For one minute, keep the dumbbells at shoulder level while you alternate punching your arms out in front of you. If you want to punch effectively, you should avoid jerking your body but instead punch with a natural hip movement.
13. Triceps Dips
Works: biceps, triceps, shoulders
Take a seat on the edge of a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent to a ninety degree angle.
Hold the bench with both hands, hip-width apart.
Raise hips and shoulders off the bench and sink lower by bending elbows (keep elbows close together).
Next, return to the standing position by raising the body.
Perform 8 to 12 repetitions. (Increase difficulty by keeping one weight between knees or by spreading your legs wider apart.)
