Have a pair of dumbbells at home? That’s all you need to do a complete arm workout for bigger biceps and triceps. This workout consists of only 6 exercises and that’s all it takes to overload your arm muscles for growth.
So grab those dumbbells and let’s get started. Let’s go through each exercise first and then set up a complete workout that you can do at the comfort of your home.
A Squat with biceps curl
Hold the dumbbells by your sides. As you lower into a squat, curl the weights up to the top of your chest, keeping your knees wide apart. Reverse the move to the start.
Close Grip Press
We’ll start with the close grip dumbbell press which you can perform on a bench or the floor. Tuck your elbows close to your body and bring the dumbbells together in a neutral grip as you press the weight up. Focus on muscle contraction and especially the extension at the top. This exercise will work both, the triceps and the biceps at the same time.
Concentration curl
Start by sitting with your knees a little wider than shoulder-width and your feet flat. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and rest the back of your arm against your inner right thigh. Curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulder; make sure your upper body is motionless. Do 8-12 reps, then switch sides.
Two-hand Dumbbell Row
Bend forward at the hips as you did in the romanian deadlift and then row both weights to your sides. keep your eyes focused on the floor in front of you. Perform 4–6 reps.
Deadlift to upright row
Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keeping your back flat and your chest up, bend your legs to lower the weights until they’re at shin height. Drive your hips forwards as you stand powerfully and raise the weights to the top of your chest, keeping your elbows high.
Triceps extension
Sit up straight and grab a dumbbell with both hands. Raise it above your head so it's vertical and in line with your spine. Brace your core and lower the weight behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps; then press back up to the start, keeping your upper arms stationary.
Wrist curl
Sit with your knees 2ft apart and feet flat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms up, and lean forwards so your forearms rest on your thighs and wrists hang over your knees. Using your wrists only, curl the weights up as high as possible. Now rotate to a palms-down position and bend your wrists up.
The Workout
So here is the complete workout for your arms using only a pair of dumbbells:
A Squat with biceps curl –3×15 reps
Close grip press – 3×15 reps
Concentration curl – 3×15 reps
Two-hand Dumbbell Row – 3×12 reps
Deadlift to upright row – 3×12 reps
Triceps extension – 3×15 reps
Wrist curl – 3×15 reps
Make sure you choose weights right if you can, you should be exhausted at the end of each set. All it takes is a set of dumbbells and if you don’t have access to an incline bench, change the incline exercises to regular ones.