5 Best Arm Workouts At Home (with Youtube Videos)

Get STRONG, toned arms at home using minimal equipment, like a set of dumbbells, with these 5 Best Arm Workouts At Home!

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What are the best arm exercises for women?

We’ve published several upper body workouts over the past 5 years. But this post highlights our 5 BEST Arm Workouts At Home!

Ranging from quick, 10 minute arm workouts to intense, 45 minute upper body strength training — there’s an arm workout for all fitness levels in this round up.

If you want arm toning exercises for women, these are the 5 BEST Arm Workouts At Home with weights (and full, follow along workout videos on YouTube). 

Will lifting weights make my arms “bulky”?

NO. Lifting weights will make you strong, not bulky.

Women getting ‘bulky’ from strength training is a fitness myth. Lifting weights will NOT make you bulky — just stronger!

Trust me, I’d LOVE to bulk up a little. I’m striving for muscle hypertrophy in my upper body, but it takes a lot of work.

If you want toned, defined arms, lift weights.

What weights should I use for these Arm Workouts At Home?

Each arm workout will include a recommended weight range, as well as the weights I used during filming. Normally, this will range from 8 pound dumbbells to 15-25 pound dumbbells.

If your goal is to improve definition in your arms, and you reach the end of a working set and feel that you’re capable of performing a few more reps, that’s a sign you can (and should) reach for heavier weights next time (The American Council on Exercise).

How to get toned arms at home?

In order to build muscle, you have to first “break down” existing muscle fibers, so that your body responds by triggering new muscle growth.

That’s accomplished by reaching “muscle fatigue”. Muscle fatigue means that you are not physically capable of performing one more rep with proper form.

To reach muscle fatigue you can:

1. Perform more repetitions with a lighter set of weights, or bodyweight. This format is common for barre workouts or no equipment push up and pull up workouts.
2. Perform fewer repetitions with a heavier pair of dumbbells or free weights. This format is more common for dumbbell strength training arm workouts.

What if I don’t have dumbbells? Try these arm workouts without weights. 

There are plenty of effective arm exercises without weights:

• Push ups
• Planks
• Tricep Dips

Here are 10 Arm Exercises Without Weights.

I personally have a variety of dumbbell sizes from 3 lbs (for barre workouts) to 30 lbs for strength training. I also have these Adjustable Power Block Dumbbells. A great investment if you want a variety of weights.

DIY Dumbbell Substitutions:

• Soup cans are great light set of dumbbells alternative (for barre workouts).
• If you want a heavier weight, try using full containers of laundry detergent, or filling an empty milk gallon with water.

The 5 Best Arm Workouts At Home

Five arm workouts that anyone can do at home with weights or dumbbells.

These five arm workouts hit every muscle group in the upper body — biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back and core. 

From tried and true classic at home arm exercises like:

1. Bicep Curls
2. Shoulder Press
3. Tricep Extensions
4. Chest Press
5. Back Rows

To more complex dumbbell arm exercises like:

1. Bicep Curl to Arnold Press
2. Push Press to Overhead Tricep Extensions
3. NarrowChest Press to Chest Fly
4. Renegade Rows

1. 10-Minute Upper Body Workout

Do this Arm Workout if: you want a quick, strength-focused upper body burnout.

Workout Format: Rep-Drop! Five arm exercises done in a 12-10-8-6-4 rep-drop forma. So you decrease the number of reps for each each set.

Workout Focus: Upper arms (biceps, shoulders, triceps), chest and back.

Arm Exercises Included:

1. Bicep Curls
2. Arnold Press
3. Lying Skull Crushers
4. Push Ups 
5. Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows

Beginner and Pregnancy-Friendly? Yes, with modifications. If being flat on the floor on your back isn’t comfortable, sub overhead tricep extensions from a kneeling position for the skull crushers. You also have the option to take push ups from an incline using a bench or chair for incline push ups.

2. 25-Minute Upper Body HIIT Workout

Do this Arm Workout if: you want a complete upper body workout that will also raise your heart rate.

Workout Format: Timed-interval circuits! Nine arm exercises performed for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest. This workout is made up of 3 circuits — each targeting a different muscle group in the upper body.

Workout Focus: The entire upper body: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, and back.

Arm Exercises Included:

1. Single, Single, Double Shoulder Press
2. Around the World Bicep Curls
3. Overhead Press Jacks
4. Renegade Rows
5. Dumbbell Chest Fly
6. Burpee Bicep Curl to Overhead Press
7. Skull Crusher Triceps
8. Supermans
9. High Plank Position Jacks

Pregnancy-Friendly? Yes, with modifications. Take low impact modifications for the cardio exercises as needed. If being on your back isn’t comfortable, you can perform the rows and tricep extensions from a standing position.

3. 30-Minute Toned Arms Workout

Do this Arm Workout if: you want a strength-focused upper body workout. Six unique, upper body exercises targeting multiple muscles groups with each exercise; and some bonus ab exercises.

Workout Format: Timed-Intervals! This workout is made up of 6 upper body exercises – each is a compound movement, that targets multiple muscle groups in the upper body. Each exercise is performed for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Repeat x3 sets.

Workout Focus: The entire upper body: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, and back AND abs.

Arm Exercises Included:

1. 3 Push Press + 3 Arms Overhead Tricep Extensions
2. Isometric Bicep Hold + Alternating Half Curls
3. 4 Single Arm Plank Rows + Plank Walk
4. Dumbbell Chest Fly + Narrow Chest Press
5. Dumbbell Overhead Pull or Dumbbell Pullover
6. Sit Up + Alternating Shoulder Press

Pregnancy-Friendly? Yes, with modifications. If being on your back isn’t comfortable, you can perform the rows, chest fly, and tricep extensions from a standing position. I also suggest skipping exercise number six, sit up.

4. 30-Minute Dumbbell Arm Workout for Women (beginner + prenatal arm workout)

Do this Arm Workout if: you want a strength-focused upper body workout. Beginner, prenatal arm workout.

Workout Format: Counted reps. This workout is made up of 4 circuits — each targeting a different part of the upper body. You’ll perform between 10 and 12 reps of each arm exercise, repeating each circuit x 2 sets before closing it out and moving on to the next circuit.

Workout Focus: The entire upper body: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, and back. This is a strength focused workout, but it also moves at a fast pace to keep your heart rate up as well.

Arm Exercises Included:

1. 2 Count Push Ups 
2. 2 Push Ups + 4 Kneeling Neutral Shoulder Press
3. Chest + Shoulder Press
4. Bent Over Row + Tricep Kick 
5. Single Arm Row
6. Lying Overhead Pull + Tricep Extension
7. 2 Count Bicep Curls  
8. Alternating Half Bicep Curls 
9. Bicep Hammer Curl + Neutral Shoulder Press + Overhead Tricep Extension
10. Gorilla Pulls
11. Chest Fly
12. Man Maker (push up + plank row + squat hold bicep curl + overhead shoulder press)

Pregnancy-Friendly? Yes, I filmed this in my second trimester of pregnancy, so many of the moves are designed to be pregnancy-friendly, but you can always modify as needed.

5. 45-Minute Drop Set Arms + Abs Workout

Do this Arm Workout if: you want to challenge your muscular strength and endurance. This is the hardest arm workout on this list; challenging you to lift heavy. The best arm workout for building upper body strength at home.

Workout Format: Drop Set. We’ll drop reps with each set, so you’ll be performing fewer repetitions as your arm muscles fatigue. The goal is to continue using heavy weights throughout the workout.

Workout Focus: The entire upper body: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, and back AND a large emphasis also on core. There are several unilateral arm exercises (focusing on one arm at a time). This workout is designed for you to lift heavy.

Arm Exercises Included:

1. Alternating Back Fly OR Double Arm Back Fly
2. Single Arm Row, Right
3. Single Arm Row, Left
4. Single Arm Chest Press, Right
5. Single Arm Chest Press, Left
6. Standing Cross Body Chest Flys
7. Arnold Press 
8. Alternating Lat Raise or Double Lat Raise 
9. Single Arm Hammer Curls, Right
10. Single Arm Hammer Curls, Left
11. Alternating Bicep Curls
12. Alternating or Double Arm Tricep Kick Backs
13. Lying Skull Crushers

Ab Exercises Included:

1. Mermaid Obliques, Right
2. Mermaid Obliques, Left
3. Low Plank Hip Taps
4. Hand Release Push Ups
5. 3 Cross Body Knee Drives + 1 Burpee
6. Crossbody Chop + Single Arm Shoulder Press
7. Sit Up + Alternating Shoulder Press + Pass
8. Seated Twist
9. Reverse Plank Walk Out + 2 Toe Taps
10. Hallow Rock Hold

Pregnancy-Friendly? No, this is a high-intensity arm workout that requires a lot of advanced core and ab exercises.

Split Training Arm Workouts

If you’d like more muscle-specific, upper body split training workouts, try these arm workouts:

1. 8 Best Back Exercises for Women
2. 5 Best Chest Exercises for Women
3. 7 Best Shoulder Exercises for Women 
4. 8 Best Tricep Exercises for Women 
5. 7 Push Up Variations 

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