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25-Minute Arms and Abs Workout (Supersets)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | November 24, 2025

This all-standing arms and abs workout is a quick way to build muscle in the chest, back, biceps, triceps, shoulders and core muscles. Upper body exercises like back flys, lateral raises and bicep curls are combined with ab exercises like dumbbell chops, standing crunches and halos in challenging and effective supersets. There are no push-ups in today’s workout, making it perfect for all fitness levels and people dealing with wrist pain.

Jump To Workout

When I’m short on time, supersets are my workout “secret weapon.”

Today’s arm and ab workout combines 1 upper body exercise and 1 core exercise in each superset. This allows us to cut down on rest time, because you’re technically “resting” one muscle group while working the other.

Not only is this an efficient way to train, but it’s also incredibly functional. The arms and abs support each other in almost every movement, both inside and outside of your workout. Any time you press, curl or row, your core is firing up to stabilize your spine and protect your lower back.

Pairing arm exercises with intentional core work increases total muscle engagement, leading to higher calorie burn and the ability to lift heavier weights. Additionally, exercises like dumbbell chops, lateral raises and halos engage both the ab and arm muscles at once. 

Whether you’re lifting dumbbells or carrying kids/groceries, strong arms and core muscles help you move through your daily life with power and confidence. 

Bonus: This dumbbell workout is all-standing and has no push-ups – making it a great workout for anyone struggling with wrist pain during push-ups or planks.

two women performing a dumbbell woodchop as part of arms and abs workout

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“As someone who has always struggled to find a platform and style of exercise I stick with long term, I am beyond thankful for NML. I am feeling strong as I approach my 40s. I look forward to the encouragement and creativity of the workouts which keeps me coming back. Not only for the new workouts, but I look forward to repeating them too. Thanks for all that you do!”

— Nicole R.

Workout Specifics

Tone your arms and abs at the same time with this arms and abs workout at home. Not only will you build strength in the biceps, triceps, chest, back, shoulders and core, but the superset format will get your heart pumping too. I’ll coach you through each exercise, providing modifications throughout the workout so you can scale this to your fitness level.

I recommend adding this toned arms workout to your strength training home workout plan 1-2 times a week. 

If you’re pregnant, substitute these pregnancy ab exercises for the ab exercise in each superset. Feeling sore? I love cooling down with these upper body stretches to release tight muscles in the upper body and neck.

Workout Equipment

Medium to Heavy Dumbbells. I’m using 15-25 lbs.

Workout Instructions

Follow along with the guided 25-Minute Abs and Arms Workout on YouTube, led by me — your certified personal trainer (CPT), Lindsey Bomgren.

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • Guided Warm-Up and Cool-Down
  • 5 Supersets (1 standing arm exercise and 1 standing abs exercise per circuit)
  • Timed Intervals (complete each exercise for 40 seconds of work, followed by 15 seconds of rest)
  • Repeat Each Superset x2 Sets

Note: I re-filmed this workout to improve the audio and video quality (and change up some of the exercises!). You can find the original workout video here. If you try both, I’d love to know your favorite!

Workout Outline

Superset 1:

  1. Back Fly
  2. Balance Single Arm Row

Superset 2:

  1. Lateral Raise
  2. Dumbbell Chop and Slow Lower

Superset 3:

  1. Bicep Curls
  2. Dumbbell Squat, Curl and Standing Crunch

Superset 4:

  1. Chest Fly
  2. Pivot and Lateral Press Out

Superset 5:

  1. Overhead Tricep Extension
  2. Dumbbell Halo

1. Back Fly

Targets: Posterior deltoids (rear shoulders), rhomboids, trapezius muscles, rotator cuff muscles and triceps.

two women performing a standing alternating back fly as part of arms and abs workout

How to Do a Back Fly

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
  2. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing in towards each other. Hinge forward at the hips.
  3. Keep a soft bend in your elbow as you open your right arm, raising the dumbbell parallel with your right shoulder.
  4. Control the dumbbell back down to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the left arm.

2. Balance Single Arm Back Row

Targets: Latissimus dorsi (lats), trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids and core.

women performing a balance single arm row as part of arms and abs workout

How to Do a Balance Single Arm Back Row

  1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in your left hand.
  2. Balance on your right foot while floating your left foot off the ground, left knee bent and left thigh parallel to the ground.
  3. Hinge forward at the hips, maintaining a flat back, belly button pulled back towards your spine.
  4. Pull the dumbbell back towards your left hip (think of pulling from your elbow joint versus your wrist). Stop once your elbow is in line with your rib cage, making a straight line from shoulder to elbow. Hold the row at the top for a moment, squeezing your shoulder blade in.
  5. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat.

3. Lateral Raise

Targets: Lateral deltoid (also engages the anterior deltoid and posterior deltoid).

women performing a lateral raise as part of arm and ab supersets

How to Do a Lateral Raise

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with a slight bend in your knees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at hip level, palms are facing in towards each other.
  2. Engage your core as you lift the dumbbell in your right hand out towards your right side, keeping a slight bend in the elbow. Lift the dumbbell just to shoulder height.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
  4. Repeat, this time performing a lateral raise with the dumbbell in your left hand.

4. Dumbbell Chop and Slow Lower

Targets: All the abs and core muscles — upper abs, lower abs, obliques and deep transverse abdominals.

fitness trainer performing a dumbbell chop with a slow lower

How to Do a Dumbbell Chop and Slow Lower

  1. Stand with feet hip distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in both hands horizontally at your right hip.
  2. Brace your core as you bring the dumbbell from your right hip over your left shoulder. Think of powering the movement from your hips and glutes rather than your arms.
  3. With control, lower the dumbbell first to your chest and then to your right hip, returning to the starting position.

5. Bicep Curl

Targets: The bicep muscles (upper arms). The brachialis (mid-arm) and brachioradialis (forearm).

demonstration of flip grip bicep curl as part of arms and abs workout

How to Do a Bicep Curl

  1. Start standing with feet hip-width apart and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
  2. Keeping your elbows locked by your sides, squeeze your right bicep muscle to curl the weight in your right hand up to your right shoulder.
  3. As you raise the dumbbell, rotate your hand so your palm faces in towards your body (hammer curl). With control, slowly lower the dumbbell down to your side.
  4. Repeat, alternating arms with each rep.

6. Dumbbell Squat, Curl and Standing Crunch

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors and core.

women performing a squat and curl as part of superset arms and abs

How to Do a Dumbbell Squat, Curl and Standing Crunch

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell horizontally at your chest.
  2. Bend your knees, lowering your hips into a low squat. Both knees are bent at 90 degrees. As you lower your hips, lower the dumbbell to the ground between your feet.
  3. Press through your heels to stand tall. As you stand, curl the dumbbell up towards your chest.
  4. With control, drive your right knee up towards your chest, rotating through your torso to bring your left elbow to meet your right knee.
  5. Reverse the movement, rotating your chest to center and lowering your right foot to the ground to return to the starting position.

Modification: Perform a standing march rather than a crunch if rotation isn’t comfortable.

7. Chest Fly

Targets: Upper arms, chest, shoulders, abs and core.

women performing a standing chest fly with dumbbells

How to Do a Chest Fly

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides; palms face out away from the body (underhand grip). Shoulder blades pulled down towards your hips.
  2. Squeeze your chest as you lift your right hand across your body bringing the dumbbell in the right hand parallel to your left shoulder. Think “right pinky finger to left shoulder.” Palm faces up towards the ceiling.
  3. Keep a soft bend in your elbow as you lower the dumbbell back to starting position with control.
  4. Repeat on the left arm, alternating arms with each rep.

8. Pivot and Lateral Press Out

Targets: Chest (pectoralis major), shoulders (deltoids), triceps, obliques and core.

women performing a pivot and press out to target shoulders and core

How to Do a Pivot and Lateral Press Out

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a soft bend in your knees and your core engaged.
  2. Hold 1 dumbbell horizontally at chest level. Your palms are facing in and your elbows are slightly tucked. This is your starting position.
  3. Pivot on your feet 90 degrees to the right, allowing your hips to rotate with control. Once facing right, press the dumbbell straight out in front of you, extending your arms fully while keeping your shoulders down and away from your ears. 
  4. Retract the dumbbell back to your chest, then pivot back to center, returning to the starting position.

9. Overhead Tricep Extension

Targets: The long head of the triceps and all the stabilizing muscles in the shoulders, core, glutes and lower back.

two women performing an overhead tricep extension with single dumbbell

How to Do an Overhead Tricep Extension

  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and a soft bend in your knees.
  2. Hold 1 dumbbell vertically overhead and activate your core by squeezing your glutes and abs to protect your lower back.
  3. Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, bringing the dumbbell behind your head. Think ‘hide the dumbbell, show the dumbbell’ if you were watching yourself in a mirror. Keep your elbows close to your ears throughout the entire movement (don’t let your elbows flare out as you fatigue).
  4. Squeeze through the back of your arms to straighten your elbows.

10. Dumbbell Halo

Targets: Upper abs, lower abs, obliques and deep transverse abdominals.

standing dumbbell chop exercise in arms and ab workout

How to Do a Dumbbell Halo

  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and a soft bend in your knees.
  2. Hold 1 dumbbell horizontally between your hands at your right hip.
  3. Brace your core tight as you pull the dumbbell in a smooth motion from your right hip to your left shoulder and then behind and around your head, before bringing it down to your left hip.
  4. Repeat in the opposite direction.

Modification: Option to perform a standing goblet march.

FAQs

How long does it take to see results from an arms and abs workout routine?

Most people will begin to feel results in about two weeks. Your core may feel more engaged during daily movements, and you might notice more upper-body strength in daily tasks like carrying groceries. Visible changes usually take 6-8 weeks, depending on consistency, weights used and overall training volume. 

Is it okay to do ab workouts daily?

Your abs are a muscle group that requires rest and recovery time, just like any of your other major muscle groups. Overtraining can lead to muscle imbalances, burnout and injury. For the best results, follow a well-rounded workout program that builds in core training 2-3 times a week in addition to full body workouts, upper body workouts, lower body workouts and HIIT cardio workouts.

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6 comments

  1. absolutely loved this workout! I did the sets x3 for a little extra burn and at 19 weeks pregnant, it was just the fire I needed! thank you for another amazing workout Lindsey!

  2. Perfect length for a busy Thanksgiving week. I almost skipped today, but saw “short on time?” in the email. Glad I showed up.

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