Challenge your upper body AND core muscles in one quick and effective Arms and Abs Workout. Superset five arm exercises with five abs exercises to strengthen and fatigue ALL the muscles between your hips and your head. Target the biceps, triceps, back, shoulders, chest, upper abs, lower abs and obliques in under 30 minutes.
I personally like to program a mix of isolation exercises (targeting one specific muscle) and compound exercises (targeting multiple muscle groups) during my ab and arm day workouts. Your core generally works to stabilize your body as you rotate through the spine and extend your arms and legs away from the trunk of your body, so it’s usually very engaged during arm exercises.
What Are The Benefits Of An Arms And Abs Superset?
A superset workout pairs two different exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between exercises (so you perform more work in less time). Superset workouts are efficient. Pairing two exercises consecutively increases the time under tension (or the amount of work that your muscles have to do) AND reduces rest time. This is beneficial for increasing muscular hypertrophy and endurance in a short amount of time.
25-Minute Arms and Abs Workout At Home With Weights (Supersets)
Tone your arms and abs at the same time with this 25-minute 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.
Minimal rest between exercises means we’re increasing the intensity, making this a quick AND efficient dumbbell arms and abs workout.
Modifications are offered to scale each move from beginner (and pregnancy/postpartum-friendly) to advanced.
I suggest adding an upper body workout like this one to your weekly fitness routine once a week.
Workout Equipment:
Medium to heavy set of dumbbells. We are using 15-20 lbs in this superset workout.
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Reach for those heavy weights – lifting challenging weights is the NUMBER ONE thing you can do to build strength!
Targets: Mainly the latissimus dorsi (or lats; the largest back muscle) and core.
How To Do A Balance Single Arm Back Row
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in your right hand at your side (palm facing in).
Hinge at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor (neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button and rib cage pulled in). Add a balance element by driving your right leg straight back behind you (keeping a bent standing left leg).
Hold this position while performing a single arm row on the right arm. Pull your right elbow up to meet your right rib cage; squeezing your back and keeping your shoulder down and back.
Control the dumbbell back down to the starting position. Think up on a 1 count, down slow and controlled on a 2 count.
Modification: Follow Lindsey (on the right) and omit the balance element. Instead, take a staggered stance — left foot forward, right foot back.
Single Arm Plank with Dumbbell Push/Pull
Targets: Upper abs, lower abs, obliques, transverse abs, shoulders and back (lats).
How To Do A Single Arm Plank With Dumbbell Slide
Start in a single arm low plank position or single arm forearm plank. Right forearm resting on the mat, right shoulder over elbow and core engaged. Place your left hand on the back head of a dumbbell.
Hold this single arm plank as you “push” the dumbbell straight out in front of you (straightening your arm).
Then, “pull” the dumbbell back towards you as you return to the starting position.
Try to keep your hips stable and square to the mat as you push and pull the dumbbell. Keep your hips in line with the rest of your body to avoid sagging hips or piked hips.
Repeat this push/pull of the dumbbell with your left arm for the first set. Switch sides on the next set.
Modification: Follow Lindsey (on the right) and take the plank from your knees.
Kneeling Dumbbell Figure 8
Targets: All heads of the shoulder muscles including the anterior deltoid, medial deltoid and upper portion of the pecs (chest muscles); AND abs and deep transverse abdominal core muscles.
This sneaky hard shoulder exercise has been noted one of the best exercises to build strong, defined shoulders.
How To Do A Kneeling Dumbbell Press Out And Figure 8
Start in a kneeling position, knees under hips, core engaged.
Hold one dumbbell vertically with both hands. Press the dumbbell straight out in front of you at shoulder height with a slight bend in the elbows.
Brace your core tightly as you draw a “figure 8” with the dumbbell.
Modification: You can always perform this shoulder exercise from a standing position. Note, the farther the dumbbell is away from your body, the harder this exercise will be.
Half Kneeling Chop
Targets: The deep transverse abdomens muscles, oblique muscles, hips, back, shoulders and core.
How To Do A Half Kneeling Dumbbell Chop
Start in a kneeling position, knees under hips, core engaged. Keep your left knee on the mat and place your right foot flat on the mat, right thigh parallel to the ground (right knee in line with right hip).
Hold one dumbbell horizontally between your hands. Bring the dumbbell to the outside of your left hip.
Then exhale as you use your abs and obliques to drive the dumbbell crossbody, extending your arms up overhead on the right side. Think left hip to right shoulder.
Lower the dumbbell with control back towards your left hip, returning to the starting position.
Modification: Option to perform this wood chop ab exercise from a standing position.
Dumbbell Chest Fly
Targets: Chest muscles, both the larger pectoralis major and the smaller pectoralis minor.
How To Do A Dumbbell Chest Fly
Lay flat on your back (on the ground, on a bench, or on a stability ball) with one dumbbell in each hand, arms extended above your shoulders, palms facing in towards each other. Legs bent at 90 degrees, feet pressed firmly into the floor.
Inhale as you slowly open your arms, lowering the dumbbells in a wide arc until they reach shoulder level (or the ground). Your elbows should remain soft and not over-extended (slight bend in the elbows).
Exhale as you pull the dumbbells back to starting position, squeezing your chest muscles together. Keep your chest puffed out and your elbows slightly bent.
Chest Press And Double Or Single Leg Kick Out
Targets: Chest (pecs), shoulders (deltoids), triceps, upper and lower abs.
The single leg kick out engages the core. The core works to stabilize the trunk of your body as your legs move away.
How To Do A Chest Press And Double Or Single Leg Kick Out
Lay flat on your back (on the ground, on a bench, incline bench, or on a stability ball) with feet lifted off the mat in front of you, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold one dumbbell in each hand (palms facing knees), elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
Exhale as you push both dumbbells overhead at the same time (dumbbell chest press); dumbbells stacked over shoulders at the top of the press. Make sure your wrists are strong and in line with your shoulders.
As you press the dumbbells overhead, engage your core and extend the legs straight out (option to extend one or both legs).
Then, simultaneously lower the dumbbells back towards your chest with control as you pull your legs back in to a 90-degree angle.
Modification: Follow Lindsey (on the right) and alternate kicking out one leg at a time with every chest press.
3 Bicep Curls And 3 Bicep Pulses
Targets: The long head of the biceps (outer bicep muscle), the short head of the biceps (inner bicep muscle), abs and forearms.
The bicep pulse works the biceps by increasing the time under tension. This is an effective biceps variation in our 5 best bicep workouts.
How To Do 3 Bicep Curls And 3 Bicep Pulses
Start standing with feet under hips, core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
Keep your elbows locked by your sides, and shoulders out of your ears with shoulder blades pulled down; squeeze your bicep muscle to curl the weights up to shoulder-height as you exhale.
With control, slowly lower the dumbbells down to your sides. Return to the starting position and repeat this movement for 3 full-range bicep curls.
At the top of the third bicep curl, lower the dumbbells halfway down, stopping when your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
Perform 3 bicep pulses; lifting the dumbbells up an inch and then lowering them down an inch.
After the third bicep pulse, lower the dumbbells all the way down to the starting position and repeat this 3 curl, 3 pulse sequence.
On the second set, alternate 3 hammer curls and 3 hammer pulses (instead of 3 standard curls). To perform a hammer curl, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in towards each other.
Modification: Omit the biceps pulses and just perform standard bicep curls.
Halo Abs
Targets: The abs and core from every angle — upper abs, lower abs, obliques and deep transverse abdominals. Shoulder mobility is also an important part of this core exercise.
How To Do Halo Abs Or Dumbbell Halo
Stand with feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and soft bend in your knees.
Hold one dumbbell horizontally between your hands at your right hip.
Brace your core tight as you pull the dumbbell in a smooth motion from your right hip to left shoulder and then behind and around your head, before bringing it down to your left hip.
Repeat in the opposite direction.
Overhead Tricep Extensions
Targets: The long head of the triceps and all the stabilizing muscles in the shoulders, core, glutes and lower back muscles.
How To Do Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extensions
Stand with feet hip-distance apart, core engaged and soft bend in your knees.
Hold one dumbbell vertically between your palms overhead.
Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, bringing the dumbbell behind your head. Keep your elbows close to your ears throughout the entire movement (don’t let your elbows flare out as you fatigue).
Raise the dumbbell all the way up, overhead.
Then, lower the dumbbell back down behind your head. Repeat this movement.
Think ‘hide the dumbbell, show the dumbbell’, if you were watching yourself in a mirror.
Single Arm Elevated Push Up And Shoulder Tap
Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, obliques and core muscles.
How To Do A Single Arm Elevated Push Up And Shoulder Tap
Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists. Place your left hand flat on the mat and your right hand on the head of a stable dumbbell. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
Hold this plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground as your elbows fall back towards your hips (not out to the sides).
Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.
Once you’re in the high plank position, pull your left hand up to tap your right shoulder.
Return your left hand to the mat and repeat the push up and shoulder tap sequence. Switch sides for the second set.
Modification: Follow Lindsey (on the right) and take the plank and push up from your knees. Alternatively, omit placing one hand on a weight and place both hands on the mat.
Pin this Workout: 25-Minute Arms and Abs Workout At Home
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2 comments
What do you mean by “PIN”?
At the bottom when we say “Pin this Workout” if you want you can pin this workout to a Pinterest board so you can easily reference it :)! Thanks! -Lindsey
What do you mean by “PIN”?
At the bottom when we say “Pin this Workout” if you want you can pin this workout to a Pinterest board so you can easily reference it :)! Thanks! -Lindsey