The Exercises You Should be Doing for Strong, Sexy Arms

Chiseled triceps, full and well-rounded shoulders…there is no doubt the strong, sculpted arms look great. Plus, they’re dang functional. Everyone wants sexy arms and here’s how you get ’em.

I’ve always loved training shoulders. I don’t know why, those movements just speak to me! The results of hard, focused work aren’t too bad either. Sculpted, sexy arms and shoulders have a way of yelling “I’m fit and I work hard for it!”. Plus, it makes daily activities like lifting, pushing and pulling much easier.

7 DUMBBELL EXERCISES FOR SCULPTED ARMS

Grab a pair of moderately heavy dumbbells. Do these 7 upper body exercises in order, one after the other, for 12-15 reps each. Complete 3-4 rounds in total. You can do this workout a couple of times a week, just be sure to leave a day or two of recovery in between!

Upright Rows

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight and palms facing your body. Begin by bending your elbows out to the sides and draw the dumbbells up towards your chest. Pause then slowly straighten your arms to return to the start position.

*Trainer tips: don’t draw the weight up so high that your hands are at your chin. You want the dumbbells to stay below shoulder height.

Bicep Curls

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight and palms facing forward. Lock your elbows in next to your rib cage. Bend at the elbows and squeeze the bicep to bring the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Pause then straighten arms to return to the start position.

*Trainer tip: slow down the weights descent but consciously resisting gravity. The slower you go, the more time that muscle spends under tension and the more work your body has to do.

Overhead Tricep Extensions

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight up over your head, palms facing each other. Brace your core and bend at the elbows to lower the weight behind your head as low as you can. Pause then straighten your elbows to return to the start position.

*Trainer tip: use dumbbells that have flat sides so that you can push the two together for more stability overhead.

Side Lateral to Front Raises

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight down at your sides. Slowly lift the dumbbells until they reach shoulder height, making a “T” with your shoulders. As you return the dumbbells to the, rotate your palms to face your body. Slowly lift the dumbbells straight out in front of you. Pause then return your arms to the start position.

*Trainer tip: engage your core and take an athletic stance so that you feeling supported and stable as you raise the weight away from your body.

Cross Body Bicep Curls

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight down at your sides. Keeping the dumbbell close to your body, bend your right arm to draw the weight up towards the opposite (left) shoulder. Pause and return to the starting position. Repeat with the left arm.

*Trainer tip: focus on squeezing the bicep muscle as you draw the weight up towards your shoulder. The more connected you can get with the muscle, the more you will get out of the rep.

Tricep Kickbacks

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight down at your sides. Hinge at the waist to lower your torso. Bend your elbows and lock them in at your rib cage. Push the dumbbells behind you while straightening your arms. Pause with arms straight before bending elbows to return to the start position.

*Trainer tip: once you are in the hinged back position the only joint that should move is your elbow.

Reverse Flyes

How to: stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight down at your sides. Hinge at the waist to lower your torso. Keeping your arms just slightly bent, pull your shoulder blades together to raise the dumbbells out to the sides. Pause and then slowly lower the weights back to the start position.

*Trainer tips: lead with your elbows and if you feel yourself jolting your torso up to lift the weight, use a lighter weight!

If you are looking for more upper body workouts to build sexy arms? Try these!

• Upper Body Workout for Strong and Toned Arms
• The Best Exercises for Strong Shoulders
• Fully Armed 15-Minute Arm Workout