Introduction
But the reality is you must exercise regularly to build the biceps, triceps, forearms, and shoulders. You only need simple, yet the best arm exercises to gain strong arms. Following them can effectively build muscle tissues that may provide protection against injuries or tears.
Benefits of Arm Exercise
Studies show that arm exercises with dumbbells help develop strong and well-toned arms.
The Benefits of Arm Exercises
Are there benefits of arm exercises? Studies show that exercising your arms strengthens your arm muscles and gives you the following effects:
- Helps perform daily tasks
- Allows you to exercise better for weight loss
- Used in lifting, opening containers and doors, plus carrying any load
- Stronger arms make it easier to perform everyday tasks
- Strength training using hands improves heart health
- Protects you from injury
- Improves your posture for confidence
- Protects your joints and bones
- Helps you in sporting activities like ball games, athletics, weightlifting, and more
So, if you want to reap the benefits of every at-home arm exercise, you need to choose the routine wisely. And, for the weights exercises, use the correct weight to prevent serious injuries.
Here are our 12 best arm exercises with dumbbells.
1. Dumbbell Hammer Curls
This at-home arm exercise helps build the biceps. While standing, hold a dumbbell with each hand as your hands face your body. Slowly lift the dumbbell without rotating your hands and keep them in the original pose.
Place your feet flat on the floor. Move the dumbbells in a hammer semicircle curve and hold them for a short time. Keep your head straight, looking forward, and then return to your starting position slowly.
2. Bench Dumbbell for the Triceps
This is one of the best home triceps workout with dumbbells. Get a flat bench. Climb on it and lie on your back with your legs flat on the bench. Then, hold a dumbbell with each hand. With straight arms, raise the dumbbells by extending your elbows.
Lift the dumbbells and hold when your arms get fully stretched. Keep your back firmly on the bench throughout the process. Lower the dumbbells alternately towards your face, then straighten your arms again.
3. Dumbbell Floor Press
As one of the best triceps exercises with dumbbells, it helps tone the triceps. Here, you lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Ensure your feet are flat on the floor. Then, pick a dumbbell in each hand.
Let your arms extend over the shoulders with your palms facing away from your body. Then lower the dumbbells slowly to the starting point. As a result, some people rate dumbbell floor press[1] as one of the best arm exercises.
4. Triceps Kickbacks
Among the triceps exercises with dumbbells is the triceps kickback style. Here, you stand with your feet slightly apart and bend your knees. With each holding a dumbbell, lean forward a bit. Let your elbows be 90-degrees on your sides.
Raise your dumbbells up and back, then straighten your arms while squeezing the triceps. You may breathe in and out to sync with the kickback movements. Repeat a few times to gain the benefits of arm exercises.
5. Standing Overhead Triceps Workout
This at-home arm exercise promises more benefits for your arms. While standing with your legs hip-width, take a dumbbell with both hands. Subsequently, raise the dumbbell[2] over your head. Let your upper arm remain touching your ears.
Then lower the dumbbell with both hands at the back of your head. Don’t let the upper arm leave your ears, so you only bend the elbows to lower the dumbbell. Ultimately, this is among the less strenuous triceps exercises with dumbbells.
6. Lying Overhead Triceps Workout
Among the triceps exercises with dumbbells is the lying overhead triceps extension. You’ll be lying flat on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
Extend your hands holding a dumbbell each over your shoulders and head. Make sure the palms face each other as you move the dumbbells. You then bend the elbows slightly for the dumbbells to touch the ground. Then return the weights over the head again and do it a few times to get extra benefits of arm exercises.
7. Standing Biceps Dumbbell Curl
The biceps curl is among the best arm exercises with dumbbells. Specifically, the standing curl is a very effective arm exercise as it’s not very strenuous.
Place your feet firmly on the floor in a standing position. Hold the dumbbells by your side. Then, lift the dumbbells simultaneously but keep the elbows and your body still. Next, lower the weights till your arms point straight down on your side. Repeat the move to get the benefits of arm exercises.
8. Concentration Dumbbell Biceps Curls
To strengthen your biceps more effectively, try this at-home arm exercise. You can sit on a bench with legs wide apart. Next, with arms placed on your inner thigh, take a dumbbell from the floor with one arm and lift it using your lower arm. And let your upper arm remain still as you move the weight. And keep the idle arm firmly on the other leg for stability. Alternate the arms, and start again for this concentration dumbbell biceps exercise[3].
9. Palms-Up Wrist Curl
Forearm exercises can give you more benefits than other arm exercises since they flex the back of your forearm.
Sit on a bench and keep your knees at 90 degrees to the ground. With palms facing up, grip the dumbbells and rest your forearm on your thighs. Then, let the dumbbells remain slightly away from the knees. You can curl the dumbbells up, then revert to the start.
10. A Palms-Down Wrist Curl
Your forearms’ top muscles need strengthening with a good at-home arm exercise. This will help undo and balance what the palms up wrist curl have done for your forearm underside muscles.
So, this is similar to the palms up wrist curl, but you pick the dumbbell with your palms facing down. But note that the fingers grip the dumbbell weight more in this case. So, it’s advisable to use a smaller weight to avoid wrist damage.
11. The Rear Delt raise
If you are looking for the best arm exercises, you might omit this delt fly since it also affects the chest. However, it strengthens the shoulder muscles. So, the deltoids get taken care of. Stand with your legs hip-width apart.
Keep your arms hanging down with palms facing you. Hold a dumbbell with each hand. Bend your torso slightly and the elbows too. Then lift the weights with arms spread out and squeeze the shoulders.
12. Dumbbell Underhand Kickback
Another candidate for the best arm exercises is the dumbbell kickback. With your feet shoulder-width apart while standing, get two dumbbells. Then arch your body and push forward until you are almost parallel to the ground.
Bend your hips back too. Keep your upper arms on your sides and palms facing the front as you grip the dumbbells firmly. You can lift them slowly as you rise and fall rhythmically.
Conclusion
Essentially, arm exercises with dumbbells are an excellent way for isolating, toning, and strengthening your triceps.
Among the most effective triceps exercises with dumbbells discussed here, we found some are also great for the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. So, follow them depending on your needs.
Subsequently, you may choose based on the arm muscles you want to build. Whether it’s the curls, kickbacks, or the presses, all dumbbell exercises are great. Above all, arm exercises with dumbbells are generally safe. Still, you need to pick the most appropriate weight to avoid arm injuries.
