Sculpted Arm Workout

This sculpted arm workout will help you build upper body strength and sculpt and tone your arms and shoulders.

Guys, this is big. This is officially the SECOND Work it Wednesday in a row. Which might be some kind of record. During the Summer SLAY, a big topic of discussion was around building upper body strength. A lot of you are working on building enough upper body strength to do get proper push-up form down (YAY!), so I wanted to bring you a workout to help strengthen your entire upper body.

As badass as it is to do push-ups on our toes, we can’t only focus on pushing exercises. In fact, with so many of our sedentary daily lives having us perform pushing motions, it is incredibly important to incorporate pulling exercises into your routine as well.

When putting together an upper body workout, I like to include moves to target the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, upper back, and core. Not only will these moves sculpt your upper body so you can look and feel as strong and amazing as you are. To complete this workout, all you’ll need is a pair of dumbbells.

Now let’s go through the moves:

Chest Fly + Bridge (Video Demonstration HERE)

Begin on the ground laying on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. With a dumbbell in each hand, raise your hips to a glute bridge position and raise the dumbbells into the air with your palms facing one another. Squeeze your glutes and engage your core as you pull the dumbbells apart and perform a chest fly. Use your chest muscles to bring the dumbbells back to meet one another and repeat.

Hand Release Push-Ups (Video Demonstration HERE)

Begin in a straight arm plank position. Lower yourself down all the way to the ground, and pick up your hands reaching your arms out to your side. Bring your hands back underneath your chest, and perform a push-up to return to a plank position.

Renegade Row (Video Demonstration HERE)

Return to a straight arm plank position with a dumbbell in each hand. Engage your core as you row one dumbbell up to your rib. Lower the dumbbell and repeat on the other side. Try to minimize any movement in your hips, and keep your body as straight as possible. To make the movement easier, you can widen the stance of your legs.

V-Sit Press (Video Demonstration HERE)

From a v-sit position with a dumbbell in each hand, keep your core engaged and your back straight as you perform a press, pressing the dumbbells out at a 45-degree angle to work both your chest and shoulders. Return the dumbbells to chest levels and repeat. To make the move easier, bring your feet to the ground.

Bent Over Front Raise (Video Demonstration HERE)

Begin in a standing position with your knees slightly bent, and your back flat. With a dumbbell in each hand, keep your arms straight as you perform a front raise, raising the dumbbells to shoulder height, or to a comfortable level. Keep your core engaged to protect your lower back, and repeat. To make this move easier, raise one arm at a time.

Photo by Missy Palacol.

Your Turn:

If you give this workout a try, leave a comment below or tag me in Instagram @balancedberry. I would love to hear what workouts you would like to see next! Let me know below.