8 simple arm workouts you can do at home

Fact: everyone loves arm day – especially when you can strengthen and tone them from the comfort of your own living room.

You can build strong, defined arms from just about anywhere. All you need is your bodyweight, or for leveled-up results grab a set of dumbbells.

Ready to fire up your biceps and triceps? Let’s get to work!

The benefits of arm workouts at home

There are big advantages to training your arms at home. Here are six reasons why:

1. Space-saving convenience. No need for bulky equipment. A set of dumbbells or just your bodyweight is all it takes.
2. Versatile training. Apart from your arms, dumbbell and bodyweight exercises can help you target many more muscle groups.
3. Balanced strength. Training one arm at a time can help correct muscle imbalances in your arms.
4. Improved functional mobility. From lifting and gripping to carrying everyday items, strong arms make daily tasks easier.
5. Budget-friendly fitness. Skip the gym fees. At-home training is all you need to build stronger arms.
6. Stronger, longer-lasting muscles. Regular training builds muscle tone, boosts endurance and helps you power through your day.

If you’ve got a set of dumbbells and a spare 5-7 minutes a day, Centr’s 28 Days of Arms could be your new favorite workout program. Use it to add some extra fire to the end of your regular training, or crush a bite-sized workout whenever suits you best.

1. Dumbbell bicep curl

The tried and true bicep curl is one of the best ways to build stronger arms. If you don’t have dumbbells, hold and curl a weighted object – like a bottle of laundry detergent.

How to do it:

1. Sit on a chair and hold your dumbbell or weighted object straight by your side.

2. Without swinging your arm, squeeze your bicep and raise the weight towards your front shoulder.

3. Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position and repeat.

2. Dumbbell tricep kickbacks

Kickbacks isolate the triceps as your arms fully extend behind your torso. The constant tension throughout also maximizes tricep muscle engagement.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Your elbows should be at 90 degrees and tucked into your sides.

2. Hinge at the hips, lowering your chest to face the floor while keeping your back straight.

3. Drive your fists straight back until your arms are fully extended.

4. Hold the extended position for a moment, feeling the squeeze of your contracted triceps.

5. Bring the dumbbells back to the starting position at a slow and controlled tempo.

6. You can kick both arms back at once or alternate one arm at a time.

3. Dumbbell hammer curl

Hammer curls are particularly effective at isolating the long head of the bicep brachii. They’re also great for working the brachialis and forearm flexors.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should be facing inwards.

2. Activate your biceps and curl the dumbbell upwards towards your shoulders. You can perform this motion with alternating arms, or both arms simultaneously.

3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.

4. Dumbbell overhead tricep extension

This targets the largest part of your triceps – the long head. It will be working against gravity in every rep to control the lowering of the dumbbell.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet in a staggered position – one foot a small step back from the other. (You can go with whichever side feels most comfortable.) Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bring them together above your head.

2. Keep your upper arms close to your ears, your shoulders down and your core tight.

3. Lower the dumbbells behind your head by bending at the elbows. Keep your elbows pointing up toward the ceiling.

4. Extend your arms back up to the starting position.

5. You can regress this move by holding one lighter dumbbell with both hands.

4 arm exercises using bodyweight resistance

Don’t have dumbbells? Here are some exercises that work the tricep and biceps.

1. Pull-up

If you have access to a pull-up bar (or a strong, flat tree branch), pull-ups are an excellent move for building bicep strength.

How to do it:

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with palms facing away and hands shoulder-width apart.

2. Pull your chest toward the bar, leading with your elbows.

3. Lower back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

2. Push-up

This all-time classic is a great workout for your triceps, chest, shoulders and core.

How to do it:

1. Start on your hands shoulder-width apart in a plank position, directly underneath your shoulders.

2. Lower your chest towards the floor by bending at the elbows. Do this in a controlled fashion.

3. You don’t need to touch the ground – imagine a drink can under your chest and only go that far.

4. Push away from the floor to raise your chest back up to the starting position.

3. Chin-up

Similar to the pull-up, the chin-up activates more of your biceps and pecs, while the pull-up works more of your lats and traps.

How to do it:

1. Grip a bar with palms facing toward you and hands shoulder-width apart.

2. Pull your chest to the bar, focusing on your biceps and back.

3. Lower yourself slowly to the starting position.

4. Diamond push up

This variation will get your triceps and smaller stabilizing muscles, working harder.

How to do it:

1. Place your hands together directly under the center of your chest, touching your index fingers and thumbs together to form a diamond shape.

2. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, lower your torso down until your chest meets your hands.

3. Then push back up.

The key to effective arm workouts at home

A great home arm workout isn’t just about choosing the right exercises – it’s about crafting a routine that actually delivers results. Here's how to maximize your arm training from the comfort of your own space:

Choosing the right weight

Picking the right dumbbell weight is an important part of your workout. Ideally, you should have three sets of dumbbell weights: light, medium, and heavy.

If you aren’t sure what to use, choose a weight that challenges you on the final two reps of an eight-rep set. For exercises like bicep curls or triceps kickbacks, those last reps should push you but still be doable with proper form.

For beginners, light dumbbells in the 3-8 lb (1-4 kg) range and a heavier pair around 10-15 lb (4-7 kg) will get you started. As you build strength, adjust the weight accordingly.

To keep making progress, you'll need to gradually increase your workout intensity. This can be done by adding weight, upping your reps, or shortening rest intervals. These small adjustments will help build noticeable strength and muscle definition.

Warming up and cooling down

A gentle, dynamic warm-up before a workout is a great way to prepare your body for a workout, while a cool-down session helps fast-track your way to optimal recovery.

Warm-up routine:

• Arm circles: 15 reps forward and 15 reps backward will help get your shoulders and arms moving.

• Shoulder shrugs: 15 reps to activate the upper back and trapezius.

• Dynamic chest openers: 10 reps to stretch the chest and upper body.

• Wrist rotations: 10 reps each side to prep your wrists for handling dumbbells.

Cool-down routine:

• Overhead triceps stretch: Hold for 30 seconds per arm.

• Cross-body shoulder stretch: Hold for 30 seconds per side.

• Wrist flexor stretch: Hold for 30 seconds per side.

• Doorway chest stretch: Hold for 30 seconds.