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What's inside
This arm toning workout uses five moves, four with dumbbells plus the push-up, to work every part of your arms: the front, the back, your shoulders and the upper back that frames them. It takes about 20 minutes once you are doing 3 sets, two or three times a week.
Below you get the workout, the weights to start with, an 8 week plan to keep it working, and straight answers to the two big questions: can you burn fat off your arms, and will weights make them bulky?
The workout at a glance
| Moves | 5 |
| Session length | About 12 minutes in weeks 1 and 2, about 20 from week 3 |
| How often | 2 to 3 times a week, never two days in a row |
| Equipment | A light and a medium pair of dumbbells |
| Level | Beginner to intermediate |
| Rest between sets | 60 seconds |
The 5 move arm toning workout
Do all the sets of one move, then move to the next.
| # | Move | Sets x reps | Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shoulder press | 3 x 10 | Shoulders, triceps |
| 2 | Bent-over row | 3 x 12 | Upper back, rear shoulders, biceps |
| 3 | Overhead triceps extension | 3 x 12 | Back of the arms |
| 4 | Biceps curl | 3 x 12 | Front of the arms |
| 5 | Push-up (any level) | 3 x as many as you can with good form, stop 1 or 2 short of your max | Chest, shoulders, triceps |
How to do each move
1. Shoulder press. Sit or stand tall, a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Press both weights straight up until your arms are almost straight. Lower slowly to shoulder height. Keep your ribs down so your back does not arch.
2. Bent-over row. Hinge forward at the hips with a flat back, knees soft, weights hanging under your shoulders. Pull your elbows back toward your hips, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lower slowly. Rest one hand on a chair if your lower back gets tired.
3. Overhead triceps extension. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, arms straight overhead. Bend at the elbows to lower the weight behind your head, keeping your elbows pointing up. Straighten your arms. This is the move for the back of your arms.
4. Biceps curl. Stand tall, weights at your sides, palms forward. Curl the weights up toward your shoulders without swinging your body. Lower over two or three seconds.
5. Push-up. Against a counter, on your knees, or full. Hands slightly wider than shoulders, body in a straight line. Lower your chest, push back up.
What weight should you use?
Pick a weight where the last two reps of each set are hard but your form stays clean. If you could do five more reps, it is too light.
| Move | Suggested starting weight for beginners | Use the heavier pair? |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder press | 5 to 10 lb (2 to 4.5 kg) | Later |
| Bent-over row | 10 to 15 lb (4.5 to 7 kg) | Yes, usually your heaviest move |
| Overhead triceps extension | One 8 to 15 lb (3.5 to 7 kg) dumbbell | Yes |
| Biceps curl | 5 to 12 lb (2 to 5.5 kg) | Later |
If you only own one pair, change the reps instead: do more reps with the light pair, up to 15 or 20, and take each set close to hard.
8 week plan
| Weeks | Sets x reps | What to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 2 sets of each move | Learn the moves. Leave a few reps in the tank |
| 3 to 4 | 3 sets | Last two reps hard |
| 5 to 6 | 3 sets, add 2 reps to each move | Or go up in weight on rows and triceps |
| 7 to 8 | 3 sets | Go up in weight on any move where the last reps no longer feel hard |
Write down your weights and reps. If the numbers go up over 8 weeks, your arms are getting stronger, whatever the mirror says on any given day.
Can you burn fat off your arms?
Not directly. Working a muscle builds that muscle, but your body decides where it takes fat from. In one small study, 11 young adults trained only one leg for 12 weeks, doing one very long set of light leg presses (960 to 1,200 reps) per session. They lost body fat overall, but it came off their arms and trunk, not the leg they worked.
So arm “toning” is two jobs done together:
- Build the muscle underneath with this workout. More muscle changes the shape of your arm.
- Lower your overall body fat with a small calorie deficit and daily movement, so that shape shows.
How fast the back of your arms changes varies a lot from person to person. Our guide on how long it takes to tone flabby arms gives honest timelines, and how to get rid of armpit fat covers that nearby area.
Will weights make your arms bulky?
Very unlikely. When researchers pooled 29 studies of adults aged 18 to 45 doing the same training, women’s muscles grew by a similar percentage to men’s. But women start with less muscle, so the same percentage meant slightly smaller gains in absolute terms. An earlier review found women gained more upper-body strength relative to where they started. So two or three dumbbell sessions a week are very unlikely to make your arms look bulky.
You also do not need heavy weights to tone. In a review of 21 studies where every set was taken to failure (until another rep was impossible), muscle grew about as much with light loads as with heavy ones. Heavy loads built more maximal strength. Our takeaway: light dumbbells can work if you push each set close to that point.
Food, briefly
Your muscles need protein to rebuild. The International Society of Sports Nutrition says 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight a day is enough for most people who exercise, ideally spread across the day. Pair that with a modest calorie deficit if you want to lose fat.
Questions
Can I do this every day?
We would not. Give your arms a day off between sessions; two or three sessions a week is plenty for this plan.
My shoulders click during the shoulder press.
If it clicks but does not hurt, keep the weight light and the movement slow. If it hurts, try pressing with your palms facing each other and a lighter weight. If it still hurts, stop and get it checked.
I don’t have dumbbells.
Water bottles or a backpack with books work to start. For a no-equipment option, see the 30 day arms, abs and butt challenge.
What should I add after 8 weeks?
Add lower body days with our dumbbell workout for women, or more triceps moves from our dumbbell triceps exercises.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have a shoulder, elbow or wrist injury, are pregnant, or have a medical condition, check with a doctor before starting.
