Grab Your Dumbbells For This Quick Upper Body Workout

Having a strong upper body is important in performing everyday tasks. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have good looking arms for the warm summer months.

This easy home workout will strengthen and tone your arms, shoulders and chest and give you definition that you didn’t know was there.

For each exercise, do 8-10 repetitions to build muscle, 12-15 repetitions for tone. Keep movements slow and controlled, no swinging. Break for 30 seconds to one minute between sets. Complete 3 sets of each exercise.

Bicep curls

Stand or sit holding a dumbbell in the palm of each hand. Relax your arms by your sides. Keeping your upper arms close to your body, curl the weights up to shoulder level. Keep your wrists straight and contract your biceps. Squeeze and hold the curl then control the weight back down to your sides.

Hammer curls

This move is the same as the bicep curl, except your palms are facing inward toward your body.

Tricep press

Stand or sit holding a dumbbell in the palm of each hand. Raise your arms straight up into the air. Slowly lower the dumbbells behind your head toward your shoulders. Keep your elbows close to your ears. Be careful not to hit your head with the weights.

Shoulder press

Stand or sit holding a dumbbell in the palm of each hand. Position the arms at shoulder level. Raise your arms straight up into the air, pressing firmly through the shoulders. Lower the arms back down to shoulder level.

Chest press

Lie down, holding a dumbbell in the palm of each hand. Press the dumbbells to meet together and squeeze the muscles of the chest. Hold then return the arms back to shoulder level.