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Avoid a long commute and expensive gym membership with this easy-to-follow dumbbell upper body workout for arms and chest.

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Intro: Dumbbell upper body workout for chest and arms

For this chest and arms upper dumbbell body workout, you need just one thing.

ONE.

And that’s simply a pair of dumbbells (You don’t even need a weight bench). 

Which meeeeans you can do this workout right at home.

Or if you prefer, take this workout to the gym with you, find your own little workout space, and get to work!

A quick note about dumbbells

I will say that to get the most out of this workout, it’s best to have dumbbells that vary in weight.

So you could either:

A.) Invest in a pair of adjustable dumbbells (This is what I’ve done and it’s the best fitness investment I’ve ever made), or…

B.) Buy pairs of dumbbells that are different in weight.

Why can’t you just use the same weight for all exercises?

It’s because of a thing called progressive overload.

I’ll put it to ya like this–

You’ll ride a unicorn before making progress without progressive overload.

It’s that important.

Progressive means lifting heavier and heavier weights over time. 

This is the stimulus your body needs to adapt and keep making progress.

Lifting the same weight for each exercise wouldn’t allow you to effectively apply progressive overload.

Take bench press vs bicep curls, for example.

You’ll be able to lift heavier weights benching (a compound movement that works multiple muscle groups) than you would curling (an isolation movement that works just one muscle group). 

Same thing with squats vs. an exercise like leg extensions. 

Squats are a compound movement while leg extension is an isolation movement that hits just your quads.  

The more muscles you use, the more weight you can lift.

Are we on the same page with that?

Let’s dive into the actual workout now.

Chest and arms dumbbell workout

Full workout:

• 1A.) Single-arm back row (with one second pause at top): 3 sets x 8-10 reps (each arm)
• 1B.) Push-ups: 3 sets x AMRAP (as many reps as possible). If you want to really challenge yourself, give some of the variations I’ll lay out below a try
• 2.) Kneeling Arnold shoulder press: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
• 3.) Zottman curl: 2 sets x 10-12 reps
• 4.) Skull crushers: 2 sets x 10-12 reps

Rest time: 2-3 minutes between sets but if you need more rest take it. 

Don’t think resting as little between sets as possible is a good thing. 

I know it might feel like you’re working hard when you’re sweating a bunch and breathing heavily but that’s not what’s important when it comes to strength training.

The important thing is lifting as much weight as you possibly can and taking your sets near failure (1-2 reps shy of it).  

If you don’t take adequate rest between sets, the amount of weight you lift goes down and so do your results. 

*** If you see a number followed by a letter (I.e. 1A and 1B) this is what’s called a “superset.” A superset means performing a set of each exercise before taking a rest. For example, in this workout, you would perform a set on each side of single-arm row and then jump right into a set of push-ups. You only rest after getting done with a set of each exercise. ***

1A.) Single-arm dumbbell row

The leg without the dumbbell in your hand should be forward (Place your hand without the weight on that leg as well). 

Lean forward (making sure not to round your back) and pull the weight up through your elbows.

I want you to think of your hands as just hooks.

This will help put the emphasis on your back muscles, which are what we want to target. 

Once you get to the top of the movement, squeeze for one Mississippi and then lower the weight back down nice and controlled. 

1B.) Push-ups

Here are some things to pay attention to when performing push-ups:

• Keeping your butt down and not stuck up in the air (I.e. spine should be neutral) 
• Brace your core. A cue for this is to A.) Pretend someone’s about to punch you in the gut and B.) Pretend you’re trying to squeeze a piece of paper between your butt cheeks.
• Place your hands about shoulder-width apart or just outside that. 
• Your wrists should be directly below your shoulders.

Here are some push-up variations you can do if you’re unable to do them from the ground right now:

And here are some variations more on the advanced side for you to try if you want a challenge:

2.) Kneeling Arnold press

Arnold press is a great bang-for-your-buck shoulder exercise. 

Most shoulder exercises where you press the weight up and over your head target your front shoulders.

However, the movement pattern of the weight with Arnold press allows you to hit all three parts of your shoulder–front shoulders as I already mentioned, and also your lateral and rear shoulder muscles.  

Bracing your core can prevent you from doing what a lot of people do when performing Arnold press–arch their back.

If you do see that your back is arched, go down a little in weight.

3.) Zottman curl

Rather than curl the weight up and down with your palms facing you the whole time, you’re going to curl the weight up with your palms facing you.

Then, at the top of the movement, twist the weight around so that your palms are facing away from you and slowly lower the weight down. 

Consider performing this exercise up against a wall to cut down on any swinging and use of momentum.

4.) Skull crushers

Lay flat on your back.

Lower the weight down nice and slow until you feel a stretch in your triceps at the bottom.

Then, press the weight up. 

12-week dumbbell workout program

You have a workout for your chest and arms but what about an entire program designed to help you build an all-around stronger and more powerful physique?

Similar to the workout in this article, all you literally need are some dumbbells to complete the program.

Download it below!