You only need two dumbbells, 30 minutes and this five-move workout to grow your arms

Your t-shirt sleeves will feel fuller by the time you’ve finished

A man performing dumbbell bicep curls in the gym
(Image credit: Getty Images)

While many may be jumping on the hybrid training bandwagon to build strength and boost overall fitness, there’s no shame in focusing on aesthetics—specifically, building bigger arms. Let’s face it, even the most dedicated hybrid enthusiasts secretly aspire to have sculpted arms (even if they don't admit it). This 30-minute dumbbell workout has you covered, helping grow your guns from all angles.

The exercises don't just target the popular biceps, but the triceps too as, believe it or not, the majority of your arm is made up of the triceps—two-thirds in fact. So, if you've only been giving your biceps TLC and have wondered why you haven't see any results, this could be why. But having strong, muscular arms don't just look good, they'll help you with everyday tasks and athletic performance, whether that's improving your running form, or helping you hit a bigger bench press.

This workout, created by Oner Active Athlete Hayley Madigan, will leave your arms feeling (and looking) pumped. Instead of the usual "3 sets of 8-12 reps," Hayley uses varying rep ranges for each exercise, starting with high reps and then gradually decreasing, allowing you to increase your dumbbell weight. She’s also included a few dropsets—where you drop down to a lighter weight immediately after your final set and bust out as many reps as possible—to really fire up your muscles. Start with exercise 1, rest for 90 seconds between each set and then two minutes before moving on to the next exercise. Here's the workout:

  • Hammer Curls — 10, 8, 8
  • Overhead Tricep Extensions – 15,12, 8+ dropset
  • Reverse hammer curls — 8, 6, 6 (per arm)
  • Tricep kickbacks — 12, 10, 15
  • Bicep curls with hammer finish — 12, 10, 8+ dropset

Now, if you're ready to hit the rest of your upper body muscles (chest, shoulders, back) then check out this beginner-friendly, upper body dumbbell workout—don't worry, it still includes arms. Also, don't forget, you can't skip leg day! Here's a quick four-move workout that'll give your glutes, calves, quads and hammies some love.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.

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