The Best 5 Minute Workout for Stronger Arms

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The Fourth of July is this coming Tuesday, and if you’re in charge of the cooking or grilling, your arm strength is about to be put to the test! Plus, summer is the season of bare arms—short sleeves, tank tops, you know the deal. If you want to feel strong and toned this summer, but you don’t have a ton of time on your hands, I’ve got the ideal routine for you! This five minute arm workout is efficient, effective, and it targets the major muscles in the arm. 

This five minute arm workout consists of several “supersets”—which is when you perform two exercises one after the other, and then take an optional short rest or jump into another set. Supersetting is a strategy I use when I’m programming workouts for my clients. In this workout, we’ll be focusing on our biceps and triceps. 

Let’s get into it!

The Workout

What You’ll Need:

  • A pair of light dumbbells! Since you’ll be working the same muscle with little to no rest between exercises, you might want to opt out for a lighter weight than what you would normally use. While the weight will vary depending on your experience and fitness level,  five to eight pounds can be a good starting range. 

Exercises

Superset 1: 

Seated Hammer Biceps Curl

  • Sit on the edge of a flat gym bench with your arms at your side with a dumbbell in each hand, the weights resting next to the outer thigh.

  • Your palms are facing the thighs, the thumbs are facing forward, and your shoulders are relaxed.

  • Bend at the elbow, lifting the lower arms to pull the weights toward the shoulders.

  • Your upper arms are stationary and the wrists are in line with the forearms.

  • Hold for one second at the top of the movement.

  • Your thumbs will be close to the shoulders and palms facing in, toward the midline of the body.

  • Lower the weights to return to the starting position.

Tricep Skull-Crusher

  • Lie face up on a flat gym bench or floor.Your entire body should be on the bench or floor, except your lower legs. Your knees are bent, and your feet are flat on the floor.

  • Arms extend above the chest, elbows shoulder-width apart (not locked), and both hands hold one end of a dumbbell.

  • Flex your elbows and lower the weight toward the top of your head.

  • Your upper arms should remain relatively perpendicular to your body. This keeps the tension on the triceps versus shifting it to the shoulders.

  • Continue lowering the weight behind the head. The bottom of the dumbbell head should be about in line with the bench's top, or even a little higher if this feels unwieldy.

  • Reverse the movement until the weight is above the chest in the original starting position.

  • Keep from locking the elbow to maintain tension in your triceps muscle.

  • Repeat.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds before moving on to the next. Try not to rest between moves. Repeat for two total rounds. Rest 1 minute after both rounds are done.

Superset 2

Biceps Curl

  • Select dumbbells of weight you can lift 10 times with good form, ensuring the last three are very challenging to the point you feel you could not lift another rep.

  • Begin standing tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged.

  • Hold one dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms relax down at the sides of your body with palms facing forward.

  • Keep your upper arms stable and shoulders relaxed, bend at the elbow and lift the weights so that the dumbbells approach your shoulders. Or for a full range of motion, raise the dumbbells to your eyes or forehead level.

  • Your elbows should stay tucked in close to your body.

  • Exhale while lifting. Lower the weights to the starting position.

Triceps kickback

  • Form is very important to avoid injury and maximize your results. Start with feet hip-distance apart and dumbbells on the sides of the body, palms facing in towards the body.

  • Engage abdominals, feet shoulder width apart and hinge forward at the hips, bringing the upper body almost parallel to the floor. In the hinged forward position and palms facing in towards the body, lift the elbows up to your rib cage in a row position, engaging the upper back muscles.

  • On the exhale, engage the triceps by straightening the arms from the elbows and pressing the dumbbells back.

  • Squeeze the tricep as you hold the extension for a second or two, and then release back to the starting position. (During this exercise you are not swinging from the shoulder. The shoulder joint remains stabilized and you bend and straighten from the elbow.)

  • Repeat tricep kickback for 30 seconds.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds before moving on to the next. Try not to rest between moves. Repeat for two total rounds. Rest 1 minute after both rounds are done.

And voila, that’s it! Even though this workout is short, I can guarantee your muscles will be feeling it after. That’s why, on days when you barely have time to breathe, let alone exercise, this routine is the perfect quick fix. Try it for yourself, send it to a friend, and have the most wonderful Fourth of July holiday!

P.S. If sleek, sculpted arms are the accessory you want most, head on over to my Pure Joy Squad Patreon, where you will find the five lifestyle changes that you need to do to achieve sleek and sculpted arms. 

Xo, 

Renata