15 Best Arm Workouts at Home for Stronger Arms

This article is reviewed by experts. 

15 Best Arm Workouts at Home for Stronger Arms

Building arm strength involves a combination of targeted exercises, proper form, consistency, and progressive overload. Any exercise routine to build muscle strength must include both compound exercises and isolation exercises. Here’s a list of some of the best exercises to include in any arm workout at home. While many can be performed with no equipment at all, some of the best arm workouts include exercises that require dumbbells or resistance bands. In addition to weight training, certain yoga asanas can also be used to build arm strength, improving flexibility and range of motion. 

Exercises For An Arm Workout at Home

Whether you’re looking for an arm workout for women or men, here are 15 exercises that you should include to build arm strength.

  1. Push-ups: Push-ups are a classic bodyweight exercise that work your chest, triceps, and shoulders (1). To do push-ups, place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders and keep your body in a straight line. Lower yourself until your chest touches the floor and then push yourself back up.
  2. Triceps Dips: Triceps dips are another bodyweight exercise that target your triceps, the muscles at the back of your arms. To do triceps dips, sit on the edge of a chair or a bench and place your hands next to your hips. Lift your hips off the chair and bend your elbows to lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Straighten your arms and return to the starting position. 
  3. Bicep Curls: Bicep curls are a simple dumbbell exercise that work your biceps, the muscles at the front of your arms (2). To do bicep curls, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing up. Curl the dumbbells up to your shoulders and then lower them back down. 
  4. Skull Crushers: Skull crushers are a dumbbell exercise that work your triceps and chest. To do skull crushers, lie on your back on a bench or the floor and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended over your chest. Bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells toward your forehead and then extend your arms back to the starting position. 
  5. Inverted Rows: Inverted rows are a bodyweight exercise that work your upper back, biceps, and forearms (3). To do inverted rows, you need a sturdy bar or a table that can support your weight. Lie on your back under the bar or table and grab it with both hands using an overhand grip. Pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar or table and then lower yourself back down. 
  6. Close-grip Push-Ups: Close-grip push-ups are an advanced variation of push-ups that work your chest, triceps, and shoulders more intensely than regular push-ups. To do close-grip push-ups, place your hands on the floor under your chest with your thumbs and index fingers touching to form a triangle shape. Lower yourself until your chest touches the floor and then push yourself back up. 
  7. Reverse Flyes: Reverse flyes are a dumbbell exercise that work your rear deltoids, upper back, and rotator cuff muscles. To do reverse flyes, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other (4). Bend forward at the hips and keep your back straight. Raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor and then lower them back down. 
  8. Hammer Curls: Hammer curls are a variation of bicep curls that also work your brachialis and brachioradialis, two muscles in your forearm. To do hammer curls, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Curl the dumbbells up to your shoulders and then lower them back down. 
Exercises For An Arm Workout at Home
  1. Overhead Triceps Extensions: Overhead triceps extensions are a dumbbell exercise that isolate your triceps. To do overhead triceps extensions, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell with both hands behind your head. Extend your arms and lift the dumbbell over your head and then lower it back down. 
  2. Band Pull-Aparts: Band pull-aparts are a resistance band exercise that work your upper back, rear deltoids, and rotator cuff muscles (5). To do band pull-aparts, hold a resistance band with both hands in front of you at chest level. Pull the band apart by moving your hands away from each other until the band touches your chest and then bring it back to the starting position. 
  3. Band Rows: Band rows are another resistance band exercise that work your upper back, biceps, and forearms. To do band rows, attach a resistance band to a sturdy object at waist level and grab the other end with both hands. Pull the band toward you by bending your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together and then return to the starting position. 
  4. Plank Up-Downs: Plank up-downs are a challenging bodyweight exercise that work your core, chest, triceps, and shoulders. To do plank up-downs, start in a plank position with your elbows on the floor and your body in a straight line. Push yourself up one arm at a time until you are in a push-up position and then lower yourself back down one arm at a time until you are in a plank position again. Alternate the leading arm with each rep.
  5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose): This pose is a balancing pose that works your obliques, deltoids, and wrists (6). To do this pose, start in a plank position and then shift your weight to your right hand and the outer edge of your right foot. Stack your left foot on top of your right foot and lift your left arm up to the sky. Keep your hips lifted and your body in a straight line.
  6. Bakasana (Crow Pose): This pose is an arm balance that works your wrists, forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and core. To do this pose, start in a squat position with your feet together and your knees wide apart. Place your hands on the floor in front of you with your fingers spread wide. Lean forward and lift your feet off the floor by bending your elbows and resting your knees on the backs of your upper arms. Balance on your hands and gaze slightly forward. 
  7. Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand): This pose is an inversion that works your entire arm, shoulder, and core muscles (7). To do this pose, you need a wall or a partner to support you. Start in a downward-facing dog position with your hands on the floor and your feet on the wall or near your partner. Walk your feet up the wall or have your partner hold them until your body is vertical and aligned over your hands. Press firmly into your hands and engage your core to keep yourself stable. 

Keep in mind that all of the body weight, dumbbell and resistance band exercises are best performed in sets of 3 with at least 10 to 15 reps each, while the yoga asanas should be held for at least a few breaths. 

Conclusion

Remember that balanced strength training involves working all major muscle groups, not just the arms. A well-rounded routine that includes exercises for the chest, back, shoulders, and core will contribute to overall functional strength. If you’re new to strength training, consider seeking guidance from a fitness professional to ensure you’re using proper form and techniques.

FAQs

Is there any natural supplement to support arm muscle growth when working out?

Ashwagandha and Shilajit are regarded as the most effective natural supplements to promote muscle growth and support arm workouts as is clear from evidence.

When is the best time for workouts?

The best time for workouts depends on your preference and schedule, but some research suggests that exercising in the morning or early afternoon yields optimal results.

Should I eat before or after my workout?

Eating a balanced meal with carbohydrates and protein about 1-2 hours before your workout can provide energy and support muscle recovery; post-workout, consuming protein-rich foods aids in muscle repair and growth.

Disclaimer: This article is written from a health and lifestyle perspective. It is for general information and not meant to substitute any medical advice. Please consult your doctor for appropriate medical consultation.

References:

  1. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/1991/02000/push_ups_as_a_measure_of_upper_body_strength.4.aspx
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6047503/
  3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269347890_The_Inverted_Row
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5873332/
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8975561/
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433114/
  7. https://www.irjet.net/archives/V8/i7/IRJET-V8I7465.pdf
Avatar

Swati Nigam

Swati is an RYT 200 trained Hatha Yoga teacher with 1500+ hours of teaching Asana and Pranayama practice across prominent studios and in personal sessions.

104 COMMENTS

  1. I was very pleased to search out this internet-site.I needed to thanks for your time for this glorious read!! I undoubtedly having fun with each little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.

  2. Attractive element of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to claim that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing on your augment or even I success you get admission to consistently fast.

  3. That is the correct blog for anyone who needs to find out about this topic. You notice a lot its almost onerous to argue with you (not that I actually would need…HaHa). You positively put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, simply nice!

  4. I will right away seize your rss feed as I can’t in finding your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me realize in order that I may subscribe. Thanks.

  5. I and also my buddies came checking out the nice secrets on your web site and then quickly developed a terrible suspicion I never thanked the website owner for those techniques. My young boys came for that reason joyful to see all of them and have unquestionably been enjoying them. I appreciate you for actually being very kind and for getting certain terrific guides millions of individuals are really eager to know about. My personal honest apologies for not expressing appreciation to earlier.

  6. Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What an ideal web site.

  7. Hey would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re using? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a reasonable price? Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!

  8. Every expert was once a beginner. Keep pushing forward, and one day, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come. Progress is always happening, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

  9. Man is said to seek happiness above all else, but what if true happiness comes only when we stop searching for it? It is like trying to catch the wind with our hands—the harder we try, the more it slips through our fingers. Perhaps happiness is not a destination but a state of allowing, of surrendering to the present and realizing that we already have everything we need.

  10. Man is said to seek happiness above all else, but what if true happiness comes only when we stop searching for it? It is like trying to catch the wind with our hands—the harder we try, the more it slips through our fingers. Perhaps happiness is not a destination but a state of allowing, of surrendering to the present and realizing that we already have everything we need.

  11. The cosmos is said to be an ordered place, ruled by laws and principles, yet within that order exists chaos, unpredictability, and the unexpected. Perhaps true balance is not about eliminating chaos but embracing it, learning to see the beauty in disorder, the harmony within the unpredictable. Maybe to truly understand the universe, we must stop trying to control it and simply become one with its rhythm.

  12. The essence of existence is like smoke, always shifting, always changing, yet somehow always present. It moves with the wind of thought, expanding and contracting, never quite settling but never truly disappearing. Perhaps to exist is simply to flow, to let oneself be carried by the great current of being without resistance.

  13. The essence of existence is like smoke, always shifting, always changing, yet somehow always present. It moves with the wind of thought, expanding and contracting, never quite settling but never truly disappearing. Perhaps to exist is simply to flow, to let oneself be carried by the great current of being without resistance.

  14. Friendship, some say, is a single soul residing in two bodies, but why limit it to two? What if friendship is more like a great, endless web, where each connection strengthens the whole? Maybe we are not separate beings at all, but parts of one vast consciousness, reaching out through the illusion of individuality to recognize itself in another.

  15. Man is said to seek happiness above all else, but what if true happiness comes only when we stop searching for it? It is like trying to catch the wind with our hands—the harder we try, the more it slips through our fingers. Perhaps happiness is not a destination but a state of allowing, of surrendering to the present and realizing that we already have everything we need.

  16. Time is often called the soul of motion, the great measure of change, but what if it is merely an illusion? What if we are not moving forward but simply circling the same points, like the smoke from a burning fire, curling back onto itself, repeating patterns we fail to recognize? Maybe the past and future are just two sides of the same moment, and all we ever have is now.

  17. All knowledge, it is said, comes from experience, but does that not mean that the more we experience, the wiser we become? If wisdom is the understanding of life, then should we not chase every experience we can, taste every flavor, walk every path, and embrace every feeling? Perhaps the greatest tragedy is to live cautiously, never fully opening oneself to the richness of being.

  18. The essence of existence is like smoke, always shifting, always changing, yet somehow always present. It moves with the wind of thought, expanding and contracting, never quite settling but never truly disappearing. Perhaps to exist is simply to flow, to let oneself be carried by the great current of being without resistance.

  19. If everything in this universe has a cause, then surely the cause of my hunger must be the divine order of things aligning to guide me toward the ultimate pleasure of a well-timed meal. Could it be that desire itself is a cosmic signal, a way for nature to communicate with us, pushing us toward the fulfillment of our potential? Perhaps the true philosopher is not the one who ignores his desires, but the one who understands their deeper meaning.

  20. Even the gods, if they exist, must laugh from time to time. Perhaps what we call tragedy is merely comedy from a higher perspective, a joke we are too caught up in to understand. Maybe the wisest among us are not the ones who take life the most seriously, but those who can laugh at its absurdity and find joy even in the darkest moments.

  21. All knowledge, it is said, comes from experience, but does that not mean that the more we experience, the wiser we become? If wisdom is the understanding of life, then should we not chase every experience we can, taste every flavor, walk every path, and embrace every feeling? Perhaps the greatest tragedy is to live cautiously, never fully opening oneself to the richness of being.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here