Following on from an Athlean-X video where he showed how you can get a full-body workout using just a pair of dumbbells, Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. is getting more specific, demonstrating a series of dumbbell exercises that will work all of the muscles in the arms.
Each move is to be performed for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. You don’t need access to a whole rack of weights, as long as the dumbbells youdo have are heavy enough for you to reach failure. If the dumbbells you have are too heavy, Cavaliere recommends focusing for now on mastering a single-dumbbell version of each move. And if you want to increase the metabolic overload in your arm workout, consider dropping rest time between sets down to just 45 seconds.
First up is the dumbbell drag curl, which engages the long head of the bicep. “You can actually activate it by trying to place the biceps on a stretch by placing you arms back into extension,” he says. A good single-dumbbell variation here is the waiter’s curl.
To work the inner head of the bicep, Cavaliere recommends the standing alternating dumbbell curl. “I like the alternating version because I can focus more of my effort on the weight that I’m handling,” he says. “Not being compromised by a weak core, I can lift more weight here and get more stress to make me fail in that 8 to 10 rep range.” Alternately, you can use just one dumbbell in the kneeling preacher curl.
Moving onto the brachialis, Cavaliere demonstrates the cross-body hammer curl. “If we can pronate the forearm, then we can minimize the contribution of the biceps to elbow flexion,” he explains. The one-dumbbell option here is the shovel curl.
Next are lying floor extensions, which stretch out the long head of the triceps. Cavaliere advises to never let the dumbbell extend fully over your chest: keep the arms angled slightly back at all times to ensure that tension stays on the long head. This can be performed in a two-handed, single-dumbbell variation if needed.
This is followed by the overhead extension. The real benefit here is the optimal shoulder positioning, says Cavaliere: “By making sure our elbows are facing forward rather than out directly to the sides, we can minimize internal rotation of the shoulder at the top and maximize external rotation.”
Finally, Cavaliere recommends the tricep kickback as a way of ensuring the long head of the tricep reaches peak contraction. A single-dumbbell cheat version of this move, utilizing momentum, can achieve the same shortening of the muscle.
“When it comes to building stronger arms, your muscles speak only one language, and that’s tension,” he says.
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