Forget pull-ups — use this 7-minute dumbbell workout to strengthen your arms and shoulders

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Pump up your arms with this quick workout

Woman performing a bicep curl using a dumbbell in her right hand
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Armed with the right set of exercises, you can achieve a lot in just seven minutes of training, especially when you’re using isolation moves like biceps curls and triceps extensions to directly target the muscles in your arms.

This seven-minute workout from YouTube fitness channel TheNX, which is run by fitness trainer Chris Heria, targets the triceps, biceps and forearms in turn, and also works the shoulders, all in just seven moves.

Watch Chris Heria’s 7-minute arms workout

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The workout is a simple one to follow, with seven exercises done for 45 seconds, with a 15-second break in between. The first three moves work the triceps, the next two hit the biceps, and the final two target the forearms, with your shoulders also engaged by several of the exercises.

Heria performs the workout in the YouTube video and gives some useful tips throughout. If you prefer to use an app you can get TheNX app on the App Store and Google Play, and follow the workout there. 

By using long sets of exercises that directly target the arms and shoulders, you maximize the time under tension for those muscles and you’ll certainly feel the burn during the workout, and the benefits in the days after. 

Aim to move slowly and with control throughout the sets and focus on engaging the right muscles for each move, rather than swinging your arms and using momentum to help lift the weights, which will diminish the muscle-building benefits for the biceps and triceps.

Heria suggests that you could do three or four rounds of the exercises for a more challenging arms session if you have the time, or aim to do the seven-minute circuit several times a week if it’s hard to block out 30 minutes for a workout on one day.

Using weights like dumbbells is a good way to get an effective arms workout done in less time, but you can also strengthen your arms and shoulders using bodyweight exercises. This 4-move workout is great for targeting your triceps, and this 5-move bodyweight session strengthens the whole upper body. 

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Nick Harris-Fry
Nick Harris-Fry
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.


Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 and became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 25min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.


Nick is an established expert in the fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.