You only need 15 minutes to build stronger arms and boost your metabolism with this 7-move dumbbell workout

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Get fitter and stronger with this combo workout

Man doing hammer curls
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re short on time for your workout and want to both target a specific muscle group or part of the body while improving your overall fitness, then a combination session with both cardio and strength elements is a smart way to go.

This 15-minute dumbbell workout from fitness trainer Kat Boley is designed to get your heart pumping while you also work on your biceps with some isolation exercises. The combo approach makes it a bit different to many workouts and a fun way to vary your exercise routine while also enjoying the benefits of getting stronger arms and fitter overall.

You need weights for the workout, and since you’ll mainly be doing biceps curls and variations on the move a lighter set of dumbbells is probably the way to go. A set of the best adjustable dumbbells would be a useful option so you can quickly change the weight to exactly what you need. 

Watch Kat Boley’s 15-minute dumbbell workout

The workout is made up of seven exercises, four that target the biceps directly broken up by cardio moves to boost your fitness. The cardio moves also act as your rest breaks for the biceps exercises so your arms get a little bit of a rest, because there are a lot of curls on the agenda with this session.

You do 12 reps of each biceps moves, and then do each cardio move for 30 seconds, and aim to complete three circuits of the seven exercises in total. Try not to rest too much between moves — maintaining your momentum will keep your heart rate up to increase the cardiovascular benefits of the session.

Below are the moves you’ll be doing in the workout. Boley demonstrates each move in the workout on her Instagram post, so check them all out in advance to make sure you know what you’re doing without having to pause and check.

For the biceps exercises make sure you move with control and maximize the time under tension for your muscles by trying to engage the upper arms as much as possible. Squeeze at the top of the reps to really work the muscle, and lower the weights back down slowly rather than letting them drop.

Then for the cardio moves you want to push hard and fit as many reps into the 30 seconds as you can. If you can set a timer on your fitness tracker then that will be handy to avoid having to watch the clock yourself so you know how long you have left.

If you’d rather do a straight biceps session, this three-move dumbbell workout is also 15 minutes long and you spend your whole time focusing on the upper arms. If you’d rather focus on your fitness, then this 20-minute standing cardio workout keeps you moving the whole time.

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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.