Best Arm Workouts for Women: Sculpt & Strengthen Arms Fast!

Building strong, toned arms is about more than aesthetics—it’s about boosting confidence, improving functional strength, and enhancing overall fitness.

Whether you’re looking to lose arm fat, feel great in sleeveless outfits, or easily handle daily tasks like lifting and carrying, the right arm workouts can make a transformative difference.

Arm exercises and workouts for women target key muscle groups, helping to define and strengthen the biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

From beginner-friendly routines you can do at home to advanced exercises for gym-goers, these workouts are versatile and effective.

Pairing these arm-focused exercises with a balanced diet and a full-body workout plan can accelerate fat loss and help you achieve your fitness goals faster.

Ready to discover the best arm exercises and workouts for women?

Keep reading to learn the best arm workouts for women and how to tone, sculpt, and strengthen your arms effectively!

Necessary Equipment for a Good Arm Workout

Doing a well-rounded arm workout for women requires a few pieces of equipment, although you could do a bodyweight-only arm workout.

If you choose to attend a local gym or fitness facility, you likely have access to all the equipment you need for a great arm workout.

However, you can also do an arm workout in your home gym. If you want to do your arm exercises at home, a few pieces of equipment you need are:

• Dumbbells, a Barbell, or Kettlebells
• Weight Bench
• Pull-up Bar
• Fat Gripz

If you don’t have dumbbells or other fitness equipment at home, you can buy used exercise equipment online through eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace.

There are a variety of home exercise machines you can use for your arm workouts, but it is more affordable to stick with the pieces of equipment listed above.

The Best Arm Exercises for Women

If you want toned and sculpted arms, you should develop a full body routine and workout program that will improve your entire physique.

However, arm exercises certainly need to be a part of that routine, and doing arm exercises at home is a great way for women to work on this specific body part.

Here are the best arm exercises for women that can help you lose arm fat and develop toned arms:

Push-Ups

In my opinion, the best arm exercise for women is the push-up.

Push-ups are a classic exercise often passed over because most people believe it is too simple.

However, they couldn’t be any more wrong!

Even for professional athletes such as myself, push-ups are one of the best exercises for toning your arms and whole body.

• To begin, place yourself parallel to the floor in a plank position.
• Then, you lower your body towards the ground while bending your elbows. Ideally, your chest will touch the ground.
• Lastly, push back up and bring your whole body back to the starting position.

In the beginning, many people need to rest on their knees on the ground for an assisted push-up.

There are other ways to do push-ups too.

• One way is a diamond push-up, when you place your hands together and keep your elbows close to your body, which provides additional resistance to your triceps.
• You can try a feet-elevated push-up by putting your feet on a chair or bench to add even more resistance.
• The down dog push-up is another advanced push-up variation for losing arm fat and getting toned arms.

I also love involving mountain climbers or T-Rotations to my pushups as an advanced variation that will help you sculpt better arms.

I believe push-ups are the best arm exercise for women to lose warm fat fast because they stimulate a lot of muscles at one time (which means increased calorie burning and muscle gains), and they put a particularly strong emphasis on the triceps.

So, mastering the push-up exercise is a great way for women to lose arm fat fast!

Curl and Press

The bicep curl and press is a great arm exercise for women that builds your biceps and shoulder muscles simultaneously.

In this exercise, you curl light to moderately heavy dumbbells with your biceps and then press the dumbbells overhead.

This curl and press exercise will work your shoulders, triceps, trapezius muscles, biceps, forearms, and grip strength.

Here are a few steps for performing the curl and press:

• Stand firmly and hold a dumbbell in both hands, facing forward.
• Bend your elbows to curl the dumbbell in a controlled motion.
• Continue the motion, and then press your arms above your head.

Avoid arching your back when you press your arms overhead to maintain safety.

The curl and press is a great way to stimulate all of your arm muscles with one exercise, and it is an integral part of any good arm workout for women.

Squat and Press

The squat and press is a great arm exercise for women trying to lose arm fat fast because doing an overhead press and a squat in the same movement will prompt your body to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.

Squats are great to pair with any arm workout because they promote the release of human growth hormone and testosterone.

When you do squats with other arm exercises for fat loss, you will burn more calories, build more muscle, and lose arm fat faster.

Here is a video demonstration of the squat and press:

The squat and press exercise targets the leg muscles, shoulders, and triceps, and it is a great exercise for losing arm fat fast.

Dips

Dips are a perfect bodyweight exercise for toning the arm muscles. You can use a chair, a bench, or a dip station for different types of dips.

Many people start with bench dips and progress towards parallel bar dips.

To perform tricep bench dips:

• Roll your shoulders back, and open your chest
• Extend your legs, and straighten your knees
• Bend your elbows, lower your hips, and then lift your body.
• Avoid moving your hips up and down, and focus on lowering your body through the elbows.

Dips are a great exercise for losing arm fat, and they are also one of the best exercises for your chest muscles.

Planks

The basic front plank is a perfect core exercise, which can also help to tone your arms and entire posterior chain.

There are two main front plank variations, the high plank, and the forearm plank.

In the high plank, you get to the ground and straighten your back and buttocks as you hold your body with your arms and your shoulders over your elbows.

Here is a visual:

The forearm plank is similar, but you hold your weight on your forearms instead of your hands.

To perform the forearm plank:

• Come down on the ground on your forearms
• Lift your knees, and make sure your body is straight from head to tailbone.
• Maintain this form until you can’t hold it any longer.

Try working up to being able to hold a 2-minute plank, and I am confident you will notice the difference in the appearance of your body!

Side Plank

The basic side plank is a great exercise for strengthening your core, shoulders, and arms.

Also, the side plank is one of the best shoulder exercises at home.

To perform the side plank:

• Come down on the ground sideways, on one arm.
• Keeping abs tight, lift your hips up.
• Make sure your body is straight, and hold in this pose until you cannot anymore

If the traditional side plank is too easy, give the side plank hip dip a try for a better challenge:

Pull-ups, Chin-ups, and Inverted Rows

If you want to build gorgeous biceps and an incredible back, work on pull-ups, chin-ups, or inverted rows!

You can choose to do inverted rows, pull-ups, or chin-ups in your arm workout to lose arm fat, and they are all awesome for defining your arms.

You’ll need a pull-up bar if you want to do pull-ups or chin-ups at home.

There are a lot of different pull-up bars you can choose from, but if you want a very reliable one, I suggest you purchase this one:

Inverted rows are generally a bit easier than pull-ups or chin-ups, as they are a horizontal pull instead of a vertical pull.

Here is an example of how to do an advanced version of inverted rows:

You don’t have to try something this difficult, though. You can do inverted rows with your feet on the ground when you begin.

Dumbbell Floor Press

The dumbbell floor press is a simple yet effective exercise that targets the triceps, shoulders, and chest. It’s beginner-friendly and safer for the shoulders than traditional bench pressing.

How to Perform:

1. Lie flat on your back, knees bent, holding dumbbells with elbows at a 90-degree angle on the floor.
2. Press the dumbbells upward, stopping just before locking your elbows.
3. Lower them slowly until your elbows touch the floor.

Benefits:

• Tricep Toning: Focuses on the back of the arms for better definition.
• Shoulder-Friendly: Reduces strain with a controlled range of motion.
• Home-Friendly: Requires only dumbbells, no bench needed.

Add the dumbbell floor press to your routine for stronger, more sculpted arms.

The Best Arm Workout for Women

Losing arm fat and sculpting toned arms requires a balanced workout plan that combines strength training and bodyweight exercises.

By structuring your workout into circuits or progressive sets, you’ll keep your heart rate elevated and maximize calorie burn while building muscle.

Below is a specific workout plan to follow, along with tips for creating your own custom arm workout.

Specific Arm Workout for Women

Perform the following exercises in a circuit format, resting for 30–60 seconds between exercises. Repeat the entire circuit 3–4 times for a complete 30-minute workout.

1. Push-Ups
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
   • Tips: Modify by doing knee push-ups if needed. Focus on full range of motion for better muscle activation.
2. Curl and Press
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 8–12 reps
   • Tips: Combine a bicep curl with an overhead shoulder press for a compound movement that targets multiple muscles.
3. Triceps Extensions
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 8–12 reps
   • Tips: Use a dumbbell or resistance band, and keep your elbows close to your head during the movement.
4. Dips
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of AMRAP
   • Tips: Perform on a sturdy chair or bench. Keep your back close to the bench to isolate the triceps.
5. Forearm Planks
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 30 seconds (gradually increase to 2 minutes)
   • Tips: Engage your core and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
6. Side Planks
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of 30 seconds per side (increase duration over time)
   • Tips: Start on your forearm and stack your feet or modify by placing one knee on the floor.
7. Inverted Rows, Pull-Ups, or Chin-Ups
   • Sets/Reps: 4 sets of AMRAP
   • Tips: Use a sturdy bar or TRX straps for inverted rows. If pull-ups are too difficult, use a resistance band for assistance.

How to Build Your Own Arm Workout

Creating a custom arm workout allows you to tailor exercises to your fitness level and goals. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Choose 5–7 Exercises

Select a mix of bodyweight and weighted exercises that target the biceps, triceps, shoulders, and forearms. Examples include:

• Bicep Curls
• Triceps Dips
• Lateral Raises
• Plank to Shoulder Tap

Decide on Sets and Reps

• Strength Focus: Use heavier weights with 6–10 reps per set.
• Toning and Endurance: Use lighter weights or bodyweight for 12–15 reps per set or AMRAP.
• Incorporate Time-Based Movements:
  Add planks or other static holds, increasing the duration over time to build stability and core strength.

Organize into Circuits or Super-Sets

• Circuit Training: Perform each exercise back-to-back with minimal rest.
• Super-Sets: Pair two complementary exercises, such as bicep curls and tricep dips, for a more efficient workout.

Progress Weekly

Use an app or a workout log book to track your reps, weight, and time, aiming to increase either the load or duration every 1–2 weeks.

This ensures continued muscle growth and fat loss.

Read Next: How to Get a Bikini Body