30-Minute Full Body and Arm Workout Routine (Build, Day 6)
Build functional strength and upper body definition with this full body and arm workout routine. This arm-focused total body workout combines the best upper body exercises with full body movements to increase calorie-burn and improve functional fitness. I love the superset format of today’s workout – it’s one of the best ways to build muscle at home.
This is DAY SIX of our Build 30 Program.
LET’S GET STARTED
Download Your FREE Workout Plan Here
Download the PDF calendar for this workout plan so you can easily access your daily workouts.
Download Plan
Level up your basic arm workout routine with this full body fusion workout: combining the best upper body exercises with functional full body movements.
Day six of our 2-Week Build 30 Program is a full body workout that focuses on the upper body, with a dedicated arm exercise in each circuit to hit the biceps, triceps, back, shoulders and chest muscles.
Combining total body training and arm-specific exercises is a great compromise for anyone who wants to increase arm definition without sacrificing functional fitness or balanced strength gains.
We’ll superset each arm exercise with a full body exercise to reap the benefits of both types of training.
Isolated arm exercises are great for building muscle definition in the upper body, while compound full body exercises are better for burning calories and boosting our resting metabolic rate.
30-Minute Full Body Arm Workout Routine (Build, Day 6)
Build functional strength and upper body definition with this full body and arm day workout routine.
This full body workout has an emphasis on the upper body, combining compound full body movements with the best arm exercises at home.
I suggest doing this full body workout once a week as part of a well-rounded workout routine.
Workout Equipment:
A medium-to-heavy set of dumbbells. I suggest anywhere from 8-25 lbs. We’re using 10-20 lb dumbbells in this workout.
Workout Instructions:
Follow along with the guided Full Body and Arms Workout Routine on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
- Begin with Rep Challenge (complete 30 push presses)
- 6 Superset Circuits (1 arm exercise and 1 full body exercise per circuit)
- Timed Intervals (30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; complete as many repetitions as you can in the timed interval)
- Repeat Each Superset x2 Sets
- 3-Minute Ladder Burnout To Finish
Prefer to Watch On YouTube?
Arm Workout Routine
Workout Outline
30 Rep Challenge: Push Press
SUPERSET ONE:
- Back Row
- L-Stance Squat and Single Arm Back Row
SUPERSET TWO:
- Flip Grip Bicep Curls
- Reverse Lunge, Bicep Hammer Curl and Eccentric Lower
SUPERSET THREE:
- Alternating Tricep Kickbacks
- 1/2 Overhead Tricep Hold and Calf Raise
SUPERSET FOUR:
- Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Snatch and Shoulder Press
SUPERSET FIVE:
- Standing Chest Fly
- Push Up and Deadlift
SUPERSET SIX:
- Rotational Chest Press
- Single Arm Chest Press, Single Leg Glute Bridge and Overhead Pull
LADDER:
- Power: Press Jacks
- Isometric Hold: Overhead Triceps
5 Arm Workout Routine Exercises
Back Row
Targets: Latissimus dorsi (or lats; the largest back muscle known for its large, flat “V” shape).
How To Do Dumbbell Back Rows
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing in towards each other (narrow grip).
- Hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor (neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button and rib cage pulled in).
- Pull the weights back towards your hips, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
- With control, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
Flip Grip Bicep Curl
Targets: The bicep muscles (upper arms), the brachialis (mid-arm) and brachioradialis (forearm).
The flip grip curl combines a standard bicep curl with a hammer curl – hitting both heads of the bicep muscle from different angles.
How To Do Flip Grip Dumbbell Bicep Curls (Standard Curl to Hammer Curl)
- Start standing with feet hip-width apart and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supine curl).
- Keeping your elbows locked by your sides, squeeze your bicep muscle to curl the weights up to shoulder-height.
- At the top of the movement, rotate your hands so palms face in towards each other (hammer curl). With control, slowly lower the dumbbells down to your sides.
- At the bottom of your movement, flip your grip so palms face out again. Return to the starting position and repeat this movement.
Alternating Tricep Kickback
Targets: All three heads of the tricep muscle (lateral head, medial head, and long head).
The tricep kickback is one of best isolation exercises for targeting the triceps brachii muscle.
How To Do Alternating Tricep Kickbacks
- Start with feet hip-distance apart, slight bend in the knees and hinge forward. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards each other (narrow grip).
- Bend your elbows, finding a 90-degree angle in each elbow. Dumbbells are near your hips. Think “shoulders down and back”.
- Squeeze through the back of your left arm as you straighten your left elbow, extending the left arm back behind you. At the top of the movement, the elbow is fully extended.
- Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbell to your hip, returning to the starting position.
- Repeat, this time extending your right arm behind you, squeezing through the back of your right arm to straighten your right elbow.
- Inhale as you slowly lower the weight to your right hip, returning to the starting position.
- Continue this pattern, alternating arms with each rep.
Lateral Raise
Targets: The lateral deltoid (also engages the anterior deltoids and posterior deltoid).
How To Do Lateral Raises
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in each hand at hip level, palms facing in towards your body.
- Engage your core, then lift the dumbbells out to the sides in an arc shape, keeping soft bends in each elbow. Lift the dumbbells just to shoulder height.
- Slowly and with control, slowly lower the dumbbells to your hips, returning to the starting position.
Rotational Chest Press
Targets: The chest muscles (pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior and subclavius) and deltoids (shoulders)
How To Do Rotational Chest Presses
- Lay flat on your back (on the ground, on a bench, incline bench, or on a stability ball) with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold one dumbbell in each hand (palms facing knees), elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale as you push both dumbbells overhead at the same time, rotating your palms in towards each other as you press the weights up. At the top of the chest press, the dumbbells should be stacked directly over your shoulders, palms facing in (neutral grip).
- Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbells towards the ground, rotating your palms as you lower the weights so that your palms are facing away from your face at the bottom of the chest press.
Arm Workout Routine FAQs
What Is The Best Arm Day Workout?
The best arm workout routine includes a combination of compound upper body exercises (such as a bench press, dumbbell pullover, push ups and pull ups) and arm isolation exercises (or exercises that focus on a specific muscle group, such as chest exercises, tricep exercises, back exercises, bicep exercises and shoulder exercises) to address muscle imbalances or weaknesses.
How Often Should I Train Arms?
This varies depending on your personal fitness and training goals. It’s important to allow your body proper recovery time to repair the muscles you broke down during strength training. I recommend training arms once to twice a week as part of a well-rounded workout plan.
How Many Reps of An Exercise Should I Do On Arm Day?
Some trainers prefer high-rep, lower weight sets, while other trainers recommend lifting heavier weights for more limited rep ranges. I personally think both methods of training offer different benefits, and should be included in a well-rounded routine. You’ll know you chose the right weight if the last 2-3 reps in a set are challenging (The American Council on Exercise).
What Is The Best Arm Routine for Beginners?
A beginner arm workout should focus on compound exercises that hit multiple muscle groups at once. This is a time-efficient way to train, and can help prevent muscle imbalances or injuries from overtraining one specific muscle group.
Build 30: FREE 2-Week Strength Training Program
A 2-week strength training program designed to build muscle in 30 minutes a day.
If you liked this full body arm workout routine at home, download the FREE 2-Week Workout Plan.
Up Next:
See AllPin This Workout: Full Body and Arm Day Workout Routine
More Full Body Workouts At Home:
This post includes affiliate links. I do earn a commission for products purchased using these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Nourish Move Love, making the content you see on this blog possible.
no comments
More from Build 30 (Muscle Building Workout Plan)
