Get Toned & Defined Arms before summer with our killer 7-Day Summer Arms Challenge.
Summer or not, there’s no better time than the present to get beautifully toned and defined arms. This arms challenge is designed to last for 7 days, but there’s no need to stop there! You can easily incorporate these workouts into your normal routine once the challenge has ended. After the 7-day arms challenge, you can choose two workouts to do each week. Any of these routines can be done at home or in the gym.
Tips to Enhance Your Results
Your diet plays a key role in fat loss and how your body looks. Here are some tips to accompany your workout:
1. Drink water. It’s a good idea to have water around. Drink several or more glasses throughout the day, about 2.5 liters total. How do you know if you’re hydrated? If your urine color is clear or nearly clear, you are likely drinking enough water.
2. Give up soda, including diet soda!
3. Avoid junk food and fast food.
4. Eat more fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and lean protein. Avoid processed foods packed with sodium and refined sugar.
5. Eat smaller portions, about the size of your fist. We should eat 5-6 small meals each day and never have hunger pangs.
6. Read labels and look at the ingredient list. If the product contains refined sugar, enriched white flour, or high sodium, these are foods best left on the shelf.
7 Day Summer Arms Challenge
Equipment needed: 2 to 4 sets of dumbbells of varying weights, a yoga mat, a kitchen chair or flat bench, an exercise ball (optional), and an interval timer (your phone timer will work great!)
What to do: Watch the instructional videos below, prior to beginning your daily workout. Complete the designate workout for each day!
Monday
Perform 3 circuits of the following arms routine:
Tricep Push-ups – 12 reps
Rest 20 seconds.
Bicep curls – 12 reps
Rest 20 seconds.
Tricep Kickbacks – 12 reps each arm. Complete 12 reps total for each arm. It’s okay to either perform one type or combine the three types of kickbacks in the video. Only 12 reps total per side.
Rest 1 minute.
Tuesday
Tricep Dips – 20 reps
Rest 1 minute before beginning the 4 Minute Fat Blaster.
4-Minute Fat Blaster (see video below). Also known by its official name, Tabata Intervals. You will perform the circuit 2 times which totals 4 minutes. This routine is designed to continue burning fat for up to 24 hours.
Tabata Formula:
Complete routine 2 times. Follow the video.
20 seconds of exercise + 10 seconds rest = 30 seconds
30 x 8 (exercises) = 240 seconds / 60 seconds = 4 minutes
Wednesday
Rest/Recovery Day
Thursday
Complete the following arms circuit 4 times:
Tricep Extensions – 12 reps
Rest 15 seconds.
Bicep Concentration Curls – 10 reps each arm
Rest 15 seconds.
Tricep Dips – 20 reps
Rest – 15 seconds.
Bicep Hammer Curls – 12 reps
Rest 1 minute.
Friday
Complete the following arms circuit 3 times:
Tricep Pushup – 12 reps
Bicep Curls – 15 reps
Lying Tricep Extensions – 15 reps
Rest 1 minute.
Saturday
4 Minute Fat Blaster (see video below)
Rest 5 minutes.
Complete the following circuit 2 times:
Bicep Curls – 20 reps
Rest 20 seconds.
Tricep Kickbacks – 20 reps each arm.
Rest 20 seconds.
Sunday
Complete the following circuit 4 times.
Tricep Dips – Failure (as many as you can do)
Rest 20 seconds.
Bicep Hammer Curls – 15 reps
Rest 1 minute.
Instructional Videos
Monday; Friday – Tricep Push-ups
Monday; Friday; Saturday – Bicep Curls
Monday; Saturday – Tricep Kickbacks
Tuesday; Thursday; Sunday – Tricep Dips
Tuesday; Saturday – 4 Minute Fat Blaster
Thursday – Tricep Extensions
Friday – Lying Tricep Extensions
Thursday; Sunday – Hammer Curls
Thursday – Concentration Curls
Keep in mind that consistency is key! Put in the work and it will pay off. Rome wasn’t built in a day; Your arms won’t be either. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, ladies! Heavier weights will lead to more toned muscle!
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What did you think about this Arms Challenge? We’re sure some of these routines will turn into your favorite arm day workout! Want more fitness challenges? Let us know! We love hearing from our readers.
Editor’s Note: Originally published May 18, 2014
Is this workout for men too?
Mick, Yes, this workout is definitely good for men too:).
Will I see results in one week? What kind of results? Any inch loss? Any "slimmer arms"
You will definitely "feel" results in one week as you become stronger, and it's possible to lose inches in just a short amount of time, but this challenge is about jump-starting a fitness routine and building strength so that you can continue to achieve results that you can maintain over time.
If I do this for 14 days and dont eat junk will i lose some arm fat 🙂
If you adopt a clean diet with appropriate portions and exercise regularly, you will begin to lose inches in as little as 14 days. This challenge will increase your arm strength and tone the muscles in your arms, but you may not notice any changes in the outward appearance of your arms if you have a layer of fat covering those muscles. The best way to lose fat is to adopt a clean eating diet and exercise regularly over time. This will not only make you stronger everywhere, but will also help to eliminate fat on all parts of your body.
Hi! I love your workouts and etc skinny ms!
My eating plan is simple
Breakfast- all natural oatmeal
Lunch- hard boiled eggs (2) and salad
Dinner Fish/Protein and brown rice or bread 🙂
I weigh 120 pounds
Do you think if I did this for 3 weeks my arms will look slimmer?
I will be doing the workouts 2 times a day 🙂
You may notice small changes in the appearance of your arms in just 3 weeks time, but the bigger changes will be happening on the inside. You will feel stronger, and the extra muscle you have built will be working to burn calories, boost metabolism, and help keep the rest of your body looking healthy, too.
Hello I have two questions
First can we do other body challenges while doing this challenge?
Second, do we have to take rest days or can we do this challenge every day for a month?
You can definitely incorporate other challenges into your routine that focus on different body parts. Rest is an important component, as it allows muscles time to repair themselves so that they can get stronger and more efficient. If you feel fatigue in a certain muscle group, we recommend taking a day or two off and focusing on another muscle group.
hi there well the thing is i do a lot of cardio regularly specially throughout the summer and overall im my ideal size im quite thin but no matter what i do my arms are super fat and make me look fatter. do these target exercises work if done independently without cardio or anything?
Yes you can do these separately from the cardio. We also have tons of arm workouts on the site. https://skinnyms.com/category/fitness/workouts/arm-workouts/
Is there something like this for the back? I like how each muscle group is defined with specific exercises for each group. I need this for my back… bad!
Celeste, We have tons of back specific workouts. https://skinnyms.com/?s=back
Tuesday’s workout, you only do the dips and 4 min workout once?
Annette, That’s correct. 🙂
I can’t open any of the videos? Please advise.thank you
Beth, They are all working, please try again. 🙂
Just completed day 1!(:
Way to go, Shelby! Keep it up!
4 minute fat blaster only 1 time per week? Not daily???
Beth, Feel free to complete the tabata as many times as you like, in addition to the other exercises.
Hi
How do i go about this without getting any muscle defintion. I have bulging biceps with fat all over my upper arms and skinny forearms. I only want to make my upper arms slimmer, no bulging muscles.
Would greatly appreciate the help.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Wish!
So muscle definition is a combination of building muscle and shedding excess fat above that muscle in order to get defined arms. Unfortunately, we can’t choose where we shed body fat as we all carry it differently. This Summer Arms challenge is excellent for firming the muscles that you have while building some basic strength, but you don’t have to worry about it making you bulky. It takes a long time working with heavy weights to “bulk up”.
We think if you give this challenge a try, you’ll be very happy with the way your arms look and feel! 🙂 You can also try the Fat-Blasting Upper Body HIIT workout. It combines light arm exercises with high-intensity moves to tone your muscle while shedding excess fat!
Thanks SO much for the help, speedy reply and valuable information !!
I am SO excited about this !
You’re very welcome! 🙂 We’re excited for you!
I have bulky arms now but im thankful that i found this nice article on how to get slim and firm arms in a short period of time, the good thing is im starting now because i want to have a slim and firm arms on december 9 (our Christmas party).
We’re glad we could help, Grace! December 9 is almost a month away, which gives you plenty of time to work towards your goal! Remember to be consistent with your workouts and follow the healthy-eating tips included in the post! Good luck! 🙂
I’m curious on how to do a few of the moves in this workout routine but your videos aren’t working at the moment. Thank you
Jolene
Jolene, Please check again as all the videos are definitely working. 🙂