Quick and Effective Arm Workout

I hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Long holiday weekends can be full of fun with friends and family and leave little time for your regular workout.  Hopefully, you are doing active things like playing games at a cookout or swimming at the newly opened pool.  If not, or even if you are, here is an arm workout you can do at home to get some strength training in.  It's done as a circuit so you will do 10 - 12 repetitions of each exercise and then repeat the circuit 2-3 times based on the time you have available and your fitness level.   If you are new to strength training, do 8 repetitions of each move and do the circuit 2 times through.  If you don't have dumbbells at home you could use soup cans or bottles of water for the exercises.  For each move, hold the contracted position for a second before returning to the starting position.

Bicep Curl: Stand up with a dumbbell on each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso. Rotate the palms of the hands until they are facing forward. While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. 

Tricep Kickback:  Knees slightly bent, bend forward at waist with a flat back, parallel to the floor.
Place left hand on left lower thigh, right elbow should be up at side.  Wrist and forearm should be in front of right shoulder.  Slowly kick forearm back.  Stop just before locking out the elbows.  Pause and lightly squeeze the tricep area.  Bring forearm back to starting position, in front of your shoulder.
Using the same arm repeat the exercise.  Repeat same procedure with other arm.

Shoulder Press:  While holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise the dumbbells to shoulder height one at a time.  Make sure to rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward. This is your starting position.  Now, exhale and push the dumbbells upward until they touch at the top. Then, after a brief pause at the top contracted position, slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
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Front Raise:  Hold a dumbbell in each hand parallel to the front of your thighs.  Raise your arms to shoulder height and then lower down slowly.  Keep shoulders relaxed.  

Side Raise:  Hold a dumbbell in each hand parallel to the side of your thighs.  Raise your arms out to the side to shoulder height and then lower down slowly.  Keep shoulders relaxed.

Rear Delt Fly:  Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with a dumbbell in each hand.   Bend forward from the waist and let the weights hang down from your shoulders with your palms facing in.  Raise your arms out to your sides (keeping your hands wide) until they reach shoulder height.  Slowly return to starting position.