Quick Upper Body Dumbbell Work Out for Women

Hours of sweating and pumping iron aren't necessary for you to strengthen and tone your upper body. Working out with dumbbells is an effective way for women to prevent a decrease of muscle mass and bone density, while maintaining a toned, sculpted look. A quick upper body workout can become an essential part of reaching your fitness goals of staying slender, strong and toned.

  1. Strength Training Basics

    • Only 40 to 60 minutes of strength training on a weekly basis is necessary to strengthen you upper body muscles and get a toned, slender figure. You can break this weekly total into 10- to 20-minute segments for a quicker upper body workout. If you're really in a time crunch, 10-minutes every other day can help you improve muscle tone without a huge time commitment. If you want to tone all over, consider alternating between 10-minute upper and lower body routines. Then you can work out with dumbbells every day without worrying about over-training one area. Start out with a dumbbell weight that tires your upper body by the 12th repetition of each exercise. When the exercises get easier, increase your dumbbell weight by 5 to 10 percent.

    Arm & Shoulder Dumbbell Exercises

    • Tone your arms and shoulders to look slender and toned in arm-baring tops or dresses. There are a variety of dumbbell exercises you can do that are quick, simple and effective. Bicep curls and triceps extensions will help tone the fronts and backs of your upper arms. Add lateral side raises and shoulder extensions to get the kind of sculpted, toned shoulders that look fantastic in a halter or tank top.

    Back and Chest Dumbbell Exercises

    • Strength training dumbbell exercises for your back and chest won't get you big and buff like a body builder; don't worry about becoming bulky. Including these exercises in your quick dumbbell workouts will help increase muscle-tone for a firm, slender look. Use your dumbbells to do overhead presses, dumbbell flyes, chest presses and dumbbell rows. Since these exercises also engage the arm muscles, you reap the added benefits of squeezing in a few more arm-toning exercises.

    A Well-Rounded Workout

    • Strength training is important for women , but it's only one part of a well-rounded fitness routine. Even if you're short on time and must limit yourself to quick workouts, you should still squeeze in some cardio and flexibility exercises. Aim for two to three 10- to 15-minute stretching sessions per week, and include 150 to 300 minutes of cardio per week. You can chip away at these weekly goals in 10-minute increments that are spread out through the day.