ActiveWorkoutsForget push-ups – Try this 6-move dumbbell workout to build muscle in your upper body insteadImprove upper body definition with only two dumbbells and six exercisesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

ActiveWorkoutsForget push-ups – Try this 6-move dumbbell workout to build muscle in your upper body insteadImprove upper body definition with only two dumbbells and six exercisesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Improve upper body definition with only two dumbbells and six exercises

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

African-american fitness woman doing biceps workouts with dumbbells in gym

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The humble push-up is an amazing bodyweight workout that helps build big arms and even bigger pecs (chest muscles). However, they are hard to master and require your core to be super strong. Not to mention, once you get used to them, it’s hard to scale up the movement without doing tons of it. If you’re pressed for time but want to see some upper body gains, try this 6-move home workout that uses only two dumbbells.

Resistance training such as this workout can help you build more than just muscle.Researchshows that people who underwent an 8-week muscle-strength-training program saw a “significant decrease in pain and stiffness and a significant increase in mobility.” The experimental group also “significantly increased in all strength measures” compared to the control group. So yes, working with weights not only doesn’t damage your joints, but it actually improves joint strength and mobility.

This workout follows a somewhat traditional set/rep setup (all noted below). Feel free to reduce reps or even omit sets altogether if you find it hard to follow the workout. We would also recommend using lighter dumbbells for those not used to home workouts to avoid injury. For the best options, check out T3’sbest dumbbellsandbest adjustable dumbbellguides.

Keep at least 60-90 seconds breaks between sets. Complete all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next one. Drink plenty of water during the workout to ensure your muscles are well-hydrated. Check out ourbest gym water bottleroundup if you haven’t got one already. The exercises in this workout are as follows:

For more upper-body workout action, have a look at thisdumbbell upper-body workout that builds muscle in your arms, pecs, back and coreor this10-move upper-body bodyweight workout; it’s only five minutes! If you prefer resistance bands, this15-minute arm and core exercise sessionis all you need to tone the top half of your body.

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