7 Best Dumbbell Exercises to Get Strong Arms like Gladys Portugues

What does it take to get strong arms like former female bodybuilder and actress Gladys Portugues? If you think it requires different types of body-building equipment, you are wrong. All you need to build strong arms are dumbbells and a few minutes every day to perform specific arm strengthening exercises.

Dumbbells are small, versatile and effective exercise tools that can possibly target all your arm muscles, including your deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of your upper arm) and biceps (front of your upper arm).

They not only help build muscles and strengthen your entire arm but also boost your shoulder flexibility and strength. So, if you wish to bulk up your arms just like Portugues', crank out these exercises at least three times a week.

You can either include them in your full-body or upper-body exercise sessions, or incorporate them into your arm workouts specifically.

Dumbbell exercises to achieve strong arms

These seven exercises will help you achieve strong arms like Gladys Portugues:

1) Triceps Kickback

Triceps Kickbacks help build upper body strength and improves the movement in your elbows and shoulders. Enhancing strength in your triceps helps develop stability in your arms and shoulders and also increases the range of motion.

How to do it?

• Hold weights in both hands. Keep your palms facing one other.
• Keeping your knees slightly bent and engaging your core muscles, hinge forward so that your torso gets parallel to the floor.
• Make sure to keep your upper arms close to your body and your head aligned with your spine.
• Straighten your elbows by engaging your triceps and holding your arms still.
• Move only your forearms during this exercise.
• Pause, and return the weight to the initial position.
• Repeat.

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2) Concentration Curls

Concentration Curls are one of the most effective workouts for strengthening and isolating your biceps.

How to do them?

• Sit comfortably on a chair or bench with your legs apart.
• Slightly lean forward, and pick up a dumbbell with your right hand. Keep your elbow inside your right thigh.
• Face your palm upward, and start to curl the weight towards your shoulder.
• Pause, and lower the weight to the starting position.
• Switch hands, and repeat.

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3) Overhead Extension

How to do it?

• Stand, or sit with your back straight.
• Hold a dumbbell with both hands, and lift it straight over your head.
• Bend your elbows to keep the weight behind your head.
• Lower it to the starting position, and repeat.

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4) Lateral Raise

A lateral raise not only works the arm muscles but also targets your shoulders and triceps.

How to do it?

• Sit, or stand with your arms on your sides. Hold dumbbells in each hand.
• With your elbows bent and palms facing towards your body, lift the weight to the sides so that your arms get parallel to the floor.
• Slowly lower the weight, and repeat.

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5) Military Press

Sometimes also referred to as a shoulder press, this exercise primarily targets the muscles in your arms, chest and shoulders.

How to do it?

• Sit with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weight above each shoulder at your chin height.
• Press both the weights up at the same time, and lift them above your head. Make sure to keep your elbows bent.
• Hold the position for a few seconds. Lower the weights back to their initial position.
• Repeat.

6) Prone Spider Curl

How to do it?

• Lie on your stomach on an incline bench.
• Hold dumbbells in each hand, and let them hang under your shoulders.
• Engaging your biceps, curl the weight towards your shoulders, and slowly return them to their initial position.
• Repeat.

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7) Arnold Press

How to do it?

• Stand tall with dumbbells in each hand. Hold the weights at a 90-degree angle in front of you.
• In a single motion, push the weights overhead while keeping your palms away from your body.
• Return to the starting position in a controlled way, and do not use momentum to swing back.
• Control the dumbbells properly.
• Repeat.

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Takeaway

Strength training is the key to achieving strong arms like Gladys Portugues'. To do so, do the above-mentioned arm exercises into your everyday workout routine to target each and every muscle in your arms.

If you're a beginner, start with the lowest weight, and focus on learning the proper form and technique. Also, make sure to do quick warm-up exercises before you start, and cool down your body at the end of each workout session.