Don’t you think one hour in the gym is necessary to make your arms and shoulders more powerful? I can show you a quick way to do this instead.
For instance, a few days ago, I have had the same problem and the only things that I was able to think were that I was in a hurry but that I still wanted to have a good upper-body session. Points of focus were to engage in exercises that would not be recurring and that would involve the use of a pair of dumbbells only so I went for the Caroline Girvan’s 15-minute no-repeat dumbbell arm and shoulder workout which fit the requirements completely. My mostly favorite, only thing needed for the completion of this quick session was a pair of dumbbells and some grit then I was good to go to every angle of my upper body.
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What was my experience, how did I manage to choose where one could reach a similar session and what to expect in such a case are among the questions I will be addressing shortly.
The Setup: No Repeats, No Time Wasted
This workout is perfect for the people who don’t have much time or need it to be very concentrated. There is no complexity here because there is no changing from circuit to circuit, there are also no rounds and no counting of repetitions. How will you do it then? In every exercise, there is the only way you can do, i.e. giving you all the effort only for 45 seconds and after that, you pause for 15 seconds. You’re done.
Any exercise will be just at the right place for a specific part of your upper body — followed by the cycle:
- Shoulders
- Biceps
- Triceps
I went for dumbbells weighing 15 lbs (Caroline used 8kg/17.6 lb), although, of course, the right difficulty doesn’t involve the weight only, it comes from our control and following the technique properly, as Caroline mentions.
Here’s the Exercise Line-Up (And What They Hit)
Less than a minute is occupied by each exercise, but when you combine them, they will make you feel the muscles burning very quickly. Here’s the detailed strategy of the cockroaches of exercises since here’s the filling in:
- Shoulder Press – Front and top delts super-blasted
- Hammer Curl – This exercise is primarily a bicep builder, but also, there is an extra boost to your forearm
- Tricep Press – Specifically, it keeps the definition on the upper part of the arms
- Lateral Raise – This movement is for the lateral head of the deltoid
- No Repetition – The psychological aspect of it was quite easy as I was aware that the exercise would be performed only once by me.
- Shoulder Pump – It has been a long time since I last experienced a pump so focused on the shoulders without using machines or cables.
- Triceps Focus – The sequence of pressing, skull crushers, and kickback significantly confirmed no arm day was present in this routine.
- Novice Tips on Technique – Caroline doesn’t forget to advise you on certain points such as keeping the elbows near the body and bending the knees slightly — this is crucial for beginners in weightlifting.
- Only 15 Minutes – It is possible to fit it into the schedule no matter how tight it is.
- Technique Is More Important Than Your Strength Of Arms: I had to change to lighter dumbbells for drag curls in which I had difficulties remaining in the correct form. If you are in the phase of getting familiar with exercising with weights, don’t hesitate, use lighter dumbbells and work on your form.
- Better Safe than Sorry: In case you would start right away with exercises using extra weight, I would like to recommend 3-5 minutes of arm circles, a bunch of light rows, and a little mobility work. It will make your joints happy and ready to be moved.
- Consider Up A Finisher: It was those days when I did not have a really tight schedule that I did another 3 sets of push-ups right after my regular training to get the last potential of my energy which was left unused.
Who Can Benefit from This
- People who are pressed for time and still want a complete upper-body workout that can be done in less than 20 minutes
- Individuals who work out at home and have a set of dumbbells but space is the factor
- People that decide to skip arm days……. (Still with us, buddy?)
- Everyone else who wants that quick feeling of validation — the pump you get after a workout is actually a thing
If your aim is to tone your arms, fix your posture, or even get stronger without the need of venturing into the gym for hours on end, then this workout is definitely one to keep in mind.
Wrap Up: I’m Gonna Keep this for My Daily Routine
The upper body dumbbell exercises showed me clearly the effectiveness of short sessions provided that they are well-organized. The no-duplicates strategy adds fun, and the gradual transition from shoulder to bicep and then to tricep kept me sweating but not weary…
It took me only 15 minutes to feel the effect of my upper body’s heating up. Of course, the following morning I felt the soreness as expected. But the most positive thing here was that I did not have to go out and exercise for an hour.
Should you want to see the definition in your arms, get your shoulders stronger, or simply find an upper body routine that is flexible enough to be included in the actual schedule of a real person, then this is the one for you.
