You only need two dumbbells and six moves to build upper-body strength at home

Woman standing outside holding dumbbells by her shoulders. She wears blue leggings and a white tank top. She is outside with grass and a body of water behind her.

It can be hard to find the time to get to the gym, but if you have a set of dumbbells at home it's far easier to slip in a strength session. And if you use this workout from certified personal trainer Ariel Belgrave you can train your arms, shoulders and back with just six effective moves.

The workout is a great introduction to Belgrave, who offers lifestyle-change programs through her Gym Hooky brand, with the exercise part of these plans leaning on strength training and walking.

Many of us wouldn't consider strength training with dumbbells, but it's one of the most effective ways to change how you feel for the better, so grab a set of dumbbells at a challenging weight for you and give Belgrave's workout a try.

How to do Ariel Belgrave's upper-body dumbbell workout

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Belgrave helpfully uses well-known dumbbell exercises, so if you're not familiar with any of the moves you can refer to online exercise guides. This is also a true at-home workout because you none of the exercises require a weights bench.

One thing to note with the eccentric biceps curls: do the lowering part of the movement (known as the eccentric) as slowly as you can.

Why a strong upper body is important

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Women's UA Launch Runsie

Under Armour ambassador Belgrave wears this one piece in the video.

When we don’t have enough strength in the torso we can feel strain in the neck and shoulders, or in our lower back. A lack of upper-body strength is often due to poor control of the shoulder girdle which connects your upper limbs to the bones along the axis of your body, and the surrounding muscles that support it. Upper-body strength training, ideally twice a week, can help correct these muscular imbalances.

Developing stronger arms, shoulders and back through regular exercise can also reduce your risk of injury. This is particularly important for people who suffer from lower and upper-back pain from sitting at a desk for long hours a day.

How to get stronger

Performing workouts like this one is a great way to start building muscle, but to make the most of the time you spend exercising, follow a workout plan. A good plan will repeat workouts so you can employ the progressive overload technique and schedule in rest days to allow your body to recover and grow stronger. As luck would have it, Belgrave offers a free 30-day workout plan in this Instagram post.