Gemma Atkinson does these 7 simple exercises in her arm workout to build upper-body strength

If you're interested in strength training, actress and presenter Gemma Atkinson has likely appeared during a social media scroll. She often shares workouts with her 2.1 million Instagram followers, revealing how she trains from home.

Her new book, Thrive at 40 and Beyond: Health, Vitality and Strength for Life, has one focus: the mind and body benefits of lifting weights. It looks at how to shift from a mindset of losing weight to exercising for longevity, while protecting muscle and bone mass, metabolic health, and energy.

It's been a pivot for Gemma herself since reaching 40, she told Women's Health recently. "Especially going into your forties, perimenopause will kick in...I want my body to be functional. I want to play with my kids and carry all the shopping bags of food out of the car," she said.

While the focus is clearly full-body fitness with weights and some cardio, Gemma's strong upper body has got people asking about her arm workouts recently.

This seven-step session uses a cable machine, but you can swap it for resistance bands. Otherwise, it's easy to do at home and includes plenty of compound exercises for a full upper-body workout in under 45 minutes.

Gemma Atkinson's arm workout

1. Cable rows

While Gemma uses a cable machine in her home gym for this workout, you can use a simple set of resistance bands for this upper-body and back exercise.

Here's how to do a cable row:

• Set up your cable machine (or resistance band) and sit on the floor in front of it.
• Set your feet up at a wide angle on either side of your body for support, brace your core, and grab the cable or band.
• Leaning slightly back with your chest proud, pull the weight towards you.
• Pause for a moment as the weight reaches your chest. With control, let it pull away from you to return to the starting position.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times.

2. Lateral raises

Lateral raises are a PT favourite for how well they strengthen the muscles around the shoulders. A lighter weight will be better suited for this, whether you're new to strength training or not.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand shoulder-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand, core braced and shoulder blades pulled back and down.
• Bring your weights out to the sides at a 45-degree angle, knuckles pointing towards the ceiling.
• Raise the weights to shoulder height and lower back down.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times.

3. Chest press

A chest press is a classic compound exercise, working the muscles in the chest, shoulders, back, and arms all at once.

Here's how to do it:

• Come down onto your bench or a comfortable spot on the floor, bringing the dumbbells into the air above your sports bra band.
• Keep your elbows at a 45 degree angle.
• Push your shoulder blades into the surface below you and brace your core.
• Lower the weights towards your chest, pushing back up to starting position when they reach within a couple of inches of your body.

4. Dumbbell rows

Gemma rests her chest against a bench for this dumbbell row exercise. If you don't have one, try a bent-over row instead:

Here's how to do it:

• Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Hinge at the hips, pushing your buttocks to the back of the room.
• Brace your core, keep your back straight, and bring your shoulder blades back and down.
• Starting with your arms extended, pull the dumbbells towards your belly button.
• Hold for a moment and then slowly lower back down.
• Repeat for 8 to 12 repetitions.

5. Dumbbell curls

Dumbbell curls work the biceps, the muscles on the front of your arms. You can do these one at a time or lift both weights at the same time.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand shoulder-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand and a soft bend in your knees.
• Brace your core and keep your back straight, pinning your elbows into your sides.
• Bring the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, squeezing at the top then slowly lowering back down.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times on both arms.

6. Tricep kickbacks

To balance out the work, Gemma moves to triceps (back of the arms) kickbacks. Make sure to keep your elbows tight to your body for this exercise.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Hinge back (push your hips back) with a soft bend in your knee, pinning your elbows into your sides and pushing your shoulder blades back and down.
• Extend at the elbow, pushing the dumbbell to the floor behind you.
• Repeat on both sides 8 to 12 times.

7. Push-ups

Got any strength left? The workout finishes with a classic press-up, which should feel difficult after all the exercises above.

Here's a reminder on how to do it:

• Come down into a plank position on the floor or your thick yoga mat. If you struggle with this, having your legs further apart will help. Alternatively, drop your knees to the floor for support.
• Make sure your arms are directly underneath your shoulders with your elbows stacked over your wrists.
• Bend your elbows and come down until your chest is a couple of inches from the floor.
• Push off through your hands to come back.