An expert women's trainer recommends these 6 dumbbell exercises for a strong and toned upper body

An upper-body dumbbell workout improves strength and muscle definition through fat loss, also known as 'toning'. It can also help improve mobility and flexibility in these muscles, boosting longevity.

These exercises use dumbbells, so it's ideal for strength training at home or in the gym. All you need is a couple of weights and some space to move.

The key to perfecting an upper-body dumbbell workout is working hard enough, though, says expert trainer Emma Simarro. As a certified personal trainer, women's fitness specialist, and strength coach, she says this is the most important part of any weighted workout.

"You want to be able to complete 10 to 12 reps with every set, but the last few should be a struggle. You'll know the weights are too light if the last repetition feels easy," she tells woman&home.

Whether this is your first dumbbell workout at home or you're familiar with the weights, Simarro's six moves can help you build a stronger, leaner, and more mobile upper body in just a few weeks.

Try this upper-body dumbbell workout

1. Shoulder press

As the name suggests, this exercise mainly targets the shoulder muscles on the front and sides. However, you also use your triceps (back of the arm) and trapezius muscles (between your shoulders and neck) in the movement.

Here's how to do a shoulder press with dumbbells:

• Standing tall, with feet hip-width apart, gently activate your glutes and quads to stabilise your hips, says Simarro.
• Bring the dumbbells onto your shoulders with your palms facing your ears for a neutral grip on the dumbbells.
•  Take a deep breath and engage your core before pressing the dumbbells above your head. Exhale as you press them up.
•  At the top of the movement, keep your biceps aligned with your ears and fully extend your arms, straightening your elbows.
•  Slowly bring your dumbbells down to your shoulders before repeating 10-12 times.

Expert tip: Make sure your elbows aren't flared out to the sides as this can cause discomfort around the shoulder joints. Instead, push them in front of you slightly, as Emma demonstrates in the video above.

2. Bent-over row

By going from the shoulder press into the bent-over row, you'll be doing one of the best back exercises when you're already a little tired. This helps to strengthen the back muscles.

The bent-over row also works the biceps (front of the arm), rear shoulder muscles, and the smaller muscles around the spine.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand tall with the dumbbells by your sides, says Simarro.
•  Hinge at the hips, push your bottom backwards and keep your back flat while holding the dumbbells down in line with your shoulders.
•  Keep your chest up and bend your knees slightly. This will help distribute the weight and keep your spine straight, she says.
•  Fix your gaze one metre ahead of your feet and start to pull the dumbbells back towards your hips.
• Keep your elbows at 90 degrees at the top of the exercise.
•  Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start position and repeat 10-12 times.

Expert tip: "We want to pull the dumbbells to travel in a diagonal movement, front to back," says Simarro, rather than pulling straight up. "They should brush your ribcage as you pull the dumbbells towards your hips."

3. Chest press

The chest press is known as a compound movement. Much like squats and walking lunges for the lower body, a chest press works multiple large muscle groups in the upper body simultaneously. Namely, muscles in the chest, shoulders, arms, back, and core.

Here's how to do a chest press:

• Lying on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, engage your core.
•  Bring the dumbbells above your chest, arms fully extended.
•  Dumbbells should be at a 45-degree angle to one another above you.
•  Slowly lower the dumbbells down to the floor, keeping your elbows tucked in at a 45-degree angle from your shoulders.
•  Keep your wrists out so they sit directly above your elbows. We don’t want them to cave in towards your chest, says Simarro.
•  Gently tap your elbows on the floor at the bottom of the movement, before driving through your palms to take the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Expert tip: The key to a good chest press is keeping your elbows at the right angle. "You should look like an arrow from above, not a 'T'," says Simarro.

Also, don't come down too hard at the bottom of the movement. "Think of the floor as glass," she says. "You don't want to smash it."

If you're doing a gym dumbell workout, you could do this exercise on a bench for better back support and go lower with your elbows.

4. Overhead tricep extension

The tricep extension is the opposite of the chest press. It only works one muscle. But, tricep exercises are a very important part of any upper-body workout as this muscle makes up two-thirds of all muscles in the arm.

Not only is it very useful to have stronger triceps in everyday life (think pushing open doors and reaching up to a high shelf), but it can also help with other exercises in this routine, such as the chest press or shoulder press.

Here's how to do a tricep extension with dumbbells:

•  Standing tall with one foot slightly in front of the other for better balance. You can stand with feet parallel if preferred, says Simarro.
• Grip the top of the dumbbell with your palms facing the sky and fingers towards your face. This will keep your shoulders parallel.
• Take the dumbbell carefully above your head, with your arms fully extended.
•  Engage your core and slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle.
•  Push into your palms and press the dumbbell back above your head until your arms are fully extended with your elbows locked out.

Expert tip: The key to a dumbbell tricep extension is choosing a weight that challenges you, without making it so hard that you adjust your form.

Make sure your weight is light enough that you can bring it all the way down behind your head and push it up, without changing the position of your hips.

5. Bicep curl

Similar to the tricep extension, the bicep curl works just one muscle - the bicep, which sits on the front of your arm.

Here's how to do it:

• Standing with your feet hip-width apart, grip the dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing toward your hips.
• Engage your core and tuck your elbows into your ribcage.
• Take a deep breath in before curling the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Breathe out as you curl the dumbbells up.
• Once you reach your shoulders, pause before slowly lowering to your hips.
• Fully extend your elbows so they are relaxed at the bottom of the curl.

Expert tip: "Make sure you keep your elbows tucked into your ribcage. These shouldn’t move forward in the exercise," says Simarro.

6. Push-up

Learning how to do a push-up properly is one of the best ways to work the upper body, says Simarro. "I love a push-up and I think it is one of the most functional exercises we can practice," she says.

It targets the chest, shoulders, back, core, biceps, and triceps muscles. In fact, there's not a lot that this compound exercise can't do.

Here's a quick reminder on how to do a push-up:

• Set yourself up in a plank position, with your hands beneath your shoulders and your feet hip width apart.
•  Engage your core, gently tuck your tailbone under and pull your shoulders down from your ears.
•  Start to lower yourself to the floor, with your shoulders and hips moving together. Make sure you don't leave your hips in the air, says Simarro.
•  Ideally, your chest will get as low as possible to the floor.
•  Once in the bottom position, drive through your palms and push the floor away from you as you move back to your plank/modified plank position.
•  As you push up, keep your shoulders stacked above your wrists.
•  Keep your hips in line with your shoulders as you push up by engaging your core and glutes.

Expert tip: Once you're set up in the plank position, you can use a pillow under your chest to have something to aim for on the way down, the PT says.

You can also try a modified plank position if your core and upper-body strength isn't quite ready for a full push-up. "You can drop your knees to the floor for a modified push up," she says. "This will give you a nice line from the crown of your head to your knees."

What weight should beginners use?

This will be different for every beginner in strength training. "Expect it to be a little trial and error to begin with as you find the right weight for you," says Simarro. Start with 10 to 12 repetitions, and if they feel easy, especially by the third set, then you'll need to increase your weights.

Equally, she says, "If you get halfway through the round and can’t get any further, drop down a weight and build up from there. They won't be too heavy for long."

The 'talk test' is another good gauge of intensity, she adds. "You should be able to speak but not sing as you begin the set, but as you get to the last few repetitions, it should be challenging to say more than a few words, if any."

You can use a similar test to work out if you're doing enough moderate intensity exercise, which weight training falls under.

How often should you an upper-body dumbbell workout?

In this instance, two upper-body and two lower-body sessions would be ideal to see results in strength and improved muscle mass, says Simarro. But if you can't do this, then work out how often you can lift weights every week.

To see results, studies published in Sports Medicine suggest we need to lift weights between two to three times a week, as this puts the muscles under enough pressure to stress but offers enough rest days for them to grow and repair, which is when you see changes in tone and strength.

"Full body sessions target all your major muscle groups in one session, but repeating three times a week would give you the frequency you need to see results," she says.