This 15-minute giant set workout will leave your arms looking jacked

Just grab a pair of dumbbells, a chair and get ready for 15 minutes of graft

A man performing hammer curls
(Image credit: Getty Images)

We all have had good intentions at the start of the year to hit the gym hard and build muscle, but if you’ve found these goals slowly slipping away into the distance, then what you need is some quick-fire workouts that pack a punch. This giant superset has you covered in the guns department and you'll have no problem filling out your tee-sleeves afterward. All you need is a pair of light dumbbells, a chair, or a weight bench.

You’ve probably heard of a superset, where you perform two exercises consecutively with no rest. A giant set is similar, but is made up of three or more exercises (in this workout’s case, it’s five). According to fitness supplier, Dmoose: “Giant sets are great for building muscle and burning fat because they elevate your heart rate for an extended period. This training style stimulates the recruitment of more muscle fibers, leading to greater increases in both strength and size.” They're also great for building muscle endurance and when you're short on time. 

You’ll work through this workout like a circuit, completing the below exercises back to back with no rest in between. If you do need to rest for a bit, that’s fine, but keep it to a minimum and only so that your form remains on point. You’ll complete each exercise for 15 reps, so opt for a light to moderate weight, nothing super heavy. Once you’ve completed your first round, grab your gym water bottle, rest for 90 seconds, repeat, then you’re done! Here’s your exercises: 

  • Bicep curls
  • Overhead shoulder press
  • Tricep extensions
  • Hammer curls
  • Chair dips

Project pump complete! Looking for similar speed upper body sessions? Here’s another dumbbell-only arm workout, although this one is made up of three supersets (so you’ll get a little more rest time but still a great pump). Alternatively, try this dumbbell floor workout. It’ll hit your arms, chest, shoulders and back and all the exercises are performed from a kneeling position, to hit the working muscles more and challenge your core strength.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.