Sculpt your arms and shoulders with this low-impact, strength-style Pilates workout

If you want to build stronger arms, but aren’t keen on lifting heavy weights, then this Pilates workout from Pilates Teacher, Sadieelee Thomas, could be the ticket you need. It may only use light dumbbells, but its circuit-style format with minimal rest periods increases time under tension and will leave your shoulders, biceps, and triceps feeling on fire. If you don’t have dumbbells, grab two water bottles (then you’ll also be able to have quick sips during your very short breaks).

While most arm exercises are usually performed standing, lying on the floor, or using a weight bench, the exercises in this workout are performed kneeling. This isn’t because Sadielee is choosing to be lazy, far from it, as she explains on her post: “I love performing shoulder exercises in a half-kneeling position because it improves core engagement, posture, and shoulder stability by eliminating momentum and forcing better muscle activation,” she writes.

For the workout, you’ll perform each exercise for 40 seconds, followed by only a 10-second rest – so you’re going to feel the burn, fast! Make sure you therefore pick a weight that isn’t too heavy, where you’re unable to complete the exercise for the required time, you want the last few repetitions to feel challenging though. After your first round, rest for 60-90 seconds, then repeat the circuit three more times. Here are the exercises:

• Kneeling front raises
• Kneeling T raise with front sweep
• Kneeling lateral raise to front raise
• Kneeling lateral raise

Now that you’ve worked your upper body muscles, don’t forget your lower body a little lower too. This 20-minute workout will hit your glutes, legs, and even your core muscles too, and all you’ll need for it is your bodyweight. You would have already worked your core muscles during this workout, but if you want to target them more specifically, then check out these three beginner-friendly core exercises, as recommended by a Pilates instructor.