You don't need to lift heavy to build bigger arms. According to longevity coach and home-training advocate Glenn Wilkinson, a single 5kg dumbbell can be enough to leave your biceps burning – provided you use it the right way.

In a recent Instagram video, Wilkinson demonstrates a simple arm finisher built around four curl variations performed back-to-back with no rest. The result is 40 consecutive reps per arm, keeping the muscles under tension for long enough to deliver a serious pump.

'I do 10 traditional curls with a 1:1 tempo,' Wilkinson says. 'Without rest, I go straight into 10 hammer curls. Without rest, I go into 10 cross-body curls. And the last 10, I go into what I would call a concentration curl.'

For the final exercise, Wilkinson drops into a squat and braces his elbow against the inside of his knee to isolate the biceps and minimise momentum.

Once all 40 reps are complete on one side, he repeats the sequence on the other arm before performing the entire circuit three times.

'I get a massive pump,' he says. 'Less is more when you're trying to work the big guns.'

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The Workout

Do 3 rounds

A1. Single-Arm Dumbbell Curl x 10
A2. Single-Arm Hammer Curl x 10
A3. Cross-Body Curl x 10
A4. Concentration Curl x 10

    The Bottom Line

    The workout is a good reminder that muscle growth isn't determined by weight alone. Research suggests hypertrophy can be achieved using both heavy and relatively light loads, provided sets are performed close to muscular failure. By combining four different curl variations without putting the dumbbell down, Wilkinson increases fatigue, extends time under tension and challenges the biceps from slightly different angles – all while using a weight most people already have at home.

    If you're short on equipment, or simply want to finish an upper-body workout with an extra hit for your arms, it's a simple routine worth trying. Just don't be surprised if 5kg suddenly feels a whole lot heavier.

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