Goal program

Sleeveless Season

Defined shoulders, firm arms, lean full-body strength.

3 days a week
12 weeks
Any level
For women
Gym

About this program

Three full-body days with extra side-delt, triceps and biceps work (roughly 12–15 hard sets each per week) build rounder shoulders and firmer arms, while the rest of your body gets balanced strength work. Honest truth: you can't burn fat off your arms specifically; the 'bingo wing' look fades with overall fat loss, and this training builds the shape underneath. Stop most sets 1–3 reps short of failure, add a rep or a little weight each week, take a lighter week around week 6, and after 12 weeks expect noticeably stronger, firmer arms and shoulders, not bulk (how defined they look depends mostly on your body fat).

Who it’s for

Any level: beginners start with fewer sets and lighter weights, as the notes explain.
Written with women in mind; anyone can follow it.
A gym with machines, cables and free weights.
3 sessions a week, about 60 minutes each.
8–10k steps a day on top of the workouts.

The week

Warm up for 5–7 minutes first. Rest is the pause between sets. A1 and A2 (B1 and B2) are supersets: do one set of each back to back, then rest. Rest days: walk and recover.

Monday Full A: Full Body A: Press & Curl

Quads, shoulder press, lats, triceps/biceps superset, side delts, hamstrings · about 65 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Leg PressWeeks 1–2, for every exercise on every day: do 2 sets and stop 3–4 reps short of failure while you learn the moves. Leg press: feet mid-platform, lower until your knees are at about 90° without your lower back peeling off the pad.	3 × 10–⁠12	2 min
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder PressStart light (many women begin with 10–15 lb per hand). Press up and slightly in, lower to about ear level, and exhale as you press.	3 × 8–⁠12	2 min
Lat PulldownGrip just wider than your shoulders and pull the bar to your upper chest. Keep your chest up and don't swing.	3 × 8–⁠12	90 s
A1 Overhead Cable Triceps ExtensionRope on a low cable. Face away with a slight forward lean and let your hands travel deep behind your head for a full stretch. This trains the long head of the triceps, the biggest part of the back of your arm. Go straight to the curls.	3 × 10–⁠15	—
A2 Dumbbell Biceps CurlElbows pinned to your sides, lower slowly over 2–3 seconds. Rest after the pair, then start the next round.	3 × 10–⁠12	75 s
Lateral RaiseLight dumbbells (5–10 lb). Raise them out to the sides to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, not your hands. The last set can go to failure.	4 × 12–⁠20	60 s
Lying Leg CurlHips pressed into the pad, curl smoothly and take 2–3 seconds to lower. This keeps the back of your thighs as strong as the front.	3 × 10–⁠15	60 s

Cardio after: Incline Treadmill Walk, 15 min. Incline 8–12%, 2.5–3.2 mph, hands off the rails. New to it? Start around 5% and build up. Moderate effort: you can still talk in short sentences.

Wednesday Full Body B: Hinge & Row

Hamstrings and glutes, upper chest, mid-back, side delts, triceps, biceps, core · about 65 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Romanian DeadliftStart with an empty or light barbell (or two dumbbells). Push your hips back with soft knees and slide the weight down your legs until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, usually around mid-shin. Keep your back flat.	4 × 8–⁠10	2 min
Incline Dumbbell PressBench at about 30°. Lower the dumbbells to chest level with your elbows about 45° from your body.	3 × 8–⁠12	90 s
Seated Cable RowSit tall, pull the handle to your lower ribs and squeeze your shoulder blades together, then let them stretch forward on the way back.	3 × 10–⁠12	90 s
Lateral RaiseA slight forward lean is fine. Add reps before adding weight; even 2.5 lb more is a real jump here.	4 × 12–⁠20	60 s
A1 Rope Triceps PushdownElbows locked at your sides. At the bottom, pull the rope apart and squeeze. Go straight to hammer curls.	3 × 10–⁠15	—
A2 Hammer CurlThumbs-up grip works the brachialis (the muscle under the biceps) and the forearm, adding thickness to the upper arm. Rest after the pair.	3 × 10–⁠12	75 s
Dead BugLower back pressed into the floor. Move slowly and exhale as you extend your arm and leg.	3 × 8 per side	45 s

Cardio after: Stationary Bike, 12–15 min. Moderate resistance at a steady pace (about 5–6 out of 10 effort). Low-impact on the joints and easy to recover from.

Friday Full C: Full Body C: Pull-Ups & Dips

Single-leg strength, lats, chest and triceps, side and rear delts, biceps · about 55 min

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Bulgarian Split SquatRear foot on a bench, most of your weight on the front leg. Start with bodyweight, then hold dumbbells. Hold a rack for balance if you need to.	3 × 8–⁠12 per leg	90 s
Assisted Pull-UpSet the assistance so 6–10 reps feel hard, and reduce it over the weeks. A long-term goal is your first unassisted pull-up.	3 × 6–⁠10	2 min
Dip (assisted if needed)Use the assisted dip machine. Chest up, shoulders down. Lower until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor and no deeper. Shoulder discomfort? Swap for the machine chest press.	3 × 8–⁠12	90 s
A1 Face PullRope at face height. Pull toward your forehead while pulling the rope apart. Rear delts round out the shoulder from behind and help you stand tall. Go straight to lateral raises.	3 × 12–⁠15	—
A2 Lateral RaiseRest after the pair. After your first month, take the last set to failure, then add a few short reps in the bottom half of the range.	3 × 12–⁠20	60 s
B1 Cable Biceps CurlStep back so the cable keeps tension at the bottom, and keep your elbows still. Go straight to the overhead extensions (same low cable, just swap the handle for the rope).	3 × 10–⁠15	—
B2 Overhead Cable Triceps ExtensionSame deep stretch as Monday. Keep 1–2 reps in reserve; the last set can go to failure.	3 × 12–⁠15	75 s

Cardio after: StairMaster, 10 min. Slow, steady pace. Stand tall and don't lean on the rails. Legs cooked from split squats? Do 10–15 min of incline walking instead.

How to progress

Double progression: add reps within the range first. When every set reaches the top of the range with clean form, add a little weight (about 5–10 lb on lower-body lifts, 2.5–5 lb on upper-body lifts) and start again at the bottom.
Stop most sets 1–2 reps short of failure. Beginners stop 2–3 reps short for the first weeks.
Every 6–8 weeks, or when you feel run down, take an easier week: half the sets, same weights.

Food

To get leaner overall (the only way arms slim down), eat in a modest deficit, losing about 0.5–1% of body weight per week (or eat at maintenance if you're already lean), with 1.8–2.2 g of protein per kg of goal body weight (about 0.8–1 g per lb) split across 3–4 meals.

Find your numbers with the free TDEE calculator, the macro calculator and the protein calculator.