Arm and Abs Dumbbell Workout | POPSUGAR Fitness

When it comes to building a well-balanced fitness program, incorporating exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, such as compound exercises, is a great way to be more efficient with the time you spend working out to get more bang for your buck. Two muscle groups you can train together to maximize your workouts and gain strength are your arms and abs.

While your arms and abs may not seem like they have much of a connection, they do. "Exercises that strengthen the arms often engage the abs because many arm movements require trunk stability and support to maintain proper form and balance," says fitness coach Mauro Maietta.

Maietta tells PS that when an exercise engages both your arms and your abs at the same time it will be more efficient, increase functional strength and core and trunk stability, improve coordination, and enhance muscle activation.

"Strong arms and core muscles are essential for performing everyday activities such as lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. By strengthening both areas, you improve your ability to perform these tasks safely and effectively, enhancing your overall functional strength and mobility," he says.

The eight bodyweight and dumbbell exercises for your core and abs below will help you build upper-body strength and increase your stability. You can add the exercises individually into your regular gym routine, or make them a workout by stringing them together: While maintaining good form, perform as many reps as you can of each exercise for 60 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds midway through (after the plank row), and for 60 seconds after the final exercise (the up-down plank). Then repeat three times through. If you need a set of weights, try the PS Neoprene Dumbbell ($7-20), available in 3 to 10 pounds.

Mauro S. Maietta is a district fitness and education manager (DFM) at Crunch Fitness, who's earned several fitness certifications including in personal training and nutrition.

The dumbbell bench press requires core activation to help you drive the arms above the head.

The inchworm requires you to use your core to be able to transfer your weight from your feet to your arms as you walk out to a plank position. Read our full guide on how to do an inchworm here.

The mountain climber requires you to hold yourself up with your arms, while using the abdominal muscles to drive the knee forward. For additional detail on how to do a mountain climber exercise, along with the benefits and variations, read more here.

This advanced variation of the plank will also engage the lats and biceps as you row your arms.

The abs are very central to your push-up strength. They keep your body in alignment from head to feet and support the movement as you push to the top.

This move can be modified to perform from your knees.

The single arm row is a unilateral movement that engages your core to keep your body from rotating which creates stabilization.

You may be familiar with the bear crawl as a popular variation of many core stability exercises. In this variation, the bear hold, your abs are braced, while your arms are supporting the weight of your body, making this a great exercise for abs and arms.

This is an advanced plank that uses a level change to add arm strength to the core stabilization.

Brittany Hammond is a NASM-certified fitness instructor, a fitness writer, and an avid reader. In addition to PS, she has contributed to Livestrong.com, Well+Good, Verywell Fit, and Health.com. She has worked as a group fitness coach for the past seven years.