Having toned arms is important regardless of gender. You may be able to cover your arms in the winter in Dublin, CA, but spring is coming and so are sleeveless shirts. It’s time to focus on workouts for toned arms so you look your best whether you’re wearing a tee-shirt or beachwear. The best way to get results faster is to do compound exercises, ones that work several arm muscles at once. You can use exercises that require equipment, such as weights or focus on bodyweight workouts.
Tone those triceps and get rid of batwings.
Toning your upper arms starts with lifting something heavy. That something can be free weights, your body, free weights or using a tricep extension machine. According to a study done by ACE—American Council on Exercise—overhead extensions worked the triceps best. You can do overhead extension with free weights, machine or even at home using a sheet. Step firmly on one end of the sheet and hold the other end taut right behind your neck to create resistance. Pull up first with one hand, then pull up with the other. Finally, end by lifting with both hands. It’s all about putting resistance on the muscle and making it work hard.
Focus on toning your arms while you tone your upper body and core muscles.
Push-ups can tone the arms, so can planks. You can do planks in a number of different ways, but the two most popular are forearm and straight arm planks. Start in plank position by laying on your stomach, raising up on your toes and forearms with elbows under the shoulders. Hold the body straight in that position for 30 seconds. You can straighten your arms, resting weight on the forearms for the second position. Also try reverse planks, walking planks, forearm planks and a number of other variations for arms.
Build your arms anywhere you have a chair without rollers.
Wooden chairs work best for this exercise, but you can also use the edge of a coffee table. A chair dip is an excellent upper arm exercise that you can do from either. Sit on the edge of your chair or table with legs extended and heels touching. Grab the sides of the chair and lift yourself, sliding forward and then down when your bottom passes the edge. Lower your body until arms are parallel to the floor and elbows are at a 90 degree angle or go as low as you can, while still maintaining control. Lift back on the chair and repeat.
- Do a seated push-up. Lift your feet until your legs are straight in front of you. Grab the sides of the chair and lift your bottom off the chair. Hold for a few seconds then lower your body back to a seated position.
- A bent dumbbell row can tone arms quickly. Bend at the waist and push your shoulder blades together as you keep your back flat. Your arms should be straight, directly below your body. Lift the dumbbells to the chest and then lower. Repeat.
- Rowing machines, cables, bicep curl machine, shoulder press, elliptical and pull-up or assisted pull-up can help boost your gains and tone your arms quickly.
- If you’re still not sure the best way to tone your arms, consider using one of our personal trainers. The trainer will design a program specifically for your needs that will get the fastest results.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness