Most the women I talk to want great looking arms and men want muscular biceps. Both require building your arm muscles. Both require the same types of exercises, except to tone your arms you do more repetitions with lower weight. In order to build larger muscles, just use the same strength building exercises and add more weight, which automatically cuts the amount of reps you do to failure. No matter what your goal, big guns or no flab but a sculptured look, these exercises work great. It’s all about the amount of weight you use.
Start with a tricep exercise.
Tricep pushups are a good start, they use body weight and are similar to regular pushups, but hands are closer together and done on bent knee. Tricep kickbacks are another. You need weights for these. Have one dumbbell in your left hand with right leg forward two feet and keeping your weight evenly distributed. Lean forward with the right hand on your right thigh and bend your leg. Bend your left hand at the elbow. Lift the weight in the left hand by bending your elbow, inhaling as you’re lifting and then lower it as you exhale.
Work out your biceps.
Nothing is better than bicep curls to give a sculpted look or build those muscles. For toning, use weights that allow you to do 15 to 20 without being completely fatigued. Go for higher weights and fewer reps for building muscles. Start with a dumbbell in each hand and arms down to the sides with the palms facing inward. Start to raise your arms by bending your elbow as you slowly turn the palms so when it’s raised, the palms of the hand meet your bicep, then lower back to starting position.
The lateral raise can tone your deltoids and shoulder area.
You need two dumbbells for this one that are about the same weight as the bicep curl of the last exercise. Have one dumbbell in each hand and bending slightly at the hip with the weights in front of you. Slowly raise your arms straight out to the side high enough to make your body appear like the letter “T.” Slowly lower your arms back down and then raise them again.
- If you can do regular, rather than modified knee push ups, they’ll help you build beautiful arms without using weights. Your body becomes the weight.
- Try an overhead extension with a dumbbell to get rid of flab. Hold one dumbbell vertically with both hands. Keep your wrists straight and bend your arm at the elbow as you raise your arm overhead with elbows pointed toward the ceiling as you lower the dumbbell behind the head. Raise the dumbbell up again.
- Try a kettlebell for some fun exercises that will get your arms toned and firm fast. A kettlebell swing also exercises the core muscles.
- Tricep dips can be done anywhere and don’t require any equipment. You simply hang on the edge of a bench or chair as you lower yourself to the floor.