9 Secrets to Toning Up Your Arms

 

Working out your arms but not seeing the results you’re after? Well, we have put together an easy to follow blog that may help you overcome this. Implement these secrets into your existing routine to get the most out of your workouts. Perfect

Get your dip on

Dips are the perfect workout for your triceps and deltoids making it an all-round awesome arm exercise. What makes it even better is that it can be done almost anywhere! You just need a bench or sturdy chair that can hold your weight.

Warning:  If you have sore or injured wrists, skip this one!

Begin by sitting down on the bench with both feet flat on the floor. Place your hands by your side with your fingers gripping the edge. Bending your arms, lift your bum off the seat and lower your body close to the floor.

Your arms should be parallel to your shoulder. Hold for a second and rise back up. Keeping this form, do 15 reps and rest. Repeat 3 times and feel the burn!

Load up on some protein

To get those toned arms, you need to also look at your diet. Protein is vital for repairing muscle and tissue, making it essential after a work out. Protein will help build your muscle mass and promote growth which will in turn tone your arms.

This week we also released a nutritional blog about the importance of protein and how to get more of it in your diet, check it out – 5 Big Reasons to Eat Protein.

Push it up

Bring back the old school push up. It’s super effective at working your triceps, shoulders and chest, making it the ultimate upper body workout.

Simply lay flat your belly on the floor and spread your feet apart. Next, put your palms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Use your arms to lift up your body until you are in a plank position.

Try and keep your body straight, engage your core and hold for a couple of seconds. After, slowly descend back into your original pose without touching the ground. If this is too hard, place your knees on the ground.

Rethink your exercise drink

Don’t let the advertising fool you, sport drinks are not the answer. A common misconception is that sports drinks offer hydration and electrolytes that are lost during exercise. In fact, the average sports drink has 11 teaspoons of sugar!

The last thing you want after pumping those arms is to offset all your hard work by drinking so many calories. It’s a well-known fact that water is the best thing to drink to hydrate your body.

If that’s not enough to sell you, having water when you exercise will also prevent headaches and reduce breakouts. So always remember to keep a bottle next to you!

Add some weight

If you’re not finding your workout challenging enough, add some weight on. The best way to get defined arms is to strengthen those muscles up.

Try exercises for your arms that use dumbbells, resistance bands or kettlebells. These could include bicep curls, upright row or triceps kickback.

But… Don’t go heavier than you can handle

It’s great to push yourself and incorporate weights into your exercise routine, however lifting weights that are too heavy for you can cause some serious damage. When adding weights to your arm exercises, ensure you chose something that feels comfortable to begin with.

The key to doing arm workouts is maintaining your form to ensure you’re doing the exercise correctly and that you don’t injure yourself. It’s not a race! Gradually add more weight over time and you will start to see and feel the difference.

Mix it up

Keep your arm exercises exciting by mixing it up. One of your goals when training should be to improve your endurance. Don’t repeat the same old boring routine. Surprise your body and beat boredom!

Further, if you do the same exercises all the time, you repeat isolated movements. Break out of your comfort zone and try something different!

Don’t overdo it

Whilst it is perfectly natural to feel sore, it’s important to listen to your body and allow it time to repair and recover so that you don’t burn out. When we overtrain, we risk injury and fatigue, which is the last thing you want.

Aim to do your arm exercises 3 times a week. This will give your body enough time to repair in between sessions. Remember, your arms are much smaller than other parts of your body and don’t need to be stimulated as much.

Try boxing

Boxing is a great way to tone up your arms as well as boost up your overall fitness. It’s the ultimate endurance sport that reduces fat and improves muscle mass. Boxing also is a great way to relieve stress and is beneficial for your overall mental wellbeing.

Live Life Get Active offers free boxing classes to all its members. These classes are designed for all levels of fitness, in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Find your nearest class here.