Doing a few simple arm exercises within your fitness routine will help make your hands look fit and graceful.
Not only men, who crave to build a muscle definition like Schwarzenegger had in ‘Terminator’, need working their biceps and triceps. If your goal is having a nice posture, if you want to wear open shoulder dresses, tight-fit T-shirts and stunning evening gowns without being embarrassed, if you have sedentary job – you absolutely have to focus on your arms.
Can You Overtrain Your Arm Muscles?
Don’t be afraid you might train yourself into bodybuilder and you arms would become oversized. Really, big muscle gain would take lots of pressing and pushing heavy barbells and dumbbells in a gym and a special diet. If you want to make sure your arms would look fit, not muscular, work with light dumbbells weighing 2-4 pounds, but do more reps. Then you’ll see fat going away and your arms becoming nicely shaped.
Types of Arm Exercises
Basically, there are three types of arm exercises. First type hits all the muscles, warming them up. They are great for your warm-up routines. Second type develops biceps, or front arm muscles. And third type strengthens triceps, or back arm muscles. It is usually difficult for women to develop triceps.
Get It Started
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Place arms along your body. Breathe in and lift your arms up, hold a few seconds and return to starting position as you breathe out. Do 5-15 reps.
Assume the same position but lift your arms to the sides. Start doing circular motions: first do your wrists, moving them back and forth several times, then involve forearms and finish with windmill arms.
Grab light dumbbells (or start with plastic half-liter bottles with water) and stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Press your hands to your breast. Do regular lunges, springing the opposite arm forward as if you were trying to break invisible wall behind you with the fist. Do 5-10 reps for each arm.
Pushups
Until your muscles are not strengthened enough, you can do pushups supporting yourself with your knees, not feet. Do 5-10 pushups, placing your arms shoulder width apart (fingers are pointed forward), then 5-10 pushups with your arms slightly less than shoulder width apart (fingers are pointed inward), and 5-10 reps with your arms shoulder width apart and finger are pointed somewhat to the sides.
By the way, pushups are also great for breast muscles.
Biceps
Stand with your legs shoulder width apart and take a palms-up grip on the dumbbells. Bend and unbend your arms by turns, keeping good rhythm. Do 3 sets with 20-30 reps for each arm.
Sit on a bench or chair (make sure your tights are parallel to the floor and make 90 degree angle with your ankles). Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and press your elbow against the tight just above the knee. Bend and unbend your arm, but slower than in previous exercise, trying to control the way your muscles work. Keep doing it until you feel weariness in your muscles. Take a break and do another set.
Triceps
Stand upright and bend your body forward so it is parallel to the floor. Use one hand to prop yourself against a bench and grab a dumbbell in the other hand. Press your arm to the body and push the dumbbell up.
Assume standing or sitting position and lift your arms above your head. Bend your elbows and press them against your head. Unbend your elbows, lifting the dumbbells above your head. In the upper point, keep your hands straight. Return to starting position slowly. Control your muscles and keep doing the exercise until you feel weary. Repeat.
Source of the image: flickr.com/photos/drjimiglide.
