Arm strength/general functional fitness?

Dreamwa1ker

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this one, but here it goes:
Myfitnesspal has helped me lose 22 lbs and I look and feel so much better than when I started 6 months ago. I have lost my weight through straight CICO - just moderation in my diet and walking to bring up the amount of calories I can eat but still be in deficit (I use a fitbit). I'm very happy with how I look now, right in the middle of a healthy BMI range - no problems there. I'll be switching fully to maintenance mode very soon.

But I am thinking now to other aspects of my health - I would like to be a bit stronger. I've always had very minimal arm strength, and have a slender build (teeny-tiny wrists, size 4 ring even at my heaviest, etc). I worry a little bit about being a frail old lady in a few decades. So, I want to start exercising my arms a bit. Nothing intense though.

However, because I am built kind of delicately and starting from a place of not much strength, and because I have no prior experience - I'm worried about inadvertently injuring myself, as well as not being sure where to start. I was thinking about buying a set of some very very light (like 2lb, 3lb, 5lb set) barbells to try some basic arm exercises with.

Do you have good tips or resources you can point me to for very basic arm exercises that are unlikely to cause injury or will not have a steep learning curve in terms of form? I figure I want to do this slowly no matter what, just like weightloss, and ease myself into it. Baby steps.

Thanks for any advice!

apullum

Having small arms doesn't mean you can't have strong arms, and it doesn't necessarily mean you have a higher risk of injury.

Very small dumbbells might be fine for a little while, but a strength training program requires progressive overload (i.e., gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift). You won't see a lot of progress if you only stick with tiny dumbbells. If you have a gym membership, then I would use the dumbbells there so you don't have to invest in new dumbbells every time you're ready to add weight.

This link has many strength training programs that people here have used: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1.

Mcwi3681

You and I are in a very similar position. I just started the strength training program "Body By You" by Mark Lauren (I bought the book off of Amazon). It starts out very basic and gentle. So far I'm loving it!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

If you can afford a personal trainer, go for that. Group training is the next best bet. Finally, you can go for books and videos as a third (and cheapest) approach.

PopSugar fitness on YouTube has a range of free videos. For upper body, I think using resistance bands works well.

lporter229

When I first started getting into fitness many years ago, I bought a set of 2,3 and 5 pound weights and a few videos in a series that were popular at the time called "The Firm". These videos combine cardio and strength training using high reps of light weights. They are very effective for beginners and are still in production today. I learned a lot from these videos because they take care to teach you good form, even though you are using light weights. You can pick them up at Wal-mart, Target, Costco etc for only a few bucks. Each video has 2 or more workouts. I started with my basic weight set and gradually added 8 lb weights, then 10 lb weights, all the way up to 12 lbs. Like I said, it was a long while ago and I have progressed through many different levels of fitness since then, but in many ways, I feel like I was in the best shape of my life back then, especially from a "functional" standpoint. Those videos gave me a very good balance of strength, flexibility and agility. Just typing this is making me feel like maybe I should revisit them!

CMNVA

lporter229 wrote: »

When I first started getting into fitness many years ago, I bought a set of 2,3 and 5 pound weights and a few videos in a series that were popular at the time called "The Firm". These videos combine cardio and strength training using high reps of light weights. They are very effective for beginners and are still in production today. I learned a lot from these videos because they take care to teach you good form, even though you are using light weights. You can pick them up at Wal-mart, Target, Costco etc for only a few bucks. Each video has 2 or more workouts. I started with my basic weight set and gradually added 8 lb weights, then 10 lb weights, all the way up to 12 lbs. Like I said, it was a long while ago and I have progressed through many different levels of fitness since then, but in many ways, I feel like I was in the best shape of my life back then, especially from a "functional" standpoint. Those videos gave me a very good balance of strength, flexibility and agility. Just typing this is making me feel like maybe I should revisit them!

I used to love The Firm DVDs. They were really good.

Cherimoose

Most trainers would recommend that you follow a full-body program, and not just train your arms. If you ever need to pick up something heavy outside the gym, it's going require that your entire body be strong. A good program for functional fitness is the book New Rules of Lifting for Life. There's also a program in my profile. Consider investing in a pair of adjustable dumbbells that go up to 25 lbs. each hand, because your larger muscle groups will eventually outgrow lighter weights. Check craigslist, thrift stores, Facebook marketplace, etc.

New_Heavens_Earth

CMNVA wrote: »

lporter229 wrote: »

When I first started getting into fitness many years ago, I bought a set of 2,3 and 5 pound weights and a few videos in a series that were popular at the time called "The Firm". These videos combine cardio and strength training using high reps of light weights. They are very effective for beginners and are still in production today. I learned a lot from these videos because they take care to teach you good form, even though you are using light weights. You can pick them up at Wal-mart, Target, Costco etc for only a few bucks. Each video has 2 or more workouts. I started with my basic weight set and gradually added 8 lb weights, then 10 lb weights, all the way up to 12 lbs. Like I said, it was a long while ago and I have progressed through many different levels of fitness since then, but in many ways, I feel like I was in the best shape of my life back then, especially from a "functional" standpoint. Those videos gave me a very good balance of strength, flexibility and agility. Just typing this is making me feel like maybe I should revisit them!

I used to love The Firm DVDs. They were really good.

I started with the Firm too, and added on Cathe Friedrich. She has circuit, hiit, and a lot of weight training dvds.

Chieflrg

I would highly advice more than just arm work.

There are many many benefits to strength training (e.g. strength, higher bone density, better quality of life, extending life, etc...) and doing only arm work is sub optimal and poor ROI.

If you utilize a program with load management built in, there is very low risk of injury. I encourage you to search out a well rounded program that interests you.

I would take the money you plan on buying small dumbells with and visit a gym in the mean time.