exercises at home to tone arms

mrslantu2020

The more weight I lose, the more I am aware of my flabby arms. My arms have always been an area of concern for me and I can never seem to get them toned the way I envision. Any helpful hints or exercise routines I can do at home?

TJ26

I lift 5 pounds weights at night when I'm watching my shows after the kidies have been put to bed and the rest of the night is mine..lol. Good luck!

Edestiny7

Do you mean what motions to do, or what to use? Bicep curls and tricep extensions come to mind. If you do not have dumbbells you can use canned goods or water bottles. You may want to click "Search" right above this, to search the forum and see if there is anything that could be useful there.

Fry24

I have had the same concerns. I have been doing push ups with pretty good success- so far I am still on my knees, but over the last week and a half I have been able to double the number of reps in each set. I keep my elbows in b/c I hear it helps give definition to the triceps and shoulder much more quickly. I try to do 6-8 x 3 each day. It is a great thing whenever you are waiting for something to get down and do a quick set.

Good luck!

Ms_Natalie

Hiya,
I bought pink (breast cancer charity) balls from my local supermarket! They are quite heavy and after a few curls, you can feel them working...although I have to do them when my dog is sleeping, otherwise he sits infront of me and cries for them! lol! I havnt done them for a long time though...so am going to fish them out now! Whatever you do..don't stop until you feel them working and try to build up your resistance bit by bit.

I've been hanging up wallpaper these past few days and that is an EXCELLENT work out...also including the 4 hour exams I have been having..my arms would make madonna weep! lol

Sorry I couldn't give you any more info xx

imagymrat

This is a strictly beginner workout..just for those that were wondering, more like an introduction to weights

1- To tone a muscle you need to lose fat
This is the big essential tip that you need to learn from this post. Arm toning is not possible without losing fat. And, sadly, it is not possible to lose fat off of only your arms. This means that if you want to tone your arms you need to start a weight loss program that will help you lose weight off of your whole body.

It is only when your body has a low body fat percentage that your muscles will start to shine through as defined and firm. So, weight loss is just as important as muscle gain when it comes to arm toning.

2 - You need to work with weights to build muscle
On the other side of the equation is it the muscle that you build that shows through whatever fat you have on your arm. The bigger the muscles the better they will show through.

Many women worry about getting bulky but this isn’t really a concern as women do not have the necessary testosterone to get big. However, if you WANT to get big there are many ways to do it but that is for another post.

3 - You need to work with heavy weights
If anyone at your gym tells you to use light weights with high reps to tone your arms then I want you to spit on their shoes! Just kidding. Working out with lighter weights and higher reps is a bad rumor that we should all ignore.

The reason is simple. When you weight train your break your muscles slightly and them rebuilding is muscle growth. Heavy weights obviously stresses them more and will amount to more muscles being torn and rebuilt. Heavy weights will also speed up your metabolism which in turn will burn more fat thus helping you tone your arms.

The exercises you will be using for your arm toning workout are simple weight lifting exercises that are done with free weights (bar bells and dumb bells). They are:

Biceps
1 - Bar bell curl
Standing with your feet shoulder width apart grab a bar bell about shoulder width apart. With your elbows locked firmly to a position by your side, lift the weight up using your biceps to the top of your chest. Lower it slowly down without moving your elbows and repeat.

2 - Alternate dumb bell curl
Standing with feet shoulder width apart grab two dumb bells and let them rest at your side. Tensing your bicep curl one dumb bell up and twist it so that when the dumb bell reaches it’s top position near your shoulder your palm is facing your shoulder. As you lower this dumb bell down to it’s starting position repeat with the opposite arm.

Triceps
1 - Close grip bench press
Laying on a bench take a medium heavy bar bell a bit narrower than shoulder width grip and bring it down to your lower ribs. Push the weight up using your triceps and lower it to the same position. Just before it reaches your chest fire it up in the pushing direction again before it gets a chance to rest on your body. This prevents your chest from taking over with the weight lifting.

2 - Tricep kickbacks
Take a light dumb bell in your right hand. Place your left hand and left knee on a low flat bench. Keeping your back straight lift your elbow so that your upper arm is in line with your torso. Slowly tense your tricep and lift the dumb bell to a position where you arm is almost locked out straight. Lower and repeat.

These are the basic four exercises that you will use to build your foundation of strength and technique. Remember, without perfect technique you will not make any progress so exert yourself in making sure that your posture and lifting method is perfect.

1.Warm up with some cardio, stretching and light weights.
2.Bar bell curls - 4 sets of 10-15 reps
3.Narrow grip bench press - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
4.Alternate dumb bell curls - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
5.Tricep kickbacks - 4 sets of 10-15 reps
Remember, when a rep number says 8-10 it means that you should pick a weight that causes you to ‘fail’ in that rep range. It does not mean that you pick a light weight and only do 8 reps. It means you should be struggling to get to 8.

Perform each exercise with care and slowly. Do not be tempted to pump out the reps quickly.


As mentioned before, pushups works everything, abs, shoulder, chest tri's, you have different ways you can do them, the standard way, of having your arms hip width apart, the second way is to have your hands closer together, this will target more your shoulders, third is to keep the arms relatively closse but turn your hands inwards slightly, this will hit the tricep. You can also do dips for your tri's find a sturdy dining room chair, a low bench or a wooden coffeetable that will hold your weight. Sit on the furniture and place your hands on either side of your hips so your palms are resting on the furniture and your fingers are hanging over the edge. Place your feet together firmly on the floor, as far in front of you as possible. Tighten your abdominal muscles to prevent injuring your back during the exercise. Carefully move your backside off the furniture, leaving your hands in place. Keep your back straight and your head up. Slowly lower your hips as far as you're able, bending your elbows backward so your arms remain close to your sides. Then lift yourself up to the starting position, using your arms; take care not to push yourself up with your legs. Don't sit back down on the furniture.repeat

***IF you don't have a barbell that you can use, dummy one up,.use a broom handle the you can slide empty 2L pop bottles through, or milk jug, pierce a hole the size of the broom handle through the top of the bottle and slide the bottle onto the handle I use duct tape to secure the bottle on, Then you can fill the bottle with sand or water and tape again, then use it as a make shift barbell. For a dumbell, cans, water bottles as mentioned, even a reusable shopping bag with fabric handles filled with something heavy, flour bag, sand, tie shut and use as dumbells, the bag is great for curls but not for tri extensions, for that use weights or your waterbottles.

imagymrat

quote]
Want to tone your entire body? P90X or Chalean Extreme! I've done both twice and am in the BEST shape of my life! Let me know if you'd like more info! Get results!

Deb
[/quote]

I'm also in the BEST shape of my life, while not spending hundreds of dollars on products, and I birthed 6 kids! ...ask me how, I started off at home with no equipment!! :laugh: I can get you results for free!

shanacleo

i love working arms. for some reason on me they develop way before my legs do!

I work my arms by doing several exercises:

sometimes i put a chair up against the wall and do the following:

- push ups (place hands on end of chair and then place your body in plank pose. from there do a push up
- tricep dips

if you have a band, you can sit on the chair and wrap the band under your feet. hold the band above the handles and pull up for biceps. if you have weights, use those instead.

dolphin pose (if you're not sure what the pose is, google and you will find it

hope this helps!

arewethereyet

Rat and Shan.....thanks for helping.

That is what MFP is all about. NOT blatant self promotion. Just like mike, you have to PAY for advertisement.

arewethereyet

Rat and Shan.....thanks for helping.

That is what MFP is all about. NOT blatant self promotion. Just like mike, you have to PAY for advertisement.

It has been pulled.

Thanks Rat...............I print your stuff and use it! I use it to supplement my Trainer sessions! WOOT!

arewethereyet

i love working arms. for some reason on me they develop way before my legs do!

I work my arms by doing several exercises:

sometimes i put a chair up against the wall and do the following:

- push ups (place hands on end of chair and then place your body in plank pose. from there do a push up
- tricep dips

if you have a band, you can sit on the chair and wrap the band under your feet. hold the band above the handles and pull up for biceps. if you have weights, use those instead.

dolphin pose (if you're not sure what the pose is, google and you will find it

hope this helps!

I was so out of shape I started my Push ups in the standing upright position, against the wall! Any way you have to do them, do them! They work!!