Do You Want Toned Arms?

Many people wish to have toned arms, but to get those tones arms you must provide resistance training to the arm muscles. This means working both the triceps and biceps that make up the arm. Most exercises to obtain toned looking arms can be done at home.

You must start out with a brief warm up in order to avoid possible injury to yourself. If you own a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike, performing 5-10 minutes on one of these machines is enough to get your blood pumping and your muscles warmed up. For people without an aerobic machine, running in place, jumping jacks, or a quick walk around the block will suffice to warm up your muscles. Stretching beforehand is also required.

Do not pick a weight that is too difficult. This can lead to injury or severe soreness the next day. If you have not worked out in a while, or resistance trained your arms in a while, pick a weight that is low. You can always work your way up to another weight and this will ensure that you do not injury yourself.

Next, when people usually discuss resistance training you will hear the words sets and reps. The number of reps is the number of times you perform one exercise at a time. A set is comprised of reps. So, if you do a bicep curl 8 times (8 reps) then you have performed 1 set. If you perform a bicep curl of 8 reps twice with a 30 second break in between, that would mean you have performed 2 sets of 8 reps. The basic number of reps and sets for most exercises is 3 sets of 8-10 reps. This basic number is what will be used for the following exercises. Also with most of these exercises, unless otherwise noted, the stance used should be a standing stance, with feet hip width apart. Be sure to keep your back straight and your abs contracted.

The above mentioned exercise of the bicep curl will start your workout. To perform this workout, hold your chosen weight in your hands, arms straight down, with your palms facing out. Slowly lift your forearm up toward your shoulder so that the palm of your hand touches your shoulder. To ensure that you do not use your back to perform these exercises, try positioning yourself against a wall. You will need to alternate bicep exercises with triceps exercises, in order to give your biceps time to rest. The first triceps exercise is the triceps kickback. The triceps kickback involves bending over and placing your right hand on a chair or bench. While keeping your back straight, lift your left arm so that your elbow is tucked neatly against your side, with your thumb touching your shoulder. Slowly extend your forearm until your arm is completely straight. Once straighten, slowly return to the starting position. When you have completed one set, alternate to your left arm. Continue doing this until both arms have performed 3 sets each.

Next try Hammer curls. The stance and form of these are the same as the bicep curl with one exception. Instead of placing your palms out, face them in. This will allow your thumb to face forward. Lift your forearm until your thumb touches your shoulder, lower and repeat. The skull crusher is a great exercise for the triceps muscles. To perform this exercise, lay on your back either on the floor or on a bench if you are at the gym. With weights in hand and palms facing outward, position arms where your hands will align above your chest. Arms should be straight and not leaning toward your feet or head. Next, slowly bend at the elbow and lower the forearm toward the forehead. Once the hands are about one inch from the forehead, slowly return to the starting position. While most doctors will agree that exercises are safe for pregnant women, women who are past their 12 week of pregnancy should not perform skull crushers. By lying on your back the baby will press on your spine causing discomfort and possibly injury to your back.

Concentration curls are also excellent exercises for your bicep. In a sitting position, with your back straight, open your legs into a "V" shape. With weight in your right hand, lean forward and position the triceps portion of your arm on your right leg. Extend your arm straight down, and then slowly start curling your arm toward your shoulder. Once you have reached your shoulder, lower and finish out your set. Then switch arms and using the same form perform 1 set with your left arm. As with the triceps kickback, keep alternating until both arms have performed 3 sets each.

Doing these exercises several times a week will ensure that you have the toned and fabulous looking arms that you deserve.