3 Tips for Toning Your Arms
By Genevieve Cunningham
When you think about strong arms, what do you see? Most people picture a big, buff, strong man with rippling biceps. While this description probably fits the bill of strong arms, it’s certainly not the only way to have a strong upper body. In fact, building and toning your arms can make you stronger and will also help you feel more confident in your body as a whole. Man or woman, strong arms should be part of your fitness goals. In order to sculpt your arms and build ongoing strength, check out these three tips to keep in the back of your mind throughout your journey.
Go for Balance
When many people imagine working their arms, they picture bench press or bicep curls. While these are great exercises, the biceps aren’t the only muscles in your arms. You have muscles in your forearms, on the back of your arms, and you can even include the chest in your upper body workout. Make sure that your workouts include exercises for each of your muscle groups. This will help your arms grow stronger as a whole, and you’ll have a more balanced look and feel by the end.
Slow and Steady Growth Wins
Do not begin your arm workouts by lifting super heavy weights. Just don’t. You’ll burn yourself out, set yourself up for injury, and have a much higher likelihood of quitting. If you haven’t been lifting, you should start with a small but challenging weight. As you begin to build strength, you can add weight. If you’re embarrassed of your small weights, do your workout at home or just don’t look around the room. Just keep in mind that slow and steady wins the race. Do what’s right for you, and don’t rush it.
Change It Up
There are so many different exercises that target the arms. If you only know one or two, do a quick internet search or ask a fitness professional to show you others. The more diverse you can keep your workout, the more you will see your arms change. This also applies to weight. You don’t have to lift the same amount of weight every day … in fact, you probably shouldn’t! Go heavy some days and lighter on others. Change it up to keep it both interesting and challenging in order to see the most drastic results.
With some dedication and perseverance, you can absolutely build an upper body to be proud of. And if you start now, you can build your arms through the winter and be ready for tank top weather in the spring. Just use these tips as a way to get a head start, and be proud of the strong and capable body that you’ll be left with at the end.
