The Best Arm Exercises
What kind of exercises are best for strengthening and toning the arms? By Barbara Russi Sarnataro Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Admit it. It feels great when you can lift a child without a second thought, open a jar without asking for help, or carry in a 40-pound dog-food bag by yourself. You can thank your arm muscles, which is a huge part of many activities of daily life. Unfortunately, we often neglect our arms until sleeveless season rolls around. But when you're ready to take that step, just what are the best arm exercises for strengthening and toning? WebMD asked fitness experts to share some of their tips for building stronger, tighter arm muscles. The Benefits of Upper Body Strength Arm toning and strengthening exercises are important throughout life, says Dan Agresti, exercise physiologist and owner of ProActive Health and Fitness in Denver. And the benefits go way beyond looking good in a tank top. Life is a lot better when you're strong," says Agresti. "It's fun to know I can do just about any task." Having upper body strength also helps us combat the physical pitfalls of our culture. "We live in such a flexed-posture society, says Lori Incledon, athletic trainer and author of Strength Training for Women. Being hunched over the computer, in front of the TV, and at the steering wheels of our cars takes a toll, she says. The shoulder girdle becomes stretched, the chest muscles get tighter, and we set ourselves up for decreased range of motion and potential injury. "We're never going to be able to reach for the cup on the highest shelf anymore" if we don't balance out our muscles with exercise, says Incledon, of Chandler, Ariz. Arm Toning Tips: The Whole-Body Prescription As we all know by now, you cannot spot-reduce an area. So we need to think about the bigger picture. "The emphasis should be on the entire body -- and cardio and diet," says Nutting. Diet and nutrition are a huge part of the equation, says Agresti. If you work the arms and don't see results, look at your whole program: "Underneath that fat is the most beautiful set of arms you've ever seen," he says. Nutting, Agresti, and Incledon all use multi-muscle, multi-joint exercises for their clients, so they work more muscle at one time, thus increasing the calorie burn. "We need to train the body the way it was designed to work," says Agresti. Otherwise, "there's not a lot of crossover into the real world." You need to use some sort of resistance to really strengthen the upper body and tone the arms, whether it's weights, bands, machines, cables, grocery bags, or your own body weight. You also need to be willing to push yourself a little, says Agresti. "If you want to tone and shape your arms, you have to use a bigger weight," Agresti says. "I don't think women tend to push themselves with sufficient weight and to the level of effort and fatigue necessary." It's all about motivation, says Agresti. "Could you have done more? For $100,000 could you have doubled the reps?" If your response is 'You bet,' he says, you're cheating yourself. Bulking Up? Women sometimes ask if the workouts will lead to too much bulking up. If you feel a little bigger at first, it may not be your imagination. "When you first start lifting, there's a big influx of carbohydrates and water to that area," as your body attempts to protect itself from something it's not accustomed to, says Incledon. "It's a beginner thing. At first, you'll get a bit more of a bulky feeling, but after a month, the body regulates." Another reason you may look bulkier is because you're building muscle under a layer of fat. Once the fat comes off, the bulkiness gives way to the lean muscle underneath. And you don't have to treadmill yourself to death to shed that layer of flab, says Incledon. "It's a myth that the only way you can affect body composition is by cardiovascular exercise," she says. In a sense, "anything you do that is exercise is cardiovascular, because you have to work your heart and lungs to lift a weight." If you're crunched for time (and who isn't?), work smart: Do exercises that use lots of body parts at once, minimize rest periods, and work to fatigue. 4 Multi-Tasking Arm Exercises Try these four multi-joint, multi-muscle exercises from Agresti, Nutting, and Incledon to develop beautifully toned arms and upper body strength. 1. Push-up/Tricep Push-up
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