As a trainer, one of the spots everyone requests we work on and tone up is their arms!
Sorry to say, that even the leanest of bodies will have a bit of jiggle, so don’t get obsessed if your arm flaps when you smack at it! That being said, “toning up” means making the muscles tighter, denser, and more sculpted. The only way to do that is by hitting the weights!
Free weights and cables are my go-to for arms, especially if we wanna focus on the triceps (back of the arms). But, that’s icing on that sweet cake of yours! The best way to get your arms looking like Cameron Diaz’s are to do things that are functional. Think: push-ups, pull-ups, lifting, and pulling. It not only blazes calories, but moves like these get every muscle in your arm that you didn’t even know you had. I know for me, personally, after I mastered neutral-gripped pull-ups, I was blown away by the level of “toned” my arms became.
My favorite moves, incorporating functional training to get your arms looking tight lean are:
Push-ups
wide hands will get the full arms, more chest and armpits, whereas, hands tight to the “side boob”, and arms in an elbow-back position, will attack the triceps. Be warned: these
are hard work!
Rows
Pulling either one arm, on a cable, or both arms seated, these babies will give you a sexy back and rock hard triceps.
Overhead Lifting
With dumbbells or a barbell, pushing weight overhead will give you shoulder definition while working the arms simultaneously! Start light and work your way up with weight.
Pull-ups
These are really an upper body move that is above and beyond. It uses core, back, arms.the works! I start in the neutral grip (fists both pointing away) and then graduate to other grips, as my goal personally, is not to build out my lats (muscles on the back behind the armpit) too big! But, if a T-shape is your goal, grip wide!
Always ask a trainer for help, and many will help train you for pull-ups with a gigantic rubber band to get you there! When in doubt, you can always find an assisted pull-up machine at your gym.
Bear in mind, no working out is aesthetically effective if the diet is sloppy or inconsistent! What’s the purpose of sculpting the arms if they are hidden underneath a layer of flub? Eat clean, avoid processed sugars, skip soda (yes, especially diet!), and anything with a drive-thru drive past!
If you ever need any nutritional or training advice, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook at @AndreaLowellFitness! I’m always available to help you achieve your health goals! Happy flexing!
