Having strong and flexible muscles is important for maintaining a healthy body. If you want to add some muscle definition, your arms are a good place to start. Having strong biceps will help boost your physical strength and ability to lift, which is not just for looks, but is important for one’s personal health as well. Getting started on improving your arms’ definition is easy, as there are many simple techniques you can use to keep your arms in good shape. Read on for five basic exercises you can do to build up your arm strength.
1. Arm Curls With Weights
The best way to get started on shaping up your arms is to get some dumbbells and begin some basic bicep peak workouts. If you are not accustomed to lifting heavy weights yet, start light as to not strain yourself.
Once you have your preferred weights, start with one weight in each hand at your sides. Slowly curl your arms up toward your shoulders, remembering to breathe while doing so, and bring your arms back down in a smooth and slow movement. Repeat until you have done between eight and ten reps. Do not exceed ten reps at a time when you are first starting out. While you may be tempted to get through this exercise as quickly as possible, take your time and don’t overexert yourself.
2. Arm Stretches
Stretching your biceps is a good way of maintaining flexibility. Try stretching before workouts to loosen up your muscles. A basic bicep stretch involves swinging and rotating your arms while standing up straight. You can also stretch in either standing or sitting positions. Keeping your arms limber can help facilitate movement during workouts.
- Push-ups
If you don’t have weights at home, doing push-ups is a great exercise for working your arms and upper body. Lie face-down with your palms on the floor shoulder width apart and your legs stretched out behind you. From this position, use your upper body strength to slowly lift yourself off the ground. Lower yourself and repeat the movement, remembering to breathe as you do so. When doing any kind of stretches and exercises, it can be easy to forget to breathe, so make a conscious effort to keep a flow of oxygen going as you perform push-ups and other workouts.
This activity will increase your arm strength as well as tone your chest and upper body. Pace yourself and try not to do more than what you can handle when you first start out. As you become more confident in your abilities, you can try different push-up methods such as adding a clap between each movement.
4. Chin-ups
After you become more comfortable with exercising your arms, you can move on to some more advanced exercises. Acquire a pull-up bar to start working on chin-ups and pull-ups, which help improve your upper body and bicep strength.
Hold on to your pull-up bar with your palms facing you. Once in a stable position, pull your chest up until your chin is above the bar, then lower yourself back down slowly, repeating the process.
5. Shoulder Presses
Shoulder presses with dumbbells tone your shoulders and arms. Choose weights that you will be comfortable lifting over your head. Stand up straight while holding the weights with your arms in a 90-degree angle and your palms facing out. Carefully lift both weights above your head, then lower to the starting position, repeating the process.
Working on your arms does more than just improve your aesthetics. Having a strong upper body and arms are ultimately beneficial to your health. Start slowly and try not to overwork yourself, and you will soon feel and see a big improvement.
Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash
