just for womens

Every woman seems to want toned arms. In this blog I will go through some of the basics of an arms toning workout and then put it all together in a routine that you can take to the gym.

The essentials of arm toning

If you have only just found this site then there are a few things we talk about over and over that you need to know when you are trying to tone your arms.

1 – To tone a muscle you need to lose fat
This is the big essential tip that you need to learn from this post. Arm toning is not possible without losing fat. And, sadly, it is not possible to lose fat off of only your arms. This means that if you want to tone your arms you need to start a weight loss program that will help you lose weight off of your whole body.

It is only when your body has a low body fat percentage that your muscles will start to shine through as defined and firm. So, weight loss is just as important as muscle gain when it comes to arm toning.

2 – You need to work with weights to build muscle
On the other side of the equation is it the muscle that you build that shows through whatever fat you have on your arm. The bigger the muscles the better they will show through.

Many women worry about getting bulky but this isn’t really a concern as women do not have the necessary testosterone to get big. However, if you WANT to get big there are many ways to do it but that is for another post.

3 – You need to work with heavy weights
If anyone at your gym tells you to use light weights with high reps to tone your arms then I want you to spit on their shoes! Just kidding. Working out with lighter weights and higher reps is a bad rumor that we should all ignore.

The reason is simple. When you weight train your break your muscles slightly and them rebuilding is muscle growth. Heavy weights obviously stresses them more and will amount to more muscles being torn and rebuilt. Heavy weights will also speed up your metabolism which in turn will burn more fat thus helping you tone your arms.

The exercises for the workout
The exercises you will be using for your arm toning workout are simple weight lifting exercises that are done with free weights (bar bells and dumb bells). They are:

Biceps

1 – Bar bell curl
Standing with your feet shoulder width apart grab a bar bell about shoulder width apart. With your elbows locked firmly to a position by your side, lift the weight up using your biceps to the top of your chest. Lower it slowly down without moving your elbows and repeat.

2 – Alternate dumb bell curl
Standing with feet shoulder width apart grab two dumb bells and let them rest at your side. Tensing your bicep curl one dumb bell up and twist it so that when the dumb bell reaches it’s top position near your shoulder your palm is facing your shoulder. As you lower this dumb bell down to it’s starting position repeat with the opposite arm.

Triceps

1 – Close grip bench press
Laying on a bench take a medium heavy bar bell a bit narrower than shoulder width grip and bring it down to your lower ribs. Push the weight up using your triceps and lower it to the same position. Just before it reaches your chest fire it up in the pushing direction again before it gets a chance to rest on your body. This prevents your chest from taking over with the weight lifting.

2 – Tricep kickbacks
Take a light dumb bell in your right hand. Place your left hand and left knee on a low flat bench. Keeping your back straight lift your elbow so that your upper arm is in line with your torso. Slowly tense your tricep and lift the dumb bell to a position where you arm is almost locked out straight. Lower and repeat.

The arm toning workout
These are the basic four exercises that you will use to build your foundation of strength and technique. Remember, without perfect technique you will not make any progress so exert yourself in making sure that your posture and lifting method is perfect.

1. Warm up with some cardio, stretching and light weights.
2. Bar bell curls – 4 sets of 10-15 reps
3. Narrow grip bench press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps
4. Alternate dumb bell curls – 4 sets of 8-10 reps
5. Tricep kickbacks – 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Remember, when a rep number says 8-10 it means that you should pick a weight that causes you to ‘fail’ in that rep range. It does not mean that you pick a light weight and only do 8 reps. It means you should be struggling to get to 8.

Perform each exercise with care and slowly. Do not be tempted to pump out the reps quickly.

Top 5 Arm Toning Exercises

Here are my favorite exercises for working the arms and getting them nice and toned. I use them myself and get many of my clients to do the same.

NB – When I talk about toning the arms I mean the biceps and the triceps. I will not be looking at forearms or shoulders in this post.

1 – Bar Bell Bicep Curls

This should be the core bicep exercise in your bicep routine. It allows you to go heavy and is one of the easiest to do in terms of getting the technique correct.

How to – Stand with feet shoulder width apart and lift up the bar bell. Lift up your chest so that your shoulders are lower than your chest but your back is still straight. Curl the bar bell up to just above your pectoral muscles and slowly lower back down.

It is of paramount importance that your elbows do not move during this exercise. Make sure they stay solid next to your side.

2 – Skull Crushers

This is a tricep exercise that will pack on the progress if you do it correctly. If you don’t, it might pack on the injuries!

How to – Lie on a flat bench and take light bar bell. Lift the weight over your head with your palms facing the roof. Now shift the weight backwards so if you were to drop it it would land on the floor behind your head and so that your triceps are pointing behind you instead of straight up. In this fixed position, lift the weight up until you have a straight arm and then lower it slowly until you get a deep stretch.

This is one of my all time favorite triceps exercises and has allowed me to make some significant growth.

3 – Alternate Dumb Bell Curl

The alternate dumb bell curl is a great biceps exercise as it allows you to focus on one arm at a time and gives the other arm a rest. For this reason you can handle more weight and perfect your technique at the same time.

How to – Take two dumb bells and stand with your back straight. Assuming the same position as in the bar bell curl, curl one dumb bell up to your shoulder as if you were trying to curl it PAST your shoulder. This gives a tighter contraction. Slowly lower the dumb bell and rotating it until it is in the resting position by your side, lift the other weight at the same time.

Tip – Make sure this exercise is down slowly and with extra control.

4 – Close Grip Bench Press

This exercise allows you to use a heavy weight in a safe way. However, it is slightly more tricky to perform than it looks.

How to – Take a medium bar bell and lie on a flat bench. Push the bar bell up until you arms are locked and then lower it down slowly. Just before it hits your chest push it up quickly with a little bouncing motion for about two inches. This short stop and bounce stops your chest muscles coming into play here and keeps the weight on your triceps. It’s a great secret.

5 – Cable Curls

As you know I’m not a big fan of exercise equipment but the cables allowed me to build my biceps so fast I got stretch marks at one point! This exercise has been core in my biceps routine for a long time.

How to – It is exactly the same as the bar bell curl but there is a constant tension on your muscles because the cable is always trying to pull the weight back down. For this reason you will fid it much harder to handle a lot of weight. Remember to keep your elbows still and your chest up.

Those are the top 5 exercises for toning the arms.