You can use 5-pound weights to perform several effective exercises. Because 5 pounds is a relatively light weight, you will want to focus on smaller muscle groups such as triceps, biceps and shoulders.
Tricep Exercises
The triceps are smaller muscles that run along the back of the arm. When training your triceps, you need smaller weights so the 5-pound weights are perfect, especially for women. If you need more weight to challenge your triceps, and you have only 5-pound weights, you can hold two 5-pound weights in one hand. Try the following exercises for strengthening and sculpting your arms.
Tricep kickback: Hold one weight in your right hand and place your left hand on a sturdy bench or chair. Place your left foot close to the bench and step your right foot back so that you can lean forward from your waist and feel supported with your left arm. Next, pull your right arm close to your side and bend your elbow until the elbow is slightly higher than your back. Straighten your arm and move the weight back toward your hip, then bend the arm back to starting position.
Tricep extension: In a standing position, hold one weight in your right hand and lift your right arm straight up over your shoulder. Try to keep your upper arm close to the side of your head throughout this exercise. Slowly bend your elbow and lower the weight behind your head, then straighten your arm back to the starting position.
Bicep Moves
The biceps run along the front of your arm, and the primary exercise to tone them is the bicep curl. In a standing position, hold a weight in each arm and let your arms hang by your sides. Keep your upper arms pressing into your ribs, and keep your shoulder blades pulled toward each other. With your palms facing your legs, slowly bend the elbows and bring the weights up toward your shoulders as far as you can, then lower the arms back to starting position. There are also some variations to this exercise that will work the biceps slightly differently to target all areas of the muscle.
Rotation curl: From the same starting position, as you bring the weights up, rotate your palms to face upward. As you lower the weights, rotate your palms back in to face your legs. This will give added work to the bicep muscle that lies more on the outside of the front arm.
Half curl: Instead of starting with your arms straight, bend the elbow slightly to start. As you curl the weights up toward your shoulders, stop three inches before you get to your shoulders, then lower back to the start position of slightly bent elbows. This prevents your muscles from getting a rest and makes them work harder.
Shoulder Work
The shoulder muscles are also smaller muscles that work primarily to move the arms. Because a straight arm is a long lever, it can be quite challenging for the shoulder muscles to move with heavy weights. By using 5-pound weights, you can successfully strengthen the shoulders.
Lateral raise: In a standing position, hold a weight in each arm with the arms hanging by your sides and your palms facing the legs. Slowly lift both arms straight out to the side, stopping when your hands are shoulder level. Return the arms back to the starting position with control and focus on keeping your abdominals engaged throughout the exercise.
Front raise: Start in a standing position with your arms hanging in front of you, a weight in each hand, and palms facing your thighs. Slowly lift both arms straight out in front of you until your hands are shoulder level. Be careful to keep your arms straight throughout the movement. Return the weights back to the starting position with control.
References
- "The Personal Trainer's Guidebook"; Teri S. O'Brien, MS; 1997
- "Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement"; Lawrence A Golding, PhD and Scott M Golding, MS; 2003
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