If you're a girl and you notice that your upper arms aren't as tight as you'd like or they wiggle when you wave, you might consider this area your number one trouble spot. The upper arms contain the biceps and triceps muscles. The biceps are the larger muscles on the inside of the upper arm and the triceps are located on the back of the upper arm. Working out these muscles with strength training exercises can build muscle tissue while cardio exercise can help get rid of excess fat that hinders your arms from having a toned appearance.
Strength Training
Strength training use bodyweight, free weights, resistance bands and weighted exercise machines to exercise your upper arm muscles. If you want to build more muscle tissue, use weights that allow you to do six to eight repetitions before muscle failure. If your goal is to tone your muscles, use weights that will allow you to complete 12 to 15 repetitions. Complete five to 10 exercises per weight training session. Exercises like the bicep curl, hammer curl, concentration curl and supination curls target the biceps. To target your triceps use exercises like tricep kickbacks, dips and overhead tricep extensions. You can also implement bodyweight exercises that target both muscles at the same time like pushups, pullups and squat thrusts.
Cardio Exercises
Cardio exercise, such as swimming or step aerobics, is the key to losing body fat and preventing fat from accumulating in your upper arms. Choose activities that engage your whole body and cause you to burn a higher rate of calories per session. This will save you time and give you the best results. According to ShapeFit, running, cycling, hiking, kickboxing, jumping rope and skiing are some of the most beneficial types of cardio exercise.
Circuit Training
Circuit training combines strength training and cardio exercise into one, intense workout. When you perform these two styles of exercise together you enable your body to burn calories while also toning muscle at the same time. The objective is to alternate strength training intervals with cardio intervals. Each interval can last for 30 to 90 seconds. Choose five to 10 strength exercises and five to 10 cardio exercises. You can repeat the same exercise within the same circuit. At the end of a full circuit, take a minute or two to rest and repeat until you complete at least 20 minutes of exercise. For example, you could perform 30 seconds of pushups, jumping jacks, tricep dips, running in place, chest press, jump rope, wide pushups, jumping jacks, overhead tricep extensions and running in place.
Frequency
Cardio exercise should be done five to seven days a week for permanent body fat loss. Work at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes during each session. Strength training exercises for your arms can be done as many as three to four times a week, provided that you allow enough time for your muscles to rest. After a strength training session, your muscle fibers will need time to repair and recover. Allow 48 to 72 hours of rest in between each session.
Member Comments