The first thing that made me think about writing this was a fellow member of the boards, Patty Ann. She had emailed me requesting some suggestions for a good arm workout since she has started doing some weight training. I thought about all the current exercises that I do when I’m at the gym and I provided her with some options that she can do at home. These are some ideas for those of you who don’t have access to a gym or weight machines.
Personally when I’m doing arms I focus on three different areas: Biceps, Triceps and Shoulders. For each exercise I normally try to do 3 sets of 12, but remember to always listen to your body and do what you can. You don’t want to over-do it and end up hurting yourself or pulling a muscle. If you do own your own set of hand weights or free weights, try incorporating them into your workouts and if not, you can always start out by doing the exercises without weights.
Bicep Curls - Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees relaxed. Grasp a barbell with your hands also shoulder width apart. Your grip should be underhand (palms facing upwards). Stand upright and let the bar hang in front of your thighs. Bend at your elbows to curl the bar to shoulder level. Pause momentarily at this top position. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
Tricep Exercises – These are a little harder to explain so I will provide some pictures to give you an idea of what it would look like.
Tricep Kickbacks:
Tricep Dips:
For this one you would start with your arms above your head and then bring them back as shown in the following picture.
Shoulders -
There are many different ways you can work out your arms, even if you don’t own a set of hand weights, there are other things you can try. Fill up some larger water bottles and use those for added weight or try using some of the bigger soup cans as well. Again, if you find it too hard to do with the weight, just start off by doing the exercises without weights and as you build up your strength and endurance, you can start adding the weight after.
Make sure you do the exercise with proper form and if you feel any pressure or strain, don’t keep doing the exercise. Make sure you don’t bend your wrists on any of the exercises as well. Try to do more than one of the exercise as well. For instance do 3 sets of 12 for the tricep kickbacks and then on the same day do 3 sets of 12 on the tricep dips. Most importantly, try to give your body a new challenge each day.
For myself I split up my weight training into 5 days, so on Wednesday’s I do my biceps, triceps and shoulders along with my cardio. I usually do 2 or 3 different weight machines for each muscle so that they all get a good workout.