Killer arms

April 21, 2008 3:48 AM

How do I add tone and definition to my upper arms?

I want my upper arms to look nice and toned this summer. I am a girl, petite, not overweight and with little exposure to sports. I recently started going to the gym and I want to do something about my flabby upper arms. So... What are the best exercises I could do to tone them up? How often should I do them, with how many repetitions? Should I change my diet at all? Eat less? more? more specific foods? For the record, I do not want superscary muscles a la Madonna but rather a nice, toned look. Thanks.

posted by barrakuda to health & fitness (18 comments total)

Try triceps chair dips. Adding extra weight probably won't be necessary.
posted by bunnytricks at 4:14 AM on April 21, 2008

juggling, clubs (fewer reps per day maybe 100) or balls (maybe 300 reps).
posted by singingfish at 4:50 AM on April 21, 2008

You may find this useful. Click on the muscles you wish to build and they provide you will a range of suitable exercises, with animated images showing exactly what you should be doing.
posted by fire&wings at 4:53 AM on April 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

5 pound hand weights, 3 sets of 10, have been sufficient for me with exercises targeted to those areas. (i.e. you don't have to go crazy with extra weights for tone as opposed to bulk.)

Don't neglect your shoulders, upper back, and pectorals--you want a balanced look.
posted by availablelight at 5:30 AM on April 21, 2008

There's no such thing as getting "toned": people gain muscle mass and/or lose fat. Leanness is accomplished in the kitchen, not the gym, but it sounds like you want to add a little mass as well. Since you're just starting out, worry less about exercise selection or intensity than volume; consistency is the key. Dips, regular or hammer dumbbell curls, tricep rope pulldowns, lateral or front raises with a dumbbell, etc. will all work fine. You'll get a fair bit of mileage out of so-called "beginner's gains" anyway.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 5:44 AM on April 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Depending on your BMI, you might have to lose body fat before muscle tone is apparent. That has been the case for me, at least. The Hacker's Diet gets a lot of positive publicity on this board if you are looking to change your eating habits. Also, whatever routine you decide on, I've always been told that less weight + more reps = tone, more weight + fewer reps = bulk. There are a lot of newb dumbbell arm routines floating around on the net, I would just pick one and go with it.
posted by jtfowl0 at 5:46 AM on April 21, 2008

I always recommend Stumptuous to women looking to build muscle. Look around that site.

Look at her Dork to Diva page for examples for correct form.

Lastly, if you can get in pool do it! Take swim lessons if you do not have proper form. Swimming will give you great shoulder, back, bicep, tricep muscles.
posted by collocation at 5:51 AM on April 21, 2008

There's no way you're going to develop beefy arms lifting small weights. Madonna and other celebs make it their business to stay super-trim and lean, which is not feasible for us regular folks, who can't hire a personal chef and trainer.

So what to do about your self-described flabby arms? You need to build muscle with resistance training and burn off the adipose tissue with aerobic and shorts bursts of anaerobic exercise. My suggestion is a short weights regimen, followed with a power walk, a run, a bike ride, or swimming. Make sure to include core building exercises as part of your workout.

Two important things with weights: 1. Mix up your regimen every few weeks, otherwise your muscles will fall into a rut and you won't be getting the full benefit. For example, the first four weeks do incline chest press, seated rows, biceps and triceps. The next four weeks, do lat pull downs, decline chest press, shoulder press and flies. There are dozens of upper-body exercises, so there's really very little reason you should get bored. 2. Work opposing muscles groups in the same workout: e.g., biceps and triceps. You're working the same muscles twice, in different ways, in eccentric and concentric contractions.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:55 AM on April 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

"I've always been told that less weight + more reps = tone, more weight + fewer reps = bulk."

That's a myth. As Inspector.Gadget says, there's no such thing as getting "toned". You can build muscle, and you can lose fat, that's it. The "toned" look is gotten by having decent, but not bulky, musculature and very low body fat.

To build muscle you should lift heavy weights with low reps. If you're doing more than 10-12 reps then you're doing too many. Don't be afraid of getting big and bulky, it simply won't happen. For one, it takes a lot of dedicated time and work at the gym to put on significant muscle mass. For two, women do not have the natural testosterone levels men do necessary to get big. For three, even if you did have the ability to get bulky, you would certainly notice and could back off.

So, to build muscle, lift heavy weights.

To lose fat, simply get your calorie expenditure above your calorie intake. Nothing complicated about that--you can eat less, or you can burn more. Heart health is important so some type of cardiovascular work like running, biking, or swimming is always a good idea.

On preview: I second everything computech_apolloniajames says.
posted by Khalad at 6:45 AM on April 21, 2008

run/bike/swim/row to get your BF% down. pull-ups, dips, push-ups, push-ups with elevated feet (gradually work up until your body is almsot vertical). once you're comfortable with those movements, move into weighted stuff: bench press, shoulder press, cleans, deadlifts, and add weight to the movements above.
posted by nameless.k at 7:22 AM on April 21, 2008

One of these days we're finally going to put to rest the "getting toned" myth!

Khalad and Computech are totally right in their exercise advice - now I'll give some diet tips.

If you're not overweight right now, you probably do a pretty good job eating, so you only have to make small adjustments. Try substituting a low-calorie protein shake in the morning instead of your normal breakfast. Don't eat carbs for dinner. Throw in some fish a few times a week for dinner.

Your body works harder processing protein than it does carbs - this also burns more calories. Also, remember to drink plenty of water. It'll help you feel full and is just so totally awesome.
posted by unexpected at 7:22 AM on April 21, 2008

Question for the experts here:

Isn't it the case that less weight + more reps = aerobic activity (which would help with muscle tone by lowering body fat)? That's what I always assumed was the reasoning behind the reps = tone, weight = mass arguments.
posted by jtfowl0 at 8:11 AM on April 21, 2008

jtfowl0,

when you lift light weights, it is aerobic activity, so that burns body fat (so you're right). The problem is, it's not the most efficient aerobic activity.

Many people are caught up in the idea that you can spot-burn fat. You can't. Your body has its own way of storing fat, and it will use that fat in the way it wants to. So, doing an aerobic activity in the upper arms doesn't make you lose fat in the upper arms.

Given that you can't spot-reduce fat, it makes more sense to do a better aerobic activity that also improves your cardiovascular system - like running, swimming, etc. You're getting more bang for your buck.

Additionally, you can "spot-increase" your muscles. If you work out your arm muscles, your arm muscles will grow- but you have to stress them with heavy weights.

So, the best way to improve definition is a combination of lifting heavy weights + reducing body fat.

You're not going to wake up one day looking like tarzan. It doesn't happen overnight. Muscle builds slowly- building muscle is just your cells expanding. they can either expand or contract - they can't "tone".

Additionally, there's a lot of evidence that long aerobic session aren't even the best way to burn body fat. Now the common course is HIIT - where you go really hard for a short time period, then slow for a time period, then really hard, then really slow, etc. (you can google for more). Lifting heavy weights for shorter reps is also more conducive to this.
posted by unexpected at 9:52 AM on April 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I guarantee you won't get freakishly big because if you start to get to too big, you'll lift smaller weights or just concentrate on aerobics for awhile.

I'm a woman. For me, heavy weights (e.g. 6-8 reps are really hard) + a good amount of protein = bigger muscles quickly. Lighter weights and no attention to protein = "toned" aka a small increase in muscle mass, or just maintenance of the muscle I have.

As others have said, part of the buff look is low body fat, so intense cardio workouts and diet are also important. And resting between workouts is mandatory. For example, work out your upper body at most three times a week. The muscle needs recovery periods to grow.

I use free weights. I agree with previous commenters that say to work opposing muscle groups. For example, I'll do a set of bicep curls for each arm, then a set of tricep kickbacks, then back to the bicep curls. You'll want to work shoulders, upper back, and pectorals too, though. It's all part of the looks-great-in-a-tank-top package.

Be sure to get exercises from reputable sources that pay attention to technique. I started out with a kind of embarrassing yet useful book by Joyce Vedral ("Bottoms Up"). I also use "Getting Stronger," which is basically an encyclopedia of moves by Bill Pearl.
posted by PatoPata at 10:10 AM on April 21, 2008

If you start out with light weights don't' be afraid to increase the weight. I see so many women at my gym lifting 3lb weights day in and out with bicep curls. I have gotten better results with heavier weights.
posted by Bunglegirl at 10:58 AM on April 21, 2008

Yeah, you need to lift as heavy as you can - if you hit failure after 5-10 reps, that is optimal. If you can only lift 10 pounds then you can only do that much, and don't be ashamed. But don't be one of those girls who uses tiny little 3lb weights and does 30 reps in a row, when you could be doing 20lb for 6-8 reps.
posted by spatula at 5:54 PM on April 21, 2008

It's not for everyone but...

I have big fat arms (lost a LOT of weight, but what's left seems to all be in my arms!) but still I've seen significant change in definition with pole dancing classes. I am lucky enough to have a women-only studio that offers a pole fitness class near me, so it's not "stripper class" but more "having fun dancing on a pole in yoga togs". Since you are lifting and holding your own body weight, it is a real upper body workout, lots of fun, and if you get into it and get a home pole, a special treat for someone.

Your mileage may vary!
posted by foxydot at 7:46 AM on April 22, 2008

I use one of those Denise Austin Power Belts when I walk. (I've become resigned to looking like a dork.) It's a painless way to add upper body work to the walks I was already taking.
posted by DawnSimulator at 11:47 AM on April 22, 2008