11 Arm Exercises to Give You Great Guns for the New Year
While we’re sure you’ve been really diligent about watching your waistline with all these decadent holiday meals, cozy-sweater weather often means your arms go forgotten. That’s why we’ve gathered some arm-sculpting moves that will get you toned up and ready to rock some sleeveless dresses once more, FLOTUS-style.
1. Opposite Arm and Leg Lift: Stretching is always a smart step before any workout, and this particular move is great for getting the shoulders moving, lengthening the back and even getting some bonus legwork. (via Well Girl)
2. Arm Circles: Start off nice and easy with some classic arm circles, keeping the rotations tight and reversing the direction. They may be small movements, but you’ll be feeling the burn after about a minute. (via Skinny Mom)
3. Kickbacks With a Twist: Kickbacks are a must when toning the triceps. Holding some dumbbells, start out bent at the waist with a straight back, and extend your arms behind you for the traditional move. For a twist, rotate your wrists palm-up before returning to the starting position. (via Skinny Mom)
4. Bent Over Row: Row, row, row your ‘bells… beginning again with a bent waist and flat back. Extend your arms straight out, then pull them toward your chest. These target your upper back and triceps — good thing you stretched that back already. (via Glamour)
5. Reverse Fly: Bend your knees and waist again, then spread those wings, extending your arms and squeezing your shoulder blades together. This move is great for your posture as well as your arms, so always make sure your back stays straight. (via PopSugar)
6. Dumbbell Skull Crusher: Don’t mind the name of this one; the only thing you’ll be crushing is your New Year’s fitness resolution. While laying back on a stability ball or bench, bend your elbows so the dumbbells hang in front of your face, then extend the arms. (via Prevention)
7. Diamond Push-Ups: Nothing beats a classic, but if you want a new variation on a push-up, touch the tips of your fingers together in a diamond shape, just below your sternum. It gives your triceps some extra work to do. (via Dawna Stone)
8. Push-Ups With Rotation: Another spin on the push-up is literally a spin. Begin with a plank (the move that works it all), lower yourself into a push-up and then as you come back up, rotate your upper body toward the ceiling. Repeat the push-up and rotate to the other side. (via PopSugar)
9. Close Grip Chin-Ups: Fight those bad memories of having to do pull-ups in front of the rest of the P.E. class, because this is a really effective bicep workout. If you can’t lift your bodyweight from a dead hang yet, don’t sweat it. You can give yourself some momentum with a jump as long as you can hold yourself up for at least five seconds. (via Women’s Health)
10. Concentration Curl: You’ve probably seen this one before, performed by someone sitting in front of a mirror while taking sneaky peeks at their own amazing biceps. Turns out it’s not just a gym vanity thing. Some researchers have determined that the concentration curl is the most effective exercise for the big guns because it isolates the bicep muscle. So go ahead and flex. (via Strong Fitness Magazine)
11. The 15-Minute Bye Bye Arm Jiggle Workout: Ain’t no thang like a chicken wing, especially after tackling this series of arm exercises that you can do in the amount of time it takes you to decide what you’re going to wear to work. (via Women’s Health Mag)
What arm exercises really pump (*clap*) you up? Show off your guns in the comments below.
