Combining arm exercises with fat-reducing ones promotes muscle and tone.
This week we are going to be focusing on the arms. For most women, the shape of their arms can really deteriorate over a number of years, leaving them sagging, which is also known as bingo wings.
One of the best ways to combat this is to follow a strength-training routine that will not just help build the muscles – so that you can have a more toned and defined arm – but will also help reduce your amount of body fat. After all, it’s this and a lack of muscle that causes drooping.
When training my arms, I usually focus on working a larger muscle group with them, for example I may work on my back along with my biceps. One of the main reasons I do this is because when you train your back, the smaller muscle group of biceps is also used. Therefore, working on them at the same time means you get in compound exercises. With that done, you can then isolate the biceps if you like. The same can be said for working the chest or shoulders with the triceps. A classic example of this can be seen in the standard push-up. This exercise primarily focuses on the chest, but it also uses the shoulders and triceps as secondary muscle groups. Using this alongside a tricep dip means you fully engage the tricep.
Some of my favourite combinations for working larger and smaller muscle groups in the gym are chin-ups with hammer curls, deadlifts with 21s on the barbell, and also cable rows accompanied with some concentration curls. If you are not a member of a gym, have a go at the bodyweight, chest and tricep combinations listed opposite.
Focus on the arms
Floor dip
- Sit on the floor with your hands behind you, your fingers pointing toward your feet and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the ground so your weight is on your hands and feet.
- Dip down to the ground, bending at the elbows, then return to the starting position. Your glutes should not touch the ground throughout.
Uni box push up
- Support your body on your toes, with one hand on a low step box (a step is ideal if at home) and the other on the floor, with elbows bent and your chest almost touching the floor.
- Push up to a straight-arm position, then lower down to the ground, keeping your back flat throughout. Repeat all reps on one side before alternating.
Diamond crunch
- Lay on your back with the soles of your feet together, knees out to the sides and your arms straight up over your chest.
- Raise your head and shoulders off the floor. Lower the body back down to start position, then repeat the movement. Keep the soles of the feet together throughout.
Press up
- Start on your knees or your toes, with your hands under your chest and your back flat in the plank position.
- Lower yourself down to the ground, then rise back up to the starting position. Keep your back flat throughout.
