Working hard at the gym every day for that perfect body is something we all aim for, but to reach your goal of that dream body you need to tone those arms as well. Now ladies, don’t worry if you aren’t getting huge gains quick enough, there’s an entire science behind this.
Biologically speaking, females do not produce enough testosterone to increase muscle size. That being said, even the biggest dude in the gym could tell you that it takes a long time to build muscles.
So to help you with that we have made a list of the top 10 arm exercises for women. Bicep and Triceps are directly associated with a symmetrical physique and for that reason, here’s a quick guide on how you can start work on those arms.
Where To Start?
Before we can dive into the exercises, we need to know how long you have to train your arms and the weight that you will use. The beauty of arms is that you don’t need to give them a lot of specific attention because most exercises that you do are working your arms as well.
For example, if you are doing a bench press, along with your chest, your bicep, triceps, and forearms are all engaged in the exercise. If you are going hard on your chest and back days, you don’t need to work a lot on your arms, since they are smaller muscles, making them easier to build.
It is preferred to work about 30-45 minutes, once a week. It is good to start with 8 to 12 pounds and increase the weight as you progress.
Note: Do try to make sure that you're wearing proper workout clothes for women before starting your workout.
Top 10 Arm Exercises For Women
Here’s a quick list of arm exercises that you could incorporate in your next workout.
1. Side Raise
- Stand straight with knees slightly bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang by your sides, palms facing in.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows as you raise your arms out to the sides until the dumbbells are level with your shoulders (make sure your palms are facing the floor).
- Complete 8 to 12 reps of the same.
2. Push-Ups
- Lay belly down on the floor, with your feet roughly 15-20 centimeters apart. Place your palms flat on the ground and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your body straight, come up onto your toes and lift your body off the floor with your arms until they are fully extended. Slowly bend your arms at the elbows and lower your chest towards the floor.
- Stop roughly 10-15 centimeters before touching the ground with your belly. Try to keep your back and legs straight.
- Push back up into the original position. That’s one push-up.
- Complete three sets of 8-12 reps.
3. Overhead Extension
- Grip the dumbbell with both of your hands and hold it vertically over your head.
- Keep wrists straight. Bend your elbows, lowering the dumbbell behind your head.
- Keep your upper arms close to your head and elbows pointing toward the ceiling.
- Straighten your arms upward; repeat to complete 8 to 12 reps.
4. Bicep Curls
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, grasping a dumbbell in each hand.
- With palm facing forward, bend your elbow and pull the weight up towards your shoulders.
- Lower your arm. Complete 8 to 12 reps.
5. Dumbbell Row
- Hold a dumbbell in your hand and get on one hand and knee on a bench. Keep your back straight; the elbow should be slightly bent and your palm facing inward.
- Make sure to align bent knee under hips and hand under the right shoulder.
- Tighten the abdominal muscles. Squeeze shoulder blades together and lift the weight upwards until the upper arm is parallel to the floor and elbow is slightly behind you.
- Return to start and finish the set.
- Do 8 to 12 reps, and switch sides.
6. Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms hanging relaxed in front of you, and holding the kettlebell with both hands.
- Bend your knees and lower the kettlebell down between your legs.
- In one quick movement, come out of the squat by straightening legs while swinging arms forward to eye level. The kettlebell should feel weightless at the top of this movement.
- Repeat for one minute.
- Instead of a one-minute time, you can also choose to do 8-12 reps of this arm exercise.
7. Dumbbell Kickback
- Start by holding dumbbells in both hands; bend forward from your hips, maintaining a straight spine and keeping your chest up. Keep neck aligned with your back so you are gazing at the floor slightly ahead of you. Bend elbows, keeping your upper arms alongside your body.
- Extend your arms one at a time behind you and squeeze your triceps muscle for a moment before returning to starting position.
- Do 8-12 reps on each side.
8. Dumbbell Punch
- Hold dumbbells while standing with feet shoulder-width apart and knees soft slightly bent.
- Punch your arms out in front of you one at a time for one minute; as you alternate back and forth, keep dumbbells at shoulder level. Avoid jerking your body, but do allow your hips to move naturally as you punch.
9. Triceps Dips
- Sit on the edge of a bench, knees bent at a 90-degree angle and feet planted on the floor.
- Grip the bench, hands on either side of your hips.
- Push glutes off the bench and lower body two or three inches down, bending elbows (keep elbows close together).
- Then raise body back to starting position.
- Do 8-12 reps.
10. Dumbbell Curl to Press
- Stand holding both dumbbells next to your hips with feet shoulder-width apart.
- With palms facing toward your body, curl arms up to your shoulders.
- Continue to push both arms up toward the ceiling, pausing for a second when your arms are fully extended before returning to starting position.
- Do 8-12 reps.
Sounds tough? We know, but this can be a great way to tone those arms and add some beauty to those tank tops and t-shirts you can’t wait to wear in the summers.
The struggle doesn’t just end there, if you are looking for more arm exercises or diets that you can implement, do check out our blog on 6 best arm exercises for strength.
