Working your arms out and shoulders is a sure fire way in order to get toned, attractive muscles in this part of your body. However, there are additional health reasons to consider include arm strength work to your exercise routine, particularly if you’re over 30.
As you become older, your muscles start to lose mass. This process is known as sarcopenia. After 30, you may lose as much as between 3% to 5% of muscle mass every 10 years. Strength training is responsible for building muscle mass to replace what you lose owing to the natural process of ageing.
Losing muscles mass in your upper body may result in weakness and loss of range of motion. Over the long term, you might find that you have trouble lifting daily objects, such as a bag of groceries or a suitcase.
As well, you may notice that you aren’t able to reach up or out as well anymore. Putting objects in a high cabinet might be more of a challenge than it was in the past. Even driving could be more difficult without adequate strength as well as flexibility in your arms and shoulders.
So, given the importance of upper body strength here are a number of exercises to develop arm strength.
Exercises to develop arm strength
Bicep Curl
Stand up tall with your feet being shoulder-distance apart. Hold a weight in each hand. Beginning with the weights by your thighs, palms facing forward, and elbows glued to your hips, lift the weights towards your shoulders. Release to start; that’s one rep. Repeat.
Arm Circles
This beginner exercise concentrate on the shoulder muscles. It isometrically strengthens the biceps as well as your triceps. You are able to make smaller or larger circles however make sure that you maintain tension down your arm during the full set.
To do arm circles:
- Stand up tall and have your arms straight out to your sides. Your muscles need to be contracted down the length of your arm.
- Gently make circles with your arms by rotating them around your shoulders while maintaining them straight and your elbows locked with tension.
- Do three sets of between 10 to 20 repetitions in both directions. You can do sets of large or small diameter circles to slightly change the effort required.
Triceps Extension
This exercise targets the triceps in isolation while training strength and stability in your shoulders as well as your core.
You can do this move utilising either a TRX suspension system or resistance bands. If you’re utilising TRX, adjust the straps to mid-length so that the handles are between your hip and chest height:
- Grab onto the TRX handles, with your palms facing down, and stand under the anchor point with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Straighten your arms and then hold them parallel to the ground at chest height.
- After this lean forward into the straps and move your weight onto your toes (your body should be leaning forward between 30 and 45 degrees).
- This is the beginning position. From here, bend your elbows in order to lower your body as far as you are able to comfortably go.
- Press your triceps in order to straighten your elbows and go back to the starting position for one repetition.
- Make sure that you keep your shoulders still and your body in a straight line from heel to head throughout the movement in order to isolate the triceps.
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