A lot of women want to know how to tone their arms. The old wobbly tuck shop lady arm is probably the most feared of all the aging processes (aside from sagging boobs!). However, there are several exercises that you can do to tone your arms in a hurry. Today I am going to show you what they are.
UPDATE: You might want to check out our super article called the Busy Woman’s Guide to Staying Toned, Sexy and Healthy for more arm toning tips and hints.
4 exercises that will tone your arms and burn fat fast
Some of these exercises might seem a little intimidating. Don’t be afraid. If you want to see big results you need to take big chances. Life is short and you only get a certain amount of time to try certain things. Take a leap of faith and enjoy the results!
1. Boxing classes
If you want to tone your arms fast you need to get into a boxing class today. Look through your phone book and you will find them dotted all over your city. The classes are cheap, extremely hard work and a lot of fun. And as an added bonus you learn how to defend yourself in a very real way – boxing is not like martial arts, it teaches you how to fight for real.
Boxing is one of the best weight loss exercises there is. Why? Because it uses your whole body in an aerobic and anaerobic way. That means you are doing cardio and weights all at once. A good boxing class will consist of:
- Punching speed bags
- Hitting the heavy bag
- Skipping rope
- Weight training
- Perhaps some sparring
Boxing has a heavy emphasis on the arms and the upper body. If you take your boxing class seriously you will get an arm workout like no other and you will see results almost straight away. If you want to tone your arms fast this is my number one recommendation.
If you are a little nervous about going to a class then ask a friend to come along with you. They will probably pair you up together and as such you will be a lot less intimidated. Also, there are lots of women’s only boxing classes out there if you don’t want to train with men.
2. Yoga
Yoga is an ancient Indian discipline that is designed to harmonize your body and mind in order for you to achieve true happiness. It is now one of the most popular forms of exercise in America and for good reason – it works.
Many yoga exercises require that you use your upper body and arm strength to support your weight. This means that you will be working the triceps, biceps and forearms whilst toning and healing the rest of your body.
Yoga is an especially good form of exercise to take up if you are stressed, unhealthy or looking for something new to try. Since I have started I have lost weight, toned my muscles and feel a lot healthier in almost every way.
3. Pushups
Pushups are one of the oldest and most effective exercises. The wonderful thing about them is that there are so many different varieties. Each one works in a different way and targets a different muscle.
If you want to use pushups to tone your arms there are several things you can do. First of all, make sure each pushup is done in a very slow and controlled manner. This keeps the tensions on the muscles and stops you from using bad technique.
Secondly, you can try different positions of the hands – try a wide stance, narrow stance and a stance where your left hand is further forward that your right hand (and then swap). These different positions will target different areas or your arms, shoulders and chest.
Finally, clap pushups are the ultimate in fast paced exercise. The way you do them is by pushing yourself off the ground and doing a hand clap before you hit the ground. It takes a lot of strength, coordination and effort – a perfect arm toner!
4. Machine rowing
The rowing machine at your gym is one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in the whole building. It is a fantastic form of cardio that burns a lot of calories whilst giving you a full body workout. If you spend time on the rower you will soon see that your whole body gets leaner, tighter and a lot more toned.
The arms get an especially hard workout on the rower as they have to coordinate with your back muscles to pull the chord back and get you moving. The fantastic thing about this movement is that you keep a constant tension on your arms as you pull back which really makes your arms hurt.
Try and use some of the programs on the rowing machine as they push you a lot harder than you would normally push yourself. Every time I go to the gym I row at least 1.5 miles and I have seen some amazing results. Try it for yourself and let us know how you go.
Conclusion
Remember that toning your arms is about the type of exercise you do and how you do it. There is no point doing something half hearted – you have to work hard. Also, you need to make sure that your diet is clean and healthy or all the exercise in the world won’t tone your arms. Once you get these two things under control you will only be a few weeks away from some toned and tight biceps, triceps and forearms.