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Strength Training: Toning and Building the Arms

Well toned arms are one of the trademarks of a fit person. For guys, they are often the main focus of training and the proof of progress. For women, they are the telltale mark of a truly fit chick or just a cardio bunny. These tips will help guys gain the amazing shirt stretching guns they want as well as help the women establish themselves as the rare breed who actually have a little upper body strength and balance to their bodies.

Despite the observable differences men an women have in the arms, the musculature is exactly the same. Women usually have different proportions and qualities, but the underlying muscles are exactly the same as men. Because of this, the approach to training will be much the same. The only difference between men and women when it comes down to training the arms, and everything in general, it that women will be using lighter weight and will have different goals in mind. For example, most women want to tone their arms, but not gain much size. This can be easily avoided by doing two things for the female athlete. The first is to lift lighter, and the second is to watch calorie intake. If a woman uses perfect form and keeps her diet at bay, then she will find it impossible to get the much dreaded hulk arms that many men desire. This is because she will be using appropriate weight without lifting too heavy and her diet will not allow for the sizable gains that she dreads.

The anatomy of the arm consists of the bicep muscles and the tricep muscles. Many people have a misconception about the arms because the focus is often on the bicep muscles. This is a mistake because the bicep muscles only account for one third of the actual arm musculature. The other two thirds are the tricep muscles. Because of this, at least two thirds of our arm training will be on these tricep muscles.

The tricep muscles work to extend the elbow. There are many exercises that should be done but in general, it is best to do the compound exercises and heavier lifts first. Then, once the tricep muscles are exhausted, switch to more isolated movements. In general, heavier pressing movements such as bench press or close grip bench press should be done first and then more isolated movements should be conducted. If your goal is to increase your strength, isolated movements don't need to be done at all. If your goal is to keep your current size, then isolated movements will help to add shape to your arms at their current size.

The bicep muscles are the antagonist muscles to the triceps so it is good to work the two groups together back to back without rest using supersets. This way, you can increase the intensity and blood flow to your upper extremities and get maximal results in your arm training. Keep in mind when training your bicep muscles that they only account for one third of your arm mass so they should be second in priority to the tricep muscles which are more powerful and larger muscles. The final thing to keep in mind when training the arms is that you have to be careful not to over train them. The arms are included in almost every upper body exercise and this must be taken into account in your training schedule because it is easy to accidentally train them two days in a row. This is not recommended because they typically need at least a days rest to recover.

I've written some other articles to help you with your workout results. You can read more and join in the discussion of these workout articles in our Forums.

• Nutrition: Before you even start thinking about exercising.
• Nutrition: What is the best nutritional program?
• Nutrition: Alcohol (The good and the bad)
• Nutrition: Milk - "It does a body bad, real bad"
• Strength Training: "Just do it" Why Nike has it right...
• Strength Training: It's called Intensity!!
• Strength Training: Toning and Building the Arms
• Strength Training: The Best Exercise Routine For Busy People
• Strength Training: Ladies! Toning your Thighs and Butt.
• Strength Training: How can I be Consistent with my Workouts and get Results with my busy schedule?
• Strength Training: How to get a Sexy Flat Stomach
• Strength Training: Getting Bulky
• Cardiovascular Training: It is crucial to know your why...
• Cardiovascular Training: Why you should be exercising less
• Cardiovascular Training: Cardio the right way, intensity.
• Commitment: It takes six weeks
• Commitment: How I went from cute pretty boy to hot stud in 5 seconds flat
• Commitment: Train for your potential

Contact Us with your questions and suggestions for more articles

Please Note

The articles are only simple guidelines. They do not stand alone in your success. Workout 4 Results specializes in providing results and forming your body into a balanced, athletic, and aesthetic shape. In every case, this requires individualized programming in every area of each dimension. Your diet, your resistance program, and your cardiovascular program, and even your committed approach will all be unique in order to reap the biggest results.