Arms are such a beautiful part of our body. Toned arm muscles look great in a spaghetti strap dress. They help us do daily tasks that use strength, such as chores and heavy lifting. Our arm muscles also allow us to wrap our fingers around a baby’s tiny hand. But best of all, we can hug our loved ones thanks to our arm muscles!
We know that strong arm muscles are essential. So, why do we forget about keeping them strong?
This article will tell you the reasons why you need to get those arm muscles in better shape. You will also learn the best beginner arm exercises to give you results in as little as two weeks.
So, if you have ignored those arms of yours, do not worry.
Help is here!
Basic Arm Muscle Anatomy
The arm is a complex set of over 20 muscles that attach to the bones of our arms. This is a diagram of the more commonly known arm muscles.
You may be familiar with the name deltoid, bicep, triceps, flexors, and extensors. Each of these muscles plays a vital role in the movements we can make with our arms, wrists, and hands.
These are the muscles we are going to focus on.
Types of Arm Muscle Movements
Did you know that our arm muscles are responsible for six different types of movement? Something as simple as wiping a stray strand of hair from your face uses all six movements.
Flexion:
This is when two body parts move toward each other. Bending your elbow to move your forearm and upper closer to one another (like the diagram above) is flexion.
Extension:
This is when you move your arm from a bent position to a straight position.
Abduction:
This is the movement of one body part away from another. Reaching up to get a dish from the top shelf in your kitchen is an abduction movement.
Adduction:
This is the opposite of abduction. Adduction movements bring one limb close to the center of your body. So, when you give yourself a hug, you are performing and adduction movement.
Pronation:
This is when you turn or hold your limb facing downward. For example, when you place your palm down on a table, you are pronating your arm.
Supination:
This is the movement of the forearm and hand so that your palm is facing up. When someone asks you to hold out your hand so a surprise can be placed in it, you are supinating.
Test Your Arm Knowledge
Here is a comment from one of my blog readers:
‘Now that social distancing is a big thing, I wave to people more often. Wow! I never noticed how flabby my arms had become until I started waving to everyone!’
See if you can name the types of arm movements she uses to wave. You can find the correct answer in the Conclusion section.
Five Arm Muscles and What They Do
There are many muscles in our arms. It is a complicated piece of equipment. So, let’s focus on the five we hear about most often.
The deltoid is the rounded muscle that covers the outer portion of our shoulder. When you apply lotion to your shoulder, you are rubbing your hand over your deltoid.
The deltoid is responsible for our arm’s ability to rotate. It also prevents us from carrying objects too close to our bodies. The deltoid muscle also prevents our shoulder from dislocating.
The biceps is the muscle located on the front part of the upper arm. It’s the one that we show off when we say to someone, ‘hey, look at my muscles.’ The biceps have what is called a long head and a short head that functions as one muscle. When we contract our biceps, our arm bends and rotates out. Just ‘look at your muscles,’ and you will see how that works.
The triceps is a three-headed muscle located at the back of the upper arm. An untoned triceps can contribute to that flabby batwing no woman wants. The triceps work to straighten your elbow and bring your arm close to your body. It also plays an essential role in having a powerful and toned upper body. So, it helps you perform many of your daily functions.
Extensor muscles increase the angle between a limb. We have extensor muscles on the back part of our forearm. Their function is to straighten the elbow or allow us to bend our hand back at the wrist. We also have extensor muscles in our legs and feet.
Flexors are a group of five muscles on the inside of our forearm. The flexor muscles are responsible for moving and bending our fingers. They control the side to side movement of our hands as well as assist in bending our elbow. Golfers use their flexor muscles a lot.
How Strong Are Your Arms?
Here is a simple test to see how strong your arms are right now. You may want to do this when nobody is watching!
Lay face down on the floor. Now see how many pushups you can do. If you did 10 or more, then congratulations. If you had a hard time doing one, then I am super excited for you.
Do just two of the exercises below every day for two weeks.
Then try the pushup test again.
How To Create Your Best Arms
Getting in a quick arm workout can be quick and easy. Many arm exercises don’t need any equipment. Sometimes the floor or a chair is all you need to get the job done.
Before you begin, here are a few tips:
- Pay attention to your form when you do any exercise. Quality is more important than quantity. If you do each exercise correctly, you will decrease your risk of injury.
- Start off slow – one set of 5 reps is sufficient if you are just starting out.
- Remember, get the o.k. from your doctor before you try any new exercise program.
- Always take five to 10 minutes to warm up – walking on the spot, and doing light arm movements can be very effective.
Here are 5 arm exercises that will work each of the five muscles we have discussed. They will have you waving like the Queen of England while wearing a spaghetti strap dress!
The Inch Worm
The Inch Worm is a great arm workout, but it also works your core and butt. Bonus!
- Stand with your feet together.
- With legs straight, bend at the hips, placing your hands on the floor just in front of your feet.
- Slowly walk your hands forward, alternating between sides.
- Keep walking until your body is parallel to the floor in a pushup position, then hold for three seconds.
- Keep your hands in place and slowly walk your feet towards your hands, moving only a few inches per step.
- Once your hands reach your feet, raise your torso up and return to the start position.
Dips
I see people doing dips on park benches these days. But a chair or sturdy coffee table can work well too.
- Place your hands behind you on a bench or chair, keeping your shoulders directly above your wrists and your fingers facing your body.
- Stretch your legs straight in front of you with your heels on the floor.
- Bend your elbows and lower your hips towards the floor with control.
- Straighten your arms to press your body back up to the start position.
Incline Push-Ups Against A Wall
Wall push-ups are perfect for beginners. They are a great exercise if you want to build your strength enough to get to the next level.
- Stand in front of a bare wall and lift your arms up to shoulder level.
- Place your palms against the wall so that they are slightly wider than your shoulders. Your fingertips should be pointing up.
- Your feet should be placed about two feet back from the wall so that your elbows are bent.
- Inhale before beginning the exercise and exhale as you push off the wall until your arms are in an outstretched position with elbows slightly bent.
- Inhale as you go back to the starting position.
Bicep Curls
The name of the exercise says it all. This is a great exercise to develop strength and definition in your bicep area. You can start out with light 1 pound weights or a can of soup if you do not have weights at home.
- Stand straight with a weight in each hand and both arms at your sides.
- Rotate your forearm so that your palms face up, your thumbs face out, and your elbows are tight by your body.
- Bend at the elbow to lift the weight towards your shoulder.
- Slowly squeeze your biceps once your hand reaches its final position.
- Lower your hand back down to your side to return to the start position.
Overhead Triceps Extension
In strength training, the rule of thumb is that if you work a front muscle, you also work the opposite muscle to keep things balanced. So, if you work the biceps, then you should also work the triceps the same day.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the dumbbell with both hands, raise your arms up straight above your head.
- Keeping your elbows close to your ears, bend your arm, and lower the weights behind your head.
- Keep elbows tight, straighten arms and slowly lift the dumbbells towards the ceiling.
- Squeeze your triceps muscles once at the top position and hold for a second.
- Slowly lower your hands back down to the start position.
Conclusion
Building and maintaining our strength allows us to continue to do the things we love to do. It is one of the cornerstones of aging well physically and mentally.
Strong arms equal a healthy life.
You have the knowledge, and you have the exercises.
I encourage and support you in your goal of staying healthy and strong. Keep those arms in good shape. You’ll be glad that you have taken the time to do so!
Oh yes, the answer to the quiz is that action of raising your arm to wave to someone uses all 6 types of movement.
P.S. If you are struggling with getting into the fitness mood, please read my blog on Developing a Fitness Mindset: The Key To Success.