How to Do Arm Workouts to Build Muscle

You can start sculpting and building muscle by regularly doing arm workouts. Doing regular arm workouts can prevent flapping and sagging skin in the arms. It's also good for the bones and helps maintain proper posture.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Give your muscles a warm-up. Spend about 5 minutes getting in a good cardio workout. This will speed up your heart rate. It will also help your muscles to become loose, which will reduce your chances of injury once you do your arm workouts. Activities that are good for getting your heart rate going include jogging in place, dancing, and aerobics. After you feel your muscles loosening up, you can start doing warm-ups that focus on your triceps, shoulder muscles, and biceps. Stand with your arms stretched out at your sides, parallel to the floor. Move your arms in a circular motion. Rotate your arms forward 50 times. Then rotate your arms backwards 50 times.

2. Strengthen your triceps, biceps, shoulder muscles and upper back by doing boxing movements. Stand with your legs spread apart a little farther than shoulder width. Put your hands in front of your face as if you are about to box someone. Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands. The dumbbell should weigh 3-5 pounds. Move your left fist forward in a punching motion. Aim for the ear of an imaginary person. Then bring your arm back and lower your body as if you are trying to duck to avoid an oncoming punch. As you do this, you should be bending your knees and squatting. Go through the same process with your right arm. Do this 10 times on each side.

3. Work the centers of your biceps to add definition. Stand with your feet together. Relax your knees. Put a dumbbell in your hands. Keep your elbows pressed against the sides of your body. Your arms should be bent in front of your body at a 90 degree angle. Slowly raise the weights up to the level of your shoulders. Then bring your arms back down. Do this 25 times.

4. Strengthen your triceps with standing push-ups. Stand in front of a desk with your body facing the desk. Put your hands on top of the desk. Your hands should be a shoulder width distance from each other. Put your body in a position to begin doing push ups. Your body should be at a 45 degree angle. Hold your stomach in and support your weight with your heels. Keep your elbows at the sides of your body. Lower your body towards the desk by bending your arms. Let your chest come as close to the desk as possible. Breathe in as you lower your body. Then exhale as you gradually raise yourself back up. Do this about 20 times.

5. Give yourself a cool down period. Do some stretching with the muscles you used during your arm workouts. This will increase flexibility and prevent them from becoming sore. Raise your arms up in the air. Slightly raise your left hand higher than the right. Then do the same thing with your right hand. Repeat ten times.

[sunshine11219]

on 2/18/2009 good working out tips