Five Best Arm Exercises and Workouts
Regular Pushups
You might think pushups are the obvious answer to any flab-fighting needs. Well, quite honestly, they are. But it’s how you perform those pushups that will dictate successful results.
There are three ways of doing pushups, according to Stew Smith of military.com. First, try performing a regular pushup, where arms are spread beneath shoulders and legs are outstretched behind you. These will distribute body weight equally between your chest and arm muscles, and will provide some of the best results for working your underarms.
Variation Pushups
The wide pushups are a great choice for working the chest area as well as your arms. Spread arms out in a wide triangle position with legs stretched out behind you. Push up as you normally would, but don’t try to go up as far, as your arms won’t have an extended reach in this position.
The triceps pushups are perhaps the best arm exercises for flab. These work your underarm flab and build muscle. Place hands close together beneath your chest and lower your body normally. Use the tricep and chest muscles to push up, as these will work the back of your arms.
Triceps Extension
This exercise is best done on a weight machine. Using the pull-down bar from overhead, set the weight to a manageable level. Don’t over-exert yourself, especially if this is your first time. Place your hands above the bar (as opposed to gripping it underneath) and pull the bar down to your waist level. Slowly raise it back up, controlling the weight. Don’t let the natural force of the cable do the work for you here. Part of this best arm exercise is the control aspect as well as the pulling-down motion.
Plank Exercise
The plank exercise can be done virtually anywhere - in the house, outside or at the gym.
Lie flat on the ground on your stomach. Place your elbows on the ground and prop your upper body on top of them. Place your toes on the ground and raise your legs as if you were about to do a pushup. But instead, you’re going to hold this position for a specific period of time. Start out by trying to hold it for twenty seconds. Bump up your limit to 30 seconds on the second day, eventually reaching up to 90 seconds if possible.
This exercise is not only good for your arms, it will also help your ab control as well.
Bicep Curls
There are several variations of bicep curls that serve as some of the best arm exercises. You can do them on a weight machine, with free weights, exercise bands or even cans of food.
If you’re using free weights or canned goods, sit down on a chair and lift weights with each arm. Alternate arms after one repetition so you don’t get bored.
If you’re using a weight machine, set the weight level to a manageable weight. Grip the bar or handle in an underhand position to work the biceps. Extend the weights as far as possible and control their descent back to the original position.
Do approximately 12-15 repetitions of each curl style, as recommended at webmd.com.
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