Muscle Up: 6 Easy exercises to improve arm definition

Lindsay POUI-DI

19 Apr 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:08

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Start doing dips
Push ups in the dorsal position are the best way to strengthen your triceps. Sit on a chair or a good bench with your feet on the ground, and place your hands on either side of the bench. Then with the knees bent at a right angle, move slightly away from your chair while staying in the seated position and keeping your back straight. Inhale when going down, exhale when going up. Intensify the exercise by assuming a lying position, back on the ground, with stretched and tight legs. A little like traditional push ups, except that the navel doesn’t point towards the ground, but rather up at the ceiling. “An exercise for those who have trained before, because the weight supported by the arms will be more important”, warns the sportive coach, Patrick Seners.
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Work the elbows
Stand with your legs shoulder width apart and shoulders down, arms stretched out horizontally, one barbell in each hand. Inhale then exhale as you fold the elbows up to lift the barbells to your chin. Then elevate he elbows higher than the barbells by keeping your shoulder blades as low as possible. “This exercise is more effective with barbells of 2 or 3kg”, recommends Julie Ferrez. Otherwise, you can start with two full mini bottles of water.
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Perform push ups on a ball
It’s funnier than the classic push ups! Position your Swiss Ball under the stomach and roll on it until you have it at thigh level, by placing your hands on the ground. Tighten your stomach - and the perineum - to keep your balance. Inhale when bending your arms and exhale when pushing away from the ground. Now try to not move the ball.
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Reproduce the crawl swimming movement
Sit on a Swiss Ball (a big ball) or chair, with your feet placed pelvis-width apart. Stretch out your arms in front, parallel to the ground. Keeping your shoulders low and the stomach tight, lock your perineum. On exhale, pull the elbow straight towards the back by revolving the bust and looking behind, before returning to the starting position. “The back remains straight and the elbow at the high of the shoulders”, specifies the sportive coach, Julie Ferrez.
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Strengthen your bicep muscles
Stand with your feet slightly apart and the legs semi-bent, one barbell in each hand. Bend the right elbow, then the left in alternation, bringing the barbell to shoulder level. Slow down the movement in the descent. Challenge yourself by keeping your elbows locked to your sides.
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Work out at the pool
A very simple exercise but one that makes the muscles work hard and strengthens your deltoids: stand with your shoulders under the water, arms outstretched, and draw small circles in the water. If you have some room, alternate with large circles.

Fight ‘bat-sleeve’ arms with this homemade action plan to sculpt the upper part of your hands for a more toned look.

Body-building is good, but you do not necessarily want to have arms that look too muscular. To achieve toned arms (without skin that dangles), you just need a Swiss ball and two barbells. By regularly doing the exercises detailed in the gallery above, soon enough you’ll get to say hello to lean, slender arms! You can also top this up with yoga, which helps to sculpt the whole body.

Time for some arm exercises!

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Muscle Up: 6 Easy exercises to improve arm definition

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