Arm Exercises for Women

There are several good arm exercises for women's biceps that can help firm and strengthen without turning the arms into Arnold-like monstrosities. In truth, the risk of the latter is practically nil, since women are genetically and hormonally predestined to have much less "extreme" arms than men; oftentimes, the challenge is to jolt the muscles into improving at all. Here are five sure-fire ways to bust through frustrating plateaus once and for all.

One of the differences between male and female physiology is the disparity in upper/lower body strength. In a bodyweight pound-for-pound comparison, men tend to have greater upper body strength, while women have superior leg and hip strength. That's just how nature made us, but it creates a bit of a problem when it comes to popular exercises like dips. Most normal men can do at least a few unassisted dips or full push ups, whereas many women need to train for a while before they can match that feat. It's a bit like the old catch-22 of needing to get in shape so you can get in shape. However, most gyms have machines that cover this gap; if your arm strength isn't quite there yet, simply substitute the free-form versions of the exercises below for the alternates in parenthesis.

Stand in front of the dip bars, get a firm, shoulder-wide grip and hoist yourself up so that you have your bodyweight resting evenly on both hands. Bend your knees and cross your feet. Keeping your body upright and only slightly tilted forward, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then push yourself back up to the starting position. An alternate way of doing this is an assisted dip machine, where you have a platform under your knees that gives an upwards "push" to counter your bodyweight. Another option is a machine with a regular seat where you push two handles down and back, imitating the movement enables you to set the resistance through a weight stack.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and back straight, holding the barbell in front of your thighs. Tuck elbows against your sides and keep them there for the duration of the set. Curl up as far as you can go, squeeze for a second at the top and slowly resist the weight on the way down. It's also good to keep your abs tense throughout.

Position yourself on the floor like you'd do for a normal push up, except place your index fingers and thumbs together on the floor so that they form a triangle on the floor. This shifts the emphasis from chest to triceps. If you're not quite strong enough, stand on your knees instead of your toes, or place your thighs on a medium-size medicine ball.

Assume the same starting position as with barbell curls, except hold one dumbbell in each hand. Alternating sides, curl the dumbbells up with your thumbs pointing up (as if you were using a hammer) without moving the elbows from their position at your sides. Make sure to keep both arms in motion; alternating does not mean one arm just hangs for three seconds while the other is working.

Lie on your back on a workout bench with your head close to the edge. Hold a barbell (cambered, aka. EZ-bar tends to be easier on the wrists) with straight arms above your head. Bend your elbows and slowly lower the bar until it touches your forehead before raising the bar again. The elbows should be stationary and point straight up to the ceiling the whole time. Don't let them drift to the sides. Also make sure to hold the bar properly.

So, let's put these core exercises together for a kick-ass arm sample workout. One rep is one repetition, while one set is a continuous series of reps. All sets assume a weight you can handle without cheating, i.e. 10-12 reps of bicep curls means you can do 10-12 strict reps with no swaying or jerking the barbell; if you have to cheat, remove a few pounds.

• Warmup: 5 minutes stationary bike and light stretching.
• Barbell Bicep Curls: 3 sets, 10-12 reps
• Dips: 3 sets, 8-10 reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 sets, 8-10 reps
• Triangle Push Ups: 3 sets, 10-12 reps
• Skullcrushers: 3 sets, 10-12 reps
• Cooldown: Stretch thoroughly and walk around a little while cooling down..

• Pictures of People Exercising
• Women Fitness Models
• Male Fitness Model

• Breast Lifting Exercise
• Contour Abs
• Naked Exercise
• Naked Pilates
• Hula Hoop Exercises

• Pushup Workout Program
• Bicep Curls
• Working Out with Resistance Bands
• Chest Exercises
• Weightlifting Exercises