Various Arm Exercises with Weights to Get Rid of Flab

Age and lack of exercise make the arms sag beneath the bicep. When you become overweight or obese, this can also make the arms hang and sag too. There are various arm exercises with weights which give resistance to challenge the muscles in this area and restore their firm and youthful appearance.  Some of these exercise are included in this article.  If they are done properly and regularly, flabby arms shall be a thing of the past.

While there are many cardiovascular workouts like running which concentrate on the legs, there are also those that exercise and tone the arms. Dumbbells, also known as free weights, give resistance when arm exercises are performed.  These can be effective in building muscle as they utilize more energy for a successful workout.

One of the best ways to have toned arms is through upper body weight training. When you exercise with free weights, this speedily creates muscle fibres and results to noticeable tone. The upper arm’s front portion is called the biceps, a stereotypical muscle which many people boast about as big biceps have been closely associated with strength. Curls are the most effective biceps workouts that have several variations. 

·         One of the curl exercises is called the decline seated curl.  This is done by sitting on a bench at a 45-degree angle. You should then hold the weights to your side with fully extended arms and the elbows close to the body. Bend the elbows and curl up the weight. Again, slowly lower your weight and do the exercise again.

·         A hammer curl, on the other hand, is performed by standing upright with the weights at the sides and the palms facing inwards towards the body. The weights must then be curled up to the shoulders while the elbows are kept close to the sides.

·         Another variation is the preacher curl.  When doing this curl exercise, you should stand at the back of a bench with your body at a 45-degree angle. As you hold the weight, extend the arm above the back rest for the upper arm to rest on it. The weight should then be curled toward the face.

·         There is also the concentration curl.  This exercise is done while sitting on a bench with your feet on the ground. Hold the weight and put your elbow on your thigh. You should then curl the weight to your face without the upper body moving backward.

·         Found at the back of the upper arm is the triceps muscle. This can be worked out using triceps kickbacks and overhead triceps extensions. When doing triceps kickbacks, multiple muscles are exercised simultaneously. Such a workout exercises the biceps and triceps all together.  Do not use huge free weights when doing triceps kickbacks as this shall make you gain large biceps. Dumbbells that weigh five to twenty-five pounds will firm up the arms.  Increasing the weight will make you get firmer arms within a short time. 

·         Put your bent knee and your same side hand on a flat exercise bench. Put the foot of the other leg on the ground on the other side of your bench and use the same side arm to raise the dumbbell off the ground to your waist. Your arms should then be extended backwards and then placed back to its original position next to the waist. Perform this movement again for fifteen reps and three sets of the fifteen reps. If the workout becomes easier for you later on, increase the weight.

·         Another one of the more popular arm exercises with weights is the overhead triceps extension. Stand upright with the feet shoulder-wide apart. Hold your dumbbell weight over your head using one hand as the other hand holds your elbow.  Your weight should be lowered backwards as you move it downward to the back of the head while your hand on the elbow gives support. This movement should not be done in a jerky fashion as this could pull the arm muscles.  Gradually lift your arm back into the overhead stance prior to repeating the whole movement for fifteen repetitions. You should relax for several seconds prior to switching free weights to your other arm. Perform fifteen reps for the same arm too.  Do three sets of fifteen reps for every arm.

Another arm exercise is the French press.  This starts by grasping a dumbbell in your hands while lying on a flat exercise bench. Lift the free weight dumbbells to the ceiling with the palms facing each other. Lower your dumbbells slowly until they are on one side of the head. Make sure the dumbbells do not get near the face when you continuously lift and lower them. Perform fifteen reps for three sets and rest for several seconds between sets. When this becomes easy, increase the weight to give your arms a proper workout. 

To tone your arms and get rid of their fat, perform pushdowns on a cable machine with adjustable weights. Do not stand more than a couple of feet away from the cable machine. As you face it, hold its cable pulley with an overhand grip. This should be pulled down until the arms are extended. Slowly bring the cable to its original position. Place the bar at the level of your chin to complete each repetition. Perform three sets of ten to twelve reps.

The shoulders can also be worked out with front raises, lateral raises, reverse flies and seated shoulder presses.

·         In doing shoulder presses, you must sit on a bench in an upright position, making sure that your back is straight.  Hold the weights over the head and then slowly lower them to the shoulders until the arms are in a 90-degree position. Perform this exercise again.

·         In performing lateral raises, you should stand up with your kness bent a little bit.   The knees should be shoulder-wide apart and the weights held at the sides. Lift your weights until they are aligned with the ground and the elbows slightly bent. Lower the weights and repeat the exercise again. Rather than lifting the weights out to your side, directly raise them at your front.

·         When doing a reverse fly, your feet must be flat on the floor while sitting on a bench.  Bend over until your chest is above your thighs.  With the weights held by your side, lift the arms out to your until they are aligned with the ground.  Stand up straight with your feet apart and lower your arms and weights down to your sides.  Bend the knees slowly and lower your body as though sitting on a chair. The back must be straight as you prevent the knees from moving forward past your toes. As comfortable as you can, squat back with the legs pushing you back to your original position. Perform the exercise again.

There are plenty of other arm exercises with weights which work the different muscles in this area of the body.  Multi-muscle presses can be done as you lie at a forty-five degree angle or on your back as you push out weights from the chest. You can also perform flies as you hold weights over the head and then lower them to your sides. Rows can also be done by kneeling or lying down on a bench and performing a rowing movement using a weight. Lower this to the floor and then pull it up and down.

The muscle which extends from the neck via the shoulder and back is called trapezius and this can be exercised by holding weights and performing shoulder shrugs. You can also lift the weights from your sides to the chin as the elbows stick out. The weights must be kept close to the body. To do a forearm exercise, you should hold weights at your front and then flex the wrists as you alternate holding the weights with your palms down and up.

Tips for Proper Weight Training

It is necessary to select a weight which allows you to perform twelve repetitions with a little effort without causing you to strain too much.  You should start feeling the need to work harder on the tenth repetition.  The weight training must not exhaust you. It should instead challenge you so that the muscle grows stronger and becomes toned. If you are a beginner, do this exercise with dumbbells weighing three to five pounds and then take it from there.

When holding dumbbells, do not grip it too hard.  Watch your breathing especially during the most difficult parts of the workout.  Breathe in on the simplest part, breathe out when you strain. Do every workout slowly and in a controlled manner. As you extend your arm or leg, the knee joint or elbow must be slightly bent and should not be locked stiff.

Before you do arm exercises with weights, you should consult your doctor to ensure you are in proper health and are allowed to do such workouts. The doctor should rule out chronic conditions or diseases that could affect your ability to safely raise weights. You can have a trainer with you but expect to be asked many questions. These queries will determine if you require a medical clearance prior to lifting weights.  There are also medications that could impair your motor skills.  These questions will also check if you are suffering from asthma, diabetes, eating disorders, heart disease or osteoporosis.