The Best Arm Workout for Women

(Article by Kari Fry with Hannah Groves)

We sat down with Personal Trainer and Study Active assessor Hannah Groves to get her thoughts on toning and strengthening your arms with focused arm exercises and targeted workouts.

Introduction to the best arm workouts for women

We often get asked questions about the best women’s arm workouts including what are the best arm toning exercises and what are the best arm exercises with weights for women. In our opinion whether it is recommending an upper arm exercise for women or designing a generic arm toning for females weights session, it is always important to apply the correct principles of fitness to any program design.

This blog will look at arm workouts with weights as well as arm workouts without weights for women. It will also touch on exercise for certain muscles groups such as designing a triceps workout for women and exploring some effective bicep exercises for women.  

Overall it should be noted that the exercises discussed do not represent an exhaustive list but the content should give a good idea of things to consider when planning a women’s arm workout.

IMPORTANT: The ideas in this article are purely for information only – please do not start an exercise programme until you have completed a PAR-Q and, if necessary, received medical clearance. Always warm up and cool down and never do any exercise that you are unsure of without the support of a qualified professional.

What benefits are there for women to include arm exercises in their workout routine?

Muscle burns more calories than fat so having strong and toned arms can help manage weight. Incorporating arm exercises can strengthen the connective tissue in the elbows, shoulders, neck, spine, wrists, and hands. This will improve joint integrity, stability, help with everyday tasks and help prevent injury.  Another big benefit of arm exercises is a strong, well-balanced physique and, for those women with young babies or toddlers, they will certainly benefit from this, especially when carrying them around!

What arm toning exercises should women use for toned arms?

To achieve toned arms, you need to work the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. It would also be good idea to incorporate chest and back exercises.

The best exercises that I would recommend would be –

• Lateral raises
• Push-ups
• Triceps overhead extension
• Bicep curls
• Triceps dips
• Hammer curls
• Dumbbell row
• Bench press

There really are lots of exercises that can be included in your workout routine!

What resistance would you recommend for arm exercises with weights for women?

I would suggest a pair of dumbbells for arm exercises as you can perform various exercises with dumbbells between the weight of 4-8kg or as appropriate. However, if dumbbells are not available then a kettlebell can be just as effective, check with a qualified PT if this is new to you.

Can you talk us through some of the best arm and upper arm exercises for women?

In my opinion without a doubt, lateral raises would be the best arm and upper arm exercise for women. This exercise mainly involves lifting weights out and away from your body, forming a ‘T’ shape at your shoulders. Another good exercise is triceps dips which can be performed in a gym setting or at home as you only require a bench! Triceps dips strengthen your triceps, pecs and core a tremendous amount. Triceps dips can also help balance out your arms if you tend to focus more on the muscle you can actually see in the mirror!

Are there any arm workouts for women at the gym they could focus on?

A cable triceps extension would be a great exercise to perform in a gym to target the arms. Using a rowing machine is also a great way to get cardio in and tone the arms at the same time. Other resistance exercises would be a barbell bicep curl, dumbbell hammer curls and a cable bicep curl. There are so many exercises women can choose from to tone their arms, these are just a few.

What might building an arm day workout look like for a woman?

You should work major muscle groups 2-3 times per week. You may start by choosing a moderate weight that you can lift 12-20 times and aim for 2-3 sets. This can obviously be progressed with the guidance of a qualified personal trainer.

It is important to ensure that your nutrition is right to tone and build muscle, and protein is needed. Ideally 45 grams of protein per day for the average female! This can come from sources like meat, fish, eggs, beans, and lentils.

Editors Notes:

Women’s arm workouts are a popular area for PT’s to want to learn about. This is because arm tom9img exercises for women can be incredibly popular. Whether it is an arm workout with weights or without, it is imperative that a PT has a solid understanding of such exercises. We have seen in this blog a range of arm exercises with weights for women however this is not an exhaustive list by any means. For example exercises can be adapted to target certain areas, for example upper arm exercises for women are very important to target the shoulders. Arm toning for females uses the same generic principles of fitness in that the exercise prescription must be correct. Often a muscular endurance approach can achieve the desired effect and this is also suited to a beginner as it would use only moderate resistance.

Whilst this article has looked at a range of arm exercises targeting different areas, it is also possible to focus a session on particular muscles groups, for example a Triceps workout for women could include exercises like Triceps dips, Triceps overhead extension and Triceps pushdown. For a bicep workout one could use variations of the bicep exercises for women discussed in this blog (e.g. the bicep curl) or one could use pull exercises like the lat pulldown or seated row.

Example Arm Workout for Women session

The below table is an example arm workout for women based on the arm exercises discussed in this article so far. Please note that the below exercise plan is an example only and remember exercise prescription should always be specific to the individual client and their goals.

Exercise	Reps	Sets	Resistance	Rest
Bench Press	12	2	70%1RM	30 sec
Dumbbell Row	12	2	70%1RM	30 sec
Lateral Raise	12	2	70%1RM	30 sec
Triceps overhead extension	12	2	70%1RM	30 sec
Bicep Curl	12	2	70%1RM	30 sec

 

After following the above exercise plan, it is also important to mix things up to keep the body guessing - so rather than sticking with the same exercises, its important to look at alternatives. For example in addition to the exercises already in the plan you could easily look to swap or add in the following arm exercises

• Upright row
• Frontal Raise
• Shoulder Press
• Chest press
• Pec flys
• Pec dec
• Seated row
• Triceps pushdown

Teaching Points for Arm Workout Exercises for Women

It is obviously imperative for any women performing these exercises that the correct technique is used. To make sure we are doing these the tight way, we asked Female Personal Trainer and Study Active Assessor Rebecca Ireland to talk us through the teaching points for all of the exercises that we have touched on within this article.

• Lateral raises for Women

Standing with feet hip width apart, core engaged, slight bend in the knee. Hold dumbbells by your side with palms facing inwards, keeping arms straight lift dumbbells using the medial deltoid, just to shoulder height, and return to starting position.

• Push-ups for Women

Starting in a press up position with chest facing the floor, hands just outside the shoulders, and body weight forward so the shoulders are in line with the wrist. Toes hip width apart, core engaged. Neck, back, and hips aligned. Lower chest to an inch off the floor, so the chest is line with the elbow, squeeze the chest to return to starting position.

• Triceps overhead extension for Women

Standing width feet hip width apart, core engaged. Lift the dumbbell over the head, slight bend in the elbows so not locked out. Keeping the shoulders and elbows narrow and in by the ears, lower the dumbbell to the base of the neck, keep chin off the chest and looking forward. Squeeze the triceps to extend and return to dumbbell to starting position.

• Bicep curls for Women

Standing feet hip width apart, core engaged, shoulders blades back and down. Grip the bar in an underhand grip, shoulder width a part. Starting with the bar  in front of the thighs, elbows locked in by your waist, use the biceps to lift the bar to just inline with the front of the shoulder and then lower to starting position.

• Triceps dips for Women

Hands under the shoulders and in line with the chest, lift the elbows to 90 degrees. Shoulder blades together and elbows narrow, squeeze, and extend the triceps to lift your body weight, soft elbows at the top, don’t lock out. Keeping elbows narrow lower to starting position.

• Hammer curls for Women

Standing feet hip width apart, core engaged, shoulders blades back and down, grip the dumbbells by your side. Use the biceps to lift the dumbbells to 90 degrees, keep the elbows locked in by the waist and palms always facing inward. Lower to starting position.

• Dumbbell row for Women

Starting in box position, supporting arm and knee on the bench, body weight forward so both shoulders are in line, supporting leg should out to the side and slightly wider than shoulder width, with foot flat on the floor. Both hips aligned, so shoulders, and hips are in a 4-point box position. Keeping the back flat, use the lats to lift the dumbbell up to hip height, keeping the elbow tucked in. Lower to return to starting position.

• Bench press for Women

Lying flat on the bench in a supine position, core engaged and feet flat on the floor. Hold the bar with hands just outside the shoulders, wrist straight. Slowly lower the bar to the centre of the chest or wear the bra line would be, with the elbow moving slightly outwards. On the way up squeeze the chest to lift the bar to starting position.

• Upright row for Women

Standing feet hip width apart, core engaged, soft knees. Hold the bar in an overhand grip, just inside the shoulders. Bar should start in front of the thighs. Leading with the elbows, so the elbows are moving outwards, and keeping the bar nice and close to the body. Lift the bar to just below the chest, so the elbows moving in an outward position until in line with the shoulders. Lower to return to starting position. 

• Frontal Raise for Women

Standing feet hip width apart, core engaged, soft knees. Hold the dumbbells in an overhand grip with palms facing the thighs, and shoulder width apart, using the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder), lift the dumbbells just to shoulder height. Lower and return to starting position. 

• Shoulder Press for Women

Sit on the seated with feet flat on the floor knees bent and positioned slightly wider than the hips, back flat against the seat, core engaged, looking forward. Handles should be positioned just above the shoulders, grab the handles with palms facing forward and elbow out. Push the handles up above the head, slight bend in the elbow so don’t lock them out. Lower down to starting position.

• Chest press for Women

Sit on the seated with feet flat on the floor knees bent and positioned slightly wider than the hips, back flat against the seat, core engaged, looking forward. Handles should be set up about chest height, hands in an overhand grip slightly wider than the shoulders, and elbows should be out at 90 degrees and in line with the shoulders. Using the chest squeeze and push the handles out straight in front of you, don’t lock the elbows. Return to starting position.

• Pec flys for Women

Sit on the seated with feet flat on the floor knees bent and positioned slightly wider than the hips, back flat against the seat, core engaged, looking forward. Handles should be set up about chest height. Grab the handles so hands are facing inwards. with a slight bend in the elbow so not locked out. Bring the hands together in front of you by squeezing the chest. Return to starting position.

• Pec dec for Women

Sit on the seated with feet flat on the floor knees bent and positioned slightly wider than the hips, back flat against the seat, core engaged, looking forward. Forearms should be flat on the pads with hands and forearms facing inwards. Elbow should be at 90 degrees. Using the chest squeeze the pads together in front of you. Return to starting position.

• Seated row for Women

Sit on seat with, chest pad should be supporting the mid chest, lengthen the arms and grab handles, with soft elbows, keeping the elbows in and chest supported on the pad. Squeeze the lats, draw the elbows back and down, squeezing the shoulders blades together. Return to starting position.

• Triceps pushdown for Women

Standing feet hip width apart, core engaged, soft knees. Hold the bar in an overhand grip, shoulder width apart. Pull the bar down so it is slightly higher than 90 degrees. Keeping the elbows tucked in, by squeezing the triceps push the bar down to the front of the thighs, so the triceps are extended. Return to starting position.

To read about more resistance exercises for women, please see our blog on Barbell Workouts for Women

Summary – Women’s arm workouts

Thank you, Hannah and Rebecca for sharing your thoughts on the best exercises for women wanting to achieve results with their arm workouts. You’ve given us lots of great exercise suggestions that can be utilised at home or in the gym to help achieve women achieve their fitness goals and tailor their workouts to tone and strengthen their arms.

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