Who doesn’t want more muscular arms? That fit, toned look comes with many advantages. Some of them are superficial since you’ll be proud to show off your gains in sleeveless shirts. However, there are a number of practical benefits that come with having bigger arms, such as the ability to lift heavy items, like bags of dog food or cat litter.
Even better, you can get these bigger arms without having to leave the confines of your home. How? These tips from the experts atMyFitFoods will steer you in the right direction.
What Are the Best Exercises To Build Muscle in Your Arms at Home?
Many of these exercises don’t require a lot of equipment. You’ll need some weights, of course, and a sturdy place to sit while working out.
There are a few additional tools that may come in handy, such as pull-up bars that attach to your doorframe. Still, these arm muscle builders are designed to be done at home, on the go, or just about anywhere; you don’t need access to a barbell and bench press at your local gym.
1. Triceps Extension for Beginners
Start by standing with your feet firmly planted on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Hold the best dumbbell for your current fitness level in each hand and extend your arms so they’re over your head. Your elbows should be straight. Keep your shoulder and arm muscles engaged as you lower the weights, so they’re back behind your head with your elbows bent. If you’re having trouble with this home workout, a lighter-weight dumbbell may help.
Slowly raise your arms back up, straightening your elbows and returning to the original position. Then, repeat this movement for up to ten reps before resting and doing another ten.
2. Concentration Curls for a Biceps Workout
This exercise is called a concentration bicep curl because it’s one of the biceps exercises that specifically target just a couple of muscle groups. Concentration dumbbell curls are designed to get you bigger biceps and help you build big arms in general. Start by sitting on the edge of a chair or weight bench with your feet firmly on the floor and your knees pointing outward to form a V-shape.
Lean forward and place your right elbow on your right inner thigh while holding a weight. Make sure your hand is facing upwards and your palm is towards the inner part of the V-shape that you’ve formed with your legs. Push the weight upwards towards your shoulder, and then slowly let it back down, making sure that your arm doesn’t sag.
Repeat up to ten times, then repeat on the other side of your body.
3. Diamond Push-ups — A Bodyweight Workout With No Equipment Required
Designed to work your triceps, you won’t need anything for this exercise other than a floor mat. Start out in a standard pushup position, with your toes bent and on the floor, your body straight, and your hands on the mat, shoulder-width apart. Then, move your hands, keeping them open with your palms on the mat until they’re touching in the middle, right under your head.
Open your fingers and arrange the forefinger and thumbs of each hand so that they make a triangular shape. Then, do pushups as you normally would, bending your elbows to bring your body down and back up. By changing the position of your hands, you’re working your triceps instead of your other arm muscles.
4. Tricep Dips: A Compound Exercise for Hypertrophy and Strength
While this tricep exercise is traditionally done with a dip bar, you can perform it with an armless chair or a bench. It all comes down to how you position yourself. If you don’t have access to a dip bar, start by sitting on the edge of a bench or chair.
For the starting position, place your hands, palms down, flat on the seat behind you, then slowly move your body down in front of the seat, bending at the knees and elbows. Use your arms to push yourself back upwards to a seated position before repeating the exercise several times.
5. The Crab Walk: Boost your lower back, lat, and bicep strength
Crab walking isn’t just for kids. This exercise is a lot of fun for adults, too, and it helps build up your arm muscles at the same time. To perform it properly, start out in a seated position on the floor. Angle your arms so that your palms are flat on the ground, and move your body so that your feet are flat on the floor as well.
Your body will look a little like a crab scuttling around on the beach. Move your arms and legs at the same time to walk up to ten feet before resting and repeating the movement.
6. Incline Push-ups: Build bigger arms without heavy weights
Incline pushups are exactly what they sound like. These standard push-ups take place on a sturdy incline, like a home weight bench or sturdy chair. Place your body in a regular pushup position with your toes bent and on the floor; only your hands need to be flat on the seat of the chair or bench. Push your body upwards by straightening your elbows and then lower yourself back down to your original position.
By doing push-ups on an incline, you’re working out an entirely different set of arm muscles.
What Else Can You Do To Get Bigger Arms at Home?
Of course, exercises that involve lifting weights or your body weight aren’t the only ways to get bigger arms at home. You’ll also need to keep an eye on your diet. Muscles need protein in order to grow, so eating a diet full of healthy proteins, complete with some carbs and healthy fats, can provide your body with what it needs in order to get the gains that you desire.
In addition, you’ll also need to eat a number of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in order to have a well-rounded diet. Plus, many of these micros, such as the many B vitamins, can assist with muscle growth as well.
Adhering to a healthy diet and avoiding eating sugary, carb-filled treats between your breakfast, lunch, and dinner can indeed help you meet your arm muscle-building goals. Just make sure to stick to the food pyramid or food plate, eat plenty of lean meats, beans, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, and you’ll be in good shape.
What Are the Advantages of Bigger Arm Muscles?
In addition to the reasons mentioned above, there are other advantages to having bigger arm muscles. They include:
An Increased Metabolism = Faster Weight Loss
Did you know that you can increase your metabolism by building up your muscles? It’s true. While some foods can do this as well, it’s much more effective to gain some muscle mass and watch your metabolism (the number of calories that you burn while at rest during the day) increase.
How does this work? Muscles require more energy, so they burn those extra calories, simply by existing. Bulking up your arm muscles can have quite an effect on your body in more ways than one.
Fewer Chances of Upper Body Injury
Injuries happen when you least expect them. They arise while you’re working out, lifting a heavy bag of groceries, or simply turning too quickly to the side, you could end up with a pulled muscle or worse. Thankfully, if you have strong muscles, you’re less likely to injure yourself.
Your muscles act like a not-so-invisible protection shield, ensuring that no matter what you do and how awkwardly you do it, you’ll likely not hurt yourself. While they aren’t a perfect solution, they do lower your odds of injury by quite a bit.
Better Muscle Endurance for Bodybuilding
Whether you plan on lifting heavier weights at an increased rate of repetition in order to make your arm muscles even bigger or simply want to be able to carry heavy things, like bags of soil, for longer distances without feeling worn out, then you need to do some arm exercises. The stronger your muscles are, the more you’ll be able to ensure.
Heavier items that need lifting? You can take them on. Less fatigue after doing some gardening? Built-up arm muscles are the key to that as well. There are very few downsides to having more muscle endurance.
Arm Exercises That You Can Do Anywhere
Now that you have several great suggestions for getting bigger arms at home, it’s time to go ahead and start adding them to your daily routine. The more that you exercise, combined with a good, healthy diet, the more your muscles will grow, giving you arms that you’ll be proud to show off.
Have any questions about arm exercises or anything else for that matter? Contact us today!
Sources:
How To Get Bigger Arms In Four Weeks: Follow This Workout Plan | Coach Magazine