Everyone wants to have toned and sculpted arms, especially in the summertime, when we wear more sleeveless tops. In this post and the next, I’m going to show you a sure-fire way to get your arms sculpted and ready for summer in just one month.
The shape and tone of your arms really begins with your shoulders —specifically, your deltoid muscles, which surround the front, side, and back of where your arms connect to your body. Ideally, if they are toned, your shoulders will have nice rounded muscles that reach down the top of your arms and define a sculpted appearance. Shoulder muscles that are not toned or defined make the upper arm look flat and draw attention to the shoulder bones; this is the antithesis of a sculpted look.
So, to achieve firm and toned arms, we need to begin with shoulder exercises that isolate the anterior, lateral, and rear deltoid muscles. The exercises below are shown using exercise tubing for resistance, but you can substitute free weight dumbbells for the same benefit.
As with all exercise sessions, your body will work better if you do some active warm-up exercises first.
- Warm-up #1, Shoulder Shrugs Simply circle your shoulders around 5 X one way, then 5 X the other way.
- Warm-up #2, Windmill Arms Keeping your arm long and loose, circle it all the way around 8 X. Do same with other arm. Then reverse the circles with each arm.
Shoulder Sculpting Routine
#1 Front Arm Raises Stand on middle of tubing, knees slightly bent, holding a handle in each hand (image 1). Lift one arm in front to shoulder height (image 2). Lower with control. Repeat with other arm (image 3). Alternate arm raises 15 X with each arm.
#2 Lateral Arm Raises Stand in middle of tubing, holding handles by sides (image 4). Lift both arms out to sides to shoulder height (image 5). Lower with control. Repeat 10-15 X.
