If you’ve been lifting weights at the gym for months but still can’t see your arms getting stronger, you’re probably making two common mistakes.
According to fitness professionals, many gym goers – especially women – do the wrong exercises and lift too light weight.
Amy Schemper, LA-based personal trainer and owner of virtual gym BodyFit Athletic Club, who has more than a decade of experience in strength training for women, says spending too much time on one body area is “the biggest mistake I see women make.” ‘.
When it comes to building muscle, exceptionally “toned, sculpted arms,” you shouldn’t just focus on the triceps and biceps, she says.
Friends actor Jennifer Aniston is known for her impressively toned arms, which many are eager to recreate. But experts say most of us train incorrectly
This inevitably neglects other muscle groups in the body.
‘We need to train the whole body for strength and cardio and take our diet into account’ she told Parade.
‘Training only one part of the body and expecting to see fat loss and muscle definition in that area just doesn’t happen.
“Building overall muscle fibers helps recompose the body everywhere.”
For example, she adds, building forearm and grip strength – such as through fingertip push-ups or planks – can help the muscles in the upper arm withstand more weight.
Likewise, strengthening the core muscles provides better form during biceps curls, increasing the benefits of the exercise.
Essentially, the stronger your other muscle groups are, the heavier the weight you can lift.
Then there is the second most disastrous mistake: a lack of ambition.
“Another big mistake is being afraid to lift heavy,” says Schemper. “To build strength and see definition in our arms, we need to gradually overload the muscles.”
She says this can be done by using heavier weights or higher reps and varying the pace.
“But the key is to challenge your body,” she adds. ‘If something feels too easy, it probably is. Listen to your body and make sure your first few reps of a set feel easier and your last few reps feel quite difficult.”
Madonna, pictured here at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar party at age 51, is another celebrity with sculpted arms. In 2018, Vogue magazine said she had “the best arms in Hollywood.”
Other fitness professionals recommend starting with about 10 pounds and, if that feels easy, moving up to 20, followed by 30.
Schemper suggests doing “multi-joint” exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time, such as overhead presses and bent over rows.
These give you more bang for your buck, she says.
“For muscular arms, do a variety of exercises, including cardiovascular and strength training, and pay attention to your diet.”