Whether your 2023 goal is to rock that one sleeveless dress in your closet with confidence or to be able to carry your groceries up multiple flights of stairs, getting toned arms can improve your well-being in numerous ways.
While it will take time, motivation and consistent effort to tone your arms, there’s no doubt that the process of exercising for this purpose will provide you with more energy and inspire you to move your body (and this can also help beat that seasonal dreary feeling that often comes along with winter!)
We reached out to personal trainers and other health and fitness experts for 15 exercises to try in the new year that will sculpt your arms and make working out more fun.
READ MORE: Quick And Easy Workouts Fitness Experts Swear By To Get Rid Of Flabby Arms
@carlavisentin_ The Arm Exercises I used to tone and slim my arms 40kg ago #weightloss #workout #exercises #armworkout #armday #health #weightlosstransformation #diet #fitness #gym #fyp ♬ original sound – liv
How To Get Your Arms Toned: 15 Exercises
Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Lalitha McSorley, personal trainer and physical therapist at Brentwood Physiotherapy Calgary and Reda Elmardi, certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Trainer, registered dietitian and certified nutritionist. Keep in mind that a trainer can indicate how many sets and reps of each will work best for you and your own personalized exercise plan.
1. Tricep Push-Ups
A push-up is a renowned and tried-and-true way to help tone your arms, McSorley says. “When you perform a push-up, your arms must bear the weight of your body as you move them up and down,” she explains. This resistance, McSorley adds, helps to “strengthen and tone all of the arm muscles, including the triceps.” To do these push-ups, she recommends keeping your arms “shoulder width apart” and using a mat on the floor, as seen in the above video.
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2. Dumbbell Bicep Curl
If you’re a fan of adding weights to your workout routine, you’ll be pleased to learn about the many benefits that this has for toning your arms. One great and easy exercise that involves weights is a bicep curl, which you can do with a dumbbell of your choice. To start, grab a weight and extend your arm outwards, with your inner arm facing the ceiling. Now, slowly bring the weight and your hand closer to your body, with your arm moving back and forth to really feel the tension.
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3. Arm Circles
This classic exercise is not only great for toning your arms, but also simple and easy to do! Whether you’re at the gym, in your own home or taking a break from a walk, you can complete this exercise by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended, to the point where they’re parallel to the floor. Next, begin circling your arms forward in controlled motions, making them bigger while feeling a stretch in your triceps. After about ten seconds, you can reverse the direction of the circles to really work out your arms.
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4. Burpees
Burpees, Elmardi suggests, are part of every “great full-body workout” that works your legs, chest, abs, core, and of course, your arms. To start, he says to “stand tall with your hands placed firmly on your hips.” Then, “squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground,” keeping your knees over your toes. Next, jump your feet forward and “touch the floor behind you while simultaneously jumping up” and pushing off from your left foot to stand back up. Elmardi recommends repeating this motion on the opposite side, which is one rep. “Continue performing burpees for 20 reps total. You’ll not only burn tons of calories but you’ll also tone your whole body,” he says.
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5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
If your goal is to *finally* be able to lift your suitcase into your overhead bin on a plane with ease, this exercise could work for you! A dumbbell shoulder press, as its name suggests, can help strengthen your shoulders just as much as your arms. To complete this exercise, trainers say to choose a dumbbell that isn’t *too* heavy to avoid injury (your trainer or someone at your gym can help with this!) It’s important to hold your dumbbells by your shoulders and face your pals forwards. You’ll want your elbows to be placed out to the sides and bent at a 90 degree angle. Slowly extend through your elbows, as Coach’s Nick Harris-Fry explains, and do this without leaning back. The writer adds that “pressing the weights above your head” will help you sculpt your arms.
6. Plank Taps
Planks are another solid exercise for toning arms, McSorley notes, as they require you to “hold your body weight in an isometric position while engaging the arm muscles.” This, she adds, helps to “strengthen the muscles in your shoulders and arms without any additional resistance.” To make this even more intense and rewarding, you can add taps to this, and touch each shoulder while in a plank position, as seen in the above clip.
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7. Shadow Punching
This is an easy exercise for your arms that doesn’t require any equipment! To successfully shadow punch, as seen in the above TikTok, you can punch into the air at a consistent time and speed of your choice. One helpful way to think about shadow punching is to imagine that you are fighting an opponent.
8. Dumbbell Side-to-Front Raise
With the help of your favorite dumbbell and motivation, this exercise can really give your arms a workout from multiple angles. To do this, start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and then extend your arms. At each of your sides, hold a dumbbell. Next, raise your weights lateral to shoulder height, and refrain from swinging. Now, move your dumbbells in front of you, all while keeping your arms extended. You can switch it up by changing positions and alternating.
9. Inchworm
Want to become more flexible while also toning up your arms? The inchworm just might be the right exercise for you! This also helps target your core and full-body for an intense workout. To complete the inchworm, start in a standing position, and bend over. Next, walk your hands out in front of you, as much and as far as you can (preferably on a yoga mat or clean surface). Now, it should feel as if you are in a plank position. Stay here for as long as you wish, and then walk your hands back to their original position.
10. Dumbbell Row
By targeting both of your arms one at a time, this classic exercise can help you build muscle effectively. To start, stand perpendicularly next to a training bench. Prepare yourself by adding a dumbbell next to it on the side that you want to row. Now, make sure your non-rowing hand and your same-side knee are on the bench, and have your other foot planted on the floor. Now, with your back tensed, reach down with your free hand to pick up a dumbbell. Next, lift the weight up and down while keeping your shoulders relaxed, focusing more on your back being the most tense and as flat as possible.
11. Tricep Extension
A tricep extension is another exercise which targets the triceps specifically, McSorley says. “The triceps make up the majority of your upper arm, and will show more than your biceps,” she explains, suggesting to “hold two lightweights together in one hand above your head.” Next, she says to “bend your elbow” so the weight comes behind your head, then to “press back up towards the ceiling before lowering it back down again.”
12. Jumping Jacks
Want to tone your arms without equipment? Jumping jacks can help you sculpt not only your arms, but also your legs at the same time! While keeping your arms as straight in the air as you can (to really feel that tension), lift them as you jump out from a standing position. This, as seen in the above video, is also a great warm-up for other exercises and always serves as a quick and easy way to work out your arms if you’re pressed for time.
13. Wall Push-Ups
Push-ups are a great and classic way to tone your arms, McSorley says, because they “not only target the arm muscles,” but also the “chest, shoulder and core muscles.” Push-ups done against a wall are an easy way to “work your arms and help to tone them,” she explains. To do this exercise, she says to place your hands against a wall in front of you with “your arms shoulder width apart,” and then “push up and down with your arms.”
14. Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are a great exercise for toning arms, McSorley notes, because they “target the triceps specifically.” By sitting on the edge of a bench and gripping the seat, you are able to “lift and lower your body,” using only your arms. This, she says, helps to “engage the triceps while also strengthening and toning them.” This exercise is not only simple, but also can be done anywhere, from a park to a gym to your own home.
15. Overhead Presses
An overhead press is another great exercise option for toning arms, McSorley points out, as it “involves pressing the weights above your head and engaging the arm muscles.” This, she adds, helps to strengthen and tone “all of the arm and shoulder muscles while also engaging the core.” To do this, she instructs to stand tall with a weight in each hand, and then lift both weights over your head. It’s vital, she notes, to keep your wrists straight and then slowly lower your arms back down again.
