Weights for arm toning- help me please!

[NetMumsBastards]

I'm on a "slow" diet looking to lose about 12lbs over 12-15 weeks.
I'm currently 8 stone 12 and want to get down to about 8 stone 0lbs.

Combined with this weight loss, I'm trying to tone up my arms. They're not in bad shape but I'd like to get to a point where you can see some definition.

I do aqua aerobics three times a week and use arm weights during these classes.

I currently lift quite light weights four times a week (with a rest day between each day). I do some exercises with 5kg in each hand and others with 3kg. I do four sets of 20 reps.

I don't want massive muscly arms- I want them thin with a bit of definition. Am I doing the right thing in doing lots of reps with light weights. A friend reckons I should be using much heavier weights but I thought heavy weights were for bulking up rather than toning.

Apologies if this is incredibly naive.

[EssCee]

I agree with your friend about lifting heavier. Your muscles don't know the difference between toning (putting on more muscle) and building bigger muscles (putting on more muscle). It takes a lot of effort to become 'too bulky'!!

[ShowOfHands]

Lift heavier. I use 8ks as a minimum and have good definition without huge bulk. Plus, whole body exercises such as planks will help.

[EssCee]

Just to add, you don't necessarily need to do loads of heavy weights to see progress. Even if you do bodyweight exercises, I think you'll see progress. E.g. press ups (on toes), tricep dips. Press ups are ace for shoulders, arms, core.

[NetMumsBastards]

Thank you for your replies, I really do appreciate it.

I've only just started lifting weights so I don't think I'll be able to get to 8kgs just yet. I was thinking to keep on with the weights I'm using now for a couple of weeks, then move up when they become too easy (say every two weeks). Is that right?

[NetMumsBastards]

Thank you, I agree I do need to do more press-up type exercises. I went to circuit classes for a while and I really started to notice a difference but then they were cancelled

[EssCee]

Re: progression, I'd just listen to your body- and if it feels easy, you're not pushing yourself hard enough! If any exercise becomes easy, you're not going to see much benefit from it.

Obviously we're all different, but I'm a big fan of compound exercises, like press-ups... biggest bang for buck!

[PumpkinSpiceEverything]

Hold a tin of baked beans in each hand and start from there. Works brilliantly!

[MaidOfStars]

Heavier weights for fewer reps. You won't bulk up unless you start mainlining testosterone, especially not if you're dieting too.

With your 5kg, can you shoulder press them easily? If no, work on that, even if you can only do a few reps. If yes, maybe buy heavier weights -or- really slow down the lowering part. Push up, pause for 1, lower for 4.

And yes to push ups - they will work wonders for your arms.

If you work your shoulders and chest, your arms will follow.

[NetMumsBastards]

MaidofStars Errrm, I cant' shoulder press them easily but they're okay. In another couple of weeks I reckon I could do 5kg shoulder presses quite easily.

This advice is so great. It's really hard to find decent information online (I don't really know what I'm looking for). If anyone has any good websites that are useful, that'd be completely wonderful.

Thank you!

[MaidOfStars]

Errrm, I cant' shoulder press them easily but they're okay
How many reps can you do while maintaining good form?

There's a very good and popular workout program called Strong Lifts. It advocates only five different exercises for a full body workout - squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, bent over row. These could reasonably be considered the compound exercises that will make the most difference to your strength/shape.

The three that will make the most difference to your arms are the shoulder press, the bench press and the bent over row. You won't be able to easily do a bench press with dumbbells (unless you have a bench lying around?) but you can sub in push ups.

5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise - shoulder press, bent over row, push up - is what you're aiming for. I would try the bent over rows one handed, using the other to brace against a low surface, so obviously, you'd be doing five each side for one set.

See how you go with these. You don't need to do specific bicep/tricep work to get biceps and triceps! They are recruited into the shoulder,chest and back exercises, and as EssCee says, these compound exercises are way more bang for your buck.

[Tomorrowisanewday]

If you can do 20 reps in a set, you should increase the weight. My PT looks for exhaustion at 8 to 10 - so if I'm managing that easily, she'll up the weight

[theptidad]

Hi, Army Reservist/Personal Trainer/Dad here...

Some good points from other commenters but let's just look quickly at what muscle tone actually is. It's your muscle fibres twitching and tensing. What happens when you exercise your muscles is you tear the fibres. Your body then rebuilds the fibres stronger and more elastic than before which is how your muscles grow. It also comes from the blood pumping close to the skin from your blood vessels (which is why the veins appear to pop out).

However for the tone to really show off (in an Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow kind of way) you need a fairly low body fat percentage.

Since you can't target any specific part of your body to burn fat you'll just have to burn it generally. Good news is you can do this though resistance training as well as cardio.

Whilst there is an argument for repping close to your 1RM (1 rep max - the most weight you can lift in one go) it isn't going to be effective for what you want to achieve.

Repping high weight is great for overall strength and power but it isn't great for increasing your muscle endurance and quick twitch fibres (what makes you go faster). You want the latter to increase tone and not bulk (although like others have said bulking is very very hard work).
Just look at a strongman compared to say an American Football player or a prop forward in rugby compared to a winger. One needs to be strong and powerful. The other needs to be fast and have strength endurance. Which one looks more toned?

So the solution? Pretty much along the same lines you were doing...just more. You have identified a weight you can manage for high reps.

Instead of 4 sets of 20, you want to be aiming for 10 sets of 10. For example; (obviously mix this up how you wish - don't neglect body weight exercises as others have said - however I disagree with what some have said by doing solely compound exercises. You want a mix of isolation and compound* see why at the end)

10 x 10 bicep curls
10 x 10 shoulder press
10 x 10 chest press
10 x 10 pectoral fly
10 x 10 skull crushers
10 x 10 side lat raises
10 x 10 press ups
10 x 10 hammer curls
10 x 10 upright rows
10 x 10 front lat raises

For a total of 1000 arm exercises. Rest 20-30 seconds (Depending on fitness levels) between each set of 10. Rest 45 seconds between each completion of 100 reps.

Alternatively you can try a pyramid;

Pick an exercise - e.g. barbell curl
30 x 30kg - rest 45 secs
35 x 25kg - rest 45 secs
40 x 20kg - rest 45 secs
45 x 15kg - rest 45 secs
50 x 10kg - rest 45 secs

Rest 60 seconds. Then repeat the pyramid in reverse.

For cardio focus on sprints. If you're using a treadmill or exercise bike, set the gradient for at least and 8% climb. Then go for 30 seconds at a time on a high speed. For me I run at 10mph on a 10% gradient.

It's actually surprisingly effective at burning fat and increasing your ability to sprint. You can supplement it with longer fast runs. In the Army we run 1.5 mile dashes in our annual tests. To achieve a respectable time of 9mins30 or less you need to average close to 10mph.

That said your aqua aerobics is probably getting enough in for you and will do wonders for your heart and core.

So in summary you can tone up using high weight and less reps but you're more likely to build overall strength and power since you aren't really tiring your muscles out from an endurance perspective. However it is far more effective to overload your muscles through a higher rep count which will increase your fast twitch muscle fibres and the blood pumped around your body thus increasing the appearance of tone.

Like I said you can see it in practice - compare an olympic sprinter and a hammer thrower.


*so the reason you want to mix isolation and compound is mainly to just get a better workout for your big muscle. For every big muscle you have loads of little and big support muscles. During a hammer curl you also use your shoulders and chest. This is why compound is great to increase your stability and coordination as well as strength etc. However sometimes smaller muscles won't get worked out so much which is why you need isolation exercises.

For example your tricep is made up of the long head, lateral head and medial head. Different exercises target different muscles and you can isolate different parts. For example a tricep dip will work mainly your long and lateral head but not your medial head as much. A skull crusher will work your medial head more than the long and lateral.

[EssCee]

theptidad - comprehensive post!

TBH, I guess it depends how much time/energy OP has to dedicate to it. For me, I can't imagine having the time or inclination to do 10 x 10 reps of anything! And I do like the gym.

[EssCee]

Just to add, even though lifters don't think it's all that, BodyPump is a good class if you want to build on your barbell/weights reportoire. It's a set routine that requires little thinking... and is easier just doing it yourself in the gym. That said, I moved away from BP and started doing more high weights, low reps. I still do BP from time to time tho.

[EssCee]

*than just doing it yourself in the gym

[theptidad]

I'd never dissuade anybody away from a fitness class. They're so good socially and that is always the best way to get involved with exercise because if you're having a laugh and enjoying yourself you're a) going to stick at it more and b) the time will pass quicker.

You'd be surprised how little time a 10 x 10 workout takes once you get the hang of it.

I mean how long do 10 press ups take? 20 seconds? 30 seconds?

But that said if you short on time or motivation (I get that), even doing half of the 10 x 10 is going to give you a solid workout. For me the full lot takes a few ticks over 30 minutes but then I'm supposedly fit and cut out a lot of the rest time (there's roughly 11 minutes of rest time there).

I should probably stress again then, if you are looking at that and thinking AHH how am I going to do that and bathe and feed my child and put my feet up... just cut it in half (the exercise list not your feet). So do 5 exercises not 10. Also note the rest periods important if you're pre and post natal.

[chickenwire17]

I am following with interest, as I also want to improve my arm strength. I tend to weight lifts while watching TV (I find it really hard to sit still of an evening!), so maybe that is a time you can use? Mind you, my weights have just been a measly 1kg. I have just tried to shoulder press with my son's 7.5kg and it nearly killed me! Think I have a way to go...

[MaidOfStars]

I mean how long do 10 press ups take? 20 seconds? 30 seconds?
???

Brace. Down for 4. Pause. Explode up. Brace....

A press-up that takes two seconds??? Not worth the paper it's written on, mate