healthy arms

If you fatigue easily during pressing moves, heres a quick strength boost: depth pressups. Get into pressup position with your hands on two raised boxes. Drop your hands between the boxes, lowering into a half pressup. As your arms absorb the impact, they are primed to deal with heavier loads.

You may have heard about muscle activation before (think turning your muscles on as you work them). The way to flick your biceps onswitch is simple: flex hard. Even if the move youre performing doesnt work those muscles exclusively, tense your arms and youll build muscle.

Wave goodbye to TV guilt and puny arms simultaneously. When youre kicking back in front of Breaking Bad, hold a kettlebell upsidedown in one hand. The instability works your forearms and brachialis, both essential for bicep development. Plus it leaves the other arm free for the remote.

Bodybuilders do it for a reason: tensing in the mirror helps train your body to focus on the correct muscles during exercise. Tense your triceps until you see them flex properly, then repeat this action when lifting. Fake tan is an optional extra.

Stand with your feet hipwidth apart, bend over, and touch the floor in front of your feet with both hands. Keeping your legs straight and core tight, walk your hands forward as far as you can without letting your hips drop. Pause, then slowly walk your feet toward your hands. Thats one rep. Do 12.

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides, one palm facing in, one palm facing the front of your thigh, feet hipwidth apart. Keeping your arms straight and shoulders down, simultaneously raise one weight in front of you and the other out to your side, both to shoulder height. Return to start. Thats one rep. Repeat with opposite arms and continue alternating.

Stand with your feet hipwidth apart, holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing away from you. Curl the weights to shoulder height, then rotate your hands so that your palms face forward and press the dumbbells toward the ceiling until your arms are extended directly overhead. Pause, then reverse the movement to return to start. Thats one rep.

Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and place your left knee and hand on a bench so your hips and shoulders form 90degree angles with your legs and arms. Keeping your back flat and core tight, bend your right elbow to lift the weight to the side of your chest, then raise the weight behind you until your arm is completely straight. Reverse the move to return to start. Finish all reps, then repeat on the other side.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart, arms at your sides, palms in. With arms straight but not locked, raise the weights diagonally in front of you, so that your arms form a V shape, until your arms are parallel to the floor. Hold for one second, then return to the starting position. Do 12 to 15 reps.

Holding a pair of dumbbells just above your shoulders, palms facing each other, stand with your feet shoulderwidth apart, knees slightly bent. Press the weights until your arms are straight overhead. Hold for one second, then take three seconds to lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders. Do six to eight reps.