Tank top season is still going strong, so it’s a necessity to keep those arms looking nice and sculpted! For this week’s Workout Wednesday, we are focusing on some awesome arm exercises you can do anywhere! NO gym needed! YAY! That also means no excuses!
We suggest doing 3-4 sets of 15 reps for each exercise. Your arms should be burning by the 12-15th rep–if they aren’t do another set or do more reps!
Resistance bands are AWESOME! On the cost side, they are super affordable, and you can take them with you anywhere you go! That means when you’re hitting the road or going on a vacation, you can stuff those babies in your suitcase! Also, they’re great when using them in combination with other equipment!
They are also a great tool to use because they strengthen isolated muscle groups and they test your balance. The best part about resistance bands are how versatile they are! Think of them as a traveling weighted cable machine–you can attach these bands anywhere adjust the “weight” by creating more tension. For example, you can do a bicep curl by stepping on the band and grabbing the handles. The further you step out, the more tension, and therefore, the more “weight”you will feel on those biceps.
Last benefit (although we can think of TONS), is they are good for injuries. The reason being you can isolate certain muscles without targeting other muscles, tendons, joints, etc. in the injured area.
Now for the actual exercises!
Side note: these are not the best quality videos, and they are taken vertically which is super annoying because you get those super cute black bars! Sorry in advance!
Reverse Curls: Every time we show someone this exercise, we always hear, “I didn’t know you could work forearms!” Well, now you do, too! For these, start with feet over the band and handles gripped, chest up, and palms facing down. Then, while keeping your elbows glued at your sides, move your forearms up towards your upper arm. NOTE: there should be no movement in the upper arm!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u48lG4oIis
“21’s”: No, these have absolutely nothing to do with drinking an excessive amount of alcohol! These will, however, make those biceps burn! The “21” refers to the total amount of reps you will do in one set. For the first seven reps, start from the bottom of the movement up to the halfway point (with your arms at a 90 degree angle and your hands at elbow level). For the second seven reps, start from the halfway point up to the top of the bicep curl (hands up near shoulder level). Lastly, for the third seven reps, start at the bottom of the movement and complete a full curl all the way up. As always, start with hand gripped shoulder width apart and elbows glued to your sides. When using a resistance band, step on the band, and grab the handles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSBzjXX3Dk
Single Arm Cable Curl: Now that your arms are already burning, it’s time to add in another isolating exercise! This time, we will attach the resistance band to a pole or something taller than yourself. You may need to wrap it around several times to get the right amount of tension. Again, start standing up with your chest up. Grab the handle and slowly curl up towards your shoulder. You should be curling up and releasing very slowly so that there is constant tension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSOZA5ZMrsI
There you have it! Hope y’all get those arms burning and ready to show off!
