Although experts recommend running and fast walking as effective exercises that aid in weight loss and fitness, some parts of the body require specific training for balance, for instance, the arms, among others. One can actually lose weight and still have big arms if they are not given extra attention. Some people exercise the arms to add some muscles or maintain muscle mass. Aniket Ukey, a fitness consultant at Shivaay Yoga & Fitness, explains that before you start on any toning exercises, it’s advisable to mind what you eat as a poor diet won’t allow you to get the desired results. He recommends lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts or seeds, and protein for muscle recovery, like meat. Ukey discourages the consumption of processed food, snacks, refined sugars, and fast food. He adds that the quickest way to create toned arms is by doing both cardiovascular exercise and upper body resistance training. Experts say that cardiovascular exercise is anything that bumps up your heart rate. The harder the workout, the more calories you will burn. Higher intensity cardio exercises like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or swimming can burn up to 500 calories an hour. Ukey explains that for better results, people who want to tone their arms and upper body muscles, should swim, and practice boxing, among other exercises. He proposes three exercises to assist in arm toning; for example, the lateral raise, also known as a side raise. This, he says, is an isolation exercise for the upper body that works the shoulder muscles. It requires someone to stand tall with knees slightly bent. While holding a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang by your sides, and palms facing in. He explains that you should keep a slight bend in your elbows as you raise your arms out to the sides until the dumbbells are on level with shoulders, it’s advisable to ensure that your palms are facing the floor, and lower your arms, then complete eight to 12 repetitions. Secondly, the fitness consultant suggests push-ups as these work best for pectorals (the muscles that connect the front of the human chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder) and deltoids (a thick triangular muscle covering the shoulder joint and used for raising the arm away from the body). To do this, he says that you should lie on your belly on the floor, with your feet about 15 to 20 centimetres apart. Place your palms flat on the ground and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. “Keeping your body straight and long, come up onto your toes and lift your body off the floor with your arms until they are fully extended. Slowly bend your arms at the elbows and lower your chest towards the floor.” Stop roughly 10 to 15 centimetres before touching the ground with your belly. Try to keep your back and legs straight and in a single plane, and push back up into the original position, Ukey says. Ukey also suggests biceps curl, as it can also be effective if someone is persistent. This form of workout targets the biceps, and forearms. He says that to do it, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, grasping a dumbbell in your hand, with your palm facing forward, bend your elbow and pull the weight up towards your shoulders and lower your arm. Complete eight to 12 repetitions. Once done with one arm, do the same with the other arm. According to Healthline, ball slams are a plyometric movement that give you all of the benefits without the pounding. Ball slams are a full-body movement that will fatigue your arms and add a little cardio to your workout. “It requires you to stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold the ball at your chest. Lift the ball up and slightly behind your head. Bend your knees and actively throw the ball down on the ground as hard as you can. Catch the ball as it bounces back up (or scoop it up if it doesn’t bounce and bring it back up over your head. All the while, keep your spine straight and use your knees to lift you back up and then begin your next repetition. The ball should be relatively heavy, but not so heavy that you can’t perform the whole movement with your back straight.”
