I'm sure you're all groaning about my title, especially after all the silly press Michelle Obama's arms have been getting. I feel a bit like a weenie admitting this, but I have been appreciating the press that both Obamas are getting for both their fitness and their fitness routines. I guess I see them as positive role models... they have busy lives, they have kids, and they're still managing to make fitness a priority. (Okay, okay--they do benefit from being able to afford a gym/gym equipment, they have help with the childcare, etc., but my point is, they have obstacles just like the rest of us but they're still working out.)
I have kind of enjoyed all the (positive) press about fit arms. (David Brooks I could do without.) Fit arms are my "thing", too, and it's been interesting to read about other people's reactions to Michelle's fit arms and to scan through scads of advice about how to buff up the biceps. Below the fold, I'll include snippets and links to some of the press, plus links and snippets on arm-focused upper body strength training, and last but not least, some of my own (very non-professional) experience.
If you do a google search, you'll see that the buzz really got crazy right around the inauguration (with the dress Michelle rocked at the balls). It's been pretty steady ever since...
This one's about women going to the gym and requesting "Michelle Obama's arms" from trainers. Honestly, I love it.
She's no skeletal, overdressed clothes-hangar, barely subsisting on a low-calorie diet and chain-smoking to kill her hunger. She's a real woman, with the hips and biceps to prove it!
According to People magazine, the first lady gets up at 5:30 about three mornings a week for a 90-minute exercise session with a personal trainer.
This one in the NY Times focused more on how you can get there:
There is no single, easy route to arms like Mrs. Obama’s (dubbed “Thunder” and “Lightning” by David Brooks, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times). Instead, the trainers recommend an integrated workout that combines weight lifting — working the opposing muscles in the biceps, triceps and shoulders in one session — along with cardio activities, core strength development and, equally important, diet.
Similar advice:
Pump Some Iron. Ladies, to really achieve strong, sculpted arms you need to hoist heavy weights.
And so on.
I'll admit myself that because I'm ah, not well endowed in another upper body area, I've always worked on my own arms. My brother (who's been dead several years, bless him) really inspired me in this area... he was built like a gorilla and could do nearly 30 pull-ups and bench-pressed some ungodly amount of weight. So maybe my own buff-ish arms are half genetics, but the other half most definitely is work.
Almost every article I've seen mentions strength training exercises you can do to get Michelle Obama's arms. The great thing is, they pretty much all mention different exercises. There's a few important messages here: (1) There is no perfect exercise or 3 perfect exercises you can use to tone your arms; all kinds of things work. (2) Boredom isn't great, and variety helps keep fitness improving, so there's a lot one can do to shake things up!
Some of my own personal favorites:
*Pull-ups or assisted pull-ups. I have a pull-up bar with multiple hand positions. It hangs in a doorway. I can pull up from standing on the floor (arms somewhat bent--this is a form of an assisted pull-up) or bend my knees and hang. I can use a stool to boost myself for the final bit (assisted pull-up). I can also slowly lower myself from the pull-up position. It's not as much work as pulling myself up there, but it's work, and it's a good way to work toward independent pull-ups.
*
Tricep dips or
assisted tricep dips using a chair (with either bent legs or straight legs).
* Push-ups--these can be done in varying levels of difficulty--with knees on the floor, with legs extended, with feet on a step (incline push-ups), with hands on the wall, with hands on an exercise ball...
* Doing the
plank or
side plank works abs and core as well.
*
Dumbbell curls. (You can buy dumbbells or improvise your own.)
*Dumbbell lateral raises.
* There are a ton of things one can do with
resistance bands. And hey--none of these exercises require going to a gym!
I try to do at least a couple of good upper body strength training sessions every week, with a rest day in between (on that rest day, I'll do core or lower body; it's a rest day for the upper body). I try to mix things up, but I also try to keep increasing the challenge of what I'm doing to keep improving my fitness. I also try to include exercises which hit all parts of my arms (biceps, triceps, deltoids, etc). If all you do is bicep curls, you're not doing your triceps any favors... it's a smarter strategy to aim to strengthen all of your muscles to avoid injury. If you're lifting weights or using resistance bands, aim for 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions (I usually aim for 10-12). Too few reps means you're probably lifting too much for what you're trying to achieve, too few reps means you're not working hard enough. (Forget that "do tons of reps of a tiny amount of weight to tone your muscles" stuff... you'll get better results if you follow the advice above.) If you start on knee push-ups and they get easier, start working in a few "regular" push-ups.
Last but not least (and this is aimed at other women)... I thought I'd mention that I've never had the problem of getting too muscular, so don't worry about that. A few upper body workouts per week will never make you Ahnold, but it will help you feel confident in a tank top.
I'd love to hear about your arms and your favorite arm exercises in the comments.
Editing in from the comments:
From plf515 :
On dumbbell curls, the key is that your elbows should be against your body, and that ONLY your forearm should move. If you can, it is good to do them on a seat with a back, this holds your upper body steady, and then you can just concentrate on holding your elbow steady.
A great tricep exercise is tricep extension. Pick up a dumbbell, raise your arm straight up over your head, elbow against ear. Now, moving only your forearm, bring your hand back until it almost touches your shoulder. Then bring it back overhead.
Another point is RAISE the weight. If you can do 15 reps with good form, the weight is light. Raise it a little. It should be hard to do 12 reps.
From Ammo Hauler:
Angled arm push-ups