Body Weight Exercises For Stronger ARMS.

Talk to any teenage boy who is new to strength training and chances are the first thing he’ll ask you

about is arm training. Among men, well-developed biceps and triceps are likely the most greatly desired muscles in the body. This makes perfect sense. They’re the least covered major muscles of the body.

Shirts, trousers, shorts, and socks conceal most of the torso and legs, but usually the arms are right out in the open in plain view for everyone to see.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find muscles that are flexed more often in bathrooms across the world than the arms, because at any given point probably thousands of guys are striking double biceps poses in front of their mirrors. When you have string bean arms, you’ll do just about anything to fill out your shirtsleeves with a muscular set of guns. While the biceps seem to get all the glory, the appearance of the arms requires proper development of the triceps on the back of the arms as well. 

Arm exercises aren’t just for men. They’re important for women, too. Talk to a soon-to-be bride,  bridesmaid, or a naija lady who will put on a strapless dress and she’ll let you know how much she desires well-defined arm muscles. Many women are insecure about the appearance of their triceps(christian mother hand) in particular and seek to firm the area by increasing muscle development through triceps-strengthening exercises.When performing arm exercises, concentrate on squeezing the intended muscles and don’t allow other muscles to do the job. Focus on feeling the arm muscles contracting in order to create the desired movement. Bodybuilders call this a mind–muscle connection, and it takes time to sufficiently develop these neuro-muscular pathways. For this reason, think about arm training as contracting your muscles against resistance. This will help you put maximal stress on the intended muscles.

                                                      Safety First!

Although this article will teach you how to perform exercises using your body weight and standard home furniture, I don’t want you to get injured if a chair slides or a door comes off its hinges. Remember that standard fitness equipment such as chin-up bars and weight benches are viable options as well. If you do choose to use furniture, I emphatically remind you that every piece of furniture you use when training must be secure, stable, and strong. Placing the furniture against a wall or on top of a sturdy rug will prevent it from sliding around. If there is a risk you might slip and fall, perform the exercise over a soft surface such as carpeting or turf. Test the safety of your set-up with one or two repetitions before beginning your full workout. If a particular setup seems unbalanced or insecure, switch to a different exercise or explore a safer alternative. The Colours within the anatomical illustrations explains the muscles engaged during each of the exercise regime.

Enough said. Let's build and tone those arms.

a. Triceps Extension:

1. Place your hands on the corner of a table or seat of a chair and back into proper position.

2. Keeping your body in a straight line with straight legs, straight arms, weight on the toes, and the abdominals(abs) and glutes(buttocks) braced, lower your body by bending the elbows.

3. Raise the body by using the triceps to extend the elbows.

Muscles Involved:
Primary: Triceps brachii
Secondary: Rectus abdominis(abs), gluteus maximus(buttocks)

Exercise Notes:

The triceps extension is one of the rare exercises that truly targets the triceps musculature. This is because the body revolves around the elbow joint with nearly pure elbow extension. Get into a strong position by planting firmly into the ground and squeezing the abdominals(abs) and glutes(buttocks) to maintain a solid straight line from head to toe. Do not lose this position during the exercise. Losing this position by sagging at the hips is not only unathletic but is also potentially harmful to the lower back. Don’t allow the shoulder joint to move much and try to keep most of the movement around the elbows. Use the triceps musculature to raise and lower the body. You can modulate the difficulty of this exercise by adjusting the chair or table height. To make the exercise easier, use a taller chair or table. Conversely, to make the exercise more difficult, use a shorter chair or table.

b. Short-Lever Inverted Curl:

1. Lying on your back, set up under a sturdy/strong table or tall chair with your hands grasping the outer edges, palms facing each other.

2. With your torso and legs in a straight line, neck in neutral position, knees bent at 90
degrees, weight on the heels, and the abdominals (abs)and glutes (buttocks) braced, raise your body by
bending the elbows. (When the neck is in neutral position, the head and neck remain in their natural positions and are not tilted up or back.)

3. Lower to starting position under control, moving mostly at the elbows and not the
shoulders.

Muscles Involved:
Primary: Biceps brachii
Secondary: Brachialis, rectus abdominis (abs), gluteus maximus (buttocks)

Exercise Notes:
The short-lever inverted curl is one of the only pure biceps exercises. Most of the other biceps movements heavily involve the muscles of the back. Make sure you squeeze the core muscles including the glutes in order to keep your torso and legs in a straight line. This maintains core stability while moving the body around the elbow joint to target the biceps muscles. This exercise can be adjusted to accommodate various levels of strength by using a taller table or chair to make the exercise easier, or a shorter table or chair to make the exercise more challenging. Depending on the type of chair or table, you might not be able to use a full range of motion if your head comes into contact with the bottom of the furniture. In this case, simply perform an isohold by holding the top position for a certain amount of time or perform a shorter-range pumping motion.

Safety tip:
Choose a sturdy/strong table or chair. Perform the exercise over a soft surface such as carpeting.

c. Narrow Triceps Push-Up

1. Lie face down with the hands positioned shoulder-width apart and the elbows tucked
into the body.

2. With the feet together and the core stable, press the body up.

3. Lower the body until the chest touches the floor.

Muscles Involved:
Primary: Triceps brachii, pectoralis major, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Upper and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, rectus abdominis (abs), gluteus maximus (buttocks)

Exercise Notes:
The push-up performed with a narrow base is a classic exercise that targets the triceps(back of the arm) and pectorals (chest). No doubt it’s extremely effective; however, most people perform this movement incorrectly by sagging at the hips, looking up and overextending the neck, stopping short and failing to use a full range of motion, or failing to center their elbows over the wrists. Keep a strong core by flexing the abdominals and glutes. Keep the body in a straight line throughout the exercise and do not allow the hips to sag. Lower your body until the chest hits the floor. Look down during the set and make sure the elbows are in line with the wrists. Keeping your body locked into a powerful position ensures that you receive a good core workout in addition to an effective upper-body workout.

d. Diamond Triceps Push-Up: 
The diamond triceps push-up is a bit more challenging than the narrow triceps push-up because it relies more heavily on the triceps. This variation is performed with the hands touching each other and forming a diamond shape with the thumbs and index fingers.
People who struggle with regular narrow triceps push-ups may shorten the lever by performing the movement by kneeling down. This reduces the total percentage of body weight being hoisted and allows for stricter form to be used.

e. Three-Point Bench Dip

1. Set up three chairs so that your feet are resting on one and your body is centered between the other two. (If you have access to weight benches, you can perform this exercise using two weight benches. Set the benches parallel to each other. Place your palms on one bench and your heels on the other so your body is perpendicular to the benches.)

2. With your palms on the end of the two chairs, fingers forward, and your torso upright and legs in a straight line, lower the body under control until you receive an adequate stretch. Don’t go too low; this could be dangerous. Upper arms parallel to the floor is deep enough.

3. Push your body up back to starting position.

Muscles Involved:
Primary: Triceps brachii
Secondary: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoid

Exercise Notes:
The bench dip is a common movement performed at gyms across the world. It’s an effective triceps builder and can easily be adjusted depending on your strength level. Make the exercise easier by performing the movement with the feet flat on the floor and knees bent, which reduces the total amount of body weight being lifted. Descend deep enough to receive a good stretch in the muscles, but don’t go too deep and place your soft tissue at risk. If you regularly descend too deeply, you risk injuring certain structures surrounding the shoulder joint. This exercise can be dangerous if not performed properly. Keep a tall chest during this movement and don’t allow the lower back to round. Make sure you rise all the way to lockout.

Safety tip:
Choose a sturdy table or chair. Perform the exercise over a soft surface such as carpeting.

Credit: Bret Contreras, MS, CSCS (Body weight Strength Training Anatomy)

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