Strong, toned arms do more than just look good. 

Whether you are looking to tone your arms as part of your body composition goals or just want to create some more definition in your arms, routinely doing arm exercises will benefit you long term. That’s because any strengthening work you do, especially in your upper body, can assist with functional fitness. 

Functional fitness is the fitness it takes to do everyday activities, like pulling open a heavy door or carrying bags of groceries from the trunk of your car to your kitchen counter. Many people see themselves with better posture after focusing efforts on toning their arms and their upper body. 

Furthermore, with stronger arms, you can also improve your longevity. Many people who are able to build and keep strength into old age can be independent longer, which is always a plus. Strengthening the forearms, specifically, will also build grip strength. 

The Muscles of the Arm

The arm is made up of multiple muscles. Both the upper arm and forearm have different muscles that you can target during your workouts. 

The muscles we hear about the most are the bicep and tricep, both on the upper arm. The bicep is on the inside of your upper arm and the tricep is on the back of your upper arm. Most people tend to focus on primarily the bicep and secondarily the tricep when completely upper body workouts. However, the flexors and extensors in the forearm are incredibly important to stabilize both the elbows and the wrists, as well as promote arm and upper body joint mobility. 

The Best Arm Toning Exercises

The exercises below are some of the best exercises to incorporate into your upper body workout to tone your arms. But remember that nothing is done in a vacuum. Strengthening your arms is great, but to really get the full benefit of improving your overall health, pair these arm toning exercises with strength training for your shoulders, back, and abdomen. Combining arms, shoulders, back, and abdomen will help you build your upper body. 

The following exercises are great because they are beginner friendly, but can be modified as you get stronger or if you want a challenge. Like with all strength training exercises, be sure that your form is correct to prevent injury.  

Push Ups 

Push ups are a classic upper body exercise that works both your triceps and your biceps. Since push ups are such a well known exercise, there are also a lot of options for how to do the push ups depending on your current strength level. 

To do a traditional push-up, come to a high plank position with your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Then, bend your elbows and lower your body to the floor. Be sure to keep your core engaged as you do this. Go as far as you can before pausing for a moment and pushing yourself back up. 

If this is too difficult when you are just starting, try doing the same motion but planking at the knees instead of the feet. An even more modified version of the push up is more of a push “out”: replicate the push up position while standing at the wall. Keeping your body straight “fall” into the wall before pushing yourself away. 

Bicep Curls 

Bicep curls are another classic upper body exercise targeting both the bicep and your forearms. Working the forearms in tandem with the muscles of your upper arms is very important to maintaining balanced strength and improving functional movement. 

For bicep curls you will need a pair of dumbbells. To start, stand with your feet hip distance apart and hold dumbbells at your side with your palms facing forward. Then bend your elbows and lift the weight to your shoulders. It’s important that you don’t move your upper arms during this exercise. Lower with control. 

Repeat this exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps. 

Tricep Kick Backs 

Tricep kickbacks are a great exercise to work the muscles of your triceps. We like this because it is difficult, but anyone should be able to do it. 

To start, stand with your feet hip distance apart and hinge forward slightly at the hips, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Your upper arms should be parallel with your upper body. Without moving your upper arm, push the dumbbells back, straightening your arms. Return to the starting position with control. 

Repeat this exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps. 

Track Changes to Your Arms with ZOZOFIT

As you work towards toning your arm muscles, the ZOZOFIT app can help you track your progress closely through our body scanning technology. All you need is your smartphone and two minutes to scan, and once you are done, you can begin to see how these exercises are impacting your arm muscles. The ZOZOFIT app also helps you monitor your body fat percentage, set goals, assess your glutes, and more.