You perform strength training twice a week and your arms remain undefined. What are you doing wrong?
To see you toned you need to keep increasing the weight you load. "Most women carry a bag that weighs two to four kilos every day, and they think carrying that weight in the gym will make a difference," says Women's Health Coach and Counselor Rachel Cosgrove.
Use this rule: if you are allowed to perform 12 to 15 repetitions with a certain weight, increase the tonnage. Incorporate chest movements that make you work on various muscle groups (can be lizards or rowing) and remember that you can not show your muscles if they are covered with a layer of fat, so you should do cardio exercises two to three times a week and eat a balanced diet to reduce your body fat index.
Here we leave you two routines; The first to lower those extra pounds and the second to tone your arms.
1. Cardiac Routine
Jumps: Stand with your feet apart to the width of your hip. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees as if you were doing a squat and then push your legs while stretching your arms over your head. Complete 10 jumps, that's a series. Rest 30 seconds and perform two more series.
Lizards: (A) Place your hands on the floor about shoulder width apart and aligned underneath. (B) Keeping the back straight and the abdomen contracted, lower the chest to the floor. Press to return to the starting position and repeat the movement. Complete 10 lizards and stop at the top for 20 seconds. Make two more series.
Lizard and lateral lizard: (A) From the position of lizard, change to iron. Resist the weight of your body with your elbows and forearms and hold the position for 20 seconds. (B) Switch to a side plate on the right side: move your weight to your right forearm and the outside of your right foot. Rest your left leg at the top right. Put your hand on your hip. Hold the 10sec position; Return to the standard plate and hold for 20 seconds, then switch to a left side plate and hold for 10 sec. Make 3 sets.
Mountain climbing: Begin in a lizard position and bring your left knee to your left shoulder. Straighten leg and return foot to floor. Do the same with the right leg. Alternate your legs this way as fast as you can. Scale 20 times in total, 10 with each leg. Make 3 sets.
2. Routine for arms
Military Press: Take a dumbbell in each hand and raise your arms straight towards the ceiling with your palms facing the front (a). Bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells at the level of your ears and your arms form 90 ° angles (b). Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Curl for biceps: Take a dumbbell in each hand, with straight arms on both sides of your body (a). Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders without lifting the elbows of your body (b), and lower them slowly to return to the starting position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Rest forearm: Rest your left hand on your left thigh, and with your right hand take a dumbbell with the palm facing toward the floor and wrist recharged on your knee (a). Move the dumbbell up and down (b). Complete your repetitions and change sides. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Triceps Extension with Dumbbell: Bend your elbows and lift your dumbbells to your chest level - without touching it - (a). Without moving your body, stretch your arms behind you as much as you can without opening your elbows (b). Lower the dumbbells to return to the starting position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Shoulder Extension with Dumbbell: (a) Without moving your body, open your arms in a wide motion by keeping your wrists aligned with your shoulders and (b) slowly return your arms to the starting position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
One-hand triceps with Dumbbell: Take a dumbbell with your left hand and raise your arm with the horizontal dumbbell. (a) Bend your left elbow and lower the vertical weight toward your shoulder blades without opening the elbow (b). Raise the weight to return to the starting position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.