Shoulder and arm exercises to do at home to tone and slim
The arms and shoulders are a delicate part, and as time goes by and the age increases, the salt test can become more and more concerning. To avoid being forced to greet only like Queen Elizabeth, it is good to carry out exercises that tone and also allow us to reduce any accumulations of fat mass. They are arm and shoulder exercises to do at home, free body or using tools such as dumbbells, small weights or any DIY substitutes, like this:
As with any exercise done at home, it is important to understand what the body is communicating to us to avoid the risks (and pains) of a poorly or roughly performed workout. Avoid forcing the movements too much, especially if you have stopped for a while, start slowly, giving yourself breaks and starting with a smaller number of exercises per series, to increase over time. Warm up and let yourself be supported by the other muscles as well. abdominals and pectorals, to avoid burdening the neck and back.
See also
How are shoulder and arm exercises for women done?
There are various types of exercises to train arms and shoulders by individually involving various muscles. It will therefore be necessary to differentiate the exercises of the biceps and triceps essential to firm the arms, from the deltoids with which we tone the shoulders. If we do the arms and shoulders exercises at home, we can replace the dumbbells with water bottles (small or 1.5L if you are more trained), get a rubber band and a mat for pushups. Whatever the tools, the "goal remains the same: to tone and slim these two parts of the body. Let's see the exercises to do depending on the muscle involved.
Shoulder exercises with dumbbells or bodyweight
To do the shoulder exercises we have to train the deltoids and we can do it either with dumbbells or weights (which we can replace, where absent, with water bottles, small or large) or free body.
Shoulder exercises with dumbbells
To train the delts with dumbbells, we do side raises. Stand up, slightly spreading your legs and flexing them, contract your abs, put your chest out and your back straight. Bend your elbows slightly and point your wrists down, inhaling. At that point, raise your arms bringing the dumbbells to shoulder height, exhaling, and hold the position for a few seconds and then go back down.
Bodyweight shoulder exercises
To tone the deltoids and therefore the free body shoulders, we do the plank, a static exercise that also helps to firm the abdominals, buttocks and thighs. Lie on the ground with your stomach facing down; bend the elbows to 90 degrees, so that they become parallel to the shoulders; in the meantime, fix your toes to the ground and start supporting the whole body, resting only on your forearms and toes, contracting abdominals and buttocks. Maintain the pose for at least 30 seconds, gradually increasing the resistance until you reach, with constant training, 5 minutes.
Bicep exercises to do at home
To train the biceps we can perform various types of exercises depending on the tools available.
Dumbbell biceps exercises
Stand with your legs slightly flexed and spread apart. Fix your arms at your sides and bring the dumbbell towards the shoulder, moving only the forearm. Start with the right arm, do the exercise 10 times and then continue with the left one. You can also alternate left and right arms if you prefer. Do at least two sets of 10. Alternatively, you can do this exercise for biceps sitting on a chair, paying attention to the back and pelvis, which must not sag, and not to close the shoulders.
Bodyweight biceps exercises
We can do the biceps exercises even without dumbbells. If we are at home, getting a mat can be useful, or the floor can be fine too. So let's proceed with the pushups. We have already seen the push-ups for the pectorals, while for the biceps we will keep the legs extended. Then, lie down on the ground, place your toes firmly, put your body on axis keeping abdominals and buttocks taut and extend your arms. Maintain the pose for 3-4 seconds and then slowly return to the floor. If you need support, you can also do elbow pushups and make the movement easier. Repeat the exercise 10 times, for 2 sets.
Triceps exercises for toned and lean arms
Also in this case, to train triceps and quadriceps, home made dumbbells can represent a variant to the free body exercises to be done on the mat.
Triceps exercises with dumbbells
Let's start with an "extension of the triceps: stand up, legs flexed and slightly apart, back straight and abs always tense to keep the torso aligned. Raise your arms straight up and begin to bend them at the elbow, slowly bringing the dumbbell back. with the right arm, performing the movement 10 times and then attack with the second one Again you can alternate the arm Do 2-3 sets of ten, depending on your ability and strength.
Bodyweight triceps exercises
Lie on the ground, resting your knees on a pillow. Place your hands opening them and bringing your index and thumb together in such a way as to form a rhombus. Flex your arms by bringing your chest to your hands and holding the position for 3 seconds and then rise. Alternatively, put your back to a chair or bench if you are in the park. Keep your legs straight and initiate pushups by lowering your buttocks but without letting them touch the floor. Either way, do 2-3 sets of 10.
Stretch your shoulders and arms after the exercises
To stretch the muscles we have been working on, it is very important to allow the last 5-10 minutes of our exercise session to stretch the shoulders and arms. First of all, to loosen the shoulder muscles, let's move them up and down about 5 times. Next, bring your right arm up, bending the forearm behind your head. With the opposite hand, grab the elbow and pull it lightly on the opposite side for about 5-10 seconds. Do the same with the other arm.
Next, bring the right arm forward, grab the elbow with the opposite arm and bring the arm to the chest by pulling lightly for 5-10 seconds. Do the same thing with the other arm.
