Is there a way to tone the muscle of my arms without increasing their size? I like the look of Michelle Obama’s arms, but I wouldn’t want them bigger than that. Is this possible?
Of course it is possible to create sleeker, more defined arms through regular resistance training, but I wouldn’t get too hung up on the specific measurement of your arms. Just by virtue of the fact that you are a woman the odds are great against your arms blowing up to ungainly proportions. I don’t mean this in a disparaging or sexist way at all.
As a woman you have much less testosterone, the hormone most directly responsible for muscle growth, than a man does. For this reason it’s unlikely your arms could ever get bigger than a size you would appreciate.
To ensure you achieve the look you’re seeking I recommend concentrating on high reps with medium-light weight. When I say high reps I’m talking up to 30, which is higher than a person looking to gain muscular size would generally perform. Below I’ve outlined a simple arm routine that should give you the results you want in as little as eight weeks. Good luck in reaching your goal!
| Joe Weider’s Arm Toning Routine | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell curls supersetted with/ Triceps pushdowns | 3* | 30-20-10 10-20-30 |
|
Preacher bench curls supersetted with/ Overhead dumbbell extensions |
3* | 20-15-10 10-15-20 |
* As you decrease the number of reps for curls, increase the number for pushdowns so that each of the three supersets equals 40 total reps