Fitness expert and PT Joey Bull helps women in midlife feel better and look great through exercise and mindful practises. Here, she shares the best exercises to define upper arms
Words: Joey Bull | Images: Shutterstock & Joey Bull
Muscle density is good to have at any phase of life but there is no more important time to keep it, and make more of it, than during
and past your middle years. Muscle density drops dramatically as you age. Left unexercised, once youthful, shapely arms become flaccid. Getting some power back into your arms not only improves muscle and therefore bone density but also posture, carriage, power, confidence and makes for better symmetry. Shaping up your arms and filling out your shoulders can also give the illusion of a smaller waistline.
Lots of women tend to cover up their arms later in life but a little sculpting and definition makes them worth showing off. All those dresses, neck lines and halter necks you’ve been avoiding for years will hang much better on a good frame.
The key is to work all parts of the shoulder: all three triceps muscles, on the backs of your arms, and your biceps on the front. Some areas are stronger than others. For instance, we spend our lives doing mostly forward movements, whether it be driving, cooking, or typing, and so we overpower the front muscles, leaving the rear shoulder ones weak and underdeveloped. Over time, the shoulders quietly slope forward. Good posture, with some muscle definition, will take years off you.
Your easy arm workout
Use light weights such as 2-3kg to start with. You can also do these exercises with no weights and create your own resistance with focused thought alone – studies show there will still be some gains! Either way, fine-tune your focus to the muscle you’re working, even if you feel it elsewhere, too.
- Aim for three times a week, with 48 hours between each workout.
- On the first go, do one set of each exercise. Next time, aim for two sets.
- Perform the exercises in the order shown to optimise the benefits of balanced shape.
Rear shoulders
Works: Posterior deltoid, back of the shoulder
- Hinge forward from the hips holding your hands beneath your waist. Bend the knees a little.
- With a straight back, take the arms out to the side and slightly in front. Be precise with this action and focus on the back of the shoulder.
- Aim for 10 reps. If you don’t feel it working by then – up the weight next time.
Middle Shoulder Fly
Works: The middle shoulder/medial deltoid
- Standing upright with feet fractionally apart, hold arms at pelvis level.
- Raise both arms to the side keeping the palms down and a soft bend in the elbow.
- Fractionally point the thumb down and the little finger up to really hit the middle shoulder.
- Push for 12 repetitions, feeling each one.
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Shoulder Press
Works: The full shoulder cap
- Stand with your legs apart, back straight, tummy pulled to support your back alignment.
- Take the arms from the ‘hands up!’ position to above the head, joining the weights. This extra pyramid point uses the shoulder cap a little more.
- Keep the neck relaxed.
- Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions.
Triceps Kickbacks
Works: Triceps/upper back arm
- Holding some weights, bend your knees slightly and hinge forward from the hips.
- Extend arms behind you and bend from the elbows, bring the weights forward and then back, being careful to fix the elbow into your sides to avoid swinging the arms.
- With the weights behind you, rotate hands outward and inwards to work the inner, outer and middle triceps, focusing on the action and area.
- Aim for 5 reps in each position.
Triceps Press
Works: Triceps/upper back arm
- On all fours, keeping elbows flush to your sides, bend from the elbows and tilt forwards placing your head ahead of your hands.
- Do as many as you can while keeping this form. It may be 2 or 10. Keep working on this one.
- When you feel stronger, raise the feet or extend the legs out into a full press-up position.
Triceps Dips
Works: Triceps and front shoulder
- Place your hands shoulder-distance apart and behind you, with the fingers facing forward, holding onto the bed/chair.
- Keeping elbows held in, dip up and down by bending and straightening your elbows alone – avoid just moving your bum up and down, and using your hips!
- Do as many as you can, dipping low and straightening out almost fully each time – don’t lock the arms.
Biceps Curls
Works: Biceps/upper front arm
- If you have weights, lock them both together, stand on one leg and bend the weighted arm up and down slowly.
- Weights, band or imagination alone, pay attention to lowering a little slower than lifting, which will give better strength gains.
- Do as many as you can – when you can’t do any more with good technique, switch to the other side.
Joey’s 30 years in fitness covers competing, coaching, writing and radio. As a natural medicine practitioner, she blends her knowledge of the body for all into live and online courses. Specialising in regaining youth and self-care, with a particular interest in hormones and middle age, The Best Is Yet To Come course is an example of vitality revived, at any age. Visit joeybull.com.
