Strong arms to me means being able to lift more than one bag of groceries at a time, confidently assisting and spotting my clients during their workouts, or lifting the overflowing washing basket to the laundry with ease. Are you seeing the trend here? All of these “things” happen in real life, and we should be able to do these tasks without struggle.

That's where these Pilates moves come in. Pilates is all about incorporating exercises to make everyday life easier and more pain-free. This arm workout may seem like cake, but if done correctly, it can be the most effective thing you do all week. Grab a pair of light weights and try to perform each exercise for at least 10 repetitions. If performing with both arms at one time is too much for you right now, start with one arm at a time and work your way to two!

Chelsea Streifeneder

External Rotation with Palm Up

  1. Start with your elbows tight in at your sides, palms facing up.
  2. Externally rotate your arms out to the sides, making sure your elbows don’t come off your ribs.
  3. Bring your arms back in to start position, making sure your hands and arms stay shoulder-distance apart.

Chelsea Streifeneder

Pulling a Sword

  1. Start with your arms crossed in front of you and at hip height, elbows slightly bent and shoulders back.
  2. Reach the arms up and out to the sides, almost forming an “X” position. Make sure to keep the shoulders back and down.
  3. Bring the arms back to start position without letting the hands rest on top of each other.

Chelsea Streifeneder

Steeple

  1. Press your weights together in front of you with your elbows up and out to the sides.
  2. Resist the arms up above your head without lifting the shoulders or hunching forward, and pressing the weights together the whole time.
  3. Bring the arms back down to your start position, and don’t drop the elbows.

Chelsea Streifeneder

Butterfly

  1. Start in the same position as Steeple with elbows out to the sides.
  2. Squeeze your elbows in together, and know that it's OK if they don't meet.
  3. Wing your elbows back out to start position, making sure they don't go higher than the shoulders.

© prevention.com
First published:
Tags:  arm exercisesarm toningeasy exercisesfitspotoning workout