Building firm, toned arms that look great in a sleeveless top is something that many women strive to achieve. Simultaneously losing body fat and building up lean muscle tissue in the biceps and triceps muscles will help you to achieve toned arms. Toning requires strength training the arms with weights once or twice weekly, following a consistent nutritional plan and performing regular aerobic exercise to reduce body fat.
Step 1
Train your arms once or twice weekly on nonconsecutive days to increase lean muscle tissue, and to give your arms shape and definition. Always train your arms to muscle fatigue to stimulate muscle growth. Select a weight with which muscle exhaustion occurs between eight and 12 repetitions for three sets, and rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
Step 2
Alternate between training your biceps and triceps muscles during your arm workout. A sample arm workout might consist of exercises such as barbell curls, close-grip bench presses, incline dumbbell curls, dumbbell kickbacks, barbell preacher curls, lying overhead triceps exercises, cable curls and cable pressdowns. Maintain balance in the muscles by alternating which muscle group your start your routine with every other workout. For example, begin one arm-training session with barbell curls for the biceps, and the next training session, begin with close-grip bench presses for the triceps.
Step 3
Focus on working the intended arm muscle when training with weights. Complete each repetition throughout its entire range of motion with slow and controlled movements to ensure the muscle is fully stimulated. Eliminate cheating or using momentum to execute the movement by keeping your elbows tucked in close to your sides for exercises such as curls, dumbbell kickbacks or pressdowns.
Step 4
Perform at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days a week with exercises such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling or using an elliptical machine to help reduce body-fat levels. It is not possible to spot reduce body fat just in your arms, so you must work to reduce it throughout your entire body. Increase the intensity or duration of the aerobic exercise if fat loss begins to stall.
Step 5
Maintain a consistent and balanced diet plan to help decrease body fat levels. Consume five or six small meals a day that consist of green vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fat sources. Lean proteins consist of fish, eggs, lean poultry or beef and low-fat dairy products. Whole grains include oatmeal, brown rice or whole-grain breads or pasta. Include fat sources such as avocado, nuts, seeds, natural nut butters, or olive or canola oil.
