Fitness expert reveals why your arm toning exercises aren’t working – and what you should be doing instead to get ripped

If you’ve spent months lifting weights in the gym but have yet to see your arms tone up, you’re likely making two prevalent mistakes.

According to fitness professionals, many gym-goers – especially women – are doing the wrong exercises and lifting too light a weight.

Amy Schemper, LA-based personal trainer and owner of virtual gym the BodyFit Athletic Club, who has over a decade in female strength training, says too much time spent on one body area is ‘the biggest mistake I see women make’.

When it comes to building muscle, for exceptionally ‘toned, sculpted arms’, you shouldn’t focus only on the triceps and biceps, she says.

This inevitably neglects other muscle groups in the body. 

‘We have to work the entire body for strength and cardio and be mindful of our nutrition,’ she told Parade.

‘Training only one area of the body and expecting to see fat loss and muscle definition in that area just doesn’t happen.

‘Building overall muscle fiber aids in body re-composition all over.’

She adds that building forearm and grip strength – for example, with push-ups using fingertips or planks – can help the muscles in the upper arm withstand more weight.

 Likewise, strengthening the core muscles allows for better form during bicep curls, increasing the benefits of the exercise. 

Essentially, the stronger your other muscle groups, the heavier the weight you can lift. 

Then there’s the second most disastrous mistake – a lack of ambition.

‘Another big mistake is being afraid to lift heavy,’ says Schemper. ‘To build strength and see definition in our arms, we need to overload the muscles progressively.’

She says this can be done using either heavier weights or higher reps and mixing up the tempo.

‘But the key is to challenge your body,’ she adds.  ‘If something feels too easy, it probably is. Listen to your body and aim to have your first few reps of a set feel easier and your last few reps feel pretty difficult.’

Madonna, pictured here at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar party aged 51, is another celebrity with sculpted arms. In 2018, Vogue magazine said she had ‘the best arms in Hollywood’.

Other fitness professionals recommend beginning with roughly 10 pounds and, when that feels easy, moving up to 20, followed by 30.  

Schemper suggests practicing ‘multi-joint’ exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, such as overhead presses and bent over rows. 

These give you more ‘bang for your buck’, she says.   

‘For toned arms, get a variety of exercises, including cardiovascular and strength training, and be aware of your nutrition.’