Small deviations in technique can really add up when doing exercises for your arms. Over the long run, said deviations can really put a dent in your progress and potentially cause serious injury.
Now I strongly feel that the majority of women wishing to get toned arms aren’t even aware of these deviations. There is a lot going on when performing an arm workout, so perfecting technique probably isn’t a top priority.
Well, I don’t recommend getting too anal here. However, avoiding the most common mistakes will give you the biggest bang for your buck while not making your arm workouts a mechanistic nightmare.
So without further ado, here are some common errors to avoid when doing arm exercises:
1. Using momentum to bring the weight up. You may not even be aware that you’re doing this. Because you probably look at yourself from the front when exercising. Yet the only way to really see if your using momentum is to look at yourself from the side. So whenever you do a curl, double check the side mirrors?
2. Letting the shoulders come up. Most common with press downs for the triceps, although some women also do this when performing curls. What’s the big deal? When you elevate the shoulders, you work your trapezius (neck) muscles, not your arm muscles. And do you really want a big neck?
3. Letting the elbows move around. This is probably the most rampant error of them all. Whether you’re doing biceps curls or triceps extensions, your elbows should always stay locked in place. Once your elbows start moving around, stress is placed on your shoulders and/or back and away from your arms.
4. Not digging in with the heels. Digging into the ground with your heels when doing any type of lifting is one of the simplest yet most effective things you can do. Because digging in with your heels uses the largest muscles in your body for support.
Be conscious of the above mistakes when exercising your arms and do your best to avoid them. However, please do not become so self conscious about your form that you don’t go 100%. Try hard to maintain good form, but don’t obsess over it. After all, you should enjoy your arm workouts!
Writer Katherine Crawford, an exercise physiologist and former flabby arms sufferer, instructs on how to get rid of flabby arms. Figure out how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her website with arm exercises for women now!