The best arm exercises to do at the gym

If you want an incredible upper body, great posture and strong shoulders, you need to make sure you’re doing plenty of exercises for the arms. We often neglect our arms and focus instead on our core or legs, but our upper body is equally as important in a well-rounded workout.

Luckily, there are many ways to work on your arms that don’t necessarily just include pumping weights. Believe it or not, but your own body weight is often enough resistance without adding any extra load. Classes like Fitness First’s Boxercise are great for toning arms – they incorporate professional boxing techniques with circuit training and work on upper body conditioning for a strong core, and cardio to improve stamina and heart health. You’ll improve your agility, co-ordination and burn hundreds of calories, all while letting out any stress as you punch your way through the 30 minute or hour-long classes.

Les Mills’ BODYPUMP is another great way to incorporate arm exercises into your regular workout. The world-famous 30-minute class is a combination of weights and aerobics, focusing on low-weight loads and high-repetition movements to burn fat, increase strength and improve muscle conditioning. BODYPUMP is ideal for women who are looking to increase their arm strength without getting too bulky or muscular. BODYPUMP is also proven to strengthen your bones and joints, which is important as we get older.

If classes aren’t your thing, you can still focus on your arms on the gym floor. Men looking to build muscle can start doing a variety of curls, lifts and other exercises with weights such as dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells. For women wanting to develop a longer, leaner silhouette, try using your own body weight with exercises such as push-ups, (assisted) chin-ups and Pilates poses. Both sexes can also benefit from using ropes, cables and other apparatuses on the gym floor. If you’re unfamiliar with any of these machines, ask one of your friendly Fitness First personal trainers to show you around – they can also put together a personalised programme just for you so you can get the most out of your workout.