How To Do Standing Dumbbell Curls to Increase Arm Strength

There are so many strength building exercise routines you can perform using a dumbbell, and one of the most popular ones is the standing dumbbell curls. This exercise routine primarily targets the biceps, or the muscle located on the upper arm. Yes, this is the muscle commonly flexed and shown off, to prove how strong or how fit one is. If you’re one of those people who want to have bigger biceps, or if you simply want to increase your arm strength, then all you need is about 15 to 20 minutes exercise time and a pair of dumbbells or weights. By the way, you can do this exercise routine either standing up, or sitting down, whichever is more comfortable for you.

Here’s what you do: 

1. Stand with your back straight. Avoid bending your back or hunching over. Keep your abdominals tight, your feet flat on the floor and shoulder – width apart, and your shoulders and chests up. Always make it a point to maintain correct posture to avoid any kind of muscle strain and to fully reap the benefits of this exercise.
2. Hang your arms straight by your sides, with a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure to position your palms facing your body.
3. Bend your arms forward, and up. As you bring your lower arms up, remember to twist your palms so it ends up facing your body.
4. Always keep your arms straight. Avoid flailing it as many people mistakenly do while building momentum to raise the weights. You should get the strength to raise the dumbbells from your upper arms.  Keep your shoulders level. Use your elbow as your fulcrum.
   Also, keep your upper arms tight against your side; isolate the lower arms and focus your movement there. You should feel the stretch up your biceps; remember, it’s precisely what you’re developing so it’s where the pressure should be placed.
   Your position at this point has your elbows locked, with the dumbbells almost meeting your shoulder (chest level) and your upper arm meeting your lower arm.
5. As you reach the position where you’re holding the dumbbells up, squeeze your bicep for one count and then begin to lower it slowly and with control. Do not let your arms drop like a deadweight.
6. As the dumbbells go down, twist your hand again so your palms are once again facing your sides.

Even though as we have mentioned earlier it is important to maintain correct posture throughout the exercise, do allow your body to slightly lean forward as you lower the weight, and to sway as you raise it. Do not, however, give in to the tendency to gather momentum from anywhere else but your biceps.

Remember, it all begins with the right attitude and realistic expectations. Just start right, keep it going, and you will surely be pleasantly surprised at the new and better you you’ve become. Happy exercising!

Quick Tips:

• You may vary this routine by alternating between arms instead of raising them simultaneously.
• You may start out with 8 repetitions, and gradually move up to 16.
• Always start with light weights to avoid muscle strain and injury. As you build up your biceps you could start using heavier weights.

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How To Do Arm Exercises

Knowing how to do effective arm exercises is an integral part of any total body workout. As with most exercise programs, it's a three step process of mild stretching, strength training, and some final stretching as part of the cool down process. Here are some easy toning and weight lifting exercises to get you started on your quest to healthy, toned arms. 

First, however, there are some points to keep in mind. Before you start any of these exercise routines, you should always check with your doctor. Also, make sure to wear comfortable workout clothes and keep yourself hydrated by having a water bottle handy. Make sure you have all of your exercise equipments and gears nearby (dumbbell weights, a towel, etc.) and then you're ready to begin. 

1. Stretching. Start out with a few minutes of mild stretching. Stretching helps to get the blood flowing to the tendons, ligaments and muscles so that you can get the maximum benefits from the exercises, while at the same time reducing the risk of injury. While sitting or standing, reach up over your head with one arm at time and gently stretch for about 10 seconds, and then release the stretch. You should then do the same move with both arms overhead together. Next, reach over with your right hand and grab hold of your left arm above the elbow, and pull the left arm gently to the right (the key word here is "gently"). Hold this position for another 10 seconds and release. Repeat this movement with the left arm, gently pulling on the right arm.
2. Strength Training. The next phase of your routine is to do some strength training. There are two ways to go about this, depending on your personal fitness goals. The first option is to build muscle mass by doing heavy lifting in a relatively few number of repetitions. The second option--and the one most people opt for once they are in their 30s and beyond--is to do toning exercises with lighter weights but a higher number of repetitions. Either way, it will benefit you to go to your local sporting goods store and buy an inexpensive set of dumbbells. Dumbbells are available in a variety of weight increments--from one or two pound weights all the way up to 10 pound weights and beyond. 
3. The Dumbbell Curl. A classic and very effective exercise is the dumbbell curl. Stand or sit with your back straight and take a small dumbbell in each hand. Keep your arms down by your sides and your knuckles towards your body. Bring up the weights to chest level by bending your elbows and then lower the weights in a controlled manner back to the starting position. Start out with 8 repetitions and work your way up to 16 repetitions. Once you can do 16 reps without too much trouble, you'll know its time to increase the weight. This exercise is great for your biceps.
4. The Reverse Curl. A variation on the dumbbell curl is the reverse curl. This is basically the same movement as the dumbbell curl, but you should start out with your knuckles facing away from your body. This exercise helps to work the forearms.
5. Push-Ups. If you don't have weights, a great exercise you can try is push-ups. With your arms straight and elbows slightly bent, and hands and knees touching the ground, lower yourself to the ground so that your chest is about 4 or 5 inches from the floor. Raise yourself back up to the starting position again. Once you can do about 10 repetitions with ease, try doing the push-ups with your legs off the ground and supported by your toes instead of your knees. Your triceps will benefit greatly from this movement.
6. Cool Down Stretches. To close out your workout, be sure to spend about 5 minutes doing some light stretching as part of your cool down. Although it is tempting to skip the cool down, it is important that you always give your muscles have a chance to relax.

Follow these routines and, in a few short weeks, you will be stronger and have arms that you will be proud of!

Required Tools:

• Dumbbell weights

Caution:

• Always check with your doctor before you begin any exercise program.

Quick Tips:

• Arm exercises are an important part of any total body workout!

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How to Lose Arm Fat Fast

Extra arm fat can be unattractive and make people self-conscious, but the truth is, most people have this extra fat. The good news is that it is possible to reduce your arm fat. The main cause of getting extra fat in your arms is gaining weight overall. It can be difficult to lose fat in your arms, like any other part of your body, but by doing the proper exercise routine and diet plan, you will notice results over time.

Things You'll Need

• Free weights
• Instructions

Tips For You

1. Do some push-ups to exercise all the muscles in your arms. Start slow with doing only a few repetitions and work your way up as your strength increases.
2. Pace yourself and incorporate aerobic exercises into your plan to burn calories. Do aerobics after you do a light strength training workout to get the most benefit.
3. Do exercises with your whole body regularly instead of just focusing on your arms. When you incorporate regular exercise into your life, you will notice other areas of your body slimming down as well. Reducing the overall amount of fat in your body will help to reduce the fat in your arms.
4. Do exercises that involve single-joint movements. These exercises involve curls and triceps exercises. When you start toning that muscle, you will notice that the fat will be greatly reduced.
5. Change your diet and start eating healthier so you will benefit more from your workouts. Cutting out or reducing sugars and fried foods will help you lose fat. Start slowly and replace the fatty foods that you normally eat with healthier ones. If you eliminate all the fatty foods right away, you will have a greater temptation to give up on your diet. Instead, cut your fatty food intake in half and then work your way slowly to eliminating it.

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