I’ve confessed this before, but it’s worth repeating: my first fitness goal was all about vanity. At 50 years old, I was a new worship leader, and I didn’t want my arms to jiggle while I held the microphone. Thankfully, God helped me realize that I need more than just a pretty pair of arms.
When I train women, I’m often asked about arms, abs, and glutes. I’m happy to help, so let’s start with arms.
Meet Your Triceps:
The triceps brachii is the muscle on the back of your upper arm. Its primary job is to extend the elbow, which means straightening your arm. Every time you push something away from your body or straighten your arm against resistance, your triceps are doing some of the work.
She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 31:17 ESV
More Than Just a Pretty Pair of Arms
As we age, making our arms strong becomes increasingly important. We naturally experience changes in muscle mass and strength, but those changes don’t mean we have to surrender our strength. Resistance training allows us to build and maintain muscle throughout our lives.
That’s why I want us to think beyond appearance when training our arms.
Five Exercises to Make Your Arms Strong
You don’t have to start with heavy weights or complicated equipment. Start where you are. Pay attention to your form, control the movement, and gradually increase the challenge as your strength improves.
Remember, progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful.
I’ve put together five triceps-focused exercises you can do with basic equipment or at the gym.
- Triceps Kickbacks: A great way to practice controlled elbow extension while keeping your upper arms stationary.
- Bench/Chair Dips: A bodyweight pushing exercise that challenges the triceps, chest, and shoulders. Keep the movement within a comfortable range, and choose another exercise if you feel any shoulder discomfort.
- Overhead Triceps Extensions: This exercise places the long head of the triceps in a lengthened position, making it a useful addition to your routine.
- Wall Push-Ups: A beginner-friendly way to develop pushing strength while working the triceps, chest, and shoulders.
- Triceps Pressdowns: Whether you use a resistance band or a cable machine, pressdowns are another way to work all three heads of the triceps.
Strong Arms, Strong Life
One of the things I appreciate most about strength training is that its benefits reach far beyond the gym. Strong arms are about more than going sleeveless or looking good holding a microphone.
They’re about having the strength to serve Him and worship Him, as well as the strength to reach, lift, carry, push, and keep showing up for life.
Pray. Sweat. Eat. Repeat.
Let’s make those arms strong!
To download this exercise guide click here
*For those of you who prayer walk, think about how you can dress yourself with strength. Listen to what the Holy Spirit reveals to you. For your copy of this week’s screensaver, click here. And to access all of my YouVersion Bible App devotional plans, click here.