My Prosperous World

When it comes to arm exercises for women, it’s the small things that count. How so? The smallest errors in posture and technique can add up, and over time, slow down your progress substantially.

Now most women probably aren’t even conscious of the small mistakes they’re making in the gym. After all, showing up is the biggest part of the battle. So perfecting the technique of each arm exercise probably takes second place.

Having said that, I definitely do NOT recommend going overboard here. Do your best to use proper form but don’t become paralyzed by over analysis.

Thus, here are 4 mistakes to avoid when doing arm exercises for women:

1. Heave hoeing the weight up. This is most common with barbell curls and all its variations. The problem? It places a lot of stress on your lower back and takes stress off of your biceps. Not a good thing if you want fast arm toning.

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. Not keeping the elbows locked in place. Letting the elbows shift around is the evil of all evils. The only thing that should be moving when you do your arm exercises is your forearms. Allowing the elbows too shift around is the quickest way to retard your arm toning results.

4. Not using the heels for support. The most stable anatomical position is with the heels firmly digging into the ground. If you frequently place your weight on the balls of your feet, please stop! You will be able to lift heavier weights and prevent injury by using your heels.

Avoiding the above errors when doing arm exercises will make you better off than most women. Don’t worry about having perfect technique, this will make your arm workouts a nightmare. Instead, do your best to avoid the major errors and keep the flow going.

Author Katherine Crawford M.S., a Harvard exercise expert and recent flabby arms victim, is an expert on exercise for women. Discover how to get toned arms right now by visiting her website on arm exercise.