This article looks at some of the best arm workouts for women. Included are arm workouts for women with weights and arm exercises for women without weights that use body resistance.
Most women want to firm and shape their upper arms and shoulders. It’s an area that can lose muscle tone and become flabby, especially as we age. And with today’s revealing fashions, it is on display more than ever before.
Do the exercises below consistently, and you will soon be confidently wearing sleeveless tops again instead of sweltering in sleeves when the mercury is high.
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What are the Best Arm Workouts for Women?
Effective arm workouts for women challenge the muscles of the arms, shoulders, and upper back, strengthening and toning the entire upper body.
If you combine the arm workouts for women below with exercises that work your whole body, you will be surprised at how quickly you will tone up and slim down without having to spend hours at the gym every week.
Doing the exercises for five to ten minutes a day, or even every second day, will be enough to see improvement. That’s not a lot of time, so there really isn’t any excuse not to get yourself motivated and devise and stick with an arm workout routine.
Some of the best upper arm exercises for women use a combination of bodyweight and resistance training. To do this type of arm workout routine, you won’t need a lot of equipment. Some people find using equipment helpful, though, and the right kind can bring quicker results.
Arm Workouts for Women with Weights
Weight lifting is one of the best arm toning exercises for women. In fact, it is arguably the best.
If you are concerned that weight workouts will create too much bulk, don’t be. Due to our genetic differences, it’s extremely difficult for females to build muscle mass to the same extent as males.
We can create some bulk if that is our goal; however, doing so would take time and a lot of effort.
You would need to use hefty weights or machines specifically designed for this purpose. You would also have to follow a particularly stringent diet.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are arm exercises using weights that develop lean, toned muscles.
The difference between the two lies in the number of repetitions and the weight lifted.
Performing just a few repetitions with heavy weights builds bulk. Using light weights and doing lots of reps tones and defines the muscles.
Choose the correct exercise for the look you desire, and your muscles will respond accordingly.
Other types of equipment to try
If you are looking for compact, portable and inexpensive exercise 
equipment, three options to consider are a medicine ball, a Pilates ring, and a resistance band.
A medicine ball is a small weighted ball about the size of a soccer ball. It can be used in various ways, including to promote upper body toning and strengthening.
One of the simplest and most efficient arm exercises done with a medicine ball is the Chest Press.
How to do a Medicine Ball Chest Press:
1) Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2) Hold a medicine ball in your hands, which should be resting in the center of your chest.
3) Inhale deeply, then exhale, and using controlled resistance, straighten your arms, extending them upwards.
4) Inhale, then slowly lower the ball back to its starting position.
For the best result, do at least three sets of fifteen reps.
Click here to find out about the benefits of medicine ball workouts
A Pilates Ring, aka a Fitness Circle, is a flexible rubber or metal circle. It provides isometric exercise when gripped on the outsides and pressed inwards or pulled outwards.
Along with delivering some of the best arm workouts for women, it can also be used to exercise other muscle groups.
Click here to read a review of the Stott Pilates Fitness Circle Lite Power Pack
Resistance bands can be bought singly or in packs containing bands of varying strength. Excellent for doing arm exercises, they can also be used to target other muscle groups.
One of the most simple arm exercises for women without weights who would like to get the results weights can deliver involves gripping either end of a resistance band and pulling your hands away from each other.
The closer your hands are together at the start of this move, the more resistance and better workout you will get.
Click here to find out about the benefits of resistance bands
Another popular option is the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar. (Click the previous link to read a review.)
Excellent Video Demo of Arm Workouts for Women
Home Arm Workout Routine for Women Using Bodyweight
If you don’t have the money to invest in a gym membership and you don’t want to purchase any equipment, you can get a great workout without either.
In the days before gyms and fitness equipment, people who wanted to improve their physique did so through bodyweight exercises. This form of exercise was effective then, and it still is.
Following is an at-home arm workout routine that doesn’t require any exercise equipment:
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Arm Circles
Arm circles are ideal for warming up the arm and shoulder muscles before doing an arm workout. They also have some toning benefits.
Method:
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder height, your palms facing downwards.
2) Move both arms in small forward circles for 60 seconds.
3) Change direction, making circles in a backward direction for 60 seconds.
Click This Link For A Video Demonstration Of Arm Circles
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Push-Ups
Push-Ups are one of the most effective arm exercises without weights that you can do.
They are quite challenging 
at first but worth persevering with as they will strengthen and shape many of your upper body muscles, including your triceps, chest, and shoulders.
Your core will also get a workout.
Method:
1) With a straight back and arms, place your hands on the floor beneath your shoulders, slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Position your legs straight out behind you with the underside of your toes flexed.
2) Contract your abdominal muscles and inhale as you lower your body towards the floor until your elbows are at a 90-degree bend.
3) Exhaling, push yourself back up to your starting position, keeping your back straight, and making sure not to lock your elbows.
Repeat this sequence for the desired number of repetitions. Start with 10 Push-Ups if you can, adding more as you gain strength.
* If you are new to exercise and don’t have a lot of upper-body strength, do modified or bent knee Push-Ups. These are easier to do, and you will be able to maintain better form.
If you have trouble doing Push-Ups check out the Perfect Pushup, a fitness aid that helps you maintain the correct form and get the most benefit from the exercise.
Click This Link For A Video Demonstration of Push-Ups
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Triceps Dip
One of the all-time best arm workouts for women is the Triceps Dip, which firms the backs of the upper arms, an area that tends to sag as we age.
Method:
1) Sit on the edge of a stable chair or bench with your legs straight out to the front.
2) Keep your back straight and with your palms pressed flat into the chair, your fingertips facing forward and hanging over the seat’s edge, engage your core and push your hands into the chair to lift your hips. At this point, your arms will be supporting your weight. Do not allow your elbows to lock.
3) Slowly lower yourself downwards in front of the chair using a smooth movement.
4) Lift yourself back upwards again by slowing bending, then straightening your elbows.
Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
The further forward your legs and feet are, the more challenging the workout will be.
Click This Link For A Video Demonstration of The Tricep Dip
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Shadowboxing
Shadowboxing is another of the best arm toning exercises for women because it also provides full-body toning and cardio.
You can stand in front of a mirror, place a light behind you so you can see your shadow on the wall, or stand and box freestyle.
Method:
1) Assume a boxer’s stance with your legs slightly bent and your arms raised, your hands curled into fists.
2) After setting a timer, begin punching the air, keeping tension in your arms, abs, and legs at all times. The contraction provides the resistance that makes shadow boxing one of the most effective arm exercises for women without weights.
3) Continue for 2 to 3 minutes, alternating your leading arm every 20 or 30 seconds.
Click This Link For A Video Demonstration of Shadow Boxing
If all you are interested in is a little toning and firming and you have access to a swimming pool, some of the best arm toning exercises for women (and men) can be performed in a pool, and there won’t even be any need for you to swim.
By standing in a swimming pool and moving your arms through the water as if you are, in fact, swimming. The water will provide resistance, so you will tone up a lot faster than you would by “air swimming.”
You may also like to try pool noodle exercises.
Final Thoughts on the Best Arm Workouts for Women
In your quest for better-looking arms, you should not overlook the importance of diet.
By following a healthy, low-fat diet and controlling your meal portion size, you will lower your body fat. With less body fat, muscles formed through exercise will not be concealed beneath a layer of fat.
The exercises above are some of the best and most effective arm workouts for women. Whichever you choose to do, be sure to target all of the arm’s muscles, including the biceps, triceps, deltoids, and the entire shoulder area. Working out this way will result in a balanced and aesthetically pleasing look.
You may also like this 30 Day Pilates Arm Workout for Women.
