5 Moves to Tone Your Arms Without Weights

I love my dumbbells! But unfortunately, when it comes to vacations and trips, it isn’t very easy to pack along 30+lbs in weights everywhere that I go.

While weights will speed up the process of toning and muscle building, there are a few brilliant ways to tone your arms without even thinking much about it-or lifting a single dumbbell!

Here are my go-to 5 moves for total arm toning without the use of a single weight:

Tricep Dips:

How to do it:

• Position your hands shoulder-width apart on a secured bench or stable chair.
• Slide your butt off the front of the bench with your legs extended out in front of you.
• Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
• Once you reach the bottom of the movement, press down into the bench to straighten your elbows, returning to the starting position. This completes one rep.
• Keep your shoulders down as you lower and raise your body. You can bend your legs to modify this exercise.

Elbow Planks

How to do it: 

• Get face down on the floor resting on your forearms and knees.
• Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows.
• Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.
• Keep your back flat — don’t let it droop or you’ll be defeating the purpose. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank.
• Hold as long as you can. Aim for 20 to 30 seconds in the beginning and work your way up to one minute, as you get stronger.

Push Ups

How to do it:

• Get into a high plank position. Place your hands firmly on the ground, directly under shoulders. …
• Lower your body. Begin to lower your body—keeping your back flat and eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck—until your chest grazes the floor. …
• Push back up.

Shoulder Taps:

• Begin in a full plank position with feet hip-width apart.
• Lightly tap left shoulder with right hand.
• Return to start and then immediately lift left hand and tap right shoulder. That’s one rep.

Side Planks:

How to do it:

• Lie on your left side, in a straight line from head to feet, resting on your forearm. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder.
• With your abdominals gently contracted, lift your hips off the floor, maintaining the line. Keep your hips square and your neck in line with your spine.
• Hold 20 to 40 seconds and lower.

Your trainer and friend,