Armed and Dangerous

 

I want to talk about arms. We have some warmer weather coming up, and that means short sleeves, swimsuits, sleeveless dresses, muscle tees… you know, showing your ARMS… for all the world to see! Some of us don’t even want to see it in the mirror.

 

Women get bat wings, and jiggly under-the-arms. Men have round, big rolls.

Or maybe you have the opposite problem: your arms are skinny, or just not in the shape you want them to be in.

 

 

In either case, we all know there’s nothing nicer than sculpted biceps and firm triceps. In non-technical English, the biceps are the top part of the section between your shoulder and elbow; the triceps are the bottom part. We want them to be solid – no jiggling, no expanding, no roll.

 

When I first started water aerobics, I had not worked out in years. I swam and played tennis and racquetball in high school and college, then found a bar, stayed too long, and forgot all about exercise. So I was coming back to a place I’d never really been.

 

I had one goal. I didn’t want “old lady arms.”  I’m not jiggling into my future years. I want to always be able to pick up a large bottle, weights, a can of paint, and a small child (one at the time of course.)

 

The only way I can do that is to spend time exercising my arms. The water – ah, here we go – is a great place to work on arms.

There are so many exercises you can do to improve your arms. I’m going to keep it basic, so you can start here and then go crazy. 

 

First, in the gym you work with dumbbells or weights. In the water, you work with dumbbells, a.k.a. “buoys”. They look like the dumbbells you see in the gym but they’re made of foam and used exclusively in the water. They’re very lightweight since the resistance from using them underwater provides the weight for your workout.

I’m going to mention some basic arm exercises, then you choose the ones you want to use and expand your workout as you get better fit. Please note, some of the exercises have nicknames our group has given them to help you remember the exercise.

Bicep Curls: Stand in shoulder-deep water with your feet hip-width apart and hold water dumbbells in each hand. Keep your elbows close to your body and curl your hands towards your shoulders, keeping them below the surface of the water, then slowly lower them back down to your side. This exercise targets the biceps and forearms.

 

 

Push-Ups: Stand in chest-depth water facing the pool edge. Place your hands on the edge slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and extend your legs behind you, keeping your body in a straight line and stand away from the pool edge just until your feet are flat on the floor while you do the exercise. Lower your chest towards the edge by bending your elbows, then push back up to the starting position. This exercise targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

 

My group calls this one “He-Man”: Stand with your legs slightly crouched, about shoulder-width apart. Hold the buoys underwater, at about the hips, with your hands facing each other. Slowly move the buoys toward each other, touch lightly in the center, then move back. Keep buoys underwater. This exercise works the triceps and the core.

 

Triceps Extends: With your buoys underwater at about the hip level, hands facing each other, move the buoys straight back, extending them as far behind you as is comfortable. Keeping the buoys underwater, bring them forward. Repeat. This exercise works the triceps.

The exercises above, being in the water, incorporate resistance, working with weight the same way you use dumbbells in the gym.

Set up repetitions of at least 10, working up to 30 of each exercise.

 

Everything you do with buoys out of the water builds endurance. Some examples of endurance exercises are:

Raise and Lower: In chest-deep water, jog with the buoys over your head, hands facing each other. In stride, raise and lower the buoys together.

Jumping Jack Arms: In chest-deep water, jog with buoys above your head, hands facing away forward, and move buoys in an arch.

Triceps Extends: In chest-deep water, jog with buoys above your head, hands facing towards each other, pushing your arms as far back as you can. Bring to the front and repeat.

 

Guys, there are hundreds more arm exercises for the water. There are some great videos on YouTube and books on Amazon showing exactly how to perform these moves. Please do your research before engaging in these exercises.

A great way to learn the best arm, core, and general water fitness exercises is to join a class at your local pool. The instructors can help you learn the proper form and inspire you to stay with it. 

Whether you’re working out alone or with a group, do your due diligence before engaging in these or any other exercises. This blog is not intended to instruct in the use of these or any other exercises. I’m here to motivate you to get it done!

 

I’ll see ya’ in the water!