Tips on Toning Your Arms: Even Without Gym Equipment

Toned arms look great in short sleeves, a strapless dress, or in a bathing suit. Anyone can tone their arms, and do not need any gym equipment to do it.

These arm toning exercises focus on biceps and triceps. Most are simply movements. Some may be enhanced by using soup cans for weights. Or you could use a two or four pound hand weight.

Combine any toning exercises with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.

Toning Arms without Gym Equipment Exercise 1. Arm Circles

Toning Benefits: Arm circles benefit your triceps, biceps and shoulders.

Standing straight, or sitting in chair without a back, if you need to sit, stretch both arms out to your sides. Also flatten your hands, palms down. Begin by making small circles in a clockwise motion. Keep arms strong and firm. Do as many as you can in one direction, then reverse and go counter clockwise.

You should feel these right away, and your arms will tire. Do between one and three sets a day.

Toning Arms without Gym Equipment Exercise 2. Ball Toss

Toning Benefits: Triceps

This exercise can be done with a small cantaloupe (or a medicine ball). Lie on a bench, or on a towel or mat on the floor. Bend knees and put your feet on the floor. Hold the fruit or ball slightly above your chest with both hands. Toss the object in the air as you straighten your arms. Catch the object and repeat.

Toning Arms without Gym Equipment Exercise 3. Bicep Curls

Toning Benefits: Biceps

Bicep curls can be performed in either a standing or sitting position. Keep elbows close the the body and move the forearms until your hands come up to your chest. This exercise can be performed by just clenching your fists. Or, hold a soup can in each hand for added weight. Move both of your arms at the same time.

Toning Arms without Gym Equipment Exercise 4. Military-Style Push Ups

Toning Benefits: Triceps, deltoids, pecs

The military-style push up is a killer work out. If your reason not to do push ups is that your carpet needs to be vacuumed, you'll need another excuse, because, you won't be spending much time on the floor.

In fact, only the palms of you hands and the tips of your toes should be on the floor at all times.