Warm-Up: Prepare Your Muscles

Before starting your arm workout, it’s essential to warm up to increase blood flow to the muscles, improve range of motion, and prevent injury. Try this quick warm-up routine:

1. Arm Circles: 1 minute (30 seconds forward, 30 seconds backward)
2. Bicep Curls with Light Dumbbells: 2 sets of 15 reps with light weights
3. Tricep Pushdowns (Light): 2 sets of 15 reps

The Workout: Targeting Biceps, Triceps, and Forearms

1. Barbell Bicep Curls

Muscle Worked: Biceps
Why It Works: Barbell curls allow you to lift heavier weights, which is key for building mass in the biceps.

• Sets: 4
• Reps: 8–10
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Hold a barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
2. Curl the bar up towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weight with control.

2. Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Muscle Worked: Biceps, Brachialis, Forearms
Why It Works: Hammer curls target the brachialis (under the biceps), adding width to your arms and improving forearm strength.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10–12
• Rest: 45 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your body.
2. Curl the weights up while keeping your wrists neutral.
3. Lower slowly and repeat.

3. Incline Dumbbell Curls

Muscle Worked: Biceps
Why It Works: Performing curls on an incline bench increases the stretch on the biceps, activating more muscle fibers.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10–12
• Rest: 45 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Set a bench to a 45-degree incline.
2. Hold dumbbells with palms facing up, arms fully extended.
3. Curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top, then slowly lower back down.

4. Tricep Rope Pushdowns

Muscle Worked: Triceps
Why It Works: Rope pushdowns isolate the triceps and allow for a full range of motion, helping to build size and definition.

• Sets: 4
• Reps: 10–12
• Rest: 45 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Attach a rope to the cable machine.
2. Grip the rope with palms facing each other and push down until your arms are fully extended.
3. Spread the rope ends apart at the bottom to squeeze the triceps, then return to the starting position.

5. Skull Crushers (Lying Tricep Extensions)

Muscle Worked: Triceps
Why It Works: Skull crushers provide a deep stretch for the triceps and emphasize the long head of the triceps, helping create thicker arms.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10–12
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Lie on a flat bench with an EZ bar or dumbbells held above your head.
2. Lower the weight towards your forehead by bending your elbows.
3. Extend your arms back up, focusing on squeezing the triceps at the top.

6. Close-Grip Bench Press

Muscle Worked: Triceps, Chest, Shoulders
Why It Works: This compound movement works the triceps along with the chest and shoulders, allowing you to lift heavier and build overall arm mass.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 8–10
• Rest: 60 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Lie on a flat bench and grip the bar with hands slightly closer than shoulder-width.
2. Lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
3. Press the bar back up, focusing on the triceps.

7. Reverse Curls

Muscle Worked: Forearms, Brachialis, Biceps
Why It Works: Reverse curls target the forearms and the brachialis, adding thickness to your arms and improving grip strength.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 12–15
• Rest: 45 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Hold a barbell or EZ bar with an overhand grip.
2. Curl the weight up, keeping your wrists straight.
3. Lower slowly, focusing on activating the forearms.

8. Wrist Curls (Forearm Isolation)

Muscle Worked: Forearms
Why It Works: Wrist curls isolate the forearms, helping build strength and size for a balanced arm appearance.

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 15–20
• Rest: 30 seconds between sets

How to Do It:

1. Sit on a bench with your forearms resting on your thighs, holding a dumbbell or barbell with palms facing up.
2. Curl your wrists upwards, lifting the weight.
3. Lower the weight back down, feeling the stretch in your forearms.

Cool Down: Stretch and Recover

End your arm workout with a quick stretch to aid recovery and reduce muscle tension. Try these stretches:

• Tricep Stretch: Reach one arm overhead, bending the elbow, and gently pull on the elbow with your other hand.
• Bicep Stretch: Extend your arm behind you with the palm facing outward, pressing gently against a wall or surface.
• Forearm Stretch: Extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing down, and gently pull back on your fingers with your other hand.

Hold each stretch for 15–30 seconds.

Tips for Maximizing Arm Workout Results

1. Focus on Form: Proper form is essential for targeting the right muscles and avoiding injury.
2. Use Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight, reps, or intensity over time to keep your muscles challenged.
3. Rest and Recover: Give your arms 48 hours of rest between workouts to allow for muscle recovery and growth.
4. Eat Enough Protein: Protein supports muscle repair and growth, so aim for a balanced diet with adequate protein.

By consistently following this arm workout routine, you’ll be well on your way to stronger, more defined arms. Remember to stay patient, focus on technique, and enjoy the process of building your best arms yet!

The post Best Gym Workout Routine for Arms appeared first on Actionable Wellness.

Remember, before starting ANY kind of exercise, consult with your doctor to make sure they recommend it.

Exercise for obese beginners

Working out in the gym has many benefits. You may feel like you’re too fat to go to the gym, I’ve felt that way before, but we are just glad you come. We are rooting for you. We want you to succeed. We’re not there to make fun, we’re there to help. For more pros and cons of a gym membership, check this out.

I just want to help people. My body is not perfect, I’ve had a lot of setbacks, and I like to eat. But I’ve learned to like vegetables and worked on changing my life for the better, and I want to help you do that too. And if you think other people are laughing at you, chances are, they are so focused on themselves, they don’t even notice you.

Getting out to the gym will get you out of the house and get you building relationships with other people who have the same goals. It provides a large variety of exercises instead of getting burned out doing just a few things at home. There is a lot of expert advice and support available at the gym. I offer personal training at Strictly Fitness in Muskogee and I would love to work with you!

Gym workouts can be a great way to move forward on your fitness journey no matter your fitness level. The stationary bike is a great exercise to get your heart rate up. If you have extra weight, it can be difficult to do a lot of physical activity, so chair exercises or something where you can sit like the bike can be a great first step. You can increase your stamina 5-10 minutes at a time while learning proper form.

Walking is one of the best exercises for health, and the gym has treadmill workout ideas to help you burn calories and get some cardiovascular exercise. There are a ton of super simple exercises available in the gym that are great for obese people. However you get your best workout in is what you should do and the gym has light weights, and many other low-impact exercises you can do.

You can also see a personal trainer to get an exercise program that is a great starting point without risk of injury. It’s a commendable decision to get moving and work on your obesity level. I did it and you can do it too. Exercise will help obese individuals and everyone else with energy levels, joint pain, overall health, mental health, and so much more. Exercise is a great way to live a better life! 

The staff is there to help. You can even hire a personal trainer to work with you one on one. You don’t have to do it long-term if you don’t want to, just long enough to learn the ropes. If you don’t want to hire personal help, the staff at the gym will help you learn to use the equipment safely and properly anyway. And you learn a lot by watching other people work out as well. You don’t get that at home.

Check out our favorite workout gear here:

• Workout shoes
• Workout pants

Another great benefit to working out at the gym is accountability. Once you are paying your membership, you are more encouraged not to quit. No one likes wasting money.

If you want more of my weight loss story and how I grew up on little Debbies and soda and learned how to change my health and life through exercise and nutrition, check out this nutrition guide. It has some basic dos and don’ts that my wife and I used for me to lose 120 pounds and be on no medication at age 55. There are also some sample meal plans in there. It was a long process, not a quick fix, but if I can do it, so can you!

Stretching exercises for obese beginners

Stretching exercises for obese beginners help eliminate stress, reduces injury and soreness, helps with flexibility and balance for everyday life. Stretching is an important part of everyday wellness and is an important part of an exercise routine.

Check out these beginner stretches to get you started.

Stretching is a great warm up and cool down exercise as well. You need both to make a good workout.

Weightlifting for obese beginners

Weightlifting is great for building strength, endurance, and balance. It protects your joints to reduce soreness and damage. Strength training also helps with being fit enough to help yourself or others in emergency situations. It also, as all kinds of exercises do, reduces stress. For more strength training ideas, check this out.

Check out Low weight, high reps for weight loss here.

And for a weight machine workout plan check this out.

Cardio for overweight beginners

Cardio is your big fat-burning exercise. It helps with endurance and builds up your heart muscles and lungs. It burns more calories than any other exercise and it keeps your heart strong and healthy for a long time. Check out these cardio workouts for more ideas.

Exercise for overweight and unfit

It might be hard to start where you are, but you are worth it. Don’t give up because it doesn’t come easy. Because if you start coming to the gym and change your health, it’s going to change your whole life.

There are things that will make it more difficult because you’re overweight and unfit. Your joints are going to get sore as you are using them more. But keep going and it will only last a little while. As you get your joints stronger and your muscles healthier, and you lose weight, it be far less painful to move them. This is great for your workout, but WONDERFUL for every day life.

Imagine, being able to get up and down from a chair without struggle or pain. Imagine stairs not being an obstacle in your life. Imagine not having to pay extra money for specialty sizes. Imagine taking less medication and not being as dependent on that and other equipment. A little pain is worth a better future.

If you’re overweight, your feet, knees, and ankles hurt all the time. So working them out and getting fit will make a much better life for you. You can even try one of these easy workouts to get started.

Beginner workout plan for weight loss

Working out 5 days a week is a great goal. You can do a lot during the week and rest on the weekends and get all the movement you need. Even better, you can PLAY on the weekends, to get different kinds of movements. You can hike in the woods, play frisbee, or whatever you enjoy outside of the gym to enhance your 5 day workout routine.

The following 5 day workout routine is for a very beginner. Your goal is to work your way up, over time, to 45 minutes of cardio on your cardio days, and 45 minutes of weight training on your weight training days. This is just the routine for your first week, then add as you can each week.

5 day workout routine

Here is a 5 day gym workout for obese beginners.

• M-Cardio/Stretching
• T-Weight Training/Stretching
• W-Cardio/Stretching
• Th-Weight Training/Stretching
• F-Cardio/Stretching

Monday-

Bike:

Warm up for 5 minutes at quick start or the lowest setting. Get off the bike, and stretch using the beginning stretches linked above. Then get back on the bike and do at least 5 minutes at an intensity one level above quick start. As you can, increase that time day by day, try to add a minute to 5 minutes to your time each time you use the bike. It’s a slow process, but you’ll get there if you don’t give up. Get back off the bike, and do the stretches again.

Tuesday-

Total body weight training:

Walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes. Get off the treadmill and do the stretches. Go to the chest press machine and do one set of 6. If you can do 12, that’s awesome, start with that. (eventually, you will work up to 3 sets of 12 at a higher weight for each of these exercises). Press as much as you can. It should give you resistance and be difficult, but not painful or extremely difficult. The weight you can press will be different for each person, but you will work up to more each week. Next, go to the leg press and do one set of 12. Then the lat pulldown machine or a midrow machine. Next, do leg extensions, then shoulder press, inner and outer thigh machine, ab machine, leg curl machine, tricep extension machine, bicep curl machine (or you can use dumbbells), and lastly lower back machine. If you don’t know what these machines are, the staff will be happy to help you. If they aren’t, find another gym, that one is not for you. They should also show you how to safely and properly use them. Then go back and repeat the stretches.

Wednesday-

Treadmill:

Warm up for 5 minutes at a low speed. Get off the treadmill and do the stretches. Get back on the treadmill and walk for at least 5 minutes at 1-1.5 mph with the incline set on 2 to protect your joints. Each week try to add 1-5 minutes to this time until you reach that 45 minute goal, increasing speed and incline as you progress. Then get back off the treadmill and repeat the stretches.

Thursday-

Total body weight training:

Walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes. Get off the treadmill and do the stretches. Go to the chest press machine and do one set of 12. Next, go to the leg press and do one set of 12. Then the lat pulldown machine or a midrow machine. Next, do leg extensions, then shoulder press, inner and outer thigh machine, ab machine, leg curl machine, tricep extension machine, bicep curl machine (or you can use dumbbells), and lastly lower back machine. Then go back and repeat the stretches.

Friday-

Bike:

Warm up for 5 minutes at quick start or the lowest setting. Get off the bike, and stretch using the beginning stretches linked above. Then get back on the bike and do at least 5 minutes at an intensity one level above quick start. Get back off the bike, and do the stretches again.

You did great by making it through 5 days of movement. I’m so excited. And I KNOW you’ll be able to do even more next week. Way to go! This choice is going to really change your life. I can’t wait to hear all about it, so please leave me a comment with your progress! I’m rooting for you and I know you can stick with this gym routine for obese beginners.

If you want to print out this workout, click here.

Free printable 5 day gym workout for obese beginners

Make sure to set fitness goals to keep leveling up your fitness!

• Long term fitness goals
• Short term fitness goals

Now for a joke!

What was the stylist’s favorite exercise?

Curls! HA HA HA!

The post Gym Workout for Obese Beginners appeared first on Actionable Wellness.