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Who doesn't want strong and toned arms? They bring a nice toned and muscular look to your overall physique and also help you perform everyday functional activities with ease.
Yoga asanas stretch, strengthen, and tone the arms, putting them back in shape and making sure they're of the same length. They also work out the arms and shoulders, keeping their ability to rotate healthy and active. Yoga also helps increase the blood flow to the arms, which feeds the cells and keeps them healthy.
Yoga Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms
Check out these six yoga exercises to develop strong and toned arms:
1) Chaturanga Dandasana
In this exercise, your arms are bent, making the engagement of your arms much stronger. Holding this pose for a few breaths a few times during your practice can work your triceps and lower arm muscles.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Starting off with the plank position, press into the first two knuckles (the thumb and index finger) of each hand.
- Raising your eyes just a little, move forward onto your toes, and bend your elbows so that they're 90 degrees and right over your wrists.
- Bring your arm bones together behind your back, and open your chest.
- Lengthening your side body, pull in your front ribs, and lift your low belly.
2) Downward Dog Split
This pose helps rotate and strengthen your shoulders. This exercise tones your arms and legs, as your body weight is spread between your arms and legs. The split position makes it difficult for your arms, as they have to keep your body balanced.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Set your hands at the top of your mat about shoulder-width apart or wider, spread your fingers, and push down through your knuckles.
- Raise your hips high, and step your feet to the back of the mat.
- Put your feet about the width of your hips apart, and line them up at 12 o'clock.
- Hug in. and tighten your arms and legs from the skin to the muscles to the bones.
- As you take a deep breath in, lift your right leg up straight and strong from the inside of your right thigh.
- Flex the foot you have lifted. and turn all five toes so that they face the ground.
- Stretch from your right wrist to your right heel, and do the same thing on the other side.
3) Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
This yoga pose strengthens the spine, arms, and wrists. It targets your triceps and deltoids, and also stretches your abdomen.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Press the tops of your hands to the floor at the front of your mat shoulder-width apart.
- Press the tops of your feet to the back of your mat hip-width apart.
- Root down through the triads of your hands; press the earth away from you as you pull your upper arm bones back. Lift and open across your chest.
- Put your shoulders on top of your wrists, and bend your elbows just a little bit.
- Use your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs) and stomach to lift the front of your thighs off the mat.
4) Plank to Dolphin Pose
With the Dolphin Plank, your bodyweight helps you build strength, making your bones stronger. This pose strengthens the arms, legs, and core muscles, like the stomach, chest, and low back.
Here's how you do this yoga exercise:
- From the plank position, put your right forearm on the mat, and walk your left forearm down to Dolphin Plank.
- Put your right palm on the ground, and press back up to plank with your left hand down.
- Repeat this sequence ten times, switching the starting arm each time. Connect each time with a breath.
- As you breathe in, lower to the dolphin plank, and as you breathe out, press up to plank.
5) Salabhasana (Locust Pose)
This asana makes the nerves in the arms and shoulders tighter and stronger. It also helps the arms and shoulders get stronger.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Put your forehead on the mat, and lie on your stomach. Put a bind on by crossing your fingers at your lower back.
- Bend your elbows, and pull your shoulder blades in towards your body's centre.
- When you take a deep breath in, straighten your arms, and lift your chest and legs.
- Point and spread your toes while keeping your feet hip-width apart. Keep your neck in line with your spine, and look down. Do that twice.
6) Plank Pose
In this pose, you work all the small support muscles in your chest, back, and shoulder area. All that helps build arm strength. Make sure that when you're in this position, you actively pull your arm muscles in towards your arm bones instead of putting all your weight on your joints.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- In the plank position, your shoulders should be over your wrists and heels at the back of the mat.
- Grounding your knuckles into your mat; relax your upper and middle back, and hug your thumbs toward the middle of your mat.
- Arm and leg muscles should be tight. Reach your heels back, and move your head forward.
- Stretch your tailbone toward your heels, and pull your stomach in and up.
Takeaway
These yoga poses when performed regularly can help you achieve strong and toned arms.
