Tone Your Arms With These Effective Pilates Exercises

Pilates is renowned for its ability to target and strengthen various muscle groups, including the arms. While there are many exercises that can help you achieve sculpted arms, simple pilates workouts have often proven to be very effective. You can effectively tone and sculpt your arms while improving strength, flexibility, and posture with these workouts, specifically designed to target and tone your arms.

Arm circles

• Sit or stand tall with your arms extended straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
• Begin by making small, controlled circles with your arms, moving them forward in a smooth, fluid motion.
• Gradually increase the size of the circles while maintaining control and engagement in your core muscles.
• After completing several repetitions in one direction, reverse the movement and circle your arms backward.

Tricep dips

• Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or bench with your hands gripping the edge beside your hips and your fingers facing forward.
• Extend your legs straight out in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground and your knees slightly bent.
• Press into your hands to lift your body off the chair, engaging your core and keeping your shoulders down and away from your ears.
• Bend your elbows to lower your body towards the ground, keeping them close to your body.
• Straighten your arms to return to the starting position, focusing on using the muscles in the back of your arms (triceps) to lift your body.

Shoulder bridge with arm reaches

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart, arms resting by your sides.
• Press into your feet to lift your hips off the mat, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Keeping your hips lifted, reach one arm overhead towards the floor behind you, lengthening through your fingertips.
• Return the arm to the starting position, then repeat with the opposite arm.
• Continue alternating arm reaches while maintaining the bridge position, focusing on stability and control.

Pilates push-ups

• Begin in a plank position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Lower your body towards the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your body.
• Press back up to the starting position, focusing on using your arm and chest muscles to lift your body.
• For an added challenge, try performing push-ups with your hands on a stability ball or using a Pilates ring for resistance.