Five Everyday Arm Exercises to Tone up for Your Sleeveless Wedding Dress: Wed Mayhem

If you are looking to show off your arms while sashaying down the aisle, wow your loved ones, and give yourself a confidence boost on your big day, these five quick and easy exercises will have your arms toned in no time. As a bride, your life is full of “To-Dos” to cross off the list, which is why every one of these exercises can be done while making breakfast, in the shower, at a desk, or before bed. While these exercises are mostly bodyweight focused, you can add light weights or various household items to make them more challenging.

All exercises have been approved as time-effective ways to tone arms by Brad Seng, the University of Colorado Boulder Triathlon head coach, D3 Multisport head coach, and Team World Vision nationals head coach.

1. Arm Circles

Stand or sit straight up holding your arms out on either side of you in a T-pose. These can be done in large or small circular motions. Make sure to keep your arm muscles tight and your elbows locked. It is recommended to do 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions with circles done in both directions. Make sure to perform the circles slowly for the best results.

If you are looking to add some weight and do not have any dumbbells, grab a can of soup, a water bottle, or any object you would be able to hold easily and perform the exercise.

2. Lateral Arm Raises

Place your hands with the palms facing towards your hips with your hands at your sides. Slowly raise both arms up at the same time to make a T-shape. Stop when your arms are even with your shoulders. It is recommended to do 2 sets of 10-20 repetitions. You can do these without any weight, but can also grab nearby objects that weigh about the same and perform.

3. Push Ups

Purely a bodyweight exercise, push ups are great for your shoulders, arms, and core. To perform a pushup, make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders, legs straight out behind you, and your spine as straight as possible. If you need, bend your knees for a modified version.

To begin, bend your elbows and slowly lower to the ground. Make sure your elbows are close to your sides. Stop the push up when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. It is recommended to do 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.

4. Downward Dog to Plank

This exercise is super easy to do before bed or after you wake up in the morning; you will get a stretch in while also toning your arms. To perform, begin in a push up position and move your hips up and backwards until you are in an inverted V position, aka downward dog. Your hands and feet should not shift where they are too much. Take a moment to feel a stretch in your calves. From here, slowly move back to the push up position you started in and hold for 10-30 seconds. It is recommended to do 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.

5. Biceps Curls

This exercise is best done with light weights or light objects, but can also be done without weight. To begin, place arms at your sides but slightly out in front of your torso with your palms towards the ceiling. Engage your bicep by flexing and slowly curl your arm upward by bringing your hands toward your shoulders, making sure to keep your upper arm as still as possible. From here, slowly bend your arm back to the starting position. It is recommended to do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

If you are looking for a challenge or have a busy hand, you can also perform single arm bicep curls with or without weights.

As a bride, life can move fast as you plan for your wedding, so having fast go-to workouts on hand can help take some stress off your shoulders and at the same time, tone them! These exercises provide you the flexibility to tone your arms quickly and are not an extensive workout.

Check-out ALL! the workouts in this series:

Planning

4 min

5 Easy Back Exercises for Your Backless Wedding Dress

By Amelie Bauer

This workout plan is meant to be quick and easy so you can tone your back before your morning coffee has even finished brewing! Whether you are looking to tone up for a dress with a plunging back or just want to feel your best on your wedding day, these simple exercises will help knock your back into shape. All of the exercises just use body weight and can be done when you get up in the morning, before bed, or if you have the space throughout your day to lean against a wall, grab a door frame, or lie on the floor.

All exercises have been approved as time-effective ways to tone backs by Brad Seng, the University of Colorado Boulder Triathlon head coach, D3 Multisport head coach, and Team World Vision nationals head coach.

1. Scapular Wall Slides

Lean against a wall making sure that your head, upper back, lower back, and butt are all pressed against the wall. Next, press the back of your hands against the wall on either side of your head. Make sure that you are pressing everything from your wrists to your elbows against the wall. Now, slowly slide your arms up the wall trying your best to keep your wrists and elbows from coming off. Once you have gone as far as you can, slowly bring your arms back down to their starting position. Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions of these scapular wall slides. Remember to engage your back muscles in order to feel the burn!

2. Wall Pulls

For this one, we are going to use a door frame, pole, or sturdy tall object; reach your arms straight out and grab it. Place your feet next to one another so that they are touching. The closer your feet are to the door frame, the harder the workout–the farther away they are, the easier the workout. Now, pull yourself towards the door frame until your chest touches it and hold this position for a few seconds. After, slowly ease away from the door frame and return to your starting position. Complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

3. Bent Over W’s

Begin by placing your feet shoulder width apart and slowly hinge at your waist and stop when your chest is parallel with the floor. It is important that you do not round your spine. Add a slight bend to your knees. Hold your arms out on either side of your body with a bend to create a W-like shape with your palms facing the floor. Your elbows should be facing the wall behind you. Very slightly bend your knees and bend your arms. Pull your arms into your chest, rotating your arms so your palms are now facing each other at your face. Make sure to squeeze your back muscles during this exercise to get the best result. Complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

4. Superman

Get ready to fly! Begin by laying face down on the floor with your arms reached out in front of you. At the same time, activate your back and core to lift both your arms and legs off of the floor to create a superman-like pose. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and then bring your arms and legs back to their starting position. Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

5. Prone Thoracic Extensions

Begin by laying face down on the floor with your arms bent and your hands touching the back of your head. Activate your glutes, your core, and your back by working to lift your chest off of the floor. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and then return to the starting position. Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

All exercises can be enhanced by creating extra focus on tightening and squeezing the muscles that are activated during the exercise.

And with that, your coffee has just finished brewing and you have completed a full back workout! Easy enough! Make sure to modify each set as you feel if it is too challenging or not challenging enough. You are now bound to look your best on your wedding day if you are to follow this workout plan.