Time Under Tension Strong Arms Routine!

Today’s workout is the gold standard for strong arms, because it utilizes a smart upper body-defining principle called Time Under Tension (TUT). 

Time Under Tension means keeping the muscle working (or under tension) for a longer period of time. During a TUT workout, you slow your reps down to make the muscles work harder.

In today’s routine, the lowering part is double the time of the lifting part with no pauses in-between reps.,… 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down, 0 second pause.  

Time under tension (TUT) refers to the amount of time a muscle is held under tension or strain during an exercise set. During TUT workouts, you lengthen each phase of the movement to make your sets longer.

The idea is that this forces your muscles to work harder and optimizes muscular strength, endurance, and growth.

That’s the key to getting those eye-catching arms and shoulders. 

Say hello to your new strong arm routine…

Strong, Sleek Arm Routine

Here’s what to expect… 

4 Moves 
…Target your arms from every angle!
10 Reps of each move
Lift for 3-4 secs 
Lower for 5-6 secs 

Repeat the routine 3 times 

To sculpt your arms and upper body, add these moves to your routine 2x/week for 4 weeks.

As a bonus, these are also functional exercises that hit all your major muscle groups, training them to work in concert…which improves your entire body in less time! These moves not only help develop total-body symmetry but also make you less prone to injury. 

 

1. KICKBACK LUNGE

Kathy Smith Lunge with Tricep Kickback What it does:

  • This version of the lunge is an excellent sculptor for the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, triceps and core. This is a true functional move because it combines so many muscle groups in one movement.

How to do it:

  • Holding a dumbbell in each hand, step your left foot directly behind you, taking a wide stance, and bend your legs, lowering your torso down into a lunge. Be sure and maintain that core stability to prevent injury.
  • While in lunge position, keep your shoulders over your hips, back knee slightly bent, front knee in alignment with your front toes, shoulders back and down.
  • Feel your weight in your right (front) heel as you push yourself to standing.
  • As you return to standing, do a tricep kickback: Reach your arms back behind you and extend, feeling a squeeze in the tricep.

 


2. SUMO CHOP

sumo-squat-with-cross-chop2 How to do it:

  • Take a wide stance with your toes turned slightly out, holding dumbbells pressed together at chest level.
  • Lower down into a sumo squat, making sure those abs are engaged, weights hanging straight down in front of you.
  • As you push back up to standing, feel the inner thighs, glutes and core muscles working together to control the movement.
  • At the same time, bring the weights toward your chest with a bicep curl.
  • Rotate to your right: Keeping your wide stance and core engaged, feel your weight planted in the right foot and let the left foot pivot as your torso rotates to the right. You should feel as if this entire movement is driven by obliques.
  • Bring the weights down toward the ground in a controlled chopping motion, just behind your right hip. Squeeze your left glute as you chop.
  • Curl the weights back toward the chest as you rotate the torso back to your starting position.

3. FIGURE SKATER

dancers-pose-with-flye

1. Begin standing with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms at your sides. Breathe slowly.
2. Press your weight into your right foot. Lift your left leg as you lower your torso, bringing your body parallel to the ground.
3. Flex your left foot and reach through your heel, as if you’re pressing a wall behind you.
4. Keep the muscles of both legs engaged.
5. Slowly lift your arms parallel to the floor, and return back down. Repeat five times. You may need to lower the hip of your raised leg slightly in order to bring your hips parallel to your mat.
6. To release, exhale as you softly lower your left foot back to the floor. Repeat the pose on the opposite side.


4. SIDE SWIPES

  1. Stand with dumbbells in each hand in hammerhead position, with palms facing each other.
  2. Step out to the right side, with a wide stance. Bend the right leg and lower your hips down as you keep the left leg straight out to the side, feeling a slight stretch in the left inner thigh.
  3. Pressing off the right foot, keeping your core engaged, push yourself back up to standing.
  4. As you return to standing, curl the weights up toward your shoulders, squeezing the muscles on the front of the arms for a bicep curl.