Rhiannon Hendricks
Wedding dresses often leave arms and backs exposed, so it's no surprise that many brides want to tone these areas before their big day. Whether you're looking for a full-body yoga routine or a quick 15-minute workout, there are plenty of options to help you build muscle and tone up. Many of these exercises can be done at home, with or without weights, and some even come with guidance from fitness influencers and personal trainers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time | 15 minutes a day |
| Equipment | Weights, stretchy silicone bands, yoga mat, medicine ball, bench/chair, dumbbells, water bottles |
| Exercises | Planks, cardio, push-ups, tricep dips, tricep pushdowns, overhead tricep extensions, close-grip push-ups, squats, bicep curls, burpees |
| Diet | Increase protein intake |
| Rest | 45-90 seconds between sets |
| Repetitions | 10-12 reps per exercise |
| Sets | 1-3 sets per exercise |
| Frequency | 3-4 days a week |
| Duration | Start 6-8 weeks before the wedding |
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What You'll Learn
Yoga, Pilates and barre workouts for toning arms and back
Yoga, Pilates, and barre workouts are effective ways to tone your arms and back for your wedding dress.
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to tone your arms, shoulders, back, quads, and core. One yoga pose that can help with toning is the plank. Begin in a full plank, lower your right elbow to the mat and then your left, coming into an elbow plank. Put your right hand back on the mat and straighten your right elbow. Do the same on the left to return to a full plank. This counts as one rep. Do three sets of 10 reps. Take 45–90 seconds of rest in between each set.
Pilates
Pilates is a good way to target your arms and back. One Pilates exercise that can help with toning is the overhead press. Start by stabilizing your torso and keeping your arms moving upward. Straighten your arms above you, performing an overhead press with your palms facing out. Bend your elbows and come back to the end of your bicep curl. Then, straighten your arms and return to the starting position to complete one rep. Do three sets of 15 reps. Take 45–90 seconds of rest between each set.
Barre
Barre workouts are also effective for toning your arms and back. One barre exercise is the triangle pose. Start by lowering down to a forearm plank position, interlacing your hands with your elbows slightly out to the sides. Walk your feet forward a few inches and balance on your toes while you lift your hips toward the ceiling, creating a triangle shape with your body. Shift forward on your forearms, lowering down closer to the floor. Hold this position for a second, then use your core muscles to lift your hips back to the starting position.
In addition to these specific exercises, it is important to maintain a consistent workout schedule and incorporate a variety of other exercises such as push-ups, cardio, and weight training to achieve overall toning for your arms and back.
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Tricep exercises for toned arms
If you're looking to tone your arms for your wedding dress, you're likely looking to target your triceps. Triceps are often overlooked, but they are what give you those toned arms from the back. An effective tricep workout targets all three parts of the muscle. These simple exercises will strengthen and tone the back of the arms.
- Start on all fours with your shoulders directly above your wrists. Straighten your legs back behind you so that you are balancing on your toes. Bend your elbows to lower your forearms and chest to almost touch the floor. Skim the floor with your torso to bring your nose past your hands. Push into the floor with your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position. That's one rep. Complete 8 to 10 reps.
- Stand with your feet as wide as your hips, holding one dumbbell with both hands. Keeping your biceps still, bend the elbows, keeping them in alignment with the ears, as you lower the dumbbell down along your upper back. Engage your triceps as you reach the weight back up to the starting position.
- Stand with your feet as wide as your hips, knees slightly bent. Hold one weight in each hand and let your arms hang down toward your knees. Hinge at the hips so that your chest is tilted down toward the ground. Hug your elbows into your sides and pull your elbows up into a row. From here, keep the elbows stationary and extend the forearms back into the tricep kickback. Come back to the row position and then repeat the kickback.
- Choose one tricep exercise from each of the following groups: A: Dumbbell floor press, alternating dumbbell floor press; B: Pushup, tricep pushup, sphinx press, dolphin pushup; C: Lying overhead tricep extension, tricep kickback, tricep dip, overhead tricep extension, tricep circle, plank tricep kickback. Complete three sets of the indicated number of reps for each move. Once you've completed all sets of one move, continue to the next, in ABC order, resting as needed.
- Stand with a weight in each hand, arms at sides. Bend and lift your elbows behind you. Keeping the elbows back, extend your arms behind you until they're straight, then lower them again.
- Start in a standing position, a weight in each hand, palms facing backward. Raise your arms directly in front of you until they are parallel to the floor, then lower them.
For best results, begin your workout at least six to eight weeks before your wedding day. Perform each of the exercises for three or four rounds (10 to 12 reps each time) at least three days a week. For even more toning, pair these exercises with a backless wedding dress workout.
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Cardio and calorie-burning exercises
Cardio exercises are a great way to burn calories and shed pounds, and they can be done in just 15 minutes a day. Running is considered the best calorie-burning exercise, as it improves flexibility, increases endurance, and does not require any equipment. The faster you run, the more calories you will burn per minute. If you are short on time, you can do high-intensity sprints or try high-knee running, which is a vigorous cardio workout that raises your heart rate and strengthens your lower body.
Other cardio exercises that burn a lot of calories include:
- Biking
- Swimming
- Jumping jacks
- Dancing (e.g. Zumba or Bokwa)
- Butt kicks
If you are looking for a more moderate-intensity cardio workout, you can try speed walking, aerobics, or jogging.
In addition to cardio, you can incorporate strength training into your workout routine to burn even more calories. Compound exercises, such as planks and hip raises, burn many calories because they require more work to complete than other exercises. Adding weights to your routine can also increase the intensity and help with toning.
It is important to warm up before doing cardio to increase your body temperature and blood flow, preparing your body for exercise and reducing the risk of injury. Similarly, cooling down is crucial, as it allows your heart rate to gradually decrease instead of stopping quickly, which can make you feel sick or even cause you to pass out.
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Dumbbell exercises for toned arms
Dumbbells are an effective way to add resistance to bicep, tricep, forearm, and shoulder exercises. They are available in many different weights and can be used at home or in the gym. Working out your arms and shoulders with dumbbells can increase muscle strength, tone, and lean muscle mass, as well as reduce your risk of injury, improve your posture, protect your bones, and stabilize your joints.
Standing Chest Fly
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your arms to 90-degree angles, so that your biceps are parallel to the floor and your wrists form a plumb line down to your elbows. Your palms should be facing forward. Slowly squeeze your arms in front of your body, bringing your elbows together. Rotate your arms back to the starting position.
Shoulder Press
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Rotate your hands so that your palms are facing each other, and rest the dumbbells on your shoulders. Thrust the dumbbells up to the ceiling, turning your palms to face forward.
Concentration Curl
Sit on a bench or a chair with your legs apart and lean forward slightly. Pick up a dumbbell with your left hand and rest your elbow against the inside of your left thigh. With your palm facing up, slowly curl the dumbbell toward your shoulder.
Palms-Up Curl
Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing up. Rest your forearms on your thighs and let your hands hover just beyond the edge of your knees. Relax your hands so that the weights fall slightly below the top of your knees. Slowly curl the weights upward, then return to the starting position.
Palms-Down Wrist Curl
This exercise is done in the same way as the palms-up curl, except with your palms facing down toward the floor. You may need to use a slightly lighter weight for this exercise.
It is important to remember to work with the appropriate weight. Using dumbbells that weigh around 2 kilograms (or 5 pounds) may be enough for certain exercises, but for larger muscle groups, you may need to go heavier.
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15-minute daily workout routines for toned arms and back
For this workout, you will need a pair of dumbbells. If you don't have dumbbells, you can use a pair of water bottles or cans of food.
Workout Structure
Perform each of the following exercises for 45 seconds, taking 15-second breaks in between. Repeat the circuit twice.
Exercises
- Squat with overhead tricep extension: Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart and raise your arms up and over your head. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and lower the dumbbells to the floor. Stand up, lift the dumbbells over your head, bend your elbows, and lower the dumbbells to your back.
- Speed bag punches: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your elbows at shoulder level. Keep your hands at eye level. Shift your weight to the right leg and rotate your right forearm twice. Then, shift your weight to the left leg and rotate your left forearm twice. Keep switching sides until the set is complete.
- Single-leg tricep dips: Sit on a mat with your knees bent and feet together. Place your hands behind you, lift your hips off the mat, and raise your right leg. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your glutes are almost touching the mat. Then, lift your hips back up by extending your arms.
- Squat curl: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees, press your hips back, squeeze your biceps, and lift the dumbbells. Press your heels into the floor to return to the initial position and slowly lower the arms.
- Scissor skier: Stand tall with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Jump up, bringing your right leg and left arm forward, and your left leg and right arm back. Jump again and switch your legs and arms. Continue switching until the set is complete.
- Side lunge curl: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Step out to the side with your left leg and lunge, extending your arms down. Use your right foot to push yourself back to the starting position, squeeze your biceps, and lift the dumbbells.
Additional Tips
- Incorporate strength training exercises into your workouts regularly, aiming for two to four times a week.
- Consume enough protein to build muscle and see results. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal, including snacks.
- To build muscle, use moderate weights and perform at least 10 reps in each set to emphasise muscular endurance.
- Consider incorporating yoga, Pilates, or barre workouts into your routine to target your arms, back, and other muscle groups.
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