If you do it regularly, you probably think that walking is only beneficial for your legs. And you're partially correct. That's because most people only concentrate on using the muscles in their legs during walking exercises. As a result, you probably fail to realize that you could be working many of the muscles in your arms and getting a toner body overall as a result of walking. By simply incorporating a few extra movements into your walking motion, you can get toned arms and add some definition to your muscles.
Toning Your Arms While Walking
Walking is one of the most basic movements that you make on a regular basis. However, if you look around you will see that most people out there use a completely different walking style when compared to one another. You do, too. You may walk with your arms by your sides, walk with your arms swinging at your sides or walk with your hands in your pockets. In order to tone your arms while walking, you need to keep a few simple things in mind. Do not keep your arms by your side. If you do not move your arms at all, you will not see any results. Try and keep your arms about 45 to 90 degrees from your midsection. Keep your elbows bent, and as you walk push one arm forward while pulling the other arm back. Get into a steady rhythm as you walk and make sure that your arms and your legs are comfortably working together. This is the best way to keep your arms active during your routine. It will force the muscles in your arms to put in extra work and will result in tone and definition in your arms.
Adding Weights to Your Arms
After awhile your body will likely get used to your improved posture and walking style. Just like any exercise, you will want to take it to the next level. When it comes to walking, using wrist weights may be the answer for you. This can be a tricky proposition, though. You do not want to use too much weight on your wrists, as this could cause serious injury and/or problems with your elbows. But you also want to have enough weight to provide a solid workout. The good news is that you don't need much weight at all to tone your arms during your walking workout. Just a single pound or so can lead to great results. However, it's imperative that you speak to your doctor to see if adding weight is the right move for you. Based on your age, height and weight, adding weights may cause more harm than good. So you need to see if it's the solution for your walking workout.
Regardless of how you choose to do it, you shouldn't waste your walking workout only working out your legs. Instead, start training your arms and add tone to the muscles in them. By perfecting some movements and taking a new approach to your workouts, you can double the effectiveness of them and work a whole new muscle group.
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