6 of the Best Sports for Toning Arms

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The two major muscle groups of the arms that tone and define the best are the biceps and triceps.

So it makes sense the sports that work these muscles the most would also be the best ones to develop them.

Competitive Weightlifting

The sport of competitive weightlifting doesn’t do much to develop the arms, or the body as a whole for that matter, as much as the train up for the events.

Extensions, dips, push-ups and bench presses are all isolation movements that target the triceps, while pull-ups, chin-ups and curls isolate the biceps.

Just be sure to do a good mix of each to balance them out.


Tennis, and in reality all of the racquet sports including badminton, squash and racquetball, are great sport to work the arms overall – in fact, the whole body.

Overhand moves work the arms, whereas the forearm swing works the upper chest and the backhand the shoulders.

With the running back and forth, the legs get a good workout too, along with the heart due to tennis being a form or cardio training.


Bowling balls can weigh up to 16 pounds, so bowling three lines at a time really works out your dominant arm.

The danger is if you don’t work your other arm too, you run the risk of developing one arm more than the other.

Either bowl a few lines with your non-dominant arm just for fun or do some weightlifting with dumbbells to balance out both arms.

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This game is all about upper body, including your arms and back. But because most golfers hit the ball from the same side all the time, they also run the risk of developing their dominant side more than their non-dominant.

Any sport or exercise that works the other side is beneficial, including lifting dumbbells.


Swimming is all about the arms.

Moves like freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke target the arms muscles through the action of creating resistance by pulling water back toward you to propel yourself forward.

Just be sure to include moves to vary the muscles being worked to create an even toning and definition.

Rowing or Canoeing

This is another sport that is all about the arms.

Putting a paddle in the water and pulling the water back to propel you forward, especially against the current, targets not only the upper arms, but also the back.

Train-up can be done in a gym by using a rowing machine or actually on the water.

Any of these sports are good for building up arm muscle.

However, be sure to get a good balance and build up the biceps and triceps equally as they oppose each other.

If one is stronger than the other, the risk of suffering an injury goes up dramatically.

4 Diet Changes to Make If You Want to Tone Your Body

When it comes to toning the body, what you eat is just as important as how you exercise. Following the wrong diet plan can wreak havoc on your workouts making it difficult to tone up regardless of how tough or how often your exercise routines are.

With that said, follow these diet tips to ensure you enjoy swift and flawless results when looking to tone up.

1) Have Small Regular Meals

Getting toned is all about reducing fat percentage in the body while increasing muscle percentage. Therefore, the very first step to toning up is to shed off any extra fat.

And what better way to do that than to eat on a regular basis? Having your breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks keeps your blood sugar levels stable and your energy up.

With your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, you will not suffer from cravings and hunger pangs that will cause you to overeat and thus increase the body’s fat percentage.

High energy levels on the other hand, allow for more frequent and tougher workouts that work to boost muscle buildup.

2) Add More Vegetables to Your Plate

Another way to avoid those sugar dips that trigger cravings and hunger pangs is to eat more vegetables. Most vegetables offer the benefit of providing you with relatively few calories and a higher fiber content that fills your stomach faster than other foods.

So, by adding more vegetables to your plate, you reduce calorie intake and stay full long enough to avoid high fat or sugary treats in between meals.

Other than the satiating benefit, vegetables also have nutrients that help in toning up the body. For example, spinach offers iron – a mineral that is crucial to building muscle and strength, while the vitamin C that is found in all vegetables is a building block of collagen, the material that the body uses to build muscles. What’s more, vitamin C also helps the body burn more fat thereby increasing chances of getting a well-toned body.

3) Up Your Protein Intake

When it comes to toning up, protein is the ultimate weapon that will allow you to achieve a well-sculpted body fast.


  • Digests slowly and as such leaves you feeling fuller for longer. This consequently makes you less likely to snack mindlessly later on.
  • Boosts your metabolism as the body needs a lot of energy to process protein
  • Preserves muscles – a benefit that allows you to burn more calories even when at rest. This is because bigger muscles require more energy to function.

Thanks to these qualities of protein, the simple act of eating more protein will allow you to retain and build muscle mass while losing fat.

4) Drink Half Your Bodyweight in Ounces of Water

Drinking plenty of water daily is advisable to everyone as water offers plenty of benefits ranging from flushing out toxins to boosting the immune system. In the case of toning up, water plays the crucial role of helping the body perform at its best.

Since over 60% of the body is made of water, staying properly hydrated allows all body organs to perform at their peak. As a result, you get to burn more fat, stay energized, and best of all, have very productive workouts especially during weightlifting and strength training sessions.

These are all benefits that ultimately work towards helping you increase muscle percentage and get more toned.

As you go about carefully crafting a workout plan, keep in mind that nutrition is also key to obtaining the body you have always dreamed of.

So, make sure to put these diet tips into practice as you set out to tone your body. By doing so, you will be able to get toned and lose fat rather effortlessly.

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[Revised and Updated for June 2020]