Strong legs but weak arms - need help?

M

michelle1985

0
Hey, my name's Michelle I'm 27 5'1 and 52.5kg
I plan on going in the army but my problem is I have really weak upper body strength.
I am a very keen cyclist, doing up to 6 sessions a week which I've been doing for over 3 years.
My legs are really strong but I think this may have led to my weak arms (maybe?)
I don't train my arms at all, but I need to build them up ready for basic training as I don't want to struggle.

My aim is just to get stronger arms, I'm not bothered about reducing fat anywhere (not that I have an excess or anything) and obviously being female bulking won't really happen (not that I want it to) I guess toning will happen as I train more? But again I'm not overly bothered if not - I just need the strength.
As I know virtually nothing about how to go about it I'm just wondering what types of exercises I should do.

I only have dumb bells and a pull up bar and no gym access. Currently I can do about 5 good form push ups before my technique drops, and I guess a bit more knee ones, but never really tried. I don't mind doing them short term if they help me in the long run. I just don't see much improvement being only able to do 5 push ups. For pull ups I manage 1 maybe 2 on a good day.
Also time isn't really much of an issue so I'm happy to do a good long session if needed and I have at least 4 months (maybe longer) before I would start basic training.
I'm wondering too if I should do any leg work with weights? I also opted against it due to my cycling, but again I'm not sure if certain exercises will help me where cycling doesn't.

Thanks for any help.
 
Try looking on line for military style circuits. The will involve building strength in the areas you will need. Be a lot of push ups, dips, pull ups etc.
Bulking and strength building are not always the same, you will gain muscle but military is more endurance than power anyway so will tone more than build.
 
Sounds like a really good way of training. I had a little look and a few mention doing a 20 minute circuit. A few things I can think to do are push ups, sit ups, pull ups, jumping jacks, running on the spot, squats, alternate leg thrusts, bicep curls. Apart from those I can't think of anything else I could incorporate into the routine, and only 3 of those train the upper body.
What other upper body exercises can I add that use only body weight or dumb bells?

Oh, and how often should I do this? I'd like to rest my arms every other day and give myself a full day off from exercise every week.
 
I would guess you have plenty of overall endurance for anything they will throw at you in boot camp and should concentrate on strength training. Most people need to perform 24-30 reps of most exercises to get the optimal strength improvement from most exercises. So for example you should do as many strict pushups as you can, rest 90 seconds, do another set, and repeat until you have performed at least 24 total reps. You can follow that same pattern with any exercise. Check out the stickies on strength training on this site (most exercises can be performed using dumbbells if thats what you have available) or do a web search for dumbbell exercises and pick a selection that works all major muscle groups (chest, back, biceps, triceps, quads, rear chain).

I'd also suggest you do some running. Boot camp involves a lot of running and although you probably have plenty of leg muscle and lung capacity from cycling, running uses some slightly different muscles and stresses some different joints, so it would be good to acclimate yourself to it before you get to boot camp and get blisters, shin splints, etc.
 
Variety is the key to circuits as it enable you to rest one area while working another. There are no real rules on this regarding kit used etc. bodyweight, dumbells,, cans of beans, skipping ropes you name it, you can use it.
Normal system is BALS, back, arms, legs, stomach so an example is below, remember arms are prime mover in a number of exercises and rarely need isolation for functional work except in rehab.

Bent over row (back)
Push ups (arms)
Tuck jumps (legs)
Elbows to knees (stomach)

There are so many upper body excercises so listing them would be insane. In fariness I would advise asking the army recruitment officers what activities you will be expected to do and practice those. Assistance work is good, rehearsing what you need to do is better. No-one weill be better places to advise you.
 
Deadlifts and squats are good in that instance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top