How to pump your arms like Miley Cyrus - 5 effective Pilates exercises for sculpted arms

Miley Cyrus at the Grammy Awards caused a storm of discussion and admiration, and it’s not just that she took the award in the category “Best Pop Solo” and brightly performed with the hit Flowers. The girl surprised everyone with her trim body, but the fans were especially interested in her relief arms.

They say that this is the result of many years of Pilates training, the girl has been practicing it for more than 10 years. But is it only in this case? Is it possible to create such relief only with the help of Pilates? Let’s find out together with the trainer.

International trainer, co-author of the method “Vector of Youth”.

“A unique system of training, created by Joseph Pilates. He brought together the best of yoga, martial arts and his vast experience. The main goal of such classes is to create healthy and functional movement in the body. And this is the key to beauty and relief.”

Satura rādītājs

Why do arms lose tone?

As a rule, the cause of flabby arms is a disorder of tissue nutrition and lymph flow, resulting in the accumulation of swelling in the shoulder girdle. In the age of high technology we have stopped climbing trees and rocks, we do not need to get food, we have stopped using our hands in movements and lifting them up. Think back to when you need to take down curtains and then hang them back up, how long can you keep your arms raised up?

This fatigue in movement is due to a lack of muscle tone. The lack of multiplanar and amplitude movements in the shoulder girdle area does not allow you to show relief on your arms. It must be said that a simple pumping of muscles in this case is ineffective. It is necessary to breathe into the joints of the shoulder girdle freedom of movement and start good blood circulation and lymph flow.

Pilates and arm relief

Pilates perfectly helps to improve the shoulder girdle, start lymph flow, get rid of laxity and, of course, strengthen muscles. In this system of training there are a lot of exercises with support on the hands, which helps not only to improve joint mobility, but also to learn to use the hands in the overall biomechanical chain of body movement. In addition, in Pilates we work with our body weight, and this is quite enough for arm strength.

It is important to realize that Miley Cyrus’ arms are not the result of one month of training or even a year. Regularity is very important when we talk about training. Even if the effect becomes noticeable, it must be maintained.

5 exercises for arms from Pilates

Let’s take a look at the exercises that will help you work out your arms and shoulder girdle well. Introduce them into your daily practice, lift your arms up as often as possible, and relief will not make you wait long.

Exercise 1

Execution technique

Lie on your side, legs bent at the knees. Line up your feet, sacrum, chest, back of the head on one line. The top of the head and buttocks are pulled to opposite sides, maintaining axial extension.
Lower arm extended in line with the body, upper arm resting on the mat in front of you at chest level.
As you exhale, push off the floor with the supporting arm, lifting the body up. On the inhale, return to the starting position.
Do not fall to your lower side, maintain axial extension.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 2

Execution technique

Lie on your back, legs bent at the knees. The feet, sacrum, rib cage and back of the head are on the same line.
Arms are raised up to the ceiling with a dumbbell 2-4 kg. Elbows slightly bent.
On the inhale, keeping axial extension and stability of the body, lower the arms back and down.
With an exhalation, return the arms to the starting position. Make sure that the lower back does not sag and the posterior lower ribs are firmly pressed to the floor.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 3

Tehnika

Stand on all fours, hands under the shoulders, knees under the pelvis. Take a dumbbell of 2-4 kg in one hand.
Keeping a neutral position of the spine, shift the pelvis towards the heels.
With an exhalation, take the arm with the dumbbell to the side until it is parallel to the floor. Do not fall into the shoulder of the supporting arm and do not flex in the thoracic region.
With an inhalation, return the arm to the starting position. Maintain a neutral spine position and axial extension throughout the exercise.

Perform 8-12 repetitions for one arm, then change sides.

Exercise 4

Tehnika

Stand in Inverted V or “downward facing dog” position, feet on toes, straight arms extended, body forming an angle. Distribute your weight evenly on the four supports.
Push off the floor with your hands, palms stretching the mat to the sides, sciatic bones pulling upward, spine not sagging, maintaining a neutral position. If your back rounds, bend your knees slightly.
As you inhale, bend your elbows and extend them out to the sides (as if pushing the walls apart). Keep your back straight.
With an exhale, push off the floor with your hands and return to the starting position.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise 5

Tehnika

Stand up straight, feet at hip width, hands with dumbbells 2-4 kg along the body.
As you inhale, take one leg back and put it on the toe, the supporting leg with the foot as if pushing off the floor. Raise your arms up, bending slightly in the thoracic region. The lumbar region is stable, the pubic bone is slightly pulled up to the navel. Feel the stretch along the front line of the body.
With an exhalation, return to the starting position.

Perform 8-12 repetitions.

Regularity, diligence and proper technique is what will lead you to the result. And in the end, everyone will marvel at the sight of your arms the way they marvel at Miley’s relief.