Summer is coming. And if you’ve been thinking about finally doing something about your arms – you’re not alone.
But before you grab a pair of weights, there’s something I want to highlight because it’s the reason so many women work hard, feel frustrated, and wonder why their arms still aren’t responding the way they’d like.
The secret isn’t heavier weights. It’s what you do before you pick them up.
I’ve been teaching movement to women 50+ for 10 years. And the pattern I see almost every time is this: we rush to get strong before we’ve addressed the compensation patterns we’ve spent decades building.
Years of desk work, carrying bags on one shoulder, old injuries we’ve long forgotten – by the time we’re ready to “get toned,” most of us aren’t actually moving from a neutral, aligned place. One shoulder sits higher than the other. We grip through our neck without realising. We favour one side so consistently it just feels normal.
When you add weights on top of that? You’re building on a crooked foundation. And that’s where the frustration lives.
The good news? It’s completely fixable.
I put together a summer arm routine on YouTube that follows exactly this formula – release and realign first, then strengthen. It’s designed specifically for women who want to build strength and support through the shoulders and upper body.
Here’s something a new student said to me recently that I often think about.
She noticed that slowing the movement down made her feel her muscles activate in a way she never had before. That rushing through reps meant she wasn’t getting the muscles to activate properly – but moving slowly meant she felt everything.
That’s your brain and body having a real conversation. And for toned, functional arms that actually work for you all summer – that conversation is everything.
Light weights. Slow and intentional movement. Realigned foundation. That’s the formula.
Once you start moving from a more neutral place, something shifts. Muscles that were quiet start to wake up. The work gets easier to feel and harder to cheat. And the results – the kind that show up when you’re reaching overhead, carrying groceries, or just moving through your day – start to follow.
Give the routine a try, subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a new video, and drop a comment below.
What does “feeling strong” mean to you? Have you noticed a difference in your upper body strength? What is your favourite exercise to build upper body strength?
Tags Pilates