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Summer is just around the corner. Are you ready for spaghetti straps? Whether you’re already studying yoga or want to begin a practice, this discipline is arguably one of the best for sculpting your upper body into tank-top material.
Unlike weight lifting, which tends to contract and shorten muscles, creating a bulkier look, yoga develops a long, defined and fluid physique through isometric poses that activate muscles while maintaining their length. This kind of resistance work encourages lean, “touchable” arms—the kind you want to show off each summer and all year long.
Graceful, succulent muscles are simply a “byproduct” of any well-rounded yoga practice, says renowned yoga master Rodney Yee, who has studied the discipline for 30 years. “Moving your body in space is lifting weights. When you load the arms with your natural body weight, you are essentially lifting weights.”
He suggests that lifting free weights, for example, to sculpt the upper body may be too specific. Practicing yoga, on the other hand, helps the arms work in coordination—and therefore look more in proportion—with the rest of the body. “What you’re talking about is the whole look: the arms in relationship with the rest of the body.”
While a holistic yoga practice is integral to helping build proportional strength and definition, there are a number of ways that you can focus additional attention on poses that incorporate the arms, or modify certain movements to challenge and build strength in the upper body.
Engaging the Arms
The triceps, biceps and deltoids are the most visual muscles in the arms. Biceps run along the front of the upper arms and help you bend your elbow; triceps run along the back of the upper arms and help extend the elbow; and deltoids, the outer layer of the upper arms, allow you to lift your arms to the side, front and back, as well as rotate them inward and outward. Focusing on poses that engage these “defining” muscles will help create a more chiseled, beach-ready look.
“The benefits of yoga are very profound and efficient in toning the whole upper body,” says Glenda Twining, an Austin-based Vinyasa yoga instructor and author of Yoga Turns Back the Clock and Yoga Fights Flab. “You are incorporating the shoulder and the back as well, and therefore the results are even more accentuated, in a short time.”
For example, in a Vinyasa flow practice where you perform Sun Salutations, you will work the full capacity of the arms. “Almost every yoga pose where you are lifting or keeping your body off the floor strengthens and shapes your arms, shoulders and back for a lean, strong and beautifully sculptured look,” says Twining.
Colleen Saidman, co-owner of the celebrity yoga hangout Studio Shanti in Sag Harbor, New York, considers Chaturanga the quintessential move for strengthening the arms, while Downward-Facing Dog creates an ideal weight-bearing position to build upper body strength, she says. Even standing poses, such as Warrior II, where you are resisting the pull of gravity and reaching the arms outward, firm and straight, will help with sculpting.
For those more advanced in their yoga discipline, Shoulder Stand Pose, when performed properly with the shoulders on a blanket and the head on a mat so the spine retains its curve, will engage the biceps in a dynamic way to build strength.
Three to Try
Whether you are a veteran or newbie yogi, here are a few poses and sequences to help you transition peacefully to tank-top season. Hold each pose for five breaths.
Plank to Challenge Chaturanga
1) Start in a pushup position with your hands flat on the floor under your shoulders. Make sure they are pointing directly forward.
2) Tuck your toes under and come onto the balls of your feet, stretching through your heels.
3) Activate both thighs while keeping the back of your body really firm and flat.
4) Press firmly into your hands and look toward the floor.
5) To transition into Challenge Chaturanga, lower your upper body by bending your elbows, tucking them in, and hugging your ribcage.
6) Continue to keep your body firm and supported—don’t let it sag to the floor.
7) Lengthen your spine and keep your thighs activated as you tighten your tummy muscles and gaze toward the floor.
Downward-Facing Dog to Side Plank
1) Come onto all fours—hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
2) Straighten your arms and legs, and shift your weight toward your heels and hips.
3) Keep your hands and feet shoulder-width apart and let your head hang loose.
4) To transition to Side Plank Pose, roll to your left side, balancing on your feet, so your inner thighs are touching.
5) Bring your right hand up, pointing toward the ceiling. Your lower hand should be directly under your shoulder. Look to the ceiling or in front of you.
6) Your upper hip should be directly in line with your lower hip, and your heels, hips and shoulders should also be in one line.
7) If your supporting arm wobbles intensely, modify the pose by bringing your knee to the floor until you build up more strength in your upper body.
Inclined Plane
1) Start this pose by sitting with your legs stretched in front of you.
2) Place the palms of your hands on the floor on either side of your body, just behind your buttocks, fingers facing toward your toes.
3) Lift your body upward, raising your buttocks, pushing your hips up and making your body as straight as possible.
4) Let your head hang back and down gently, and keep the soles of your feet flat on the ground, keeping your arms and legs as straight as possible.
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