You know those days when you come home from a long day at work, plop down on the couch, and immediately lose any and all motivation that you may have had to do a full workout? It happens to the best of us, but just because you've made the executive decision to morph into couch-potato form for the night, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't exercise whatsoever. In fact, there are actually a few arm exercises you can do on the couch for the lazy workout of your dreams — but don't be fooled. Just because you can do these workouts while you watch the entire first season of Queer Eye from start to finish, doesn't mean it's not hard.
When it comes to moving your body and adapting to a healthier lifestyle, the smaller, seemingly insignificant things can actually add up and make a big difference in helping you feel your best, inside and out. Including a few, low-key arm exercises while you're lounging on the couch is certainly better than doing no workout at all, and like I said, I'm willing to bet these workouts are way harder than you might assume.
The coolest part about this lazy arm workout is that it doesn't require any equipment at all. Try these six arm workouts that you can easily do while your butt is parked on the couch and your eyes are fixed on your latest Netflix obsession.
Including arm circles in your seated workout strengthens your shoulders and improves your posture, according to Prevention. I mean, if you're going to be a couch potato, you might as well be a potato with pristine posture, amirite?
When doing this exercise, make sure you press your shoulder blades together so that you'll have true upper-body engagement, rather than just the motion of flailing your arms in circles. Play around with circling your arms both forward and backward, to add some balance and equilibrium into your exercise.
Pushers are the second arm exercise in this six-minute arm workout video from fitness guru Cassey Ho, and trust me, even though you can do these bad boys while lazing on your couch, you will definitely feel the burn, my friend.
It's super important to do pushers slowly and with control to reap all of the arm-sculpting benefits. If you simply wag your arms back and forth, you won't be getting anywhere, and your dog will probably just start staring at you and wondering if his owner has officially lost it.
Press-chest pulses barely require any movement on your part (lazy girls, rejoice!), but don't get too excited, friend. You'll be sure to feel the impacts of this strengthening workout moments after you finish.
Make sure you don't let your forearms come apart while you're doing your pulses. The more your elbows stay together, the more effective this exercise will be, so as much as it may burn to do so, keep 'em together, girl. Pulse it out until your arms just can't take it anymore.
Guys, Cassey Ho clearly knows what she's doing when it comes to these lazy arm workouts, and mind you, she has a ton of others on her Blogilates YouTube channel if you're ever in need of a good home workout. For now, the first exercise in her above video is called goal-post punchers, and these bad boys will burn like nobody's business.
You'll feel this workout the most in your shoulders and your lats muscles (which is basically the sides of your lower back), so be sure to breathe as you move to avoid pulling any muscles or causing any unnecessary pain. This one might feel easy at first, and kind of like a simple upper-body stretch, but trust me, it's way more intense than you think.
Who says you have to go to the gym to get shoulders of steel? Sit down, get comfy, and crank out a few shoulder pulses — no equipment necessary.
Pulse up and down, and then forward and backward, to make sure you hit all the different muscles in your shoulders. You can even try smiling through it like fitness influencer Allison Wojtowecz is doing toward the end of the above video. TBH, though, that's asking a lot.
If you want another workout that will seriously strengthen your arms and chest, while equally improving your posture, this is where it's at, people. Triangle pushes are the third workout in this Blogilates video, and keep in mind, they require a lot of imaginary resistance on your part to truly make the most of this exercise.
Be sure to push forward with the heel of your palm as you do this workout, which will help you maintain the tension and resistance that makes the move so effective.
You are now the world's most active couch-sitter, and I applaud you tremendously.
