will i tone my arms up by lifting dumbbells

sanex

well guys,i am just trying to improve my physical appearance, i am a male 28 and big build and a little overweight and fairly strong,i am just wondering by lifting dumbbells would i tone my arms up much or improve my general appearance? thanks for the replys in advance

Zillah

You should do a full programme and not focus on just your arms. Dropping bodyfat is going to be mostly diet, and if you've fatty arms no amount of muscle will show through.

sanex

Zillah wrote: »

You should do a full programme and not focus on just your arms. Dropping bodyfat is going to be mostly diet, and if you've fatty arms no amount of muscle will show through.

thanks for the reply,my arms are in good enough shape as it is just i would like to tone them a little more, my diet isnt too bad,if i lifted dumbbells and did some walking would this do much for me lets say maybe 3 miles a day 3 times a week, really i just want to improve my fitness and general appearance without going to a gym

Killgore Trout

Probably not. Your vague approach (just doing arms and walking) is sub-optimal, so expect sub-optimal results.

The weight's not gonna fall off you with 3 miles walking a day, your body will get used to it pretty quick.

What sort of dumbbells have you got? Is there a range of weights or are there? What kind of exercise are you going to do? You don't sound like you have a plan.

"More toned" actually means lower body fat, and more muscle.

You wanna just do arms rather than some full-body work that practically everyone here is gonna recommend? Maybe look for some books on Amazon that might give some structure to your training - because just randomly lifting some stuff is gonna be a hiding to a) nowhere b) Injury. Most of these books usually don't advocate trainign only-arms , but are a specialized guide for people focussing on arms.

Zillah

sanex wrote: »

thanks for the reply,my arms are in good enough shape as it is just i would like to tone them a little more, my diet isnt too bad,if i lifted dumbbells and did some walking would this do much for me lets say maybe 3 miles a day 3 times a week, really i just want to improve my fitness and general appearance without going to a gym

You should do those walks (or runs) or something similar for the sake of your health regardless of anything else. Even if you don't drop a single pound it will still be good for your heart and fitness. The human body was designed for regular exercise, not doing that is just begging for health problems later.

You will always have a body that reflects your lifestyle. If your diet isn't "too bad" then you'll have a body that isn't "too bad". If you're overweight then your diet is the problem. Exercise burns far fewer calories than most people think; you should eat better, that will have the biggest impact on your appearance if you're not willing to do a proper weights programme. Dumbells can't hurt, but focussing on your arms is a bit short sighted. No harm trying them out, see how you feel about it, and maybe expanding your routine over time.


EDIT:
You know, I thought your name was familiar. This is your third thread in a year and half asking the same sort of questions. Did you follow any of the advice on improving your diet from this thread? All the plans and advice in the world are meaningless if you don't follow through.

JJayoo

Dumbbells are great

Standing single arm dunbelievables shoulder press

Dumbbels rows

Dumbbell floor press

Goblet squat holding dumbell

Reverse lunges holding one dumbbell

Bicep curls

Skull crusher's on the floor

Side raises

Rear felt fly's

Dumbbell fly's

Air squats holding dumbbell

Push-ups

Planks

Turkish getups

Front raises

Shrugs

Farmers walk/ marching on spot holding dumbbells

Stiff leg deads holding dumbbells

You can do all those exercises with a set of dumbbels and some plates so the weight can be adjusted.

If you YouTube any of the above exercises you will see lots of examples.

Irishcrx

I think as above you should read back and follow the previous advice but you have to follow through for anything to happen.
Doing dumb bells alone isn't worthwhile , you need a fundamental understanding of fitness/strength/BF % and muscle development. You can have muscle in your arms but they won't show the way you seem to want unless your bodyfat % is low , that's what gives tone in the muscle but of course you have to have some to show as well. You can look bigger and stronger by losing 20 pounds as opposed to gaining 20 pounds as if done correctly you will drop BF and not much muscle but you must be completing a full body routine for an all round development.
It isn't just your biceps your growing , actually its the triceps that make up the majority of the arm, big triceps coupled with bicep development is what will give large arms, but there's no point in having them under weak looking shoulders and no point in that with a flat chest etc...
It's core stability as well , sure you could lift some dumb bells but there will come a time when the biceps alone won't be enough. In order to lift heavier weight on any body part, compunds ie...you need development elsewhere..
I couldn't lift the weight I do on say a standard EZ bar curl if I didn't have well developed shoulders and core, they allow me to lift higher weight on my arms as the hold the weight stable while I go through the reps...with weak shoulders and core the weight would buckle or I'd end up leaning backwards and risking damage...
You see it's all linked , you can apply the above to basically every lift.
Do some study and see if it's really something you want to do and maybe to ease in start with bodyweight core exercises and work from there.