How to Get Arms like Michelle Obama

By Thomas Curry

Michelle Obama, in her time as First Lady, created a legacy by helping to kickstart the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Her book American Grown became a nationwide success in 2012, and she worked hard to spread her Let’s Move! Initiative.

Due to her hard work and advocacy on health and fitness, her arms have also remained one of her many legacies. Cards Against Humanity even has its own card dedicated to her toned, iconic arms. Her arms are potentially the reason for a 4000% surge in tricep-centric surgery in 2013.

You may be thinking, “How do I get arms like hers?” Rest assured, surgery is not the answer. Actually, getting arms like Michelle Obama is quite easy! If you’re looking to sculpt your arms to make yourself look like the next worthy candidate for First Lady (gentlemen, that goes for you too), follow the simple steps listed below.

One important idea to remember is that these steps apply to all muscles of the body, so you can also get those perfect six pack abs like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Spend more time eating than exercising

It’s important to remember that while exercising is essential to building muscle, food is the only way you can obtain the nutrients to build muscle at all. Tracking your macronutrients and caloric surplus is the best way to do this. Consuming more carbohydrates and protein, eating less fat, and adding 500-750 calories to your diet each day adds up to a significant mass gain over time. The Pryzbyla Center offers plenty of options that will give you the mass you need. Remember that patience is key, and you will see progress over time!

Exercise, but take some time to rest

Again, exercise is very important to building muscle, but recovery is part of the process that many people tend to neglect. Taking one or even two days to let your muscles relax is important. This means you shouldn’t overtrain your arms, or any part of your body for that matter. Going to the gym roughly five times each week is good, and splitting up your workouts by muscle group allows time for optimal recovery, since you won’t be overworking all of the other muscle groups each workout.

Add some variety to your workout

Newsflash: bicep curls and tricep extensions are not nearly as effective as other barbell/dumbbell exercises. Adding variety to your workout to avoid doing the same exercise over again not only stimulates the muscles that curls and extensions hit, but works out every other muscle in your arm. This is the same mentality that CrossFit gyms have in creating their workouts; very few times do you ever do the exact same workout twice. While this may be a bit more strenuous in planning your workouts, the effects will show much quicker. Try some dumbbell swimmers, barbell rows, or even deadlifts. All of these options do a better job at stimulating your arms and building muscle, and some even work out your full body!

Track your progress

This is the fun part! Checking your weight, counting your calories and seeing your overall progress throughout the process plays a big role in keeping you motivated and happy. Who doesn’t like seeing progress? Keeping a journal of what exercises you do at the gym and what you’re eating at each meal can show you your strong points and where you may have slipped during the week. Obviously, keep in mind that the process does not happen overnight; it usually takes weeks to start seeing results, and can take months or even years to reach your goal of those perfect Michelle Obama arms. As many in the fitness world say, trust the process.

Everybody can agree that Michelle Obama has great arms and, by following these steps, anybody can get the same toned arms in a matter of weeks. Of course, remember that Michelle Obama ~probably~ doesn’t work out for the sake of getting arms as perfect as they are, but for the sake of her overall fitness and health. Incorporating a full workout routine that includes anaerobic or aerobic cardio is key to being healthy and happy.