How to Get Celebrity Worthy Arms

Teri Hatcher: Long and Lean

What The Expert Says:
Teri’s arms may be thin but they’re not lanky. “You can tell that she has been athletic her entire life,” says celebrity fitness trainer Astrid Swan McGuire. “She’s tall and has a small frame.”

How To Get The Look:
“Anyone, especially someone with this body type, can get strong and defined arms if you work out your upper body three to four times a week,” says McGuire. When starting out, begin with light weights and short reps. “When it becomes too easy, up the weight and reps to challenge your body.” McGuire says to focus on the triceps and shoulders. “Tricep dips are great and can be done anywhere without gym equipment. Use dumbbells for tricep extensions and tricep kickbacks. Shoulder presses really change the entire shape of your arm—as an added bonus they can give the illusion of smaller hips.” Yoga, Pilates and resistance-band exercises are also helpful.

Angela Bassett: Sculpted and Toned

What The Expert Says:
Mentally tough in the gym, Angela gets her killer arms by pushing through each and every exercise no matter how hard it is, says her trainer Eric Viskovicz. “She knows that in order to achieve her fitness goals for later in life, she needs to start now.”

How To Get The Look:
After a five-minute warm up, Viskovicz has Angela do push-ups, crabwalks, dips, military presses and tricep extensions, repeating the sequence three times. Then, she moves on to exercises that don’t use weights without stopping between. “She does arm circles backward and forward and moves where she’s lifting the arms out to the side so they are directly extended out from the shoulder.”

Cameron Diaz: The Perfect Arm

What the Expert Says:  
“The back of the arm tends to be a fat deposit area for most women,” says celebrity trainer Teddy Bass, who works with Cameron. “

How To Get The Look:
Bass says Cameron’s arms are lean, sculpted and toned. “To get lean muscle and decrease the amount of fat, increase the working demand on the muscle groups (biceps and triceps) that make up the arm. Exercises like low rows with an underhand grip and bicep curls can help get this area defined.”

Evangeline Lilly: Feminine Yet Defined

What the Expert Says:
Fitness expert Jessica Matthews explains that Evangeline’s well-defined physique is likely the direct result of a consistent, well-rounded workout routine coupled with healthy eating. “Arms like hers are not usually the result of performing numerous repetitions of exercises with extremely light weights. There’s a misconception that lifting heavy weights will result in building big, bulky muscles.”

How To Get the Look:
To get strong, shapely arms like Evangeline, regular resistance training is key. ”Exercises like barbell push presses, kettlebell clean and press and renegade rows with dumbbells or sandbells will help to build sexy arms like Evangeline’s. These functional moves utilize multiple muscle groups, not just the muscles of the upper body, meaning that they burn more calories,” says Matthews.

Serena Williams: Super Muscular

What The Expert Says:
Genetics play a fairly large role when it comes to how your muscles respond to resistance training. “Only a small percent of women have the genetic potential to really bulk up, so lifting heavier weights really should not be of concern for women who are looking to get into really great shape,” says Matthews. 

How To Get The Look:
“Serena has these incredibly well-defined arms and a naturally curvy physique. She appears to be prone to easily putting on muscle mass,” says Matthews, adding that she may do a lot of strength-training exercises and power-based training. Fitness expert Mackie Shilstone adds that tennis is conducive to the development of elongated muscles in the arm. “Each time Serena serves the ball or hits a ground stroke, her arms are put into an elongated position that leans and tones them.”