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5 Tips for Better Arms

“How do I get better arms?”

We get this question all the time. Sometimes it’s from people who are looking to build muscle in their biceps and triceps. Other times, people are looking to achieve better tone. We’ll answer the question for both crowds.

Here are five things you can do to get the arms you want.

1. Eat Properly

Surprised this one is first? Don’t be: Nutrition is the foundation of everything when it comes to fitness. If you want to build larger muscles, you’ll need protein. And if you’re looking to increase tone and definition, you’ll need to reduce body fat. To drop fat, you must have your nutrition dialed in: You can’t eat excessive amounts of food, and some foods will help you accomplish your goals faster than others.

We have nutrition experts who can tell you exactly how to eat for your goals, but here’s the short, general version: Prioritize protein, and look to whole foods like fruit and veggies before processed, fatty foods with lots of added sugar.

2. Lift Heavy Stuff!

To build some arm muscle, you need to lift enough weight to cause the muscle to grow. That means the last reps in any set should be challenging. If you do a set of 8 biceps curls and the last rep felt very easy, you’re probably not lifting heavy enough. 

You need to “feel the burn” and challenge yourself! That safe stress will trigger your body to grow new muscle to adapt to the work you’re asking it to perform. Muscle growth is called “hypertrophy.”

In the past, people often saw bulging bodybuilders and worried that heavy lifting would turn them into behemoths covered in veins. That just doesn’t happen without very hard, very specific training (and often anabolic steroids). So don’t worry that heavy lifting will make you “bulky.” Lifting heavy is exactly what you need to build muscle and achieve great arms.

How heavy should you go? That depends on the movement and the sets and reps you’re doing. A coach can give you an exact plan—and we’ll talk about that below.

3. Do Arm Movements

This seems obvious, but we’ll point out something most people miss: You shouldn’t just focus on the biceps if you want great arms. Sure, the biceps are prominent, but you can’t forget all the muscles of the forearms and the triceps on the back of the arm. Deltoids are considered shoulder muscles, but they still help move the arms, and you should work them, too.

Hundreds of movements can be used to train these specific muscles. You can use barbells, dumbbells, bands, cable stations, body weight and household objects. A lot of times people will use “single joint” or “isolation” movements to train the arms. Think biceps curls, triceps extensions, delt raises and so on. 

These movements can be great if you want to target very specific areas. For best results, we recommend you train all the muscles in the arm in isolation and together—read on!

4. Do Compound Movements

Compound movements work many muscle groups at once and involve several joints. Think about a pull-up, for example. It requires the elbows and the shoulders to move, and it trains a host of muscles at once.

Isolation movements are great, but don’t think you aren’t training your triceps in a bench press or your shoulders in a barbell press. You’ll get a huge bang for your buck with compound movements, and we use them regularly in the gym. As an added benefit, compound movements usually involve the muscles of the core and sometimes even the legs. That means you can improve your whole body even if you’re mainly focused on your arms.

A few great compound movements for arms: pull-ups, chin-ups, bench presses, shoulder presses, bent-over barbell rows.

5. Change Your Routine

If you always do the same thing, your body will adapt for a while and then stop adapting. But if you change your routine at appropriate times, your body will keep adapting to new stresses and you’ll get the results you want. 

That means you might do 3 sets of 8 reps of barbell biceps curls with 20 lb. for three weeks, then switch to 2 sets of 12 reps of dumbbell hammer curls with 10 lb. in each hand for three weeks. 

You can adjust the weights you use, the reps, the sets, the movements, the rest and the number of times you train. But it’s not random. You need to make the right changes at the right time. We could write a huge book on that, and we carefully tailor workouts to our clients so they get results. We’ll just say this to get you started: Change up your routine at least every four weeks to ensure you’d don’t hit a plateau.

Get to Work!

There you have it! With these five tips, you’re well on your way to better arms.

We’ll even give you a simple workout:

2-3 sets of 8 alternating dumbbell biceps curls (rest 45 seconds between sets)

2-3 sets of 8 dumbbell lying triceps extensions (rest 45 seconds between sets)

2-3 sets of 8 dumbbell hammer curls to overhead presses (rest 60 seconds between sets)

2-3 sets of 8 dumbbell bent-over rows to triceps kickbacks (rest 60 seconds between sets)

If you’d like a more specific plan that will help you accomplish your specific goals faster, we can help. Click INTRO to book a free consultation with one of our expert coaches today!

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4 Recipes That You Are Guaranteed To Love!

(Pick at least one to prep this week!)

You don’t have to only eat chicken, broccoli and brown rice to see amazing results. 

Our top 4 recipes are sure to be a hit with the whole family.

#1 Egg Muffins

Change up the flavor by adding your favorites meats and veggies, or try our variation with sweet potato.

#2 Amish oatmeal

This baked oatmeal is a great option for the whole family. Top with you favorite fruit and nuts. To add extra protein, add in Bubb’s Collagen when cooking. This increases the protein to 24 grams of protein per 200 grams. 

#3 Meatloaf Muffins

At my house, we are huge fans of muffin tins. These delicious meatloaves are great reheated. Pair with roasted veggies and mashed cauliflower for a balanced meal!

#4 Pulled Chicken

This is one of the most versatile recipes we have. You can put it over a sweet potato or make a Mexican bowl. 

If you liked these, check out our recipe book. Fun fact: you can find all the nutrition facts for HSN recipes in MyFitnessPal, by typing Healthy Steps Nutrition Official then the food name. 

What is your favorite recipe? Let us know! 🙂

You can find more delicious recipes >> https://www.crossfitunstoppable.com/recipes

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Transformation Tuesday!

 “I gained a bunch of weight in sobriety, just quit smoking, and now I needed to work on a healthy lifestyle. I had no idea the wonderful people I would meet and just how helpful they would be for me.

I’m on track with nutrition and it feels normal to eat healthy. That would have never happened without CFU and the nutrition program. I love the workouts the most though…I started gaining muscle and losing fat almost immediately after starting.


CFU really exceeded my expectations and you shouldn’t wait for the “right time”. Join TODAY! You won’t regret it!”

Today we would like to celebrate with Jennifer as she has accomplished amazing things in the past 3 months! Jennifer came in right before Christmas for a consult really unsure of what she needed to do so we worked out a plan for her.

She started with the Unstoppable Fitness Boot Camp program four days a week in late December (I wouldn’t let her wait until the new year 😉 ) She has found that she is strong and capable and wanted to add to her success so she joined our Nutrition program as well in mid-January. She will admit that she didn’t know how to eat healthy and she needed someone to help her with nutrition.

We got her on the right track and with this combo, she is headed towards great things! We (Aaron, Heather, Nikki and myself) as well as everyone else at CFU couldn’t be prouder of you, Jennifer! Keep up the amazing work! 🙂

If you would like to see similar results, set up a FREE INTRO! We want to help as many people as possible! P.S. You don’t have to be a member of CrossFit Unstoppable OR live in the Jefferson City area…we have remote and online training as well – how cool is that?!?

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Tuesday Thoughts…

Sunday I had my 53rd birthday…holy smokes, where did that come from?? See, in my mind I think I’m still in my 30’s (although my body doesn’t agree some days 😉 ). Your mindset is soooo powerful in how your perceive your life to be.

If you have the wrong attitude about things going on your life, like “I’m never going to be able to get out of debt…”, “I’m never going to be able to lose weight…”, or “I’m never going to be able to find my dream job…” Chances are, you never will!

You can’t wait for the perfect moment to start something because life is never perfect, things might be good, but it’s never perfect. It takes baby steps in order for you to start something and one needs to realize anything that is a daunting task will be a marathon and not a sprint.

We tell our fitness and nutrition clients NOT to expect drastic weight loss overnight or even in 30 days because we want them to establish healthy habits in order to succeed. Think about all of the gimmicks out there where you can lose 10# in 10 days…how healthy do you think that is? Or “drink this drink for 30 days and watch the scale plummet!”…these things are not teaching you how to eat a balanced diet.

This is just my opinion, but whatever is natural should be the things that should be consumed. If it wasn’t made by God and from the earth, then most likely it isn’t good for your body. Now don’t get me wrong, I will consume things here and there that are not natural, but I have a good sense of how to eat. (Even though sometimes I indulge…but that’s okay because that is life!)

The important thing to remember here is that there will be ups and downs in one’s fitness/health journey, but if you know how to get back on track and WANT to get back on track, then there are ways to get there! Reach out if you would like to set up a FREE consult to figure out how to get back on track with your wellness journey! Book a FREE INTRO today so we can help! 🙂

Have a Great Tuesday!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Heart Day <3

What’s your favorite exercise to get your heart rate up or exercise?

*Running *Walking *Jump Roping *Lifting Weights *Rowing *Skiing *Skating *Snowboarding *Volleyball *Basketball *Football *Wrestling *Soccer *Baseball *Softball *Tennis *Pickleball *Hockey *Golf *Swimming *Gymnastics *Rock Climbing *Cycling *Skateboarding *Boxing

Soooooo many options and I’m sure I left some out for sure! It is recommended that your heart rate be between 120-150bpm for at least 30-60 minutes per day! Are you achieving that? Are you doing what’s necessary in order to keep your heart healthy?

When I taught PE, I had the kids play a tag game called “Heart Attack Tag”. There were 4 taggers, each representing four risk factors of heart attacks – Smoking, Sodium/Salt Intake, Junk Food, and Couch Potato. If you got tagged once you would place your arm over your chest indicating that you were 25% likely to have a heart attack but you were still in the game; tagged a second time, two arm crossed on chest (50% likely to have a heart attack). If you got tagged a third time – 75% chance of a heart attack – you had to lie on the floor and wait for the “Dr” to come and save you.

I believe this made quite and impression on the kiddos when they played it as the “Dr” would prescribe exercise in order to get back into the game…My mission is to help as many people as possible so if you are reading this and your nutrition and fitness are not up to par and run a risk of hurting your heart from one of the risk factors, get up and MOVE! Just 5 minutes is better than nothing! Think about what you are putting in your body to fuel it…is it good nutrition or is it junk? Eat mindfully not mindlessly – You’ve only got one body to live in and it’s up to you to love it enough to take care of it!

If you’d like extra guidance on how to take care of your fitness and nutrition, book a Free Intro!

Have a Great Heart Day and Be Safe out there!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Couch To 5K + Core Program

New Program!!

Couch To 5K + Core!!

Starts February 21st!

Available locally, online and anywhere in the world! Each week there will be a workout template including your running/walking and core exercises. We will also have accountability with this program!

If you want to get better at running OR start a running program, this is for you!

SIGN UP HERE 🙂

We would love to have you join us!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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New Week…New Attitude!

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” — Mary Engelbreit

I’ve talked a bit about shifts in our own thoughts and shifts in attitudes towards our progress. Believe it or not, I’ve had to really focus on my own “give a damn” attitude. Between quarantines and worries about all the things, I find myself many times trying to keep myself in a good place.

I met with a member the other day and one of the suggestions was to focus on the little things or small wins throughout the day. I’m now heeding my own advice and finding the little blessings that keep me going towards a good day. Taking one day, one hour, or one workout/meal at a time is going to get me closer towards my goals. It will you too!

Don’t focus on ALL the things, focus on what you CAN control and make it happen. A little attitude shift towards the things that you GET TO do will go a long way for a successful week. Here’s to a Happy Monday and Wonderful Week!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Seriously…Stop!

We have been doing goal reviews here recently and it’s crazy how our mindsets work…Quit beating yourselves up!

Seriously. Stop.

Stop telling me how your WOD wasn’t impressive because your pullups were banded, or your run was slow, or your pushups were on your knees.

Stop feeling embarrassed that you have the least amount of weight on the bar, or finished last.

Stop thinking your WOD was unimpressive because you scaled.

Stop degrading yourself for not getting a PR, or a new skill, or the next modification up.

Stop all of it because YOU. ARE. AWESOME.

Stop it because no one else sees what you are doing as unimpressive, because no one else is judging you for your choices.

We are celebrating in your successes – even if you can’t see them yet.

You are in there.

You are fighting – fighting through the pain, through the misery, through the reps.

You are finishing – even if in last place, even if you use a band, or your knees, or a light”r weight, or reduced reps – you are finishing.

You are progressing – even if it doesn’t look like it at the moment, you are progressing. You are getting to your goals and finding your strength.

So stop judging yourself so harshly. Stop throwing yourself in the dumps because of a bad WOD. Stop holding your head low because of your scale.

I don’t even know some of you reading this, and yet I know that you are awesome. I know that you are trying, and hurting, and pushing. I know that you are improving and progressing. I know that every day you are fighting a battle, and on the whole, I know that you are winning.

Can you even begin to imagine what the athletes next to you know? Can you even comprehend how much you will grow when you start believing in yourself?”

Conceive, Believe, ACHIEVE!!!

BETTER THAN YESTERDAY!!

When you step into CFU, remember that YOU are doing MORE than those who CHOOSE to sit on the couch!!

What are YOU going to do this week to BETTER yourself?? SHOW ME!!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Yeah, but…

This article deals with scaling…why do we have you scale? To MAKE YOU BETTER!!! Please focus on your overall goals and how some modifications can make you stronger and better in the long run!
Yeah But…
by Erica Saint Clair

“Dude, that was awesome, way to fight through”

…“Yeah, but I scaled”

As if scaling is something to be ashamed of, as if scaling is for the weak and the untrained.

As if scaling means you didn’t do the workout – or your workout was less worthy because you scaled.

It isn’t.

“You did SO good!”

…”Yeah, but I used a lighter weight”

As if choosing the right weight for you means you will never get stronger and work up to the Rx’d weights. As if it is somehow the weaker choice.

It isn’t.

“That was amazing, great job today”

…”Yeah, but I used a band”

As if you should feel guilty using a band for a week, a month, a year or a lifetime. As if the band is something to hate and despise.

It isn’t.

“Good job finishing, way to not give up!”

…”Yeah, but I was last”

As if where you finish matters more than THAT you finished. As if finishing last means your WOD was easy.

It doesn’t.

We are all in a constant state of scaling – even the elite of the elite, even the few who make it to the finals at The CrossFit Games

Double unders are scaled triple unders, MU are scaled weighted MU, 15′ rope climbs are scaled 20′ climbs.

Sure, they aren’t called for in the WODs today, but what about tomorrow?

Scaling is how you get from where you are now to your future kickass self.

Scaling is how you stay safe and healthy.

Scaling is how you improve your technique and learn to lift heavier.

Scaling is how you finish the workouts and feel obliterated after, using a band instead of just staring at the bar for 10 min willing yourself to get a pullup.

Scaling, is NOT, however, something to be ashamed of or something that you can use to write off your WOD as a poor performance.

So next time you are crumpled on the floor gasping for air, be proud that you choose the right scale for you.

Be proud that you killed the WOD, and that the WOD killed you.

You ARE a CrossFitter! Be PROUD of that and BE BETTER THAN YESTERDAY!!!

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Meet the Trainers at CFU

Christine Core

Significant Other: Keena Lynch

Kids: Just my 20ish softball “kids”

Occupation: Head Softball Coach at Lincoln University

Month/Year started CF: August 2019

Month/Year became Trainer: July 2020

Favorite CF Movement: Double unders, power cleans, wallballs 

Least Favorite Movement: Overhead squats, box jumps 

To share my love of CrossFit and fitness with others and help them feel welcomed and loved when they come to CFU. I also love to see people set goals, push them to work towards them, and see them succeed! 

Favorite Food: Anything Mexican and cookies

Hobbies: Reading, traveling, and being outside. I’m also working on my Masters Degree in Positive Coaching through Mizzou.

Christine, you have been such a huge addition to the CFU Team and family! Thanks for all you do for our community! 🙂