Nothing fake about strong arms. This is how to get the "Real Deal". You'll need 1 - 1.5kg dumbbells and some determination. I recommend Kanye West, Beyonce or Rihanna for a bit of "determination" via Soundcloud!
Try these simple yet effective arm-toning exercises from personal trainer Cat Woods. She recommends doing them three times a week either at home or the gym:
Tricep push-ups
#1 Assume a plank position on your knees, and imagine drawing the belly drawing back in toward the lower spine.
#2 Position hands slightly wider than shoulders and ensure that the arms stay hugged towards the rib cage as you lower and raise.
#3 When lowering, make sure elbows travel back towards the toes and that the upper arms brush against body.
#4 On the raise, push hard into the palms and try to maintain a long, strong back.
"Lower down as far as you possibly can and push all the way back up until your arms are straight," says Wood. "With practice, you’ll be able to lower deeper and keep your belly braced for longer sets."
Start off by doing a set of six, resting, then repeating two more times.
Tricep kick-back pulse
#1 Hold a 1kg dumbbell in each hand.
#2 Standing with feet hip distance apart, bend the knees and sit the hips back into a squat. Lean forward from the waist at 45 degrees, keeping the spine long and being careful not to round the back. Focus on pushing into the heels to also work the bum and thighs.
#3 Reach the arms back straight, slightly higher than the torso and giving the shoulder blades a little squeeze.
#4 Make tiny pulses upwards with straight arms, counting to 20. Then, with arms still extended, pulse the weights towards each other for another count of 20.
#5 Release arms and come up to standing. Do this another two times.
"The beauty of these is that they require small weights, very little movements and yet the results are stronger arms, great muscle tone and you have also targeted upper back and core," says Woods.