“Prettier than abs”… the ‘unexpected muscle’ that today's health-focused women are building at the gym - 경향신문

This article was translated by an AI tool. Feedback Here.

Once, the most emblematic part that showcased a woman's toned body was the abs. Building a nipped-in waist and sharply defined abdominals was treated as the goal of exercise. But in the U.S. recently, the mood has been shifting. Women are building arm muscles at the gym and, in sleeveless tops, are unabashedly showing off prominent biceps.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently introduced the trend, saying ‘healthy women now want to show off their biceps,’ and highlighted how women are revealing arm muscles. The story featured women who perform biceps exercises dozens of times a week and flex to display their arms, as well as women who favor sleeveless clothing and actively show off their arm muscles.

Fitness coach Carrie Cross (57) told WSJ she regularly trains her biceps and posts Instagram photos of her pronounced biceps at least three times a week. Firefighter Monique Collier (37) likewise does upper-body workouts twice a week and uploads videos on social media showcasing her arm muscles. Beyond training purely for health, displaying the muscles themselves has become part of the fun.

One figure drew particular attention: stunt actor Devin Dalton (35), who served as Matt Damon's double in the film <Odyssey>. Some of Damon's arm shots in the movie were in fact Dalton's arms. Damon said on a podcast that Dalton's arms were the best he had ever seen. Preparing for filming, Dalton trained his upper body three days a week, and he has now built enough upper-body strength to do 12 pull-ups in a row.

What was striking was the reaction to Dalton. The response from women was especially strong, more than from men. He told WSJ he heard comments from women who saw his arms such as “I want to start lifting weights, too” and “It felt like my muscular body was being recognized.” Women's muscles are no longer a symbol of a ‘non-feminine body,’ but rather evidence of hard training and a part of the body they want to show.

This shift did not emerge overnight. Time in the U.S. analyzed last year that women's arm muscles are being received as more than just the result of exercise, becoming a kind of ‘status symbol.’ Renowned U.S. trainer Gunnar Peterson said, “If women once wanted abs and glute muscles, lately there have been many more requests about the arms.”

The Financial Times (FT) in the U.K. likewise noted early this year that ‘firm arms signal strength and status,’ pointing out that the standards for women pursuing healthy beauty have changed. Moving away from an era when crafting a slim body was viewed as the ideal female figure, solid arms that look capable of lifting heavy things are now taken as a signal that someone has invested time and money in training. FT especially analyzed that muscular arms, which are hard to achieve by merely reducing body fat, can be perceived as symbols of the resources to invest in exercise and of self-management.

Brazilian fitness outlet ‘Boa Forma’ described this trend outright with the phrase ‘arms are the new abs.’ On TikTok, posts tagged with the hashtag (#strongarms), meaning ‘strong arms,’ have increased by more than 350% in a year. Market research firm Mintel tallied a 78% rise in interest in content related to women's upper-body strength.

The very culture of viewing women's muscles is also changing. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a history professor at The New School in the U.S. and author of <Fit Nation: The Benefits and Pains of America's Exercise Addiction>, said in an interview with WSJ that in every era certain parts of women's bodies have risen as objects of beauty. Following the chest, hips, and abs, the arms are now emerging as a new focal point of interest.

There are practical reasons the arm muscles, in particular, are drawing attention. Unlike abs or glutes, arms are easily visible in everyday life. Even a sleeveless T-shirt or dress reveals muscular contours. Right after a workout, increased blood flow causes a temporary swelling - the ‘pump’ effect - so changes show up noticeably even with short sessions. Petrzela told WSJ that with the biceps, just a few sets of pull-ups or biceps curls can readily create the effect of the muscles standing out.

In fact, some of the women WSJ spoke with even do a separate arm session before going out. Emma Sclafani (55), a former real estate agent and model, told WSJ she focuses her training on arms rather than abs. Unless you're in a swimsuit, abs aren't very visible, but arms are something anyone can notice. She said she often gets compliments on her arm muscles when she wears sleeveless or strapless dresses. She even sprays bronzer (a cosmetic that adds color to make the skin look tanned) on her skin to make her arm muscles stand out more.

Underlying this shift is also a change in the image of the ‘strong woman.’ In the past, women's muscles were often seen as something to hide for being overly large or too masculine. Now, however, the very fact that one can lift heavy objects, do pull-ups, and has transformed her body through training is being regarded as attractive.

Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin, chief of women's sports medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, also explained recently in Harvard's health outlet ‘Harvard Women's Health Watch’ that “women's fitness goals are shifting from simply maintaining a slim body to building muscle and strength.” Whereas women's workout videos once emphasized a slender figure, there is now growing interest in the strength and function needed to manage everyday life, especially beyond middle age.

Indeed, strength training means more than a passing fad. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2026 in the ‘Journal of Sports Science and Medicine’ found that women's resistance training helps improve strength and body composition regardless of menopausal status. The researchers concluded that increases in strength can appear in both the upper and lower body, irrespective of a woman's age or hormonal state.

Still, some caution that the rise of arm muscles as a new beauty standard cannot be viewed only positively. Time noted that while firm arms can serve as symbols of strength and confidence, they also risk hardening into yet another appearance benchmark - that one ‘should have a body this firm.’ Building and maintaining muscle requires steady training, as well as time, money, and dietary management. Holding up a ‘muscular body’ instead of a ‘skinny body’ as the ideal female form can ultimately become another kind of appearance pressure.