Why do my arms wobble when I'm doing weight exercises?

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Hello, I have a physical disability and I want to be able to handle lifting weights for gaining muscle. But I have a real struggle with doing any exercise using a pair of dumbbells. I can't even do 5 lb. without my arms wobbling the weights on a bench press, for example. I assume if I have no hope, I'll have weak muscle and body forever, so can you please help guys? Thanks.

I suspect the issue is low muscle tone, but how do I overcome this. I also want you guys to know that I grew up inactive my entire life, I'm not accustomed to exercise technique and form at all. It's like when I'm trying to do a single push-up, I'll be told, "No, no, you're doing it incorrectly" which really zaps my confidence, and I feel like a ret*d that can't do even a simple body exercise movement. I also have been told that I walk like as I am drunk. As I said, I can think I'm literally following every instruction and I can be told "No, that is incorrect form."

What is the nature of your physical disability? Not that I have any expertise but it of course may be related.

When I started lifting my weights I was nothing but a scrawny scarecrow with no notion of nutrition or proper exercise, over some years I have been able to build muscle and endurance and I can lift things no problem, but I do not have any physical issues which I am very thankful for and care a lot about those who do have them.

This:
The Rare Writer

I feel like it's pointless to be healthy and muscular, and in shape because I have a physical disability and it's bringing me down like everything else. Is it possible that I have the physical inability to gain any muscle from exercise at all?? Please, no.

When you first start lifting weights the weakest link is often your supporting muscles as they've never had to work. So for example if you do lateral pull downs you may find your grip gives up before your back does. When doing bench press your triceps or shoulders might give up before your chest does. You might just need some practice coordinating yourself, most people are a bit shaky when they start.

I'd start at a weight that is low enough that you can do with good form, then build up from there, keeping an eye on what you're doing to ensure you keep good form at least until the last few reps when you can lose form a little to bang some more out. With practice and repetition, and giving your supporting muscles a chance to develop you might start to get into your stride.

I know I just started weights. I do not have a disability, but do have very poor muscle tone in my upper body and my arms wobble just like you explained but are getting better. Just keep going and don't get discouraged. ITs gonna be a long road... for me too... but stay patient if you can...

I don't know much about this sort of exercise, but I imagine they wobble from the strain? Also how much does the bar for the bench press itself weigh? it might just be too heavy at this point.

Perhaps it would be good to do less straining muscle building exercise in your arms like just lifting 5 pound weights till that doesn't cause a strain and than gradually move up if you want.

I've been working out for a few years now and my arm muscles look pretty good (I think). Sometimes they feel so weak and wobbly that I just use the bar with no added weight.

What weight did you start out with? Also problematic is my gait and balance. When I tried to do lunges, I found its totally impossible to balance my body. It doesn't seem like I can physically do it at all.

Start with the lightest weights possible. A bit of wobble is OK but good form is better than heavy weight. YouTube is a good resource. I have a lower limb disability and do a lot of weights so feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions re disability and the gym.

If you have balance issues caused be an actual medical condition, then you should avoid exercises that take a lot of balance to pull off. It's a shame because squats are one of the really great compound exercises that are very popular for building overall strength and muscle definition.

Are you able to do any of the following without too much balance trouble (look them up if you don't know what they are)?

Bicep curls
Overhead press
Farmer's carry
Bench press (or floor press if you don't have a bench)
Skullcrushers

You're a lifelong couch potato? I expect your muscles are just going to be really bad at working together to get a job done, hence all that wobbling. If you stick at it hopefully that problem will go away.

I actually felt a bizarre wobbling in my left arm triceps the other day. I was doing overhead presses with the heaviest weight I could manage, then when it got to much I'd lower the weight slightly and keep going. Repeated the process over and over until even the light weights felt heavy as all hell. It was the first time I had attempted such a challenge and I suspect my body, with those left triceps in particular, were struggling to deal with that strain.

Obviously I can't know for sure, but I'll bet the wobbling you're feeling is the same wobbling I had in that situation.

If you don't mind me asking, are you overweight? Because if you are, that too will impact balance issues, but it means you'll find weights heavier than other people do simply because your muscles have your own large body weight to deal with on top of that.

You can workout without using weights though. The human body doesn't actually know what it's doing; all that it knows is that there's tension in the muscles and it needs to deal with that. So those tension ropes could be a viable alternative to free weights.

Another thing to keep in mind, is perhaps weight lifting simply isn't for you. If your balance issues are really bad and totally untreatable, you may want to consider a different form of exercise, say swimming?

Without any further information than you have a "physical disability" it's difficult to come up with good judgements. Assuming it's not something really bad, with enough practice you should be able to deal with balance and wobble. Don't feel discouraged by people critiquing your form. Form is important for two reasons; you make the most progress and you avoid injury with good form.

For reference, I don't have any physical disabilities, but I was always weak for a male and rather uncoordinated. I did SOME exercise during my youth, but not much. I started lifting weights last November, so I'm rather new to all this myself.

Just know, that whatever exercise you do, the worst thing you can do is give up. Getting healthy and fit is a lifelong commitment. You can't just work hard for a year and decide you've done enough; all your progress will evaporate in time.

Hey, K_Kelly. I am getting more fit now that I have retired. The unfortunate truth was, as long as I worked, I was just too beat (tired) to up my exercise game.

I am finding the half-hour chair exercise at the senior center just right for me, for the time being. That is two or three days a week. I do yoga once a week. I also have been swimming laps once a week, but for now I have to hold off on that while my surgery incisions heal; but I can do the "Nu Step" (similar to a recumbent stationary bike) and I like that because I can read while doing it.

I have an incomplete spinal cord injury and use a walker or scooter to get around. I also have a history of fibromyalgia. For both these reasons, I have to build up very gradually with any exercise program.

I usually find when I have trembling in a muscle, it means I have reached the point of muscle fatigue. My trainers have told me to back off and just do more reps at a lower weight.

Wobbling is usually because your support muscle aren't used to the amount of strain you're putting on them. It happens to newbies all the time. Mine went away after a couple of weeks.

Want to know a secret? Most people don't know! I see people doing bad form all the time in the gym; lifting too heavy, doing unsafe motions, doing half reps. A lot of these guys look fit and act like they know what they're doing, but they're constantly getting hurt. If it makes you feel better, go to Youtube and check out some videos about how to do correct form (Mark Bell, Alan Thrall, and if you're interested in more bodyweight work, Antranik, to name a few).

I've experienced wobble too. First, start off at a very low weight. Make sure your form is perfect, and that means that you should be able to do how ever many repetitions and sets without getting to failure (where you can't do another repetition). When you first start lifting, as was mentioned above, many exercises isolate certain muscles (like bench press, for instance), but if you're doing the exercises with free weights (barbells, dumbbells), then your other accessory muscles also must work to stabilize the weight. So you're not just working your pectorals and deltoids when doing a bench press, but other smaller muscles, etc. Another thing is that some meds can cause a tremor, which I have, which accentuates the "wobble". But since I've started focusing on form, and making sure I'm really doing things properly first, and not with too heavy a weight, and so I can do it almost totally without wobble, it has become a much smaller issue.

It's possible it will go away with practice. For me wobbles on the bench press went away with practice. It doesn't happen anymore, even at heavy weights. I think it might just be a matter of muscle memory. The nerves have to become accommodated to heavy strain.

Medications like SSRI's cause tremors for me also, but they tend to occur AFTER lifting, rather than during. Actually, any rigorous exercise can make me trembly afterwards for a bit. Because it doesn't occur while I'm lifting something, but when my muscles are relaxed, I think it's a totally separate phenomenon.