A sheet metal rocker arm of the welded and brazed tube and “boat type” rocker arm formed from sheet metal and characterized by having a reinforcing cross member which is integrally formed from a tab created by slitting the tube insert and which yields a unitary structure that introduces substantially greater stiffness to the rocker arm. The tube may be optionally rolled from sheet metal or by using seamless tubing. The method of creating integrally formed reinforcing cross-members by appropriate lancing slits in the sheet metal can be applied to any stamped rocker arm that has a U-channel architecture, e.g., including, for example, rocker arms for pushrod type valve trains as well as roller finger follower type rocker arms. Provision of the integrally formed cross member renders stiffness to the rocker arm that enables an engine to operate at a higher rpm and thereby to produce more horsepower.