by Jenn Givler
One of the problem areas I hear most about is arms. We hate it when the back of our arm jiggles when we wave. We can’t stand the fact that we don’t have toned shoulders for those sexy sleeveless fashions. And, I always hear women saying that they “have no upper body strength.
No more ladies! Time to get those arms toned, lovely and strong.
Here are two routines you can alternate throughout your week to help give your arms definition:
Routine 1
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Bicep Curls
– Hold light weights in your hands. Arms in front of you, palms face out. Bend your elbow and lift the weights up to your shoulder (don’t touch your shoulder though). Lift for a slow count of 4, and then lower for a slow count of 4. Do 12 reps – if you can easily get through 12 reps, try increasing the weight.
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Hammer Curls
– Hold your weights in your hands, arms in front of you, palms face in toward each other. Again, bend your elbow and lift your weights to your shoulders without touching your shoulders. Lift for a slow count of 4 and release for a slow count of 4. Do 12 repetitions of these also.
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Hammer Curl Combo
– Hold your weights, arms straight palms face out. Bend your elbow and curl up for a count of 2. At the top of the movement, flip the weights so your palms face toward each other and hammer on the way down. Do 10 reps, and then switch so you’re doing a hammer curl on the way up and a bicep curl on the way down.
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Push-Press
– Hold your weights at your sides, palms face out. Lift your arms straight up until they are even with your shoulders. At the top, flip your palms so they face down, and press your arms back to your sides. Do 12 slow repetitions. Count 4 on the way up and 4 on the way down.
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Slow Jab
– Hold your weights in front of you, arms bent so your elbows are close to your rib cage, and your hands are in front of your shoulders (in kickboxing, this is known as the fighter stance). Slowly punch your right hand out, twisting your arm on the way out so that your palm ends up facing down. Twist and pull your hand back into fighter stance. Repeat on the left. Do 20 of these nice and slow – don’t lock your elbow. Always keep a slight bend in that elbow.
Routine 2
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Push-ups
– You can do push-ups on your knees or with straight legs. You will be absolutely amazed at how quickly you will build upper body strength if you stay with push-ups for a few weeks. Do 2 sets of 10 reps. Make sure you stretch in between sets.
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Tricep Dips
– Sitting on a chair, put your hands behind you on the edge of the chair and lift yourself off in a seated position just beyond the front of the chair. Lower down, and press up to straight arms. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.
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Bent Row
– Stand feet shoulder width apart. Hold weights in front of you, hands in front of your quads, palms face the back. Bend your knees to about 45 degrees and stay in this semi-squat position for the entire set. Reach hands out to your knees. Keeping your shoulders down, bend your elbows so your hands come back toward your waist. Do 10 repetitions, stand up and rest for 30 seconds, and then do 10 more repetitions.
Alternating these two routines throughout your week will give you a great upper body strength training workout. These exercises not only work your arms, but they work your back and shoulders as well. If you don’t have weights, grab soup cans or water bottles for added resistance.
**Jenn Givler is a fitness and wellness coach. She helps busy women break their fitness hiatus, and shows them how to fit fitness into a busy schedule. You don’t have to be a fitness buff, or live at the gym to feel healthy, fit and strong. Check out Jenn’s web site for exercise ideas, recipes, and insight: JGivlerFitness.com