Summer Ready Arms

     I admit, there's some leftover jiggle in my arms from winter and with spring here and summer approaching I thought it would be appropriate to post a nice arm toning workout to help us feel more confidant with bare arms. And preparing to have awesome shoulders in our new halter tankini wouldn't be bad either, right?

     

     The secret to nice toned arms doesn't necessarily include lugging big heavy weights during your workout. In fact, these wonderful arm and shoulder workouts can be done at home with a small weight set or with some household items like soup cans, milk jugs (filled with water), and whatever else you can find that's easy to hold onto and provides a good weight for you. The great thing about toning workouts is that they require high reps with low weight which means yeah, you'll be doing a lot of the same exercise but you'll be able to since you're using weights anywhere from 2-8lbs. (And no one can tease you for using a 5lb dumbbell for bicep curls.)

     I designed this workout in the format of a circuit for a couple of reasons. First, I like circuits because overall they take less time which means you're more likely to stick with it. Second, a circuit is really going to tire your arms which is good because you'll start toning up faster. If you're just beginning to workout your arms again, I would start with a lower weight first. If you find that you're not tiring by the end of the circuit then move up to a heavier weight. You shouldn't need more than about 8 or 10lbs.

     I found a kind of cheesy website that has little videos of out to do the motions if you're not familiar with an exercise in the circuit. Click on the link to take you to the video. The Bicep Curl (outward) is the same movement as a normal bicep curl, only your arms are angled outward. If an exercise asks you to pulse, do the reps first, and then hold your last rep in the middle of the lift and pulse up and down 10 times. Start with doing the circuit once through and as you get stronger you can work your way up to three times through (with 60 seconds of rest in between each circuit of course!). Those of you who are in decent shape can start off with more sets. Combine this with the Rear End Circuits to work your way to a beach-ready body!

The Toned Arm Circuit:

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest
Shoulder Press	15	0 sec
Bicep Curl	15 (with 10 pulses)	0 sec
Tricep Kickback	15	0 sec
Lateral Raise	12	0 sec
Bicep Curl (outward)	15 (with 10 pulses)	0 sec
Tricep Extension	15	0 sec
Rear Lateral Raise	12	60 sec