Ever seen a fit woman with saggy arms? You've probably wondered, How is that even possible?
I'll tell you how—the arms are a tough body part to tone. And many
women make the mistake of thinking that heavy weights and exercises like
bicep and tricep curls are the way to go. Yes, these moves build strength,
but they do so in an unbalanced way. That's because they isolate and
work only a few areas. Our goal is to create a long and lean body. To do
this, you need moves that hit the major muscles and all those smaller ones. Targeting these "accessory muscles," gives you a sleek yet chiseled look. This sequence wakes up all those little muscles in the arm, hitting each
one from multiple angles (you're going to be sore!) to really tighten
and tone. Do the series six times a week, and don't forget your half
hour of fat-burning cardio each workout day. Happy sculpting!
B-ball palm rotation
Stand with feet a little wider than hip-width, arms extended out to sides, palms down as if palming a basketball (A).
Leading with pinkie, rotate arm forward from shoulder socket until
palms and elbows are facing up. Reverse motion, this time leading with
thumb (B). Do 30 to 40 reps.
Back-hand press
Start on all fours, with a 3-pound weight in each hand (A). Bend right elbow slightly, then extend arm straight up and slightly away from body (B). Do 30 to 40 reps; switch sides.
Back hand
Stand with feet a little wider
than hip-width, arms extended out to sides and palms facing back. Bend
right elbow slightly, turning palm up and pulling arm back behind body (A). Straighten arm as you release and slap palm back (B). Do 30 to 40 reps; switch sides.
Twisted front punch
Stand with feet a little wider than hip-width, holding a 3-pound weight in each hand, wrists under armpits (A). Extend right arm straight out in front of body while rotating arm inward (B). Return to start. Repeat 7 more times, then switch sides. This is 1 set. Do 4 to 5 sets of 8 reps per arm.
