After pushing through my Monday routine, it was nice to feel energetic and ready to take on another, more focused, one today—it was all about the arms and shoulders this time.
The one thing I'm willing to guess most every woman loves to have are those nicely toned, beautifully sculpted, arms to flaunt when wearing that sleeveless top or dress. But those things don't come easy and you have to be willing to put in the time to get those showstoppers.
Here's a small sample of my routine from this morning. Using 25lb
dumbbells (lighter is fine, too, just increase your reps):
Standing Dumbbell Shrugs (4 sets of 12): lots of women scoff at this exercise because it seems like such a "man" thing. However, it does wonders for helping to build that sleek neckline and accentuate the collarbone (or clavicle) which gives most women that "hey, I DO work for this body" look.
Standing Alternating Hammer Dumbbell Curls (4 sets of 10): I love curls! I'm obsessed with them, quite frankly, and I try to incorporate a set into nearly every routine—no matter what I'm working on that particular day. It's a phenomenal exercise for the biceps and a must do in my opinion.
Standing Overhead Tricep Press (4 sets of 8): My cousin used to comment that the one thing she didn't want to have was "flabby arms"—somehow having them just made wearing a tank top seem pointless to her.
Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises (4 sets of 10): I transition back to my 5 lb dumbbells for this one because my focus is more on form than repetitions. You really want to make sure you're giving your deltoids (that muscle just along the back ridge of your shoulders) a good workout.
Strengthening the deltoids can not only give your upper body a more statuesque look but also aids in forming great posture.
Aside from that, cardio is always a must for me. I never know what kind of mood I'll be in when it gets to that point, though, because I detest cardio—DETEST! I've never been a runner (although I have a great deal of respect for those who can do it on a regular basis) and biking is only fun if you're in a scenic landscape.
That said, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, high knee runs, lateral hops, wall sits, and other such exercises can be every bit as challenging, particularly when done in quick succession, and don't require much beyond a few feet of space and your own body weight to get the job done.
Lastly, the abs. I'm on a mission to get the tummy as lean and flat as possible and that means a lot of attention to every muscle hidden within.
I stopped relying on crunches long ago to get the job done and, instead, look to a number of different exercises to target the various points in the abdominal area. As of now, I do a cocktail of reverse crunches (lower abs/side obliques), plank poses (both side and basic), boat crunches (lower abs), etc., but there are literally hundreds of exercise that can help you strengthen you core.
Start here for ideas and then just keep being creative and mixing them up.
Well, that's me for today—what are you going to do to get moving?
