Focused Fitness: Tone-up the arms

The saggy batwing effect is caused by a combination of poor muscle tone in your upper arms - mainly your triceps - and a general excess of body fat. Some of us display our excess flab around our middles, some around our bottoms and legs, some our faces and some our upper arms or, if you're anything like us, then all of those together! To get the tone back in your arms you need to tackle both problems with healthy eating and regular cardio-vascular exercise (running, brisk walking, swimming, aerobics, cycling etc.) to to lose weight and specific exercises to tone the arm muscles. Luckily the upper arm area is quite easy to target with simple exercises that need little equipment and that even the busiest mum can slip into her daily routine. Here's how.

These simple exercises can be done pretty much anywhere and you don't need to dress up in your gym gear and trainers either if you're not doing a long exercise session. Unlike your cardio-vascular exercise, with resistance training you can get the same benefit from doing quite short bursts, whenever the chance arises, as you would from doing all the different exercises together in one session. So if you've got twenty minutes to spend in front of the tv why not try some of these exercises while you're watching (you'll need to practice some of them a little first). You can even fit a couple of sets of tricep dips in while you're waiting for the bus to arrive, the microwave to ping, or when you're in the park with your toddler.

Please to take care to choose weights that you can manage and don't do any exercises that require you to put a strain on any joints that you have problems with. If you use heavy weights, do press-ups or have a long exercise session you'll need to factor in time to warm up and down.

• Tricep dips -
  
  • Sit on a chair, step or bench with your hands next to your thighs, fingers pointing forwards and your legs bent.
  • Now move your bum off the step or chair, using your arms and hands to support and balance yourself.
  • Inhale and dip your body down in front of the chair keeping your elbows parallel to one another.
  • Exhale and bring your body back up by straightening your elbows - use your arms to lift yourself back up, don't push with your legs.

  Build up to three sets of 12 repetitions alternating sides. Increase the number of repetitions as you find you can comfortably complete the sets.

  TIP: If you find this exercise quite easy you can make it harder by straightening your legs and crossing one foot over the other.

• Tricep weights -
  When you're toning your triceps you want to use quite a light weight with which you can manage fifteen repetitions of the movement. A medium-sized can of vegetables or soup etc. can double up well as a very light weight when you are at home.
  • Take a light weight in one hand and put the opposite knee on a bench or low seat.
  • Lean forward and support your upper body with your free arm and hand so that your upper body is parallel to the floor.
  • Take the arm with the weight and draw it up so that the upper part of the arm is alongside your body and parallel to the floor with the elbow bent at ninety degrees and the forearm hanging down towards the floor.
  • Straighten out your arm behind you slowly so the entire arm is parallel to the floor.
  • Release the arm back down to a ninety-degree bend and repeat the raising and lowering of the arm slowly and smoothly.
  Build up to three sets of fifteen repetitions alternating sides. Once you can comfortably do this, increase the weight or the reps.

• Standing tricep lifts -
  This is even easier to fit in between stirring the pot or even when watching tv as you need no prop other than the weight.
  • Place a weight in one hand and put your opposing foot in front of your body, with your feet about hip-width apart.
  • Bend the front leg and lean forward, keeping your back straight, supporting your upper body with your hand on the top of your thigh.
  • Pull up the arm holding the weight to a ninety-degree bend, tucking the arm in close to your body
  • Straighten your arm out behind you as above. Lower and raise in slow, smooth movements.

  Build up to three sets of twenty repetitions alternating sides. Once you can comfortably do this increase the weight or the reps.

• Biceps curl -
  A great one to do while you're watching tv as you can do it while sitting down on the sofa! Use a light-ish weight for this, increase the repetitions and/or weight as you can comfortably complete the sets.
  • Sit up straight with your knees about hip-width apart and bent at ninety degrees.
  • Take the weight in your right hand, lean forward with your back straight so that your right elbow is resting on your leg just above your right knee and your right hand holding the weight is resting on your left knee, palm facing upwards.
  • Place your left hand on your left thigh for support.
  • Keep your back straight, shoulders flat and chest open.
  • Slowly and smoothly raise the weight to the top of your chest with your arm, keeping your elbow on your leg and your wrist flat . Do not use your back, wrist or shoulders to pull the weight up.
  • Lower the weight down again smoothly and slowly and repeat.

  Build up to three sets of fifteen repetitions alternating sides. Once you can comfortably do this, increase the weight or the reps.

• Triceps stretch -
  Easy, easy peasy and good for releasing tension in the upper arms and shoulders.
  • Raise both arms above your head and then bend them together so that each hand is loosely lying on the opposing elbow with your lower arms over the back of your head and parallel to the floor.
  • Keep your back neutral (straight with it's natural lower curve).
  • Lower your left hand down between your shoulder blades and walk your fingers down your back as far as you can go without straining.
  • With your right hand gently press the left elbow in towards the back of your head. Your arm should be stretched but not so much that it hurts.
  • Hold the stretch as long as is comfortable.
  • Release and stretch the other side.

  TIP: You can add an extra dimension to this stretch to work the whole of the upper body by adopting the stretch position and then bending sideways from the waist towards your opposing side (right as described above).

• The press up -
  It's a classic for a reason and there's a version of this flexible exercise to suit almost everyone. Most of us mummies will want to start out with a press up from a knees-bent position. This exercise is a little more involved and demanding than most of the others, and not something you want to go into cold (ie. not warmed up).
  • Kneel on the floor (you might want a mat underneath you) with your toes tucked under your feet.
  • Straighten your arms out in front of you and go down on all fours with your palms flat on the floor, hands level with your shoulders and slightly further than shoulder-width apart.
  • Keeping your back straight, lower your body to a few centimetres off the floor, or as far as you can, by bending your arms
  • Look forwards rather than down as you move.
  • Straighten your arms again to push yourself up off the floor without bending your back, but don't straighten your arms out fully, there should still be a bit of bend at the elbows so they don't lock. Push up on the exhale.
  • Repeat the motion steadily and smoothly building up to three sets of ten repetitions.

  Increase the number of sets or repetitions as you gain strength, or see if you can do a full-body press up where you lie flat with your legs extended straight and support your weight on your toes, pressing up your whole body, rather than just from the knees.