5 Star Arm Exercises

1. Bicep Curl and Overhead Press. Stand with your feet directly under your hips, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out. Bend the elbows, bringing the weights to your shoulders, performing a bicep curl. Stabilize your torso and keep your arms moving upward, straightening the arms above you, performing an overhead press with the palms facing out. Bend the elbows, coming back to the end of your bicep curl, then straighten the arms coming back to the starting position to complete one rep.

 

2. Lateral Arm Raises. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand so your palms face in toward the sides of your body. Start with the right side first. With control, keep your arm straight (but don’t lock that elbow), and as you inhale, raise your right hand up toward the ceiling. You want your palm to be facing down and your arm to be parallel to the floor. Then as you exhale, slowly lower your hand back to your body. You should be able to see your hand in your peripheral vision; your arm isn’t directly out to the side, but slightly forward. Do the same move with your left arm. Then do both your right and left arms at the same time.

 

3. Overhead Tricep Extensions. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold one dumbbell (go for your heavier weight) with both hands, bending the elbows behind your head. Straighten your arms to lift the dumbbell into the air and then slowly bend the arms to lower. This counts as one rep.

 

4. Bicep and Deltoid Squeeze. Sit cross-legged on the floor and hold your weights. Lift up your arms and extend them to your side, palms facing forward and elbows bent at 90 degrees. Keep your shoulders down and your wrists in line with your elbows. Rotate your arms so your elbows are moving to meet each other in front of you. They should be perpendicular to your shoulders. Keep your muscles engaged, and move back to starting position.

 

5. Side Plank. Sit on your left side with your legs slightly bent and your feet stacked. Place your left hand about 12 inches from your pelvis. Push your hand into the ground and straighten your legs as you lift your pelvis off the ground. If you have trouble balancing, stagger your feet so the top leg is in front. Hold for 30 seconds, and switch sides to complete one rep.

 

-M

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