Final Installment of the August Arm Loving Challenge

Awww... the month is over :( I enjoyed this challenge and hope you did too. I hope you feel stronger, and at least can incorporate various arm workouts into your routine besides the standard ones.

August Arm Loving Challenge Week 4 Thursday

Only one more week till the challenge is over! Next week, the challenge will be a little tougher as we have to push more towards the end. 

Please look out for the September challenge coming soon. And it comes with prizes ;)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

August Arm Loving Challenge Week 3 Monday

A few points to note:

• For a demonstration of "Walking into a pushup", please visit the @eightsnweights Instagram page or check this link here.
• Chair dips are tricep dips done with the palms on a chair. 
• High planks are just planks in the upper pushup position, with palms on the floor instead of elbows.
• Forward arm circles involve straightening out and rotating your arms forward in a circular motion. See a description here.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

August Arm Loving Challenge Week 2 Thursday!

It's that time of the week again! Today is all about the arms. Get to it!

For instructions on these exercises, please visit out Instagram page (@eightsnweights) for videos. A detailed video on the "Pushup - Side plank - Pushup" can also be found here. You can choose to either stack your legs on each other in the side plank or have them how I did in the video.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

August Arm Loving: Week 1 Thursday Routine

Well, it is Thursday, and as promised, we have a strength training routine for our arms. This August is all about the arms. Do this and let me know how it works out! New one next Monday.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Getting Rid of the Dreaded Arm Jiggle

Women know about this all too well. We put on weight, and we get the jiggle. We lose a lot of weight and we get the jiggle. It's like we can't win. Well, all hope is not lost. There are exercises you can do to get rid of that arm jiggle.

Dumbbells and machines are great, but I am a much bigger fan of exercises you can do without equipment. Why? Because you can do them wherever whenever. So I will list both exercises you can do with dumbbells and those you can do without so you have options. Here are a few "arm jiggle" exercises you can incorporate into your routine:

Triceps overhead extensions:

All you need is a dumbbell (something you can feel when you lift). Stand up straight and hold the bar of the dumbbell over your head with both hands like in the picture below. Keeping you upper arms (underarms to elbows) straight and squeezed in towards your ears, bend your lower arms (elbows to wrists) down behind you towards your shoulder blades. Lift back up. Continue this up and down motion and you should feel it in your triceps.

Tricep dips:

All you need here is a chair or some sort of elevated surface you can balance on. Sit on the chair with your palms on the seat on either side of your thighs. Your fingers should be facing forward. Extend your feet far in front of you still on the floor. Shift your bum out of the chair and lower in front of the seat like in the picture below. So now, your arms are holding you up. Lower down using the strength in your arms and raise back up, almost like you are doing a pushup but on the other side of your body. To make it harder straighten your legs out or lift one leg at a time as you do this.

Tricep row: 

Bend forward, but keep your back straight with your arms extended beside you holding dumbbells. Lift your arms behind you while managing to keep them straight from shoulder to elbow. You should also be using your upper back to push your two upper arms towards each other, but try to keep your shoulders down and your abs tight. Take a look at the image below as a reference.

Pushup:

Oh, the pushup. It just seems like it comes up all the time, right? Well, it is good for your arms as well. In fact, it does work on a ton of muscles in your upper arms, back and shoulders, so you should definitely try it. Check out my post on how to do a proper pushup here: Proper Pushup Form.

There are so many more exercises, but start with these for now to build those beautifully cut arms.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Fantasiefitness.com, 110pounds.com, martamontenegro.com