Triceps: Pike Pushups

Triceps are tough. They are painful to work out but you usually have to do very targeted exercises for them. Well, here is one: the Pike Pushup. You will start to feel these pretty quickly. I usually like to do 3 rounds for about 1 minute each.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

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!

Triceps, Back, and Abs Exercises: Triple Toner

Since we are all about the arms this month, I wanted to share this video from Fitness magazine with you. It's a great routine for the triceps, back, and abs. Enjoy!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

August Arm Loving Challenge Week 2 Monday

Another Monday, another challenge! Let's get back to working on those arms today. The exercises should be fairly common, and if they are not, please perform a search on this site to find demonstration videos and images.

What's Our August Challenge Called? August Arm-Loving!

Yep. You know you've always wanted super toned arms. Well, August 2013 is dedicated to making sure we are giving our arms enough love. 

How will this work? Twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, I will post a series of arm exercises we can do. Because these exercises are twice a week, remember, it is not a substitute for all your other exercises. You would need to supplement them with cardio routines, and you would also need to make sure you do not abandon the other parts of your body as well.

Obviously, today is Wednesday, so you know this starts tomorrow! Get yourselves ready.

For more real-time updates on challenges, follow us on Instagram (@eightsnweights), Twitter (@eightsnweights), and Facebook (Eights and Weights).

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

Building Upper Body Strength

You want beautiful biceps and triceps, and yet you can’t do a full push-up? Don’t despair. Many people, especially women, don’t just wake up with arm strength. You have to keep working on it and pushing your body until you see improvement.

Why is upper body strength important in the first place? Besides keeping you strong for everyday activities, you need your strength for last through your exercises. The older you get, the more strength you need to perform the same activities. Have you ever seen a 40 year old that cannot lift 10-pound weights with a well-shaped back? Yep, you have your answer.

So you know you need upper body strength. What do you do?

• Do More: You cannot stay at the same level you are and hope that you’ll magically get better. Try as hard as you can to do more upper body exercises every day. As you’re working out, you see that you can do 5 push-ups? Tomorrow, try to do 6. Even if you can’t actually do 6, keep trying until you can complete those 6. Push yourself to do one more than you are comfortable with. And what happens when you actually complete that one more? Add another one more! 
• Anywhere, anytime: Okay, maybe not on the floor of your boss’ office… but whether you’ve worked out on a day or not, it doesn’t matter. Before bed, when you wake up, before dinner, at your friend’s house, anywhere, get down and do some upper body exercises. I keep referring to the push-up because it is a perfect upper body exercise, and you don’t need any equipment. You can drop down and do a push-up anywhere. And the more you do, the stronger you get. 
• Find your trouble spot: There are some exercises you may be good at, and some you struggle with. When you are in the gym, you feel like you have to do the ones you are good at so you don’t embarrass yourself. But honestly, you should be focusing on the ones that give you trouble. That is where you can really see your growth. Can you do a push-up well, but have trouble with side planks? Keep doing more side planks until you can do it for longer and longer. 
• Do it right: So you do your push-ups with your belly sagging or your butt pushed out? You may be making it easier on yourself and not actually being true about what your body can do. If you’re not true to yourself, you won’t push yourself. Make sure you are doing your upper body exercises the right way, in the right position. Have you seen the video of Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama doing push-ups? I was super impressed with Ellen's push-ups, even more than Michelle's.
• Mix it up: I say this a lot, but that’s because it is important. When you do the same thing day in and day out, your body gets used to it. You can do the same exercises with a twist. For example, with the push-up, don’t just do the regular push-up. Do it with one hand, do the half-way down push-up, do it on one leg, do an upper push-up position, do it whatever way you can as long as you mix it up. 
• Do at least one: You know how girls do push-ups on their knees, or alternate other exercises to make them easier. While that’s fine, you won’t graduate much if you just keep doing that. Even if you can’t do many sets of a full regular exercise, try to do at least one every day. You’ll build strength to be able to do more.

We all want really strong upper bodies. But there is so much we think we can’t do because we don’t try. Progress is slow sometimes, but that’s what it is: progress. That means you won’t see it if you don’t push for more every day.

For some diet and nutrition tips on gaining big muscle, check out this site.

Cheers Eights & Weights!