From Start to Fitness
By ANDREA RENEE WYATT, M.S.S., C.S.C.S.

Q: At the start of the new year, I began a new workout routine that I saw in a fitness magazine. It is designed to help tone your muscles, and it seems to be working; however, there are no exercises specifically for my arms. What type of arm exercises can I do to tone my arms and prepare far in advance for warmer weather?

A: Toned arm muscles are the desire of many exercisers when setting their fitness goals. The appearance of strong, lean and toned muscles can be achieved through a comprehensive exercise program that not only focuses on appearance, but also stability, muscle balance and function.

The muscles most people want to tone are the triceps (back of the arm), biceps (front of the arm) and deltoids (shoulders). Each of these muscle groups must work properly for maximum function, strength and stability.

Great exercises for the arms include bicep curls, triceps extensions and shoulder raises. These exercises can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands, body weight or exercise machines. Be patient when trying new exercises, and complete sets and repetitions that will allow you to progress as you get stronger.

It is recommended that you exercise your larger muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders) before your smaller muscle groups (arms). Your arms help with exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups, and you do not want to fatigue your arms before they have a chance to help perform those exercises. You can complete the arm exercises after the other exercises when doing a total body workout.

Again, don't forget that exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, chest press and rows also require the arm muscles to work, even though they are not isolated just to the arms. You may already be doing these exercises with your current workout, so keep it up.

Although your workout routine mainly has exercises for your lower body and might not seem to have anything to do with your arms, these exercises can help your arms by helping you gain more lean muscle, which helps in lowering body fat and increasing your overall lean muscle mass.

Give yourself several weeks to see results, and maintain a consistent exercise regime with these additional exercises. Try not to overtrain in trying to reach your goals, and allow your body recovery time in between higher intensity workouts.

Remember that nutrition and other positive lifestyle choices also are important for your body to get in shape for spring and summer.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.