A recent poll found 70% of women said they were worried about 'batwing' arms. Prime Time's health expert Mary Sheppard tells you how to avoid the problem
MOST of us are more concerned with "how does my bottom look in this?" than areas like the arms.
And it is easy to neglect the upper body when doing any form of exercise or physical activity like walking, cycling and aerobics.
Women are generally much weaker in the upper body than their male counterparts.
Press ups are the best way to tone those arms but also need good core strength, so you use your back and stomach to keep your body straight, and the shoulders too - so it scores highly as a good all-rounder.
The other two exercises are for the triceps and the biceps, as it is important to keep a balance and not neglect the front of the arms.
PRESS UPS: Kneel on all fours with your arms under your shoulders. Keep the back straight and strong and slowly bend your arms so your lower your nose towards the floor. The arms should be at right-angles at the bottom of the move. Slowly push up to straighten the arms. Start with 4 repetitions and build up to 20.
You can make the exercise harder by moving your knees further back into a three-quarter press up position.
Remember you must keep your body in a straight line and your hips forward, so your bottom doesn't stick up in the air. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and down to strengthen your upper back too!
TRICEP DIPS: You can use a strong, stable chair or a step/bottom stair to perform this. Sit on the edge of the bench and place your arms by your sides so the palms rest on the bench (close to your body). Ease yourself forward so your bottom is just clear of the bench. Bend your arms and slowly lower your bottom about 4 to 6 in (or until your elbows are bent at right angles). Use the arm muscles to straighten your arms and lift your body back to the start position. Build up from a couple of reps until you can complete 20 - or 2 sets of 12 with a short rest in between.
BICEP CURLS: You can use a weight (dumbbell, can or full bottle) or a barbell. Start standing tall and pulling the tummy muscles tight to protect the back. Smoothly bend the elbows to bring the weight from the thighs up towards the shoulders. You can perform alternate arm curls or bend both arms at the same time. Build up from six reps to 20 or 2 sets of 12 for maximum results.
FITNESS WALES was set up nearly 40 years ago to encourage more people to get active.
Working closely with the Sports Council for Wales, Fitness Wales also trains people who want to work in the industry as instructors in a whole range of disciplines. Contact Fitness Wales on 029 2057 5155 or email on: enquiries@ fitnesswales.co.uk
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