BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES FOR TONED ARMS

Your arms are one of the most exposed parts of your body (especially when you're wearing a sleeveless outfit). This means that whenever fat accumulates around the arm area it becomes very obvious, very quickly.

I have found that it doesn't take much to get your arms looking good; in fact you need only about 10 -15 minutes of exercise on a daily basis to achieve that really toned look within 2 weeks (You know, the Michelle Obama look). Any other thing you do is just icing on the cake. 

You don't need to get an expensive gym membership, or pay any gym fees to perform these exercises; in fact, I believe you can get amazing arms with a minimum investment of time and resources. You don't need much more than a light weight (this could be a filled water bottle, a dumbbell, or any cylindrical household object). However, if you feel more comfortable working out in a gym or using more sophisticated equipment, be my guest.

This workout takes the form of a 15 minute circuit, with the exercises performed in an unbroken sequence.  You can mix up the exercises to meet your tastes, and when the exercises get monotonous, you can add a few more to make your workout more interesting.

That said,  Here we Go!!!!

- Shadow box non stop for 3-4 minutes, you can be creative with this; bob, weave, jab, cross, uppercut and knock out your imaginary opponent to your hearts delight (Dont forget to celebrate when you knock him out). This gives you a fun filled cardio workout, while warming up your biceps an shoulder muscles. 

Ensure that you breathe evenly throughout the workout, this helps your body take in the valuable oxygen it needs to work, and it helps burn off that pesky fat.

Bonus: Get a punching bag; believe me, it makes the boxing experience so much more intense.

- Execute 20 Push ups ( Please note that if you can’t do the normal push up, you can simply do the pushup from your knees. It is still the same thing). Try slowing down the pace of each rep so that it takes you 6-8 seconds to complete each rep; this adds an isometric element to your push ups, with all the attendant benefits

- Jumping Jacks – Just to keep your heart up and prepare your body for the next phase

- Perform 20 bicep curls using your dumbbell, waterbottle or any other heavy object you can find ( I once used an interlocking paving stone for this). You can slow this down to make your workout more intense. Avoid increasing your pace, it can only lead to injury.

- Hold yourself in the plank position for 1 minute. Remember to breathe normally and keep smiling through the workout. This will keep you in a positive frame of mind.

- Perform 20 squats with good form. To do a squat, set a normal sized chair or a bench behind you, push your butt back like you want to sit on the chair, just as your butt comes in contact with the chair/ bench, flex your butt muscles and stand upright.

To add more intensity to your squats, while giving your rear shoulder muscles a workout, interlace your fingers behind your head, while squeezing your shoulder blades together. this will build your shoulder and trapezius muscles.

Note: Using the wrong form for squats can cause serious damage to the tendons and ligaments around your knees.  Always strive to perform your squats with the right form.

- Elevate your feet on a box, chair, or bed. Hold the position for about 1 minute. This works your triceps and shoulders.

When you're through with the above, DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN  AND AGAIN!!!!!!!

Don't give up working for the body you want. Keep testing new approaches and exercises, hit your muscles from different angles and they will surely respond. When your efforts click, people will tell you immediately, they will see the wonderful body you have built for yourself and they will want to know how you got it.