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| I am currently doing one dynamic yoga class and two Pilates classes a week. I am getting married in July and really need to tone up my arms.
I haven’t really got the extra time or money to go to any more classes but I try to do 20 minutes of yoga in a morning.
I am not starting to see any results after 2 months and people keep telling me I should really go to the gym but the gym really bores me. |
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| You poor women folk have a genetic handicap regarding the arms. If that's your primary target area and your looking for result fast, gott go to the hardcore dumbells. You can use them at home and heavy weights are not needed because the biceps amd triceps are normally quite a bit stronger than other muscles. So, we tend to use weights that are often too heavy for us.
It's best to start with a weight that feels easy and build up gradually from there.
I'm assuming you're thinking the upper arms so you'll look amazing in that strapless dress in June? If so, try this:
1.Standing Dumbbell Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent. Keep your midsection firm throughout the exercise and your back straight.
Hold a dumbbell --1 to 5lb each--in each hand down by your sides of your thighs, palms facing forwards. Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders until you feel the "pulling feeling" in your biceps. Now lower the dumbbells down to starting position and repeat exercise until you have complete your set, work up to three sets at 10 repetitions.
Shoulders and Upper Arms
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and arms raised straight up above your head, grip your weights with your palms facing behind you. Slowly bring your arms forward and down, without bending at the elbow, until level with your shoulders. Lift back to starting position and repeat.
Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back
Standing with feet slightly apart, grasp your weights and bend at the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms towards the floor with palms facing outwards. Lift your arms out to the side, keeping them straight, until parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Upper Arms, Shoulders and Back
Standing with feet slightly apart, position your arms straight down in front of you almost against your body - with your weights almost touching. Bend your elbows and lift your weights towards your chin, bringing your elbows out to the side, in line with your shoulders. Return to the starting position and repeat.
You can check the web or books for other recommendations on "Toning upper arm flab"
And hey, remember he's marrying you so it can't be that bad 
Good luck!
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| I am not sure what style of yoga your class focuses on, but since I've been doing Ashtanga my arms have really toned up over the last few months. Doing 30+ vinyasas from Chaturanga to Upward Dog to Downward Dog makes my arms jelly by the end.
If you take Bruce's advice as well as keeping up the Pilates and Yoga you should see some really nice results for your wedding (and honeymoon!?!) Good Luck! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| While looking nice for a wedding is great, I tend to be of the mind that you should plan MORE for your marriage than you do for the wedding. The wedding is a blip in time - lovely but nothing like the next ten, twenty, thirty years will be. And it should be something you look back at with pleasure, not agony about how hard you worked and how little you ate and preventing all possibilities of actually having a fun time yourself. I have no idea how my arms looked at my wedding (ok, they were pretty good but I was VERY young!) but I do remember dancing with my grandfather and watching the kids play on the dance floor in their pretty clothes and fun stuff like that. Thirty plus years down the road, that's what I care about  Just my HO |
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| Thanks for all your suggestions.
Bruce, I think you are right. I shall go dust off my dumbbells and give your suggested exercises a try.
I will also try to relax and focus on enjoying the wedding day, marriage, honeymoon (Going to Santorini) and all the great times ahead.
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| Good deal Louise--I'll toast you with a pint of Guiness on the day--heck, I'll do it this afternoon in fact. |
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| Bruce - 2005-03-05 9:28 AM
You poor women folk have a genetic handicap regarding the arms.
Seems like what we women folk have is a genetic handicap regarding the self-confidence. Like you said, he proposed when you looked the way you do now! Weddings are stressful enough with all the details to get "perfect", plus you must also beat yourself up about your looks if you don't get them looking great in time for the big day? This is all about your love and your life together, not how the photos look (everyone's wedding photos always look the same anyway).
I am certain he thinks you're beautiful and adores you just the way you are. Please go ahead and exercise as you like, but getting down on yourself is never pretty! Just relax and have fun with it! |
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| Hey Weasalanne, Congrats on the Big day and the wonderful life ahead! I agree with Bruce with the weight training and also with tigrsunam with Ashtanga yoga. Using the weights to reinforce upper body strength, plank pose (full body push-up) and then slowing moving to Chaturanga (half full body push up) then to Up dog and Down Dog will make those puppies bark for more! By strength training using both weights and your body weight, how can you go wrong. Just remember to give your muscles 24 hour rest after using weights...mainly heavier weights to give time for the tissue to heal. Good luck, and enjoy this part of your life preparing for your wedding. You will look great no matter what!
Namaste2  |
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| Just keep at it you will see results. I have been doing yoga and weight training for one year and I have lost 35 lbs. |
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| Hi and Congrats weaselanne!
good luck with your life ahead and the fight against the flab.
Jeanne, good on you.
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| The easiest exercise ever to get shapely shoulders: shoulder shimmies. You'll be (screaming and) looking great in no time. Just do shoulder shimmies to entire songs and you'll see results within a week.
For everything else, throw a set of 5 and 10 lb dumbbells around, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, punch the air with them. Just remember to leave them out where you can see them and pick them up when you do! |
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| OK--gotta ask--what the heck is a shoulder shimmy? |
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| Yes exactly Bruce-what is a shoulder shimmy?! I'm intrigued! |
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| Isn't that a belly-dancing move, where you rhythmically shake your shoulders back and forth? If it is what I'm thinking of, I think Bruce will like it! For the casual observer, it appears to be more of a melon-shimmy than anything having to do with the shoulders (though that's where the movement originates from). |
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| Really anxious to know what the should shimmy is! Please tell us! Us "women folk" need sexy shoulders!
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| Weasalanne:
Your date is getting close! I am wondering if you've seen any results from our advice! I'm sure you are pretty stressed, like most brides. Hopefully doing yoga has helped keep you centered and able to enjoy this exciting time in your life!
Please let us know if you get the chance. |
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Am I doing enough?
