Get your girl guns

Tank top season is upon us. You can’t hide your arms anymore. Almost every sassy summer top is sleeveless requiring you to bare your arms which can be scary. Hiding unwanted flab is harder than tightening those arm muscles. Here are a few steps to help you showcase your “girl guns.”

The most amazing news for women….we can’t get bulky! Those body builders you see looking totally ripped and manly are taking serious drugs ie: testosterone supplements. Normal women don’t produce very much of this hormone so you can train without worry! We all are built different so don’t get upset if the workout your BFF does brings you different results. What works for her may not work for you. Listen to your body and fix any errors that may arise.

Having sleek arms is possible! Here is what you have to do:

- Eat healthy; 5-6 small meals a day. Diet is 50% of the game plan. Watch what you eat!

- Do arm workout and workouts for all other body muscles. Make sure you train the biceps, triceps, shoulders, and back muscles.

For each of the following exercises do 2-3 sets per 8-12 reps. Try 2 different sets of weights, one light and one heavy. An example: one set of 5lbs and one set of 8lbs.

Go Heavy to Begin

·         Bicep Curls full range of motion, 1/2 way up and all the way down. ½ way down and all the way up, alternate curls. Do 8 of each and make sure to move smoothly from one series into another.

·         Back:  2 armed Lat rows with palms facing in, alternating rows with palms facing up, alternating rear delt flys

·         Triceps: Kickbacks (one arm at a time and remember to keep the shoulders squared. The upper arm should be parallel to the floor), overhead tricep press, tricep dips

·         Shoulders: shoulder press, front raise, side arm raise (when you raise the arms be sure not to lift above shoulder level. When you do so you risk impinging the joint. Your body will not like that later so don’t risk it)

Try mixing the order that you do them all in. You risk getting bored and your body will get used to the series if you do the same thing all the time. Try to do all the exercises but move fluidly from one move to the other.

*If you are a beginner, start exercises for biceps with weights that are not so heavy for you. You have to be comfortable while handling bigger weights. Gain self confidence for a few workouts then DO NOT be scared to kick it up a notch! You’ll never know what you can do unless you try.

Choosing the right weights can be confusing. Here are some guidelines to follow when picking your poundage:

- If you do more than 12 reps in the first set, these weights are light for you. Go a few pounds heavier and you’ll notice changes right away!

- Take bigger weights and try again, but don’t do all weight tests in one workout, because after a bit your muscles will be tired and you can’t get a real understanding of what you can do.

- Here is a great guideline for everyone: 1^st set should be manageable, 2^nd set should feel difficult, 3^rd set is super hard...like a no-go.

Keep pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and before you know it you’ll have knockout arms.