"You know when you wave, they shouldn't shake, they should be firm and tight," said Marlene Dubin of Bala Cynwyd. Personal trainer Casey Pradelli adds, "The party dresses are all sleeveless this year so you want to have nice,tight arms."
But you may be thinking it's too late. There's not enough time to get your arms in shape before New Year's Eve, but trainers at the Aquatic & Fitness Center say if you start now, you'll see results
."They'll see more tone, they can see more definition, the beginning of it," said head trainer Carlos Bradley. He stresses you'll still need to eat a healthy diet and do cardiovascular workouts, but adding targeted upper body exercises can get You looking fabulous
.He took me through a cycle of exercises:
First start with 20 sit-ups. Working your "core" muscles will help warm up the rest of your muscles.
Next we flip over and do 15 push-ups. Do as many as you can military style, then drop to your knees if you have to to finish.
Next is back. You'll need to do 12 seated rows. (Refer to video.) Make sure your back is flat and your bottom is pushed out.
After that, it's onto 12 shoulder presses. These areespecially important when it comes to looking lean. "This will create that cut on the outsise of your shoulder," Bradley said.
After shoulders, comes bicep curls. You'll do 15 total with the first five down and halfway up, the next five from the mid-way point to all the way up and then the last five should be full curls.
The last exercise is for triceps. You can do 12 kick backs (refer to video) or overhead presses.
All that is one cycle. You want to do three cycles with two minutes rest in between. Do this workout two to three times per week for the next three weeks. On alternate days, work your legs and do cardio.
Bradley says for people who have a long way to go, it may take longer to see results. "But if you're just de-conditioned, meaning you haven't been working out regularly over the past three to four months and you begin now, you will definitely see some results," Bradley said.
As for choosing a weight, Bradely says pick a weight you can complete 12 to 15 repetitions with . If you do not have weights or belong to a gym, you can try using other househols items such as cans of soup.
And another quick trip to get your arms looking leaner is to use self-tanner the night before the big party.
