Chiseled Arms: Top Tips To Get Thin Arms

So what if the summer has come to a close? Under all those woollies and sweaters can lay a set of well-cut and contoured pair of arms. With the emphasis being on toned and conditioned bodies, the arms are also an integral part of a worked-out body. And NOW is the best time to prepare for those arms - to take on the next summer with a vengeance! Don't discard all your sleeveless blouses and short-sleeved Tee shirts in despair.

All it takes is a little hard work, determination and the will to have the best pair of arms in the country. The upper arms are made up of three sets of muscles - the deltoids that lie on the shoulder area, the triceps that lie at the back of the arms and the biceps at the front of the upper arm (which of course everyone knows about and loves to have!). The forearms contain two sets of muscles called the flexor and extensor muscles. While aerobic exercise (brisk walking, jogging, cycling, stepper and aerobic classes) will help get rid of the excess fat that lies around the arms, given below are some sure shot exercises to tone up the flab and make those contoured arms a dream come true. Do these exercises at least every alternate day repeating each exercise 8-12 times. As your endurance level increases, you could add extra resistance in terms of dumbbells or bar bells to your workout. All these exercise can be done in standing position with knees soft, back straight and abdominal muscles tucked in tight.

Shoulders

1. Overhead Press: Start with arms bent at elbows and hands kept close to the shoulders, palms facing upwards. Breathing out, push alternate or both arms up towards the ceiling as if lifting a heavy weight over the top of your head. Breath in on your way down.
2. Front Raises: Start with arms by your side and elbows soft (as against keeping them tightly locked). Lift up alternate or both arms in front of the body upto shoulder level, breathing out as your arms reach shoulder level. Come back to starting position inhaling as you do.
3. Lateral Raises: Do the same as # 2 but instead of raising them in front of you raise them to the side up to shoulder level, keeping the same breathing technique.

Triceps

1. French Curls: Stand with one arm overhead bent at elbow (elbow facing the ceiling) and the palm facing the back of the head. Now as you exhale lift up the forearm so that it is in a straight line. Inhale as you bring it back down.
2. Kickbacks: Stand with your palms facing the chest and the elbow extended out to the side. Then extend the forearm outward so that the palms face the back of the room. Exhale as you extend and inhale and you fold to starting point.

Biceps

1. Bicep Curls: Stand with your arms straight by your side and palms the front of the room. Now lift the forearms up, bending at the elbows, exhaling as you do so.
2. Bicep curls: Stand with your arms in front of you at shoulder level and palms facing the ceiling. Now as you breathe out bring your forearms towards you, bending at the elbow while keeping the upper arm steady at shoulder level, concentrating on contracting the biceps as you do. Breath in as you go back to your starting point.

After exercising, cleansing the arms is step # 1 in the right direction. While bathing, don't forget to thoroughly clean the inside of your elbows where the daily muck and pollution can tend to settle. Scrubbing gently with a loofah or a washcloth can help exfoliate the dead skin accumulated during the day, leaving the arms smooth and soft. To take care of blackened elbows, a useful tip is scrubbing them with half a lemon sprinkled with fine sugar -the lemon acts as a bleaching agent and the sugar helps slough off the rough skin.

The best way to look after the exterior of the arms is to thoroughly moisturize them after a bath with either bathing oil or a light body moisturizer. This goes for you men as well. There is nothing more unsightly than scaly and dry skin peeling off well muscular arms. Excess hair on the arms is a perennial problem for most women. To wax or not to wax can sometimes lead to hours of arguments between moms and their daughters! There are plenty of choices in the market to help make a decision - waxing, bleaching, shaving, hair removers and epilators. Take heed of the above tips and perform these exercises at your own risk because keeping the arms perfectly chiseled is not going to help you keep the members of the opposite gender at an ARMS-LENGTH away!!