a workout for jenn

my sister asked me to put together an arm workout for her so that she can get her arms toned for her august wedding. i have adapted an old workout we used at uconn for her, and figured i would share it with all of cyberspace.

jenn's dress (courtesy of davidsbridal.com)

Jenn’s (adapted) arm workout:
The key to this exercise is to be continuous. If you stop between each different exercise, the workout loses its effect. The 36 reps (6 reps of 6 different exercise) should be done quickly, but effectively. 36 reps = 1 set. You should do three sets, with a short rest in between. You might not be able to do it all right off the bat, but work your way up, maybe by doing 3 reps of each instead of 6.

I have always done this with a long bar (Olympic bar), but it can be adapted for hand weights (which I have done here).

6 x Bent Over rows
6 x Bicep curls
6 x Reverse bicep curls (I forget what these are actually called)
6 x Upright row
6 x Overhead press
6 x Tricep Press

Other (relatively) easy suggestions:

Do as many squats as possible. These can be done any time, but are usually best if you set rules for yourself. Examples: Every time you wake up in the morning, do 30 squats. Every time you go to the bathroom, do 20 squats. If you are watching TV, do squats until commercials are over. If you are doing a DVD TV marathon, do 50 squats between each episode.

Don’t be idle. Why sit when you can exercise? Do crunches while watching movies. Do butt clenches at your desk. Same goes for standing. While cooking your meals, do calf raises.

Don’t settle for a mediocre workout. The only person who will know is you. Noone is going to push you, so you have to keep yourself motivated. Telling yourself that you don’t need to do those last 5 crunches, or that you don’t need to do real push-ups because they are harder only hurts you. Don’t make excuses for yourself.

my sister and i down the cape in 2005.