Toning up the triceps

To tone your upper arms without building bulk, train your triceps with these simple kickbacks. It’s important to use heavy enough weights (so your muscles are fatigued after three sets of 12 repetitions) and to watch what you eat. To reduce the fat layer that sits over your arm muscles, you have to burn more calories than you take in. Be sure to include a lot of vegetables in your healthy eating plan and be consistent with your exercise program.

1 Holding a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet together. Bend forward at the hips and bring your elbows down to your waist. Start with your arms bent at a 90-degree angle, with your palms facing each other. Maintain a long spine with your abdominals pulled in to support your back in this position.

2 Keeping your elbows close to your body, extend your arms behind you, raising your hands to elbow height. Pause for a moment and return to the start position. Repeat 12 times, rest 20 seconds and repeat for a total of three sets. If you’re new to this exercise, practice doing the move at first with only one arm. Alternate 12 reps on each arm. Then progress to working with both arms at the same time as you get stronger.

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-- Karen Voight