Are you ready for Summer?

Are you read to wear your swimsuits and tank tops and show off our arms?

Read this and make sure you have some sexy guns to show off!

Below are 5 moves to tone your arms and get them ready for your summer wear.

And ladies, the best part is these moves won’t only tone your arms, they will also help you create a sexy back for all those strapless summer dresses!

1. Dips – Dips are a great way to work the chest, shoulders and triceps….Especially those triceps! Dips will help you get rid of that arm jiggle!

To do the Dips off a Bench, place both hands on the bench behind you. Your fingertips should hang over the bench and face you.

Stretch your legs out in front of you while keeping your butt back by the bench. The straighter your legs are and the further your heels are from your butt, the harder the move will be.

Advanced exercisers may want to place their feet up on a bench as well and even put a weight on their lap.Bend your elbows and drop your butt toward the ground. Drop until your upper arms are parallel to the ground then press back up. Keep your butt and back right up against the bench. Do not let your body drift forward.There are two variations of dips you can do. Beginners will need to do the dips off a bench; however, this move can be advanced for even an advanced exerciser if you don’t have access to full dip bars or parallel bars.

2. Push Ups – Push-ups are a great way to tone the chest, shoulders and triceps and burn calories. Compound movements burn way more calories than doing isolated exercises just for your arms.

A great push up modification if you can’t do a full push up from the ground is the Incline Push Up.

To do the Incline Push Up, place your hands up on a bench, bar or wall. Your hands should be outside your chest. Straighten your arms out and place your feet together so you are in a high plank position. You should tighten your glutes and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels. Your hips aren’t dropping toward the ground or up in the air toward the ceiling. Your head isn’t tucked toward the ground or jutting forward. Your back is not excessively arched or rounded.

Your hands should be right outside your chest. Your finger tips should be pointing straight ahead and your hands should be pressing into the ground, bar or wall and away from each other as if trying to tear a piece of paper.

As you lower down, you should lower your chest directly between your hands, keeping a nice straight line with your body. Your elbows shouldn’t flare out from your body. Your elbows should almost make an arrow with your body. Your body should move as one unit toward the ground, bar or wall. You want to drop your chest right to the bar.

Then press back up, keeping your body in a nice straight line.

3. Handstands – Handstands are a great way to tone and strengthen your shoulders and triceps while also working your core.

Beginners will want to start with a modified variation of the handstand. A beginner handstand is almost like a downward dog. Set up on your hands and knees. Then push your butt up in the air and drive your chest back toward your knees. Your focus is on getting your back flat and your biceps by your ears not on keeping your legs straight. Press your chest toward your knees so your back stays flat and hold.

To advance then basic handstand hold, you can put your feet up on a table or chair. Walk your hands back toward the table or chair and push your butt up in the air. You want a nice straight line from your hands up your arms and torso to your tailbone.

The hardest variation is walking your feet up a wall or kicking up to a wall. If you walk your feet up the wall, the closer and more parallel to the wall you are the harder the hold will be. (From here you can add in lateral wall walking or hip taps. Shown in Irvine Personal Trainer Teaches You How to Do a Handstand Video)

Make sure that on each variation, you draw your shoulder blades down and back and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Squeeze your glutes as well to keep your low back safe.

4. Pull Ups – Pull ups are another great compound movement that will tone your arms as well as your back. Strapless dress? HECK YES!

Can’t do a full pull up?

Then try an assisted pull up. You can do either a jumping pull up with a slow lower down or a foot-assisted pull up.

To do the Foot-Assisted Pull Up, hang from a bar or use TRX/Jungle Gym straps. Place your feet on the ground underneath you. The more firmly planted your feet are, the easier the move will be. Your goal is to use your feet as little as possible. Your feet will assist only as much as you need to perform the pull up.

Then pull yourself up drawing your elbows down and back. Lead with your chest and pull your up so your chin goes above your hands then lower back down. Make sure you keep your chest pressed out and don’t shrug your shoulders during the movement.

5. Inverted Rows – Inverted Rows are another great move to tone your back. They are also a great way to develop the upper body strength you need to do full pull ups.

Plus if you have any shoulder, neck or upper back pain, Inverted Rows can help you alleviate it!

To do the Inverted Row, hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand or use a bar. Walk your feet out so that you are leaning back. The more you walk your feet under the straps, the harder the move will be.

Squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders. You want to keep your body in a nice straight line from your heels to your head.

Then row up, driving your elbows down and back. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and then lower yourself back down. Don’t let your hips sink as you lower back down or your low back arch.

Move in a controlled fashion as you keep tension between your shoulder blades the entire time. Make sure you row low and don’t shrug your shoulders at any point. Do not bounce off the bottom of your row or use momentum to get back up.

These are five great moves to help you get your upper body ready for summer!

Which are your favorite?

Want a partner to motivate you in toning these trouble zones?  Get in touch with an IR Trainer Today!

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