While she didn't take home an Oscar last night, Amy Adams [1] won big in the fashion department; she wore another elegant dress that showed off lots of skin. To find out how Amy maintains such a toned upper body, we turned to Anja Garcia, an LA-based Equinox Gym [2] group fitness instructor, for a little inspiration. "Sculpted arms and shoulders, plus a 'lifted' chest, literally top off a beautiful gown," says Anja.
To help achieve a beautiful décolletage, Anja created this quick upper-body circuit that can be done anywhere. Perform the following exercises for one minute each, and repeat the circuit two to four times — soon you'll be rocking a plunging neckline like the American Hustle star!
Source: Getty [3]
T Push-Up
Strengthen your chest and arms with this powerful push-up. It also works to whittle your waist.
- Begin in the plank position, and bend your elbows, lowering into a push-up.
- Straighten your arms and lift your left arm toward the ceiling, twisting into a side plank to make a T shape with your body.
- Rotate back to a plank, placing your left palm on the floor to lower into a push-up.
- This time, as you straighten your arms, rotate to the left, lifting the right arm up. Return to a plank.
- Alternate sides for one minute. Rest when you need to!
TKO (Total Knockout) Punches
Amp up the cardio and sculpt arms with a punching drill. If you've never done these boxing moves before, check out this quick tutorial video [4] that clearly explains how to do the following basic punches.
- Drill a combination of jab, cross, uppercut, and hook punches for one minute.
Single-Leg Mountain Climbers
Your arms, chest, and shoulders will burn and you get a bonus ab and leg kicker with this Mountain Climber variation.
- Balance in a plank position on your hands and right foot with your left knee pulled in toward your chest.
- Jump the left foot in and out for 30 seconds. Then switch and repeat on the other side.
- Perform for one minute.
Jumping Jacks
This classic calisthenic exercise keeps your heart rate up as you work your whole body.
- Perform jumping jacks for one minute before restarting the circuit.