triceps

Sometimes referred to as "bingo arms," the back of the upper arm can be toned and tightened by working the triceps. Unfortunately, most of us chose to do kickbacks to work the muscle group, and this might not be the most effective way to work your triceps. The body position required for the exercise — leaned over with elbow pinned to your side — not only makes it hard to overload the muscle to really work it, but you are only really working the muscle for the last quarter of the motion. Plus, you're just working one muscle when you could be saving time by challenging multiple muscles at once while working the triceps more effectively. See some alternative exercises, when you read more

Many women complain about their bums and the backs of their arms being a little jiggly, so here's an exercise that will tone both of those areas. Since you're working hard to stay balanced, you'll also be targeting your core.

To learn how to do this challenging move, grab a mat and a dumbbell and read more

Michelle Obama made a fashionable entrance into the White House, and the first lady has been receiving attention on her style choices and toned arms since President Obama was sworn into office. While Michelle has been showing her commitment to promoting healthful eating across the country, Americans have been exhibiting their dedication to her toned arms on the Internet and in the gym.

There's a website dedicated to the first lady's enviable arms, appropriately named First Guns, where Michelle's arms have been endearingly nicknamed Thunder and Lightning. The Running Center in New York has developed a class called M.O.D.A (Michelle Obama Defined Arms) that focuses on the body part our first lady is known for, and I'd put money on more gyms offering similar classes.

Feeling a little Michelle-Obama-arm-envy yourself? Check out my collection of arm exercises: Work your biceps, triceps, and shoulders to get stronger and more defined arms.

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Toning your triceps — the muscles that run on the backside of your upper arm from your shoulder to your elbow — is one way to really help prep your arms for tank tops. Triceps Dips are a great, basic exercise for working your triceps. What's more? They're pretty easy to do and don't require much equipment.

Here's how you do them:

• Position your hands shoulder width apart on a secured bench or stable chair.
• Move your booty in front of the bench with your legs bent and feet placed about hip width apart on the floor.
• Straighten out your arms and keep a little bend in your elbows in order to always keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
• Now slowly bend at your elbows and lower your upper body down towards the floor until your arms are at about a 90 degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
• Once you reach the bottom of the movement, slowly press off with your hands, and push yourself straight back up to the starting position.

Fit's Tip: Don't allow your neck to sink and your ears to fall close to your shoulders. Also, straighten your legs as you get stronger, this will make the exercise harder.

Bikini season is approaching so many of us are focusing on getting our upper bodies toned. One exercise that is great for working your upper back, mid-back and triceps is the Bent Over Row. For this exercise, you'll need a workout bench (or chair) and a dumbbell.

Here's how to do it:

1. Grab a dumbbell — weight depends on your level but it should exhaust your muscles by the 12th rep.
2. Position your right knee and right hand on the bench so your back is parallel to the floor. Your left leg should be on the ground and your left hand should be hanging straight down — perpendicular to your body — holding the dumbbell.
3. Using your left arm, lift the dumbbell straight up to torso level. Be sure to keep your elbow in and pointed upwards.
4. Then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position (#1) to complete one rep.
5. Do three sets of 12 reps on each side.

Fit's Tip: Don't arch or round your back, keep a neutral spine.

Putting all the fancy machines and accessories aside, sometimes you just want to get in a good workout without having to decipher how to use the gadgets. The overhead press is a great way to work your deltoids, biceps and triceps using a set of dumbbells. Pick a dumbbell weight that tires your muscles by about 12 lifts, a good weight to start with is five pounds.

Here's how:

• Stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees soft. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise arms so that your biceps are parallel to the ground, arms at 90 angles, palms facing forward.
• Exhale as you slowly straighten arms until they are extended as you press your hands straight-up toward the ceiling.
• Inhale as you return your arms back to the starting position (biceps parallel to the group and at 90 degree angles).
• Repeat 12 times. Do three sets.

Fit's Tip: You can also do overhead presses while sitting on a bench. Or to challenge yourself a little more do them while sitting on an exercise ball.

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Ever since I read about couples getting into the ring together I have been a bit obsessed with boxing. Well here's a great Pilates move using hand weights to help you add power to your punch. Yep, this exercise is called Boxing.

This move works your triceps, lats and deltoids while challenging your core.

A.) Starting Position Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Bend your elbows back, keeping your upper arm even with your back and bring weights to your upper waist. Then bend your knees to come into a half squat. Then bend forward creasing at your hips so your spine is almost parallel to the floor.	Do: Engage your deep abs by pulling your belly away from the floor. Feel your abs and back "sandwiching" your spine. Don't: Tuck your pelvis under! Your spine, pelvis and head should form one long line.
B.) Move Simultaneously extend your left arm straight out in front of you and the right arm straight behind you. Rotate both wrists so your front palm is down and your back palm is up. Exhale while you do this move and deepen your abdominal engagement. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side -- This completes one rep.	Do: Control the motion of both arms in a slow and controlled manner. Do: Keep your wrist straight, so your knuckles are in line with your shoulder. Don't: Throw your arms haphazardly about.

Fit's tip: Choose an appropriate weight for your strength level between 3 and 5 pounds. Try doing 8 to 10 reps three times, with 30 second rests in between each set.