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Harley Pasternak on Posture Principle For Brides

Susi May — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:09:16 PDT

Strapless and backless gowns give a bride an opportunity to show off her shapely shoulders. But a blushing bride doesn't want to look muscle-bound as she walks down the aisle, so one must be strategic when it comes to upper body toning. The trainer behind some of the hottest bodies in Hollywood, Harley Pasternak - he helped Hilary Duff and Katy Perry get wedding-ready - has some tips to help us all look stunning in this season's revealing necklines.

The trick to looking good in a strapless dress is posture. Standing tall with the aid of a strong upper back ensures that all those wedding photos turn out lovely. Harley recommends strengthening the rhomboids and triceps to "pull your shoulders back, give you a natural boob lift, and give you a nice long lean strong upper back and arms." Um . . . yes please! Here are four exercises he recommends to do just that:

Dumbbell rows to work the rhomboids.
Cable rows to strengthen the upper back. Here's a rowing variation using an exercise band if you don't have access to a cable pulley machine.
Lying dumbbell triceps extension for the back of the upper arm.
Single dumbbell triceps overhead extension will challenge your posture while toning your triceps.

See the exercises Harley suggests brides avoid.

Wave Goodbye to Arm Jiggle

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 01:00:53 PST

Arm jiggle is one of the biggest complaints that we hear about from other women. Even the long and lean Gwyneth Paltrow complained about having a "bat wing problem." Yes, there's snow on the ground, but now is the perfect time to work on this problem area. By the time the sun is shining again, you'll have the kind of arms that you can't help but show off!

Here are a few moves that will have you waving goodbye to jiggly arms in no time:

Tricep Dips - Toning your triceps is a surefire way to get rid of underarm flab. The triceps are the group of muscles that run on the back of your arm from the shoulder to your elbow - talk about "X" marking the spot! One of our favorite moves to tone the triceps are Tricep Dips; they're easy to do and only require a stable bench or chair.
Interval training with a jump rope - One of the easiest ways to rid the body of that extra arm jiggle is through interval training. The high intensity workout maximizes calories burned, which results in less body fat. To really target your arms during an interval workout, grab a jump rope. The old school workout is not only a great cardio workout, your shoulders, back, and arms will definitely feel the burn.
Two for the price of one - We love compound exercises because they target multiple body parts in a single move. The Balancing Tricep Kick works the back of your arms and your bum - saying goodbye has never been so sweet!

Skip It: Triceps Kickback

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:30:00 PDT

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

Multitasking Move: Balancing Tricep Kickback

FitSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:30:00 PDT

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

Michelle Obama Arm Envy Reaching New Heights

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:30:00 PDT

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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Four Ways to Work Your Triceps

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:30:00 PST

Often neglected in workouts, the triceps actually make up more of your arm than the biceps. If tricep kickbacks bore you to tears, there are many other ways to strengthen the backs of your arms. Women's Health has created an upper-arm workout to pump you up. To see the highlights, just start the slideshow.

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Get Lifted: Tricep Presses on Your Back

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PST

When I'm at the gym, I'm always looking for ways to work out lying down. Just kidding! I like to find new ways to target the back of my upper arms. Tank top season is fast approaching, check out this triceps exercise that some folks refer to as the "skull crusher."

You'll need a set of dumbbells for this move (three to eight pounders).

Grab a set of weights and lie on a bench or on the floor.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and bring your hands by your ears so your elbows are pointing straight up at the ceiling.
Inhale and straighten your arms by lifting your hands up.
As you exhale, slowly lower the dumbbells back down towards your ears, but be sure to keep your elbows directly above your shoulders in order to target your triceps.
Repeat this move for 12 to 15 reps.

Now, this may not be a compound exercise, but you can easily fit this exercise into an "in front of the TV' workout.

Back to Basics: Triceps Dips

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:45:00 PST

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.

How-To: Bent Over Row

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PST

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:

Grab a dumbbell - weight depends on your level but it should exhaust your muscles by the 12th rep.
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.
Using your left arm, lift the dumbbell straight up to torso level. Be sure to keep your elbow in and pointed upwards.
Then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position (#1) to complete one rep.
Do three sets of 12 reps on each side.

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

Back to Basics: Overhead Press

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:00:00 PST

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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