Posted by: adventure travel

Tone up your upper body! Follow these easy steps! Weight lifting is surely the best way to give your body a new look in a short span of time. However people are scared of it because many think that women turn bulky after doing weight lifting and develop torn ligaments and other such afflictions. However these things are not true. In reality, women will bulk up; in fact they will firm up. The chances of injury are also very less if you lift the weights properly. Weight lifting is the best thing for firmer muscles. So start it right away and get the benefits out of weight lifting. Given below are some simple exercises which can help you in getting firmer muscles. Do them at least thrice a week. You can see the result in three weeks time. To get better and quicker results you should do cardio exercise along with weight lifting.

You should assess you strength level first. In case you are a member of some gym then the staff can help you in determining the right weight for you. However there is no need to worry in case you work out at home. Buy yourself a set of dumbbells. They should weight between 3 and 10 pounds. You can buy heavy ones also in case you have done weight lifting previously and want to increase your strength now. You should hold the five lb weight in your hand (the dominant one). Now do biceps curls till you get tired. You need to use heavy weights in case you are able to do more than fifteen curls without getting tired. On the contrary, use light weights in case you get tired before completing 12 curls. You can increase the weights once your strength increases. Five pound is just the right weight for you in case you are able to do 12-15 biceps curls.

Knowing the right weight is important. However knowing the right form of using it is also equally important. You need a proper alignment to get the maximum out of your workout and also to avoid injuries. Stand erect when you are lifting weights. Keep your head high and shoulders back. You can do this by imagining that you have a string attached to the top of your head which is pulling you body straight. You should immediately stop in case you begin to slump. Take a deep breath and you can go back to your original posture once you have relaxed. Remember to get the best results it is very important to stay in proper alignment.

Building upper body strength: it is very simple type of routine workout. You can easily include it in your pre-existing schedule. Do these exercise 3-4 times a week and your muscles are bound to become firmer and more defined.

1. Bicep curl: this exercise is for toning the front arms. You have to be careful while doing it else bicep curls can be overused or underestimated. It is probably the most effective exercise if done in the right way. However it is much more than simply lifting the weights up and down. You should start with holding weights in each hand. Your palms should face inwards. You should then rotate your arms and make your palms front facing. Now lift the weight slowly at 180 degrees until the weight and your palm face your shoulder. Now put the weight back to its original position and then repeat all over again. You should perform this exercise slowly so that the muscles work harder. You should do three sets of this workout which should consist of 25 repetitions for each arm.

2. Overhead raise: this is for toning your shoulders. People tend to neglect shoulder while focusing on their arms. However a good and strong shoulder will help you in a number of activities. The exercise will improve upper body muscles; in addition to that it will make your arms stronger. Hold the weights in your hand and they should come up to shoulder level. Lift the weights overhead and then bring them down slowly. Do three such sets with 25 repetitions. The muscles on the top the shoulder are toned by this move. Biceps also gains strength. This exercise will increase your strength and make your muscles look lean and firm.

3. Triceps Press: this is for toning the back of the arms. Triceps is one muscle which is quite difficult to develop because we don't use it much in our everyday life. Triceps is placed on the back of the arm and it can become droopy and flabby without workout. To tone this muscle, you should stand with weights in your hand and your feet shoulder width apart. Move your right foot forward (taking a giant step) and then lean slightly in the forward direction. Now use your palms to lift the weights behind you. Your palms should face the ceiling. Raise the weights towards the ceiling as much as you can and then lower it. Do three such sets with 20 repetitions. When you are doing the final repetition of each set, hold up your arms and gently pulse the weight up to a few inches. This way you will tone you triceps muscle and get a better looking arm in no time!