Q: I am 71 and cannot do strenuous exercise, but I am lifting hand weights to firm up my arms. What exercises are best for the back of the arms?
– Barb Plese, Arvada
A: Bette Midler described this area of a woman’s body as, “the part that keeps waving long after you’ve stopped waving goodbye.” Because of hormones, genetics or lifestyle, the flabbies seem to attack women’s arms more than men’s.
First, it is important to acknowledge there is no such thing as spot reducing. If your total body fat is higher than it should be, just doing some extra arm exercises will not solve the problem. Your physician should be able to ascertain whether your body fat is appropriate for your height, age and activity level.
The triceps muscles are on the back of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow. These muscles are designed to allow the elbow to extend and to power the arms to push, swing and throw. Therefore, exercises where the arm extends or pushes from the elbow will be the most effective for firming the triceps muscles.
Because you already own hand weights, you can perform two of the most basic exercises: the triceps extension and the triceps kickback.
The triceps extension can be performed while standing, sitting or even reclining. While sitting or standing, hold the weight in your right hand and raise your right arm overhead.
Keep the elbow pointing toward the ceiling, and slowly lower the weight behind the head until the weight gets close to the shoulder. Extend the arm until the weight is again overhead. After completing 10-15 repetitions, repeat with the left arm.
To do this lying down, hold the weights so your arms are perpendicular to the floor, lower the weights down next to your ears (making sure the elbows point toward the ceiling), and extend the arms back to the perpendicular position.
The triceps kickback is easiest to perform while standing and leaning into a secure chair or table. With your left hand reaching and holding onto the chair or table, step back with the right leg to help straighten the torso. Hold the weight in your right hand by your armpit and then extend the arm behind you toward the hips. Keep the arm parallel to the ground and maintain good posture by not rounding the back or shoulders. Repeat with the other arm.
Start by performing 12-15 repetitions on each arm for one set. When this gets too easy, add another set or two. When that gets easy, increase the weight. Whenever you exercise muscles with weights, be sure to allow a two-day recovery between workouts of the same muscle group, especially when your workout intensity increases.
To obtain the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ “Keep Moving for Life” brochure, visit aaos.org or call 800-346-2267. The phone number, listed in last week’s column, has changed.
Linda Buch, ACE certified exercise specialist, will respond to fitness questions in her weekly column. Send questions to Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver 80202, or e-mail her at LJBalance@aol.com.
