I’ve got a little secret to tell you. I can’t do ONE push up…at least not without doing the girlie kind, and even then, I can only do about 15. As someone who loves to run and work out, this shortcoming has always bothered me, especially when I read about all those crazy Crossfit people.
However, even without push-ups, whenever I wear a sleeveless shirt, I usually receive a compliment on my toned arms. (This is much appreciated, as my hair is usually a mess or there is some sort of food stain on my clothing.)
Hot Sweaty Mess. But, my arms don’t mess around.
As you know, I’m not one to brag. I am certainly no Cameron Diaz. However, over the years, I’ve managed to maintain the tonality in my arms with daily cardio and a very short weight-lifting routine about three to four times a week.
I have creatively titled it “8 Minute Arms” because, shockingly, it takes about 8 minutes to complete. All you need is a either a body bar or dumbbells of your choice. I generally use a 20 pound bar or 10 pound dumbbells. Beginners, start with a 12 to 15 pound bar or 7.5 pound dumb bells.
My gym here in the Hudson Valley does offer Body Pump, which I find to be incredibly useful for overall toning – the problem is, I never leave the gym satisfied without a little bit of cardio, and after an hour of weight lifting, cardio is the last thing I want to do. For those who don’t have the patience for these lengthy weight training classes, I bring you Sometimes Healthy’s 8 Minute Arms.
I’m no trainer, but I can tell you that this routine will work most of your arm and some back muscles with just 4 moves. To help ensure that you “feel the burn”, I’ve indicated which muscles are associated with each move on the workout chart.
So, pick out a couple of good songs, bust out these moves and head home to make a smoothie! (no protein shake required).
Back in the City!
In other, non arm-related news, I’m back in NYC for the day! Tonight, I am headed to D.C. for a good friend’s bachelorette party later today, so I decided to come to the city early to see my brother and his wife. Since arriving last night, we’ve eaten Mexican food, and I’ve already taken a city picture of my morning coffee.
Why do I find it so entertaining to take pictures of coffee when I walk around NYC?
SUCH a creature of habit.
My brother and his wife live in my favorite area of NYC, the West Village, so it’s such a treat for me to stay with them. Walking around in the neighborhood brings back so many memories, since they live only a block away from my first NYC apartment.
Luckily, it’s a gorgeous day today, so I’ll also be able to go for one of my favorite NYC runs on the Westside Highway!
And finally, a shout out to my oldest and best friend in the world, Emily, who turns 30 today! Last year, she and her husband were blessed with the best birthday gift of all, a beautiful baby girl. So happy first birthday to little Sammie too! Miss you both so much!
Happy Birthday Em!
Hope everyone has a great weekend – hope to be back with a recap of the bachelorette on Monday!
Your Turn:
What’s your go-to arm workout?
Favorite place to run?
Can you do a push up?
I’ve been looking for a good arm workout to tone up my arms for summer! Thanks for sharing!
Hope you like it – let me know how it goes!
I tend to rely on Yoga for toning up my arms. I’m in to the chaturanga push ups, which I think are easier then regular push ups and equally as effective. You should try them if you haven’t already! I used to do weights a lot more, but then I sort of fell off of that. I’m doing more now that I’m doing TIU workouts all the time. I should def try your 8 minute arms though!!
Interesting idea with the chaturanga push ups. I will have to try that! Let me know what you think of the 8 minute arms 🙂
I was the same at one point (couldn’t do a push-up) But with practice several times a week of girl push-ups, I can finally do them 🙂
Good for you! Hopefully I can be a success story like yoU!
My arms are definitely my trouble zone, yet I neglect them all the time! I did your 8 minute arm workout after my run this morning with 8 lb weights thinking eh, this’ll be easy… um no. Haha it was great! Burned about 75 calories in 8 minutes (had an elevated HR from the run but still!) doing it too. Thanks so much for posting a great workout! Hope it gives me guns soon 😉
Glad you liked it!! Yes it’s the perfect workout for after a little run – hope you continue to do it and get great results!
I LOVE NYC! I am dying to go back!!
You should – if you do, run on the Hudson River!
Hey I just ran across your blog and love the arm set!
I also just recently visited NYC for the first time last month and just LOVED it 🙂
So glad you liked it! Yes NYC is amazing – I definitely miss it sometimes and love writing about it when I visit 🙂
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Thanks for the shout out! So glad you had a fun weekend! Love you!!
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