No one wants saggy or flabby arms that flap like wings when you wave to a friend or raise your glass for a celebratory toast. That back-of-the-upper-arm area is a common trouble zone for women, a place where extra fat and excess skin seems to gather, hang out (literally) and never go away! One of the best ways to improve the appearance of your arms is to tone up those triceps. While there is no such thing as spot-training (the idea that you can lose weight in a specific area of the body by exercising it more), strength training does help you improve your overall muscle tone. Combine that with a good diet and cardio exercise (the real key to burning the fat that's hanging off those arms), and you'll achieve a fitter, more toned appearance. (And let's not forget that strong muscles are functional and healthy!) I was eager to read the latest study from the American Council on Exercise (ACE). ACE enlisted a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin/La Crosse Exercise and Health Program to find out which of the 8 most common triceps exercises are the most effective, and which are a waste of time. The results are noteworthy for anyone who wants to get the most from their time spent working out—especially those of us who want to tone those triceps. So are you wasting your time on triceps exercises that don't really do much, or are you using the most effective triceps toners? The study named "triangle pushups" (where you put your hands close together) as the most effective exercise, closely followed by triceps kickbacks and triceps dips. How awesome is it that the best move doesn’t require any equipment, and is super functional and multi-tasking to boot? (Pushups also strengthen your core and shoulders, too—talk about getting results in less time!) Here's a video from ACE demonstrating how to do each of these moves: And here are some additional variations and demos you can try from SparkPeople:
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