Cardio Workouts That Also Strengthen and Tone Your Arms
With all the focus on cardio and abs workouts, we can forget that our arms can benefit from regular strengthening exercises. Everyone from beginners to advanced fitness gurus can benefit from cardio workouts that also strengthen and tone the arms. Use 5 pound dumbbells if you are a beginner or heavier weights for those who are more advanced. Perform each exercise without stopping between sets for a maximum fat burning cardio workout.
Start by jumping rope. The basic jump rope exercise is easy enough for beginners and effective enough for professional athletes. Jumping rope is one of the best cardio workouts and it works your arms, too. Grasp each end of a jump rope in your hands. Start by swinging the jump rope under your feet and over your head. As the rope swings over your head and toward the floor jump over the rope and sweep the rope under your feet and back over your head in a smooth motion. Jump for a set amount of time or designate a number of jumps to perform. Find your rhythm, and then keep jumping for about 10 minutes, which can easily burn up to 150 calories!
After jumping rope, immediately pick up some dumbbells and start performing walking lunge curls. Begin by lunging forward while holding the dumbbells at your sides with your palms pointed toward your thighs. When you complete the forward lunge and begin to return to a standing position, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells to your waist as you lunge backward one step and then press the dumbbells over your head. Lower the dumbbells to your waist again as you begin the third lunge forward. Repeat this exercise for 5-10 minutes for a great combination cardio workout and arm exercise.
As soon as you complete the lunges, stand straight with good posture and face forward. Hold the dumbbells at your side with your palms pointed toward your thighs. Push the weights up to your shoulders and then press the dumbbells over your head. Tighten your abs during this workout and don't forget to breathe. Repeat this exercise for 15 to 20 repetitions for a great arm exercise that will lengthen and strengthen both the triceps and the biceps. Do more curls as your strength and endurance increases.
Without resting, immediately move to a fitness ball with your dumbbells to continue the cardio workout and arm exercises. Sit on the fitness ball and hold the dumbbells on your thighs with your palms pointed toward each other. Lie back on the ball until your upper back and mid-back is well supported. Keep your feet flat on the floor and spread about as wide as your hip width. Hold the dumbbells straight above your shoulders and then bend your elbows and allow the weights to lower to either side of your head. Do not bend your elbows more than 90 degrees so that your forearms are parallel with the floor. This arm exercise will firm up those flabby arms by strengthening and toning the triceps.
Robin Reichert is a certified nutrition consultant, certified personal trainer and freelance writer. She has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Science in natural health from Clayton College. Robin's goal is to make every personal training session fun and effective for her clients. Her services include both in-person and online personal training at http://www.trainwithmeonlinetoday.com Lose up to 10 lbs with a 24-DAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE! Visit my website to get started today!
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