Most aging or plus-size women have one problem; flabby or sagging underarms.
To stop covering up or avoiding sleeveless or backless tops and dresses, start by investing in good boxing gloves, sneakers with a good grip, then register in a gym for boxercises. Alternatively, get a punching bag in your home gym and buy different sizes of dumbbells.
Joseph Ross, a gym instructor who trains the who-is-who in Mombasa says a mix of workouts is what you need to be able to show off finely toned arms.
Toned arms not only look great, but also show how fit and healthy a person is.
Mr Ross who is a trainer at the Faiz Executive gym has a chiseled upper body, thanks to years of playing rugby and working out to stay fit and keep up with his clients.
He shares arm exercises that he tailor-makes for his clients.
But before jumping into any fitness regime, Mr Ross recommends a medical checkup.
“Talk to your doctor first before starting a new workout routine especially the strenuous ones,” he says.
At the beginning of a fitness class, do warm-up exercises. Cycle and run on a treadmill. Do these for about 20 minutes. For best results, keep adjusting the incline and speed on the treadmill.
This increases your heart function, muscle strength and flexibility.
“It awakens the muscles to get ready for the exercise. The warm-up will also heat the body and loosen the tight muscles,” says Mr Ross.
After the warm-up exercises, you can now work on the problematic body part.
His clients use a cable machine which also works well for weight training. It enables one to extend and flex the arms.
Add dumbbell exercises although the cable machine can also give you a beach-body six-pack abs.
“After using the cable machine, you can alternate with the dumbbell,” says the trainer, adding that he has helped prominent people such as Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir lose about 43 kilogrammes.
Those aiming to tone saggying underarms also do preacher curls where you rest your arm on a bench and curl your hand while carrying a dumbbell. Resting the elbow on a bench ensures that all the strain goes to the biceps.
With a dumbbell on each hand, standing up with the torso upright, curl the weight forward while contracting the biceps, you will execute the hammer curl.
It not only helps the biceps but also serves as an additional forearm workout.
Mr Ross says one has to also focus on the triceps.
“Triceps are the majority in the upper arms. If your goal is to tone start with the lightest weights,” he says.
With the weights, do 12 to 20 reps (rounds).
In doing the skull crusher for the triceps, lie on the back with knees bent lowering a dumbbell toward your forehead.
“Moves such as kickbacks and dips are also the best for your triceps, provided you do them correctly,’’ says the trainer.
Carbs at night
A wrist twist works out well while completing of a forearm workout. Do the twists by following an up and down movement. It tones and strengthens the forearm.
The arm workouts lasts 20 minutes.
People can also do boxercises which is the most effective as it not only targets the arms but also the stomach area.
If you prefer exercising from home, do bodyweight exercises.
“The exercises do not require machines. You exercise with your our own body and they help you gain core strength and flexibility faster. You cannot be overweight as you are using your own weight,” he says.
They include push-ups, pull outs, planks, jumping squats and jacks.
If you’re bored with indoor fitness, Mr Ross says you can join weekend boot camps which have become popular in Nairobi and Mombasa.
Swimming workouts can also help tone the arms.
Mr Ross ends the interview with an advice on watching what you eat.
