I do 4 sets of 30 about 3 times a week. They help me keep my curves in check even though I’m losing weight at the same time.

Be happy, be healthy!

Building A Home Workout Routine: The Side Bend is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Building A Home Workout Routine: Hip Extensions
2. Building A Home Workout Routine: Reverse Crunches
3. The Importance of Building A Home Workout Routine

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© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Abs, Arms, workout at home, workout routine

Dumbbell Bicep Curl is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Hammer Bicep Curls
2. Triceps: Dumbbell Kickbacks
3. Overhead Dumbbell Press

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Post tags: Arms, exercise, workout at home, workout at the office, workout routine

Tricep Dips is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

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Post tags: Arms, exercise

Triceps: Dumbbell Kickbacks is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

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1. Overhead Dumbbell Press
2. Dumbbell Bicep Curl
3. Plank Position Kickbacks

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Post tags: Arms, exercise, tricep exercises, triceps, workout at home, workout at the office, workout routine

Where do you begin? I started with three sets of ten, which means I would do ten of these moves at a time, three different times with maybe 30 seconds to a minute in-between. The better I got at the move, the more I added to my routine – going from 3 sets of ten to 3 sets of 15, for example – and I’d add more water to my jug. If you are determined to do it, you can!

(Truth be told, I even used my daughter as a weight a couple of times! Hey, you get it in where you can, right?)

Hammer Bicep Curls is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Dumbbell Bicep Curl
2. Leg Curls

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Post tags: Arms, exercise

Q: Did you experience arm flab after your weight loss and if so, what did you do about it?

Q: Upper arm fat not moving despite weight lifting. What’s wrong with me or what’s wrong with my arms? Or can I continue to blame the equipment?

Hmm… you’re going to experience underarm flab if you have larger arms, just because the skin has been stretched out, and needs time to reclaim its proper position. That’s just an unfortunate fact of weight gain: skin stretching. The bounce-back factor can take anywhere from months to years, and all we can truly do is be patient and wait. (I mean, you can also get surgery, buuuuut….)

Did I experience arm flab? Of course I did! I had huge arms. What did I do about it?

February 18, 2010

Strength training! I built awesome arms!

I’m sure the next question is, “HOW?” The answer, really, is not a silly shake weight or a “perfect push up” machine.

Between yoga and push ups, I’ve been able to tone up my arms, my back, and even keep the skin of my breasts taut. Why? If you take a look at one of the yoga episodes I’ve posted on the site, you’ll be able to identify how much you have to lift, stretch, pull and tug those arms. The plank position – a common yoga pose that looks a lot like a push up without the drop down – works not only your back, but the ligaments in your chest that tighten and lift your breasts. Add to that the fact that it works both your biceps and your triceps (your outer and inner upper arm area?) You’re in there like swimwear.

Excerpted from My Quest For Michelle Obama Arms | A Black Girl’s Guide To Weight Loss

Add some arm exercises to your workout! Fill that sack of skin with some nice muscle, and you’ll decrease the amount of skin left hanging and swinging. That’s the best way to decrease the presence of “lunch lady arms.”

Q&A Thursday: Underarm Flab? is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

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1. Q&A Thursday: How Can We Support BGG2WL?
2. Q&A Thursday: Aunt Flo’ And The Cravings
3. Q&A Thursday: Getting and Staying Motivated

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© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arms, upper body

Again, if you can only do a couple of these without experiencing pain, that’s okay – the name of the game is to allow your body to build muscle to adapt to the exercise, thus making it easier, thus allowing you to add more to your routine!

Overhead Dumbbell Press is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

1. Triceps: Dumbbell Kickbacks
2. Dumbbell Bicep Curl

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Post tags: Arms, exercise

Maybe it’s just her arms.

I’m not playing either. She looks like she puts effort – actual effort – into those bad boys!

I know that the media had a field day with her figure. She was too toned. Women are supposed to be soft, curvaceous [but not too curvy, lawdy lawdy heaven forbid we see too much of a curve], and reflect no form of masculinity. Like muscles.

Forget all that. I am soft. I am feminine. But if I leave these arms the way that my weight loss left them, I’m going to look like an old beat up pillow. Unacceptable. I want arms like hers… not cotton-stuffed appendages like what I’d been stuck with.

For me, I know that in order for me to get my arms looking normal again after this weight loss, I’m going to have to build some serious muscle. There was never any bulk there before – only fat. Honestly, it used to make me uncomfortable – if I really took a good look at myself before I left the house some days, I’d stop and turn sideways… try to flex my arm in hopes that some shape would appear… sigh and shrug it off… then go on about my partying. Not like I could build muscle in ten minutes before doing what I had to do, right?

I must admit, the past 8 months have been exciting for my upper body. I can finally see my collarbone. My spare tire is fading away, and an actual slope is appearing in my backside. My back fat is shrinking, and my breasts have shrunk (from a 42DD to a 34C.) How am I doing on my journey?

I’m sure the next question is, “HOW?” The answer, really, is not a silly shake weight or a “perfect push up” machine.

Between yoga and push ups, I’ve been able to tone up my arms, my back, and even keep the skin of my breasts taut. Why? If you take a look at one of the yoga episodes I’ve posted on the site, you’ll be able to identify how much you have to lift, stretch, pull and tug those arms. The plank position – a common yoga pose that looks a lot like a push up without the drop down – works not only your back, but the ligaments in your chest that tighten and lift your breasts. Add to that the fact that it works both your biceps and your triceps (your outer and inner upper arm area?) You’re in there like swimwear.

For me, these are the best options. These are things that I can do at home without purchasing any equipment and without needing to be at a gym. I just click “play” on a yoga video on this site, and I go for it. I’m still a little flabbier than I’d like for myself, but I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come.

So, in the meantime… I’m going to continue to stare lovingly at these photos of a sleeveless First Lady Obama (not in a creepy way, though) and keep on with my push-ups and my yoga routine.. and hope that you’ll join me!

Got tips? Questions? Ideas? Share ‘em!

My Quest For Michelle Obama Arms is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

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2. Walmart, Michelle Obama and The Halo Effect
3. Beyonce Teams Up With Michelle Obama For Workout Video

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© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arms, exercises, workout at home, Yoga

Vertical Jumping Jacks is a post from: A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss. Thanks for reading!

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© Erika for A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Abs, Arms, Booty, exercises, workout at home, workout routine