tone your arms, the right way

Carrying my baby around is weight training in its own. When an infant becomes absolutely impossible to console, the last resort is to pick them up and rock them till their eyes get heavy and allow peace to prevail.
However, unfortunately unlike the T-Rex, mothers need strong arms for such an ordeal.

So, as promised here we are to share the head-to-toe development. 
After the last post of strengthening your back using pilates, we continue our pilates edition to focus on the arms this week.

Beginners: Arm Raises

Begin by sitting cross-legged on your mat and your back straight. Stretch your arms on either side, with palms facing up and fingers not touching the ground.
Inhale to pull your gut inside and elongate your back. Exhale through your mouth.
Begin the exercise by inhaling and at the same time raising your arms straight over your head, till they are lined at either side of your ear.
Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed.
Hold the position and count to 5.
Exhale as you bring your arms down to the original position.
Repeat 6 times.

Intermediate: The Bug

The exercise not only tones the triceps, but also targets the key glute areas of the butt, thighs and abs.

Stand straight with feet hip width apart. 

Align your arms by the sides with hands in loose fists. 

Bend your knees a little and drop your body to a 90-degree angle, so your upper body is parallel to the floor. Let your arms hang loose.

Engage your shoulders as you squeeze the back of your shoulders to pull up your elbows. As you move your arms upwards engage your triceps as well. 

Release your arms to bring back your arms to original position.

Repeat 15 to 20 times.

Advanced: Triceps Dips

The triceps dips are similar to the bench dips described in our earlier post. 
However, instead of resting your hands on a bench, you can use a small stool or simply rest your hands on the floor.
You can bend your knees initially to help develop your upper body strength. As your muscles develop you can extend your legs straight.

Try these for sleek, sexier arms instead of relying on the usual baby equipment, which otherwise yield not so pleasant results.