Want to tone your arms and shoulders in under 10 minutes? I’d love to give it a try!
Sure, it’s more than a one-time workout, but experts say you don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get a toned body.
According to personal trainer, Pilates instructor and nutritionist Annabel Luke, just seven minutes is enough time to revitalise your body and build muscle.
She’s created a speedy upper body routine with just six moves that promise to burn calories.
The best part is that it can be done from anywhere and no equipment is required.
Annabel said: “This easy Pilates workout will help strengthen and tone your arms and shoulders whilst activating your core.”
“Focus on the mind, body and breath connection and remember to maintain good posture throughout each exercise.
“It’s short, sharp, effective, energizing and balancing.”
“And you can take it on vacation this summer.
“Holidays are definitely a time to relax and unwind from your usual routine, but incorporating a little exercise into your daily life can make your holiday experience even better.
“Just 10 to 20 minutes each day can help you maintain your exercise habits and goals, helping you feel energized and balanced.”
Here she breaks down each move in the video above.
1. Lateral raises and front raises
After a light warm-up, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with a little room in your knees.
“Extend your arms at your sides with your palms facing inwards,” says Annabelle, who runs Pilates by Bell.
“Keeping your fingers spread, extend them straight out in front of you and then move them to the sides of your body so your shoulders are parallel to the floor, creating a T shape.
“Make sure your shoulders, elbows and wrists are all in line.
“Keeping your arms straight, bring them down to your sides, back into a T-position.
“Then, return your arms to the raised front position and lower them in front of your body with control, palms facing the inside of your legs.”
Repeat this sequence 12 times.
“Keep your arms long and strong and pick up the pace, and you’ll feel your shoulders warm up,” Annabelle adds.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades
Maintain the side-raising position from the previous exercise with your arms extended, palms facing back.
“Push your palms back and bring your shoulder blades together, as if you’re holding a pencil in between your hands,” says Annabelle.
“Hold the pressure for one to two seconds, feeling the muscles in your upper back contract.
“Release the pressure and allow your shoulder blades to return to their natural position, bringing your hands back in line with your shoulders.”
Repeat this exercise 12 times.
Then, return to the front raise position and rotate your arms inward for 10 seconds before moving on to the next few movements.
5 Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat Fast
Painful crunches aren’t the only way to burn belly fat.
London-based personal trainer Will DuRoux shares five exercises to help you get a tighter tummy this summer.
1. Bend your knees
Lie on your back and place your hands in a V shape at the bottom of your spine for support.
Lift your feet off the ground and bend them towards your chest, then extend them in front of you.
Do this for 4 sets of 20 repetitions.
2. Plank Side-to-Side Twist
Get into a plank position with your body in a straight line and your forearms on the floor.
Bend your hips and twist from one side to the other.
Repeat 20 times for 4 sets.
3. Mountaineer
Start in a plank position, with your weight resting on your palms and making sure your butt isn’t sticking out.
Alternately bring one knee towards your chest and then back down.
These can be done slowly and in a controlled manner, or you can speed up to a “running” pace.
Do 4 sets of 40 seconds each.
4. Toe touch
Lie on your back with your legs extended in front of you at a 45-degree angle.
Reach your arms toward your toes and curl your torso off the floor, engaging your core.
Repeat this movement 20 times for a total of 4 sets.
5. Butterfly sit-ups
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and the soles of your feet together, legs angled outwards.
Extend your arms above your head and place them on the floor or in front of your chest.
Sit upright, engage your core, and bring your hands as close to your feet as possible, then curl your body onto the floor.
Do 4 sets of 10 repetitions.
Watch Will demonstrate how to do the exercise here:
3. Triceps press with ceiling reach
‘For the third round, start in a front raise position with your arms fully extended from your shoulders to your fingertips,’ says Annabelle.
“Extend your arms, bring them close to your ears with your palms facing forward, and raise them up over your head towards the ceiling.
“Keeping your arms extended, bring your arms down and press them slightly behind your body, palms facing away from you, to feel your triceps activate.
“From this triceps press position, raise your arms overhead again.”
Repeat this sequence 12 times.
“Engage your abdominal muscles and stabilize your core,” adds Annabelle.
4. Shoulder press
For this exercise, start by bending your elbows and raising them up to shoulder height.
Raise your hands above your elbows, palms facing forward.
“Now do shoulder presses,” Annabelle said.
“Push your arms up towards the ceiling, fully extending them above your head.
“Hold your arms up to your ears, hands slightly apart, palms facing forward.
“Slowly bend your arms and lower them back to the starting position so that your elbows are in line with your shoulders.
“Breathe in when you lower it and exhale when you raise it.”
Repeat this exercise 12 times.
5. Tricep extension
After completing the previous movement, keep your arms raised in the air. Extend your arms completely above your head and press your palms together so that they are touching each other.
“From here, bend your elbows and lower your hands behind your head until your forearms are at about a 90-degree angle with your upper arms,” Annabelle said.
“Don’t move your upper arms, just your forearms.
“Press your hands upwards until they are fully extended in the starting position.”
Repeat this exercise 12 times.
“Keep your elbows narrow and toward your head, exhaling as you come up and inhaling as you come down,” the physiotherapist added.
6. Sumo squat to oblique to overhead reach
The sixth round begins with you standing with your feet apart and your toes pointed outwards at a 45-degree angle.
“Bring your arms up over your head and place your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the sides, keeping your chest open,” says Annabelle.
“Bend your knees and lower your hips into a sumo squat position, with your knees pointing outward past your toes.
“While maintaining a squat position, lean your torso to the right, lowering your right elbow toward your right thigh and raising your left elbow, looking forward.
Next, extend your left arm above your head.
“Feel the stretch and engagement of your left oblique muscles as you lean forward and reach.
“From here, bend your left arm towards your head and straighten your torso back to center.”
Repeat the same tilt and reach to the left, feeling the stretch and tension in your right oblique muscle, she adds.
“Bend your right arm toward your head and straighten your torso back to center,” the instructor said.
“Push through your heels to straighten your legs and rise from sumo position, placing your hands behind your head and returning to starting position.”
Repeat this sequence 12 times.
10 best exercises to lose back fat
Often the focus is on losing belly fat or slimming down thighs and upper arms before the holidays.
But another part of the body that can carry excess weight is the back.
Luckily, there are some exercises you can do to help strengthen your back muscles so you can get a toned, shapely back.
Alasdair Nicol, personal trainer and specialist instructor at Fitness Group, has identified the most effective exercises.
- Back Extension
- Dumbbell Renegade Row
- One-Armed Law
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Prone reverse fly
- Lat Pulldown
- Seated row
- Lat Pullover
- Deadlift
- Dumbbell Chest Support Row
End
To finish the workout, return to the front and lateral raises you started with, followed by shoulder blade squeezes and arm rotations.
“Just keep your arms long and strong, move at a fast pace and that’s it,” Annabelle says.
You can leave it there or do the same circuit two or three more times.
You can do this workout without any equipment, but you can make it more intense by wearing wrist or ankle weights, like Annabelle does in the video.
She said: “If you want more of a challenge, bring along some wrist or hand weights.”
“I would recommend between 500g and 2kg, and ideally avoid anything more than that unless you feel very strong.
“And if you’re using more than that, just slow down a little bit and don’t have to do the same number of repetitions as me.”
