Anyone looking for a reason to pump up their triceps? Karen Voight, the LA Times fitness guru, offers a pretty good reason: people with weak triceps are prone to elbow injuries. As usual, Voight gives us a nifty two-step exercise designed to remedy the problem. Ready? And a one, and a two:
1 Begin by stepping forward on your right leg. With your left leg
behind you, press down on your left toes, raising your heel. Grasp the
ends of a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in both hands. Move the weight
overhead and pull your abdominals in to support your spine. Inhale and
bend your arms, bringing the weight behind your head as far as you
comfortably can, elbows pointed forward.
2 On an exhale, keeping your elbows facing forward, tense the muscles
in the backs of your upper arms and raise the dumbbell directly
overhead. Pause at the top of the lift, making sure your abdominals are
firm and your lower ribs are not poking out. Do this 12 to 16 times,
switch legs and repeat.
For more from Karen Voight, click here.