Tricep Workout with Lea

Ask any girl what the most difficult part of the body is to tone and strengthen and most will say... the triceps! Of course, if you work the triceps, you have to work the biceps. These two are partner muscles, and to avoid being muscularly imbalanced, you have to work one as much as the other. But why are the triceps so difficult to strengthen? Because we use the biceps more. The biceps are just stronger because more of our every day movements use more of them than they do the triceps. So, what can we do to work our triceps?

Push-ups: Although everyone knows what a push up is, I'm going to make sure you know how to do it correctly. Your arms should be extended under you, but your elbows should not be locked. Your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders. Make sure that your whole body is in a straight line, that your butt isn't sticking up or your hips aren't dropping. Lower your body to the ground SLOWLY. Slow and controlled movement puts in more work because it allows the resistance to kick in. People who try their hardest to do 10 push ups as fast as they can aren't getting all the benefits of the exercise. Do not go so far down that your elbows are way above your shoulder blades. When you reach your limit, extend your arms slowly until you are all the way back up. If you want to make push ups a little more difficult, then try staying in your down position for a few more seconds than normal before coming back up.

Triceps kick-backs (with weights): These are some of my favorite, because once you really get going, you can definitely feel your muscles burning! Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees enough so that you feel resistance (don't let your knees go past your toes). With your arms at your sides, angle them at 90 degrees and, without moving your upper arms, move your lower arms back. In this position, it should look as if you've just pushed off really hard while skiing. Then move them back to the first position.

Triceps lifts: Another one of my favorites :) With your arms above you, grip your weights and lower your arms behind your head, then raise them again. This move is very simple and easy, yet very effective!

These three moves will definitely give those upper arms a workout, just don't forget to work out those biceps too!

Did you know that Lea has to eat the middle of her foods BEFORE she eats the middle?!