The Ultimate Arms And Abs Workout

By Jessica Smith for Shape.com

This fast and effective upper-body circuit was designed by fitness expert and star of the "10 Pounds DOWN: Better Body Blast" DVD Jessica Smith to tone your arms and abs without any equipment! For best results, do the workout on two or three nonconsecutive days per week, alternating with cardio and lower-body exercises (and of course pairing it with a healthy diet).

How it works: Complete each set of exercises twice, moving quickly back and forth between the two moves, before moving on to the next set.

Set 1: Pushups and Planks
Set 2: Dips and Sits
Set 3: Side Press and Sweep
Set 4: Shoulder Pushup and Reclining Circle

Workout tip: There are a lot of pushups and pressing moves in this routine, so if you experience any wrist issues, try placing a folded towel under your palms or perform the move while holding onto a dumbbell -- or modify in another way that works for you.

Comments

[Dr Adam]

06:29 PM on 02/18/2012

Great move to do at the end of your Ab routine also using a dumbbell in your hand for advance exercisers. Dr Adam Weiss author AbSmart Fitness Plan.

[AcesHighSays]

12:03 AM on 02/10/2012

I gotta get back to the gym

[jgarma]

02:16 PM on 02/08/2012

These are excellent, particularly since each one conditions and strengthens your body's core.

So, as an addition to an otherwise complete exercise routine, great. But if these are all you do, you're missing some pretty large and important muscle groups.

Unless you're an athlete or otherwise need to work out in a particular or unusually demanding/particular way, the best thing to do is to exercise your entire body in each work out session.

Working out the whole body at once employs all the largest muscles in one session. This will increase the metabolic effect of the exercise causing a greater calorie burn during and after the exercise. In addition, exercising this way means that your body's muscles have to work in concert with each other, as they're designed to do.

If you're new to regular exercise, check out Megan Hoffman's five minute exercise circuit video in the post, "No Excuses — A 5 Minute Exercise Routine" http://wp.me/pA04z-wE

She'll demonstrate how to work out the entire body quickly. As you advance, you simply do the routine more than once.

Yep.

[futurelibrarian]

06:36 PM on 02/08/2012

Thanks for sharing that link! Just did the routine a few times. Very energizing and it seems like the perfect workout for busy days. I also like that it's easily done while traveling and requires no equipment.

[jgarma]

02:11 AM on 02/09/2012

Now that's some fast and good feedback... I'm sure Megan Hoffman would be pleased!

[Quincy Renfroe]

01:56 PM on 02/08/2012

dammit i thought it said jessica alba. D:

[FlowerGypsy]

11:26 AM on 02/07/2012

Hooooly cow, I need to do these!!