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Beyond the arms: Whole Body Fitness

Even if your fitness goal is to tone up your arms or just the upper body, you will want to train all the major muscles groups. If you fail to strengthen the entire body in your exercise program, it limits the amount of your lean mass. When we strength train, we are building lean body mass and decreasing body fat. Strength training increases muscle mass and helps to speed up the body’s metabolic “furnace” to burn fat at a higher rate. This allows the lean muscle to show. As part of your fitness program, strength training sessions can be done 2-3 times per week with 48hrs between sessions.

While most men feel it is their natural birthright to “pump iron”, women often tend to shy away from lifting weights or resistance training. They’re will jump on cardio machines (treadmills, stationary bikes) for 60 minutes and wonder why they don’t see definition and tone. The missing link is strength training. But for both men and women, it is important to use resistance machines, dumbbells, bands, or body weight as part of a well-balanced, whole body, fitness program.

If you are just starting to develop a fitness program for yourself or if you a “restarting” after being inactive, it is a good idea to enlist a certified personal fitness trainer to help you create an effective, efficient, and safe program to achieve your ultimate fitness goals.