Published: Thursday, April 08, 2010

Working with dumbbells

By Jennifer Few
Madison Magazine

When I started boot camp I literally had no upper body strength. Well, I'm proud to say that now I actually have some! My arms have toned up nicely and my "wings" have shrunk significantly. I got brave and went dress shopping for the first time in years. The one I picked is sleeveless.

I've always been embarrassed about my arms; and now, I am going to take pride in my arms and show them off as much as possible.

Push-ups, planks, Fit Cords and various other exercises have all contributed to my gaining upper body strength. On top of that we do a lot of work with dumbbells.

Dumbbells are an excellent tool for strength training. You can get fit fairly quickly and safely by using dumbbells in a careful manner.

When I first began I struggled with using the 5lb weights. Now I'm up to using 12lb weights. Back in January I couldn't even do ten push-ups without needing to stop and re-group. Now i'm up to doing about twenty-five.

Keisha had me start out small on the dumbbells due to the fact that prior to training with her I had no experience with them. While using dumbbells you are working out many different parts of your body such as your back, shoulders, triceps, biceps and more.

There are many ways in which to use dumbbells. Some exercises include, but are not limited to: chest presses, lateral raises, shoulder presses, rows, squats, hammer curls, overhead extensions and kickbacks.

Having good form is important. This will greatly improve your results.

I have a couple of weeks left of boot camp. When I started the program I was a solid size 14. I have dropped nearly three clothing sizes since then and am feeling really confident about myself. I am going to work even harder and stick to my eating plan to make sure I get optimum results. Keep reading as I will not only show my before picture, but will also show off my new, sleeveless dress.

For further information, visit Keisha Nelson at her studio located at 8760 Madison BLVD Suite R or go to her website www.MadisonFitnessFusion.com.