have you ever observed women who carry large buckets of water on their heads? some often carry up to 80 kgs, and travel over very long distances. it seems miraculous, but they don’t develop this overnight. they probably began practising at a very young age in order to reach that level of balance and total body strength. what is truly awesome is how these women can carry all that weight around, and still move so gracefully and with such agility.

strong-arm tactics
strong stabilisers help you keep ramrod straight while making you more flexible. keep in mind the powerful example of these women when you are working out — they will inspire you. the image will remind you to focus on your mid-back muscles, to keep your shoulder blades back and down and stand in an upright position, without slouching. good posture is found in people whose stabilisers are strong. stabilisers are vital sets of invisible muscles that help you maintain good posture. so it is imperative to strengthen these muscles when you plan your training routines.

given below are some great exercises to build a terrific upper-body, strengthen the stabilisers and develop good posture.
cross chop: stand with your right foot on the centre of the step and your left foot on the floor. with both arms extended above the right shoulder, hold a pair of dumbbells with your right hand on top; palm down and left palm facing up (a).

‘cross chop,’ bringing both arms diagonally down across your body, and finish just past hip. keep arms straight (b). complete reps, switch leg position and repeat. do 8-12 reps.

muscles worked — strengthens shoulders, back and arms.
push-up with inverted v: kneel on the floor with one foot on the step, and put your hands on the corner edges, palms facing in and arms extended. then straighten your legs, so you’re balanced on your toes in a push-up position. (if you’re a novice, stay on your knees). contract abs so body forms a straight line from head to heels. bend elbows, keeping them close to sides as you bring chest towards bench (a). straighten arms and press hips up and back towards the ceiling, bringing chest towards thighs (inverted v position) and heels towards the floor (b). return to starting push-up position and repeat. do 8-12 reps.

muscles worked — strengthens chest, triceps and shoulders.



arc: stand on the floor with your feet and knees together, knees slightly bent. bend hips slightly forward, so torso is still in one straight line. hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended just behind hips, palms facing behind you, arms raised as comfortably high as you can go without rounding shoulders (a). keeping torso still, open arms up and out to sides, circling upward until arms are extended and in front of you (b). lower arms following the same pattern. repeat. do 8-12 reps.

muscles worked — strengthens triceps and shoulders.
biceps curl: lie face up on the bench with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle to your hips, calves parallel to the floor. contract abs to bring spine to a neutral position and in contact with the bench. hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms up, arms extended by your sides. keeping elbows and wrists in a fixed position, bend both elbows and bring dumbbells towards shoulders. maintaining the elbow bend, lift arms overhead, rotating palms inward. pull arms down to bent-elbow position, then straighten arms and repeat. do 8-12 reps.

muscles worked—strengthens biceps, upper chest, shoulders and middle back.



triceps dip lift: with your back to the step, knees bent and together, feet flat on the floor, place one hand on each end of the step, fingers pointing to the same diagonal as the corner (fingers will cup over corners), elbows slightly bent (a). at the same time, straighten your arms and lift your body upward, keeping knees bent so body weight is resting on right arm, while left arm is extended in the air (b). maintain your lower body position as you rotate upper body to touch left hand to right step corner (c). return to starting position by retracting arm pattern before lowering hips towards floor. repeat, alternating sides. do 8-12 reps.

muscles worked — strengthens triceps, shoulders and back.
quality v/s quantity
exercise doesn’t need to be hard and exhausting, but must put enough stress on your body to convince it to make some adaptations, and gradually become fitter.

do these moves thrice a week on alternate days. on the other days do a cardio routine or play a sport.

warm-up and cool down
start your workout with a basic stepping pattern for at least five minutes — you can step on and off a platform, or you can step from side to side. begin and end your workout by stretching your major muscle groups, including your chest, back, shoulders and arms. hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds without bouncing.

use three to five kg dumbbells in each hand for the moves that involve weights.