1. Stand holding a light dumbbell in each hand with your feet
shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and your stomach
muscles pulled in gently to protect your lower back.
2.
Begin with your arms extended straight down, hands at your
sides, and palms facing your thighs.
3.
As you exhale, slowly lift the dumbbells, turning your palms
away from your body. Slowly lift the dumbells toward your
shoulders without moving your elbows away from your sides.
At the upper end of the lift, your palms will be facing your
shoulders.
4.
Pause and take a breath. Then inhale as you slowly lower the
weights. Repeat this 8 to 10 times. This is 1 set.
Keep your elbows steady and close to your body, but don't
press them against your sides—that's cheating!
Concentrate on using the biceps to lift the weight, instead
of using other parts of your body. If this exercise feels
really tough, use lighter weights. When it feels easy, either
add weight or do another set.
Don't hold your breath! Exhale through your mouth when you
lift and inhale through your nose when you lower the weight.
This helps deliver oxygen to your muscles. It also helps you
get into a rhythm, so that you're not working too fast or
too slow.
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