For many millions of women, that ‘jiggle’ under their upper arm when they raise their hands to wave or do other activities is embarrassing. One of the most common searches in the fitness arena online is for exercises to firm upper arms, so this article is for all of you!

Firming up the muscle on the upper arms is the best way to go, as it tones the upper arms, including the triceps, which are the muscles on the upper back of your arm, giving you strong, sleek upper arms. In most cases, the skin on the upper arm will take care of itself if you are exercising regularly and eating a clean, healthy diet.

Luckily, there are lots of exercises you can do with an exercise ball that you may have already learned without. Almost any exercise with dumbbells, for instance, can be done with an exercise ball and, in our opinion, done better! An exercise ball allows for many variations on traditional dumbell exercises, which allows you to work your muscles from different angles, always a benefit.

Exercise balls force you to balance your body and use many supporting muscles while you are working on another, more specific muscle group. In turn, this helps you burn fat, develop balance and symmetry, and enjoy better overall health. Our bodies are meant to work in concert and when we work them all together better health results.

Triceps Extension

You can either sit or lie on the exercise ball while doing triceps extensions. Your legs and entire midsection will get a great balancing workout as well. Steady yourself as you would either standing or on a bench, and ensure your arms are absolutely steady and still. Either one arm at a time or together, lift your upper arms only from the bent position, while holding a dumbbell. Keep the arm in a straight line while straightening it, and don’t let momentum or side pull help you. Squeeze your triceps at the top of the exercise, and then move back to the beginning. Every part of your body except for your lower arm should be stationary while you do this, for best effect.

Triceps Kickback

For the triceps kickback, keep your feet on the floor and either rest your non-working arm or your chest on the exercise ball. While keeping your entire body still and stable, hold a dumbbell in your working arm and keep the arm close to your side, almost parallel. Using only your upper arm, push the dumbbell back until your arm is straight, and then give the triceps a little squeeze as you go past your body. Keep the arm in a straight line (ie. don’t push away from your body), and let your triceps, rather than momentum, do the work. Likewise, while you drop your arm to the starting position, ensure your triceps do the work rather than letting gravity do it for you. After all, you’re doing this for results, right? Make it count! Variation: Rest your upper body on the ball while doing your kickbacks.

BONUS TIP: For an extra tough workout, rest less of yourself on the ball and force your body to balance. Also, if you have really good balance, you can try triceps pushups on the ball while you hold your feet on the floor: squat with arms behiond you on the ball and raise and lower yourself slowly and with care (see picture below).

Who doesn’t want a firm, tight butt?

Of course, fitness is about overall health and vitality, but for most women, part of the reason we exercise is to firm up the areas we are less than thrilled about. When we get into shape, we then move into sculpting and shaping exercises, and the exercise ball – as usual! – is a fantastic tool for this targeted process.

The buttocks muscles can be worked in many ways, including various squat and lunge exercises. Add in an exercise ball and you give your leg and butt muscles an extra shot of power, as they are forced to stabilize you as you perform your moves. Your abs and core in general will benefit as well, as will your sense of balance and overall strength.

Squat with Exercise Ball

Photo credit: WebMD

This is a fabulous exercise because there are so many variations possible. Whatever your level of fitness and capacity for balance, you are sure to find a variation to both suit and challenge you. In the standard version, as pictured above, you simply stand against a wall with an exercise ball between yourself and the wall. Position the exercise ball against your upper back, and begin with erect posture and legs close together. Slowly squat down toward the floor, keeping your legs and buttocks tight and active  – don’t let the exercise ball’s momentum do any of the work for you (what’s the point of working out if you don’t get an results?). Squeeze your buttocks muscles and use them to push you up to the beginning position. Do several sets for each side, according to your fitness level. It’s harder than it looks!

Some variations include:

• Standing with one leg only: lift the other foot while you perform the squats, or even rest it on your working thigh (this is helpful for stability).
• Hold dumbell weights in each hand for added challenge.
• Turn sideways and lift either the inner or outer foot. Do your squats with the ball at your midsection. You’ll likely need to hold the inner arm, the one against the ball, out in front of you so your body can rest comfortably against the ball.
• Put yourself against the wall instead, and put one leg/foot up on the stability ball. Perform one-legged squats, holding the ball steady. This is shown in the Squats with Exercise Ball article, without the support of the wall.

BONUS CHALLENGE: Stability Ball Lunge

Photo credit: Good Housekeeping

With or without a chair to hold for stability (or try a wall – use them until your balance allows you to do this without), balance your back leg on the stability ball. With your front foot squarely over your middle toes – don’t bend your knee further out and you will help keep it injury-free), lower toward the ground, keeping both legs strong and stable. You may find you have difficulty keeping the ball in one place as you lower. Focus on keeping your front leg buttock firm and active, while using hte back leg and ankle to keep the ball still.

Repeat for two or 3 sets of 10 on each side, and be sure to stretch those muscles thoroughly afterwards. This is an extremely challenging exercise even with the chair or wall for help, and you will reap rewards in proportion to your ability to isolate and work your buttocks muscles.