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).