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).

Exercise Balls are on the THE BEST tools for strengthening your core muscles. This refers to the muscles from your chest down into your pelvis, and encompasses all abdominal muscles.

Not only will your ‘abs’ look smashing after some consistent workouts with an exercise ball, you will also gain core stability, which is an essential part of having a healthy, strong body.

By strengthening your core, you will improve your ability to do a myriad of daily tasks, such as activities which require lifting, bending, twisting and even sitting. Your posture will improve and your digestive and circulatory systems will enjoy better efficiency.

Following are our top recommendations for using an exercise ball for core stability:

Stability Plank

Rest your feet on the ground and, facing down, balance your upper body on the exercise ball. Depending on your current level of strength and sense of balance, you may wish to rest wither your chest (easiest), forearms (middle difficulty) or hands on the ball. You may either hold for as long as possible, or perform reps by holding for ten seconds, resting and returning for another rep and repeating several times.

Seated Leg Lifts

While sitting well-balanced on an exercise ball, tighten your glutes (buttocks muscles) and ensure your spine is straight and strong. Begin with one leg, lifting it out in front of you until it is parallel to the floor. Hold for ten seconds, rest and repeat OR hold for as long as possible before switching legs. This will work your legs as well, so be sure and focus on keeping your abs and buttocks tight so that your core is doing most of the stability work.

Variations: For an easier version, keep knees bent and lift only your foot until you get stronger. For more variety and challenge, try lifting both legs at the same time while touching a wall, or doing the single leg holds while holding your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, with or without dumbbells. You could even try simultaneous shoulder presses for a deeper challenge!

tags: exercise ball core stability ab exercises