Posted on: Thursday, November 17, 2005
Giving weight to bare shoulders
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Chez Spinelli demonstrates the seated dumbbell curl exercise.
1. SEATED DUMBBELL CURL
Muscles worked: Biceps
How: Shown in photo above, these can be done standing or sitting on a bench or ball. Sit up straight with dumbbells at sides. Curl upward, keeping elbows at sides.
Cues and clues: Concentrate on flexing the biceps at the top of the movement and controlling them through the full range of motion.
BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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5 EXERCISES TO TONE YOUR UPPER BODY Personal trainer Mike Sapp of Gold’s Gym created this simple five-step exercise program to target the arms, shoulders and upper back. If you are just starting out, use weights that are light enough to enable you to do 12 to 15 repetitions while maintaining good form. |
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2. SEATED BACK ROW
Muscles worked: Back, biceps
How: Anchor your band to a doorknob, stair railing or other stable surface. Sit up straight on a ball, bench or chair with feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees. Arch back slightly and pull bands under rib cage; start with palms facing down and rotate them to face up at completion.
BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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3. TRICEP KICKBACK
Muscles worked: Triceps
How: With dumbbell in one hand, start with opposite foot forward. Maintain a flat back. Keeping elbow parallel to ground, bring dumbbell toward shoulder and extend it back, flexing at the end of the movement.
Cues and clues: Keep elbow in the same position throughout the exercise. Do not swing the arm or use momentum.
BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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4. SIDE LATERAL RAISES
Muscles worked: Deltoids, shoulders
How: Start with hands at sides and raise dumbbells straight up to the sides to shoulder level.
Cues and clues: Keep wrists straight, elbows slightly bent and neck relaxed, not tense. Use shoulders, not trapezoids or neck, to raise the weights.
BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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5. DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS
Muscles worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps
How: Use bench or ball. Lie with shoulders and head resting on ball. Maintain a flat back. Keep feet shoulder-width apart. Lower weights to side of chest and extend upwards.
Cues and clues: Brace low back and abdominals. Control the weights
using smooth movements throughout the exercise.
BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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CHEZ SPINELLI’S FITNESS PROGRAM
Age: Fiftysomething Profession: Hairstylist Height: 5-feet-5 Weight: 122 pounds Workout habits: "Weight training with a personal trainer three times a week and 30-60 minutes of cardio every day. I like to do the elliptical machine at the gym because I can read while I’m doing it; otherwise I use the treadmill." What works: If Spinelli’s routine starts to feel boring, she walks. "I get up at 5 a.m. and go for a walk before work — around the zoo and Kapi'olani Park — for about 45 minutes. I have found that if I wait until after work, I’m just too tired, and it’s too easy to make excuses." When and why I started working out: "Three years ago I was feeling unhealthy and very unhappy with the way I looked. I decided to try working out with a trainer so I would have someone to answer to." My good foods/bad foods: Good foods: vegetables, lean protein, fowl. Bad foods: Mostly cheese — any kind of cheese. My biggest motivator: "Mike Sapp, with his coaching and professional training and advice. Getting a trainer for me was the key. I need supervision. Before, I would go on a diet every Monday, and by Friday I was off it. Or I would lose 10 pounds and gain 15." My biggest roadblock to fitness: "Wanting to give up if I don’t see any results." What saves my sanity: "Traveling and having fun people around me." My next challenge: "To keep improving my fitness level." Advice for those in the same boat: "Getting fit and staying healthy has such a positive impact in the way you feel. Although it took me three years, it really wasn’t that hard. You just need to be consistent. I don’t really diet. I watch my food and try to eat healthy. Cutting down on portions has been a key. And consistent exercise. If I didn’t exercise every day, I wouldn’t have been able to do it." |
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When compiling a list of chic and fashion-savvy people in Honolulu, the name Chez Spinelli is always present. She seems to have been born with the fashion gene and, as a highly creative person, she's not afraid to express it.
However as years passed, Waikiki resident Spinelli found she was slowly gaining weight. A pound here and a pound there, alas, added up. "I actually got to the point where I avoided social gatherings because I couldn't find the right thing to wear — that would fit me," she said.
After seeing the results her husband, Antoine Spinelli, achieved with personal trainer Mike Sapp at Gold's Gym, Chez decided to try working out with him, as well. Her results: She has lost as many pounds as her age and she is now a svelte size 2, weighing a model-like 122 pounds.
Spinelli had given up wearing sleeveless dresses and that, of course, excluded most designer evening wear, which tends to be strapless, sleeveless or halter-neck, all styles that are unforgiving for those with even the tiniest bit of turkey arms.
As we head into the holidays, many of us would like to tone our arms so we can wear those gorgeous gowns and cocktail dresses, or look better in an embellished camisole or tank top.
We asked Sapp and Spinelli to show us how to tone those tricky triceps, strengthen shoulders and make our arms appear holiday-ready.
Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.
