Published: June 01. 2010 2:00AM

By Stephanie Morgan
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It's hard to beat well-toned arms flowing from a trendy summer top. That said, the look of a tunic is ruined when twined around arms entirely too large for the sleeve. If we put time, energy and money into finding things to wear, it makes sense that we should make a point to find things that flatter and not ruin our efforts. Sleeveless weather is here, so it’s time to tone those triceps so they’re envied long after we've put the sundresses away.

Target and tone

From boot camp to pilates, every exercise program in the book focuses on arm exercises, because beyond beauty, our arms have very important jobs. Strengthening the upper arms makes a difference in the overall strength of your upper body, and arms must be strong to build chest muscles, back muscles and shoulders.

Tanya Dillard, owner of Reform Bode, is a personal trainer and instructor. At her downtown Greenville studio, you can find a variety of fitness classes, including an all-arms class. Dillard teaches a full workout of the shoulders, biceps and triceps. Her students know that in order to keep a healthy body and maintain overall good health, a strong cardiovascular routine is essential in addition to toning. Keep that in mind as you try her suggestions for working out shoulders, biceps and triceps.

Shoulder press: Using handheld weights, bend elbows to bring hands to shoulder level. Press arms overhead, straightening the elbow. Slowly return arms to start position. Perform this with weights that fatigue the muscle after 12-15 repetitions, three times.

Tricep kickback: Bend upper body forward from hip to a 45-degree angle and bend knees slightly. Bend elbows and lift them so they are past the ribcage. Maintain this height with the arm throughout all of the exercise. Straighten elbows extending the forearm and hand back, then return to start position. Perform this with weights that fatigue the muscle after 15 repetitions, three times.

Bicep curls: Start with handheld weight at sides with palms facing forward. Bend the arm at elbow raising palms to shoulder height but keeping the elbow stationary. No cheating here by rolling shoulders forward! Return weight slowly to start position. Perform this with weights that fatigue the muscle at 20 repetitions, three times.

Balance and bend

The benefits of dancing are no secret. Becoming a dancer at any point in life is a proven way to help keep your mind and body in good shape. Anita Sun Pacylowskip-Justo , ballet mistress and principal dancer at Carolina Ballet Theatre, welcomes new students of all ages to the ballet studio for adult dance classes. The School of Carolina Ballet offers introductory and advanced level ballet, tango and jazz as well as a mat pilates class every day and on the weekends. Ballet creates a strong center core, and fine-tunes the little muscles in the arms, creating well-defined and graceful beauty. Balance and confidence come as bonuses. Bending, reaching and turning through movement while keeping your core centered elongates the body, and doing so for an hour is sure to increase muscle tone and strength.

Pacylowskip-Justo reminds her students that dance is fun as well as good for the body. With a smile, Pacylowskip-Justo says, “Dance like no one’s watching. Seriously. Find a space that's a safe haven for getting your groove on and sing, play and dance. Guess what? It does not cost a cent and can be attained anywhere, at any time, and it is contagious. Try it!”

Like they used to

Finding the time to exercise is always difficult and often is a good excuse for not getting a half-hour exercise in daily. Ten minutes a day can make a big difference, according to LeAnne White . White is a working mother of two, devoted wife, daughter, granddaughter and community advocate. She's busy. Her favorite time to work on her arms is in front of the television after she has tucked her children into bed. “I do push-ups on the coffee table in our den while I watch my favorite shows,” says White. For her great triceps, she does dips on a kitchen chair for 30 seconds, or as long as that Ford commercial during “American Idol” is each week. Living with a balanced budget is very important to White's husband, Sam , so they do their workouts the old-fashioned way — in the yard weeding, pushing strollers and doing push-ups during commercials. The Whites have taken away the excuse that we don't have enough time. Pick a spot, drop down and give me 25 and produce beautiful arms like White's.

All that is left to do now is choose your workout songs, turn them up and start moving. Remember, everything takes work and nothing comes as quickly as you hope. Pretty arms in pretty dresses will be wrapping themselves around you and all of your loved ones before you can count to 12, three times.