You don't need a room full of bulky weight machines to tone your arms, shoulders and chest. Invest in a few hand weights and dumbbells so you can tone, tighten and strengthen your upper body in the comfort of your own home. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine, especially if you have health concerns or injuries.
Dumbbell Fly
Tone your pecs with the dumbbell fly exercise. Lie on your back on top of a fitness bench. Hold one 7-lb. dumbbell in each hand, then rotate your palms so they are facing one another. Extend your arms to raise the dumbbells toward the ceiling, directly above your chest. Bend your elbows out to the sides as you make a 90-degree angle with your arms, keeping the dumbbells pointed up toward the ceiling. Lower the dumbbells until they are in line with your chest, on either side of your body. Using a wide, rounded motion, lift your arms back up toward the ceiling until your elbows are straight. Repeat.
Rotating Wrists
Strengthen your shoulders and forearms with the rotating wrist exercise. Stand up straight with your feet as wide as your shoulders. Hold a 2-lb. hand weight in each hand. Fully extend your arms so your knuckles are pointing to the wall in front of you and your palms are facing down to the ground. Turn your wrists in as far as you can, so your palms point out to your sides. Rotate your wrists back out, so your palms are facing up. Continue rotating back and forth for one minute.
Biceps Curls
Stand up straight with your feet at the width of your shoulders and your knees relaxed. Hold one dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing toward the wall in front of you and your arms a little wider than the width of your shoulders. Slowly lift the weights up at the same time until they are directly in front of your shoulders, then lower them back down until your arms are completely straight and in front of your thighs. Repeat.
Punch With Weights
Stand up straight with your feet at about the width of your hips. Hold a 2-lb. hand weight in each hand. Bend your elbows and hold the weights directly under your chin with your palms facing toward one another. While holding the hand weight, punch your left fist up to the ceiling while keeping your elbow relaxed. Keep your right fist completely still. As you bring your left fist back down, raise your right fist up to the ceiling. Continue punching one fist up at a time up toward the ceiling for one minute, increasing your speed as you go.
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