You know that you need to add weight-lifting to your workout routine but you may not be sure which routine is best.

Just like any other time you start a fitness program, you'll want to start out slowly.

First, you'll need to start with one or two sets of eight to 12 repetitions. If you're older, injured or unsure of your strength you can do 10 to 15 reps with less weight. When you can lift a weight eight to 12 times and it gets harder to lift during the last rep, you'll want to add a little weight and decrease the reps.

Even if you're a seasoned weight-lifting veteran, alternating the workouts is key. You shouldn't do arm workouts and shoulders exercises on consecutive days. You should avoid working on legs consecutively, too. It's important to vary how you're focusing on strengthening different muscles. For instance, you may want to start by isolating the shoulders. At your gym you can do an overhead press, lateral raise or front raise to work on this body part. Start with two sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Other parts of this workout might include strengthening the chest via the bench press, chest press machine or push-ups. You can work on your back as well in a seated row machine. To build your biceps you can work on bicep curls, hammer curls and concentration curls using hand weights. As for the triceps? You can do tricep extensions.

As you alternate days to work on your lower body, you can try squats, lunges, leg-press machines, deadlifts or calf raises. As for the abdominals, there are always crunches, oblique twists and pelvic tilts.

If you begin your weight training regimen at your health club, the fym should have staff to supervise and answer specific questions.

Now that you've got your weight-lifting routine set, check out That'sFit's cardio workouts.

Photo: anyeetx, Flickr

School's back, and though many will weather this season of change by developing a protective layer of fat called the Freshman 15, you don't have to be one of them -- make fitness a priority this semester, after studying of course.

And while I'm willing to bet your school has a decent gym, you don't even need one -- there are plenty of great workouts you can do in your dorm room, no matter how big or small. Amie Hoff, master trainer for New York Sports Club, recommends a few simple -- and free -- exercises you can do in the comfort of your own space, like:

• Push-ups -- from your desk, but make sure your desk is against the wall for these. If it's not, take them to the floor.
• Bicep curls -- using your text books as weights.
• Tricep dips -- off the bed.
• Squats and lunges -- using your chair for stability.
• Crunches -- with your text books adding extra weight.
• Cardio blasts -- a couple quick sets of jumping jacks and stadium runs will help burn off that cafeteria food.

Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama and Vin Diesel all have one thing in common: Great biceps. They're also the names I hear most often from new clients who are eager to improve upon this most prominent body part. Our bellies and booties are super important in the game of creating a great physique, but those parts are usually covered up. Sleek and sexy arms are often on display in the board room and at the beach. Now's the time to make yours great!

In this video, I tell you how the bicep works and share a few pieces of equipment you can use to train them. I expect everyone to choose a challenging weight -- 5-pound dumbbells are rarely enough for anyone. Choose a weight that makes you grunt a bit -- it's OK to work hard. After a few weeks, go get some tank tops!

First Lady Michelle Obama has been busy recently, from meeting the Queen of England to planting a vegetable garden at the White House. But on one blog, her arms still take center stage.

Her toned shoulders and biceps have a dedicated following on First Guns, a blog that celebrates her figure while also questioning why one body part gets so much mileage in the media.

It is worth noting that the First Lady does not claim shortcuts or quick fixes. She works for that definition. Mrs. Obama recently told People magazine that she hits the gym nearly every day with the President, often before the sun rises above Washington.

And while her arms are enviable, it is even more impressive that they are part of an intelligent woman who puts a healthy diet and fitness at the top of her agenda.

Poor triceps ... they must feel so ignored. Biceps get so much attention. They're used more in daily activities, and people certainly pay more attention to them at the gym. But toned triceps can really make your upper arms look hot -- so they're well worth some extra effort.

Women's Health magazine has four moves, each one focused on all three parts of the tricep muscle (the medial, long, and lateral heads). You will need some special equipment (stability ball, free weights, EZ Curl bar, etc.) for these moves -- if you don't have what you need at home, you're sure to find the equipment at your gym.

• Pull over and press
• Stability ball pushup
• Kneeling cable extension
• Elbows-out extension
  
  

AOL Health has more arm exercises that will target your triceps, as well as some moves for your biceps. And check out this post about Ugly Betty's Becki Newton and her toned triceps.

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Bingo Wings (noun): Loose, flabby upper-arm flesh of (usually) fat women in cap-sleeved rayon blouses who attend bingo halls.

Despite the above definition, don't believe that Bingo Wings only affect women with multi-colored dobbers and a frightening collection of good-luck trolls. Many of us women have them, but we avoid sticking our arms straight out to the side and wiggling them around because we're afraid of the subsequent jiggling we might witness.

But there's help -- as our friends over at FitCeleb recently mentioned, many gyms now offer spinning classes designed solely for your arms. Krank Cycle is just like riding a bike, except your arms do all the peddling -- and get all the glory of the results. Krank cycle can help tone your biceps, shoulders, back and triceps all in one go.

For more info, including locations, check out KrankCycle.com.

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To get sleeve-stretching arms, the common misconception is that you must focus on building your biceps bigger and stronger. The reality of the matter, however, is that your triceps make up around 70 percent of your upper arm's muscle mass, which is why pressing exercises are just as important for your guns as pulling movements.

The prevailing belief used to be that in order to build a muscular body, you had to perform a workout split -- you know, Monday: back and triceps; Tuesday: chest and biceps, Wednesday: legs and abs, etc. And though this approach may still work quite well for certain people (especially seasoned bodybuilders), the more trusted method these days is to focus on compound moves that target large muscle groups.

So, getting back to your goal to build arms that look like an anaconda that just swallowed a pig, don't spend too much of your time with isolation moves for your triceps ... or your biceps, for that matter. Instead, stick with exercises like the bench press, a compound movement that targets your chest, shoulders, and also hits your triceps with a vengeance. The same logic applies for your biceps. Don't spend 30 minutes of your workout on dumbbell curls; rather, focus your energy on compound pulling exercises, such as the pull-up or the bent-over row, as these moves will work your back, rear delts, and biceps all at once.

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So you're exercising regularly and really making it a priority. That's great! But make sure you don't fall into some of these exercise traps. You want to make sure you're following good technique so you can get the most out of your workout. AOL Health shares some common bad exercises techniques:

• Weight overload. Lifting too much weight can, at worst, cause injury and, at a minimum, cause the move to be ineffective. When you're lifting too much you may not be isolating the muscles properly.
  
• Biceps only. The bicep curl is a great exercise, but don't spend all of your strength training time on one muscle. Be sure to work out your shoulders, triceps, legs, core, and glutes as well. When strength training, you want to strengthen all the muscles of your body.
  

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One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "how do I get in shape quickly?" Well ... I'm sure as you read that question you might have thought ... impossible! Yeah, kinda. But, there are some things that will get you in shape quicker than others. The key is to challenge yourself, work most areas of your body, and make sure you do both cardiovascular and strength training. These are my favorite five moves that I believe will have the greatest impact on your fitness level, and help you see results sooner rather than later.

Check out the Summer Slimdown Guide -- it's loaded with tips to help you make the best of this summer and that fine body you're living in!

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When we we run, we work our legs. When we do curls, we work our biceps. When we do crunches, we work our abs. This is one way of looking at it, anyway. Another way is to think of your body as a whole. There are no parts or areas; rather, there is just the body.

No, you don't need to start saying "ohm" at the end of each set you complete and wear healing crystals to the gym to aim for physical oneness. Simply place less emphasis on individual muscle groups or target areas, and instead train for total body results.

While there's nothing wrong with fine-tuning certain areas of your body once and a while with some muscle-specific exercises, you'll get maximum results from a program designed to exercise your body, not body parts.

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When performing a resistance training program, there are so many things that can go right: You can develop lean, strong muscles; improve your balance and posture; strengthen bones; and boost your immune health. And, that list can go on much further, too. However, there are also a few things that can go wrong, chief among them being an injury. Fortunately, there are a few good methods of preventing an injury from ever taking place, and one of those methods is more mental than physical.

You may have heard of what's known as the mind-muscle connection. More or less, this is the process of focusing on and visualizing the muscle group you are working as you actually do. For example, if you are doing a set of bicep curls, you would focus on your biceps getting as good a workout as possible and, as best you can, visualizing the muscle working and growing. The way this mental connection helps prevent injuries is basically because of this same process; intently focusing on your muscles as you work them will help ensure that you are sticking to proper form.

Most exercise-related injuries occur when attempts are made to lift unmanageable amounts of weight and/or when proper form is all but forgotten. Homing in on these areas of your body, as they are being worked, will greatly lessen the chances that you'll abandon correct form and, consequently, reduce your risk of injury.

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If any of you guys out there (or girls -- I apologize for being so presumptuous) want arms shaped like pythons that swallowed a pig, then you need to make sure you're using proper lifting form. Since bicep curls are a favorite arm exercise among lifters, we'll start with one of the best moves you can do: the barbell curl.

Holding a barbell, start with your hands at around shoulder-width apart, palms facing up. Then, lower the bar until it is just in front of your thighs. Be sure to keep your elbows tucked in tightly against your body, as allowing them to flare out will place too much stress on your wrists. Keeping your back straight and abs drawn in, curl the bar up in a semi-circular motion until your forearms touch your biceps. Throughout the motion, be sure to keep your head facing forward. Tilting it down or to the side to look at your biceps can not only strain your neck muscles, but it will also make you look like kind of a tool for admiring yourself (besides, that's what the mirrors are there for).

The barbell curl is a great way to give you strong and dense biceps. However, it's worth knowing that the size of your arms actually has more to do with your triceps than it does your biceps. So, for maximum results, be sure to also incorporate such moves as push-downs, dips, and skull crushers into your arm workouts.

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Summer may be coming to a close but now is as good a time as every to work on getting beautifully toned and sexy arms. With the weather getting cooler and routines starting to take shape again after all the summer craziness it just might be the perfect time to start a new goal. And since you can get buff arms in just 4 moves it can't be too hard to work it into your existing workout, right?

I know I need to work on this area because I always end up working my legs during cardio while my arms get almost completely neglected. Not any more!

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Your arms are one of your most noticeable body parts -- especially in summer, when sweaters are replaced with cute dresses and sleeveless tops. So why not get your pipes in great shape? It only takes 10 minutes a day, according to the fitness dude at eDiets. In addition to a healthy diet of proper proportions, there are some simple exercises you can do to get a great looking set of arms, such as:

-Biceps curls
-Tricep Extensions
-Triceps push down

For more info, check out the article.

For the record, I think I have a nice set of arms, and I got them through yoga. How about you?

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In my world, right after 'tight abs' comes 'sculpted arms' on the list of the most "impossible to attain," and the most "impossible to maintain," fitness goals. But maybe I've just been missing out on some secrets? Hm.

This article has 5 tips to getting beautifully sexy arms, including things like using antagonist workouts, perfecting the timing between sets, perfecting your form when you're doing toning moves, and making room for "specialization days" in your workout. Of course you'll also have to lower your overall body fat, but I think we all knew that one already.

Some of these do sound like helpful tips, and I'll definitely give them a try. But I still think my main problem is something else: discipline discipline discipline!

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