Triceps have a special function and if you understand what it is, you'll always be able to work them. Fitness expert, Fitz, also shows you what counts as a very stupid way to work your triceps. Ignore the stupid one, and get busy with the really effective choices, shown here in this video.

Discover innovative training tools, yummy low fat recipes and celebrity-laden interviews by visiting Fitzness.com

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I keep hearing both you and other people say I should do push-ups, but I'm a small woman and don't want to bulk up. Push-ups are hard, so should I do them if I want to stay toned yet trim? Alyssa

A. Great question, Alyssa! This common question is on the mind of many women, and I'm happy to give this answer as many times as there are women who need to hear it. What you need to know is that it requires extraordinary effort for most women to put on any sort of bulky muscle. That means: protein shakes, supplements and insane amounts of heavy lifting. Of course, there are a few rare women here and there who pack on muscle quickly, but if you're already telling me you are small ... you are not one of those rare women.

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There are many ways to train each muscle. I'm a girl who likes challenging and efficient exercises. This three-part routine, shown here and featuring me and Anthony Field of The Wiggles, not only made my arms shake ... it exhausted my chest and abs and left me breathless in a very short period of time. Looking for something new, challenging and fun? This is your answer.

If you're interested in getting the rings like the one's shown here in this video, visit RingTraining.com and look for Elite Rings. And for more star-studded training videos, fitness tips and recipes, visit Fitzness.com.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I love to exercise, but may only have about 15 minutes to do anything on Christmas Day. Can you give me a quick circuit to do at home before we take off for the family party? Thanks and Merry Christmas, Johnny

A. Sure, Johhny! I'd love to. Before I do that, though, I want to tell you how impressive it is that fitness is such a priority for you. Lots of folks are going to use the holiday as an excuse to do nothing. You and I both know that a brief workout will probably make us feel more energetic and happy on the big day and give us a little more wiggle room to enjoy an extra indulgence without paying the price. High five to you!

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, My entire upper arms wobble when I wave hello or goodbye. I'm only 26 years old, but I feel like my arms look like they belong to an elderly woman. I run so I'm thin, but my arms are too flabby. Help! Jada

A. Hello running woman! Thanks for throwing me the soft ball. In fact, maybe that's something you should try. Throwing softballs is a great workout for the triceps. And, if you hadn't predicted what I was going to say, you should be working your triceps! And biceps and forearms, etc.

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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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Wobble your way to a completely toned and strong body. The BOSU is a tremendous tool, which forces the element of instability into your fitness equation. The more you use it, the more STABLE you will be come. Check out these ideas and try them at home!

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 26 years old and have never been happy with my upper body. My arms are lanky and my chest is soft. I have a demanding job as an attorney, and simply don't have the time nor the know how to get involved in a complicated training regiment. I know I have to "earn" a good body, so I was hoping you could dumb things down for me. A simple routine I can do in a hurry. P.S. I love your fit tip videos! Thanks. Tim

A. Hello Mr. Tim! Training for a guy with "no time" huh? That' my specialty! Glad you asked. Look pal, I wish I could pull off the persona as a rocket scientist, because I'm on top of this stuff ... but I can't. Fitness is painfully simple, and you can achieve your goals without much complexity.

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A few weeks ago, I received one of my favorite fitness tools to date. I'm a massive proponent of training with our own body weight. For most of us, it's the heaviest weight we will ever lift. From my eyes as a fitness trainer, we are all just a bunch of massive dumbbells. Isn't that nice of me to say? So my little dumbbells ... I have a cool new tool for you! The Lebert Equalizer will add some fun and give you a bunch of neat things to do with that delightfully heavy body of yours.

The Lebert Equalizer is perfect for pull-ups, push-ups, dips, decline rows, scull crushers, planks and tons of other fantastic strength and cardiovascular training exercises as well. It's light-weight, portable, versatile and not too pricey. For $99.99 you'll get a set of Equalizers along with a free training DVD and a poster to guide you while you train.

Much to their delight (or disgust), many of my personal training clients ages 16 to 62 have been subjected (tortured) with the Equalizers. I kid! The typical exercises one would do with these tools are hard though -- in a good way. My intermediate/advanced fitness level clients have loved the challenges put forth to them each session. I would not allow someone with very little strength to use them though, because without great balance, the Equalizers wobble a bit. Having said that, people wobble on the BOSU, stability ball, and lots of other fitness tools. Balance is an integral part of functional fitness training. I don't reference the wobble to deter you. I just want you to be extra aware not to allow Great Aunt Sue to use them.

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Oh, those triceps. They're a trouble-spot, aren't they? For most people (say, um, writers for example -- who sit at their computers all day long), the tricep isn't used too much in regular activity. So, without specific exercises to keep those muscles toned, things can get a little extra jiggly there. Shape Magazine has a great exercise for getting that under-arm jiggle under control.

To perform this exercise you'll need a foam roller. A quick internet search will give you many sites that sell these versatile and inexpensive pieces of fitness equipment. You'll sit on the floor with your feet extended in front of you. Place your hands on the foam roller behind you, with your fingers pointing forward. Then pull your rear end off the floor by pulling in your abs and straightening your arms (but don't lock your elbows). Bend your elbows until your rear almost hits the floor and then straighten. Repeat 8-10 times. Do 3 or 4 sets.

Want more exercises for the under-arm area? Chris has a suggestion you can try, too. And AOL Health has a step-by-step arm exercises guide.

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Push-ups are by far my favorite upper body exercise. In fact, if you had to choose only one exercise to do for your upper body for the rest of your life.......you better pick the push-up. This all in one exercise works just about every muscle above your hip and then some. No other strength training exercise has the ability to work your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearm, abs, erector spinae (low back), glutes, calves, anterior tibialis (over your shin), neck. and more. Not only are they the best, they're something almost everybody can do. Barring spinal injuries and rotator cuffs, unless you've specifically been told not to do push-ups.....you should do them.

Here's a bunch of fun ways to do a push-up, in order from easiest to hardest. Keep in mind, your back should always be straight, Your tushy should not sag down, or stick up. Breath, breath, breath. Suffocation is rarely useful. I normally start my clients with three sets. Do the most you can possibly do on your first, rest and repeat two times. You'll be surprised at how quickly you progress.

Level 1:

Wall push-ups. Hands on wall, feet on floor about a foot away. Push out.

On knees, butt high. Hands and feet shoulder width apart on ground, push-up.

On knees butt flat. Hands and feet shoulder width apart on ground, push-up.

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I'm definitely more of a pear-shape, so I've never really given much thought to my arms when it comes to the whole fitness/body image thing. That is, until I started doing yoga about 2 and a half years ago and realized that positions that others can do with ease, such as downward dog, were a struggle for me because I was severely lacking in arm strength. After that, I began paying attention to my arms and noticed, with horror, that when I hold my arms out to make a T shape, I actually had these saddlebag things that wiggle. Ick. You know how wen daffy duck tries to show off his muscles and a section of his upper arm droops into a U shape? That's how I felt.

So, in the interest of cute tops and not embarrassing myself in yoga class, I've set out to make my arms as strong as my legs, which are toned from endless hours of walking, running and climbing up stairs.

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In our Fit Pregnancy feature, blogger Jennifer Jordan speaks her mind about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Every two weeks through March 31, 2007 she'll weigh in on exercise, diet, wellness and other health-related issues as she manages her own journey from pregnancy to motherhood.

Remember how a few weeks ago my "get up and go" got up and went? I recall lamenting feeling so lethargic given the unusually warm winter weather, realizing even then that I should take advantage of being outside while it was warm enough to do so. instead I made excuses and stayed indoors. Sure enough, the colder weather is now upon us here in NYC, with AM temperatures of well below freezing, making it too cold for a waddler like me to keep warm. As a result, I've had to take my workout indoors.

Working out inside has re-shed some interesting light on my pregnancy. As I am in my third trimester I've been feeling more and more of the aches and pains associated with the last few months of pregnancy. Even when I feel like I just can't get up in the morning, if I can just get myself out of bed and into the living room for a little stretching, I feel infinitely better...for the whole day. It's amazing but true. Remembering this is incentive to haul it out of bed when this very tired mommy-soon-to-be would otherwise turn over for a little more shut eye.

Of course, I've had to modify my workouts. The larger I become the harder it is to do certain things. When I was walking, my indoor workout consisted mostly of some stretching, some modified sit ups and some push ups. I was out the door in less than thirty minutes. Now I have nearly an hour to focus on things, which gives me the time to really concentrate on what I'm doing rather than hurrying through the steps so I can get outdoors to what I formerly considered the "real" part of my workout.

So what exactly am I doing? Well, I still stretch out from head to toe (in that order). I hold each stretch on each side for at least 30 seconds and focus on breathing, breathing, breathing. Now that the baby is truly sizable enough to mush my diaphragm, just breathing is exercise in itself.

I've continued with my modified sit-ups, although at this point I feel I'm doing them more to keep with the routine than for any other purpose. I don't really feel any sensation in my abs. In fact, I'm not even sure where they are anymore. They seem to have been replaced by the giant superdome holding my baby. I miss them, yes, but they are otherwise occupied. The modified sit up consists of sitting on the floor so my back and legs form a "V." With knees bent and toes angled down I lower my feet to the ground in unison, then raise them to a 90 degree angle. This move works my quads more than anything which is also beneficial.

I've also spent an inordinate amount of time stretching my calves. This move perhaps more than any other has been beneficial in warding off the aches and pains of the last trimester. Although it may have nothing to do with the extra attention I've paid my calves, I've avoided leg cramps all together. From what I understand they are extremely painful and hard to get rid of, often striking in the middle of the night. That doesn't sound like fun. The move I like best is the runner's stretch: Hands on the ground, body stretched in a straight line behind you and feet together, raise on foot off the ground and dig the heel of the other foot into the floor. You should feel the stretch in the calf of the foot on the floor. Make sure to hold for at least 30 seconds.

I've managed to this point to not only keep up with my push ups--the modified version on my knees--but I've actually seen gains in my strength as I've added to the total number I can accomplish. I do a set of 30, break, do a set of 20, break and then do a nice, slow set of 10. Having frequently held a friend's newborn for extended periods of time I've realized one thing: babies don't seem heavy, but they are. So build up that upper body strength while you can!

In addition to the push ups I've been using my free weights, doing bicep curls and tricep dips in sets of 20. I also do a move I call "picking up the groceries" which is a modified bicep curl that has been particularly effective. Instead of keeping your elbows at your sides as you life the weights to your chest, turn your elbows out with the weights facing your hips. Curl the weights toward your inner elbow as if you were raising bags of groceries.

Regardless of what moves you incorporate, and what works best for you, the best thing to do is to keep doing it. Stick with your program, even if you need to modify it along the way. Getting up in the mornings--albeit not every day as I used to--and doing something (anything) has helped me maintain a rhythm, and, at the very least, has alleviated my cabin fever.

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