The following exercises are replications of arms exercises on the Pilates Reformer and Cadillac machines. They are designed to reach your upper-back muscles, tighten and tone up your arms and core, and get your posture looking perfect!
Use either 2 medium-to-light free weights, 2 full water bottles, or resistance bands (wrapped around some kind of stable pole-like surface). During each exercise, keep your spine nice and tall and keep the rest of your body tight and contracted, including your legs, glutes, and abs. Repeat each of the following exercises 10–30 times, or until you feel the burn. To add extra leg work, you can do squats in conjunction with the arm exercises.
With your weight/resistance of choice in each hand, let your arms hang by your sides. Keeping your arms straight, squeeze your shoulder blades back and together, while your arms are contracted, and then release. Try to keep your abs engaged by keeping you rib cage knitted together.
Straighten your arms directly in front of your shoulders while holding your weights/resistance with your palms facing down. Keeping your hands, elbows and shoulders at the same height, pull your elbows back as if you wanted to tap them together behind you. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together without shrugging them towards your ears. Slowly return your arms back to the starting position and repeat. Make sure to keep your abs engaged the entire time.
Start in the same position as exercise 2. Keep one arm in front of you while you pull the other elbow back behind you as you twist your upper torso. Keep your hips level as you twist and look back behind you while squeezing your core tight to really get into the obliques. Return that arm to the starting point and then repeat that motion with the other arm. Repeat, alternating arms each time.