At-home exercising

Cans of soup, towels and bottled water are more appropriate for an emergency-preparedness kit than a home-training article. For a beginner, yes, pantry items may provide the right resistance for a biceps curl or lateral raise, but if you train consistently, you'll quickly find that lifting bottles of Evian just doesn't do the trick.

To train at home and get the results you want, you do need to work with sufficient resistance, but it isn't necessary to invest in fancy equipment. In upcoming issues, we'll feature different home workouts that are challenging and effective, but require just basic equipment such as a pair of dumbbells. We'll eventually cover the total body, but arms are the topic on hand. Using dumbbells, your own bodyweight and basic furniture, even the advanced exerciser can effectively work both biceps and triceps at home. Following this workout for 20 minutes, twice a week, will improve your strength and shape without your having to schlep to the gym.

For most of the six exercises in this program, choose a weight with which you'll be able to complete 12-15 repetitions, but that makes you work hard at getting that weight up for your last few reps. When those final reps are no longer very challenging, use a heavier pair of dumbbells and decrease your reps if necessary. I recommend investing in a few pairs of dumbbells, perhaps in a range of 5, 8 and 10 pounds. Results come down to the weight you use and how hard you work, so try to progressively increase your resistance while always lifting with proper form.

Most of us train under time constraints, so I've designed this workout to be time-efficient. In the following three different supersets, you'll do one biceps exercise followed immediately by a triceps exercise. You'll then repeat the sequence once or twice more, and begin the next superset. You'll need less rest time between exercises because you rest your bi's as you work your tri's, and vice versa.

I advise that you exercise at your convenience, when you won't be interrupted. Turn the ringer on your phone off, play some music you enjoy - something upbeat that'll keep you motivated - and just focus on your body for those 20 minutes. Especially when you lift enough to challenge your body and keep your mind focused, you'll finish feeling accomplished and energized.