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The nine-minute secret behind Michelle Obama's super-toned upper arms

michelle obama purple suit

Every time she steps out in a sleeveless top Michelle Obama manages to make women half her age turn green with envy over her perfectly-toned arms. Since she appeared on the political scene onlookers have been wondering how – at the age of 45 – she manages to maintain the kind of triceps usually seen on the athletics track.Now the secret is out. Her impressive upper arms are the result of a nine-minute workout consisting of just two simple exercises. Michelle's long-time personal trainer Cornell McClennan, who has been working with the first lady since 1997, has shared the details. According to him, the "utimate arm-shaping superset" is a mix of tricep pushdowns, using a pulley as resistance, and hammer curls done while holding a pair of dumbbells. Two or three sets of 15 repetitions are enough to banish 'bingo wings' and give the arms definition. Mrs Obama does the exercises at the end of a punishing workout – usually started at 5.30am in the morning - which includes weight training, rope-jumping and kickboxing. Details of the routine were revealed by US Magazine Woman's Health in which Barack Obama's wife admitted her toned figure doesn't come naturally. "I am fortunate in that I'm 5' 11', so it takes a while for the weight to be seen, but it'll come," she said. "If I didn't exercise and eat right I would be heavier, and I have been."

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