so i joined a gym today and i really want to tone my arms and my abs.. do you guys know which weight machines i could use to do that?

I would recommend getting a trainer for a couple sessions to show you how to do the exercises properly. They're an awesome investment!

I don't think you can "spot tone" anything. Which sucks.

well... I'll tell you what my trainers told me. I'm lucky enough to work at Mayo Clinic where we have this insane gym...I mean, it's amazing. There are 2 of them, the insane one...and a smaller one. They offer free personal training, which I have definitely taken advantage of. At the smaller gym, I can get the trainer to help me out whenever. I've spoken with two of them about my concern with my arms and they've been nothing but helpful. They have me doing the Lat machine, a rower machine (or free weight rows, whichever I feel like for the day), the rope pull ---which I can feel the most in my back arms, sorta where all the arm fat hangs. Basically it's this machine that has weights and there are two "arms" that swing off to either side. You can do tons of exercises with it, but on the one arm I put this rope thing...then make sure the rope is high enough. I grab onto it and with my feet planted about shoulder width apart pull down on the rope using nothing but the arm muscles. It burns!!!

I also do planks which really work your abs, and your arms. I typically use a bosu ball and balance myself on it on my forearms. Then position your body so your back is straight and your feet are out. Sorta like if you're doing a push up. Hold it until your arms and abs get that "twingly" feeling and you can't do it anymore. ...They have me do pushups on the ball, assisted pull ups---those kill.

Crunches are good... Russian twists give me a little more I think.

skull crushers work the triceps, I believe. If you do those right you're arms get a really good work out.

They also have me working my upper back which should help with some of the sculpting I'm hoping for...

I definitely recommend the personal trainer!

I have a friend who I've recently started working out with who is pretty much a personal trainer, and let me tell you it can make a huge difference. Not necessarily because they'll motivate you more, but because they'll make sure you do it right. Seriously, we were doing abs and she'd be like, "Do you feel it?"
I'd go, "erm...no?"
She'd sit up and make a tiny adjustment to my position and suddenly my abs would be in PAIN. It was awesome.

But yeah, basic crunchs, plank, bicycle are some good ones. Also reverse crunchs (lifting your bum off the floor).

For arms I use free weights usually, and I can't for the life of me remember the names of the moves... bicep curls, the "flying" one, over the head one... Yeah I'm no help.

Yup, yup, yup. What others have said.

Remove the word "tone" from your vocab and think in terms of building strength and muscle. Toning as such is a myth.

Also keep in mind that you really need to work your whole body - even though you want to see results on your arms and abs, it's all interconnected. I third, forth, whatever the advice to find a trainer to help you build a routine that works your whole body over the course of a weeks worth of workouts.

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