When it comes to weight loss, most people focus on reducing their weight. However, a lot of people neglect another area that gives them trouble: flabby arms. That’s why so many women are looking for the best arm exercises — to tone the upper arms.
Are you self-conscious about your arms? Do you avoid sleeveless clothes because they allow your upper arms to show? You are not alone, arm “flab”, that loose and jiggly fat on your upper arm, is one of the most common complaints of women who are constantly searching for ways to get rid of this arm flab and improve their appearance.
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What is Arm Flab
Arm flab, also known as bat wings, is a common term used to describe the loose skin that hangs from the upper arms and sometimes the lower arms. The condition is more common in older women, but it can affect both men and women of all ages and sizes.
Arm flab is a condition that many women experience. While it is not necessarily unhealthy to have arm flab, many women are unhappy with its appearance. This may be especially true when wearing sleeveless clothing like shirts, dresses, and swimsuits.
What causes Arm Flab
Arm flab is more common in women than men because women naturally have higher body fat percentages than men.
Arm flab can be caused by several things, but it is most often the result of a slower metabolism, which causes excess fat to accumulate in the body and create a flabby appearance.
Some of the primary causes of arm flab include:
- Aging
- Inactivity
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Unhealthy food choices
The Best Exercises For Arm Flab
The best way to prevent arm flab is to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. If you’re already experiencing some loss of muscle tone, you can reduce the appearance of flab with targeted strength-training exercises.
Your arms are actually three muscle groups – deltoids, biceps, and triceps. In simple terms, your shoulder and the front on the back of your arm. You should train all three of these areas to best tone and tighten your new shapely arms and the best way to do that is through resistance training using your own bodyweight or free weights like dumbbells or barbells.
Here are four simple exercises that you can do in your home or in the gym to get rid of your arm flab:
1. Start with pushups
Push-ups are a great way to build strength in your upper arms and chest area, specifically the triceps or backs of your arms. They also help strengthen your core, which will make other exercises easier.
Begin face down on the floor with your hands below your shoulders and push your body up off the floor while keeping your back straight and your butt down.
Lower yourself back down and push up again. If you are not able to push your body up, lower yourself to your knees and perform your pushups.
If necessary, you can also start with wall push-ups, lean forward and place your hands against the wall and push back and away.
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2. Resistance biceps curls
The resistance biceps curl is an easy exercise that can be done anywhere and requires only a resistance band.
This exercise targets the biceps brachii and the brachialis and can be done as part of an upper-body strength training routine.
Effective resistance biceps curl technique begins with proper positioning, so make sure you have the space to lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. If you have a set of dumbbells, it’s also possible to do this exercise using those instead of a resistance band. Note that this will change the difficulty of the exercise slightly.
- Find a sturdy chair and position it in front of you.
- Place your feet on either side of the chair, hip-width apart.
- Hold a resistance band handle in each hand. Extend your arms straight out in front of you, with your palms facing inward, and place one end of the band under each foot.
- Bend your elbows until your hands are near the sides of your chest, and then straighten them back out again.
- Repeat 10-15 times
Learn resistance band exercises for biceps in this free video:
3. Overhead dumbbell presses
Using your dumbbells or milk jugs, stand with your “weights” in front of your shoulders and push both of your weights overhead until your arms are straight above your head. Pause and hold them briefly at the top, then slowly lower them back to shoulder level and repeat. You have just completed an overhead press that will tighten and tone your shoulders and upper arms. Do two to three sets of six to 12 repetitions.
Check out this free video to learn how to properly execute an overhead dumbbell press:
4. Tricep dumbbell extensions
Saving the best for last, using one of your dumbbells or milk jugs, place both hands behind your head while holding your one weight with both hands and slowly extend both arms from the elbow until they are straight above your head.
Now, while keeping your elbows fixed beside your head and slowly lower the weight back behind your head and repeat. Don’t swing, or bounce the weight or use momentum, nice and slowly, extend, lower and extend.
The most effective isolation for the triceps is those three muscles at the back of your arms. Do two to three sets of six to 12 repetitions.
Here’s a related video about How to Do Triceps Dumbbell Extensions:
Conclusion:
Arm exercises are very important for every woman if they want to get rid of arm flab, tone their arm muscles and reduce fat from arms. The best exercise is to do pushups regularly.
Surprisingly all these arm exercises are easy to do at home. Besides, they will tone down your arm muscles and also help in strengthening your wrists and forearms. As with any exercise program, consult your doctor before starting it to avoid injury.
You should use them every other day to get rid of that arm flab and you’ll soon have the confidence to show off your new tight and toned arms!
