HOW DO I GET RID OF FLABBY "OLD WOMAN" ARMS?

AHealthierSuzyQ

I am 49 years old. Just got back from a week at the beach and couldn't help but notice I have my mother's arms! I live in a podunk holler town where there is no gym so I need ideas on how I can firm up my arms at home so they don't jiggle forever every time I wave. I'm walking on my treadmill, but doubt that has much effect on my arms.

Thanks,


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AHealthierSuzyQ

I am 49 years old. Just got back from a week at the beach and couldn't help but notice I have my mother's arms! I live in a podunk holler town where there is no gym so I need ideas on how I can firm up my arms at home so they don't jiggle forever every time I wave. I'm walking on my treadmill, but doubt that has much effect on my arms.

Thanks,


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Dave198lbs

I am 49 years old. Just got back from a week at the beach and couldn't help but notice I have my mother's arms! I live in a podunk holler town where there is no gym so I need ideas on how I can firm up my arms at home so they don't jiggle forever every time I wave.

Thanks, Susan

Podunk...great word

to lose flabbty anything...legs...arms...you need to get as much of the fat out of there as you can....so overall fat loss is the way it will happen....walk walk walk.....you will want to do some resistence work as well....weights...soup cans...milk jugs......lifte em curl em......it will take time but can be fun

about.com has alot of ideas
good luck

AHealthierSuzyQ

I'm REALLY new to all this. Please explain resistance work.

havingitall

push ups

or I just started a belly dancing class and that works your arms and shoulders too. There belly dancing DVDs out there.

Dave198lbs

I'm REALLY new to all this. Please explain resistance work.

resistence is adding more than your body weight
such as weights... bands....

you can use soup cans... milk jugs....

adding more weight or resistence to your arm curls and lifts

you can take a soup can in each hand and act like you are directing a sumphony...wave your arms around up and sideways,,,,,it will help with developing some strength and eventual toning with fat loss

msujdak

Push ups are the BEST overall body toner, especially for the arms. Also tri-cep dips off the back of a chair or off of a stair ( you sit in your chair with your hands griping the edge just under your rearend and the you dip your butt below the edge of the chair so that your elbows bend , push back up and repeat 8-12 times). Make sure your chair is stable, that's why a stair works well. You can also get a resistance band (like a large rubberband) and get a great arm workout that way. No need for a gym, just use your own body!

SHBoss1673

I agree with ALL of the above.

There are two possible issues.

1, you have excess fat under the arms (unfortunately it's a place women acumulate body fat), if that's the case, the cardio part will be a big help.

2. years of excess fat, even when burned off, will leave excess skin. If it's not fat under there, but skin, well, there's not a lot of choices. You can work out to try to build muscle in the area, thus tightening up the skin somewhat. Time will also shrink your skin somewhat, but there's a limit to how much, and your skin loses some elasticity with age. And of course, you could have the excess skin removed surgically. I generally don't like this idea because any surgury is dangerous, but if it's seriously lowering your quality of life, it's a thought.

on the up side, the arms are one of the easiest areas to build muscle in. They are easy to isolate, and because they are a small muscle group, you can build the muscle up at a rapid pace, and bicep and tricep muscles respond very well to weight and resistance training, and can be worked out 2 to 3 times a week if you do it right, and give them the proper recovery time after.

trenauldo

Suezzzque... SHBoss is right on the mark. It depends on what body composition you have presently, but resistance (weight-bearing) exercise in addition to cardio will give you the best results. Resistance is not only using weights, resistance bands, or weight machines (in a gym), but bodyweight exercises as well. To msujdak's point, push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises for building solid arms, chest, back, and core (torso). Cardio helps melt the fat, and resistance helps grow the muscle which, in turn, will also help burn the fat, even when you aren't working out. It's a win-win!

Go get 'em..!!

ivykivy

From experience. They are right. You are talking to a girl with 19.5 inch arms They are now down to 17.5 but the composition has changed only two inches of it is fat now whereas 5 inches before.. Between the cardio and weights (bicep curs,l hammer curl, tricep kickbacks, shoulder press and lateral lifts) and pushups they have really come down.

arewethereyet

I started with resistance bands. You can get them anywhere. They are tube like bands with handles on the end. Different colors are different "weights"

I bought 2 and started with bicep curls and tricep kick backs. The bands usually come with an instruction manual with exericses explained. You can also google exercise band workouts and there is a zillion results.

It took 2 weeks before I saw muscle in my arms! 2 weeks...........amazing.

When the bands get too easy, you just reposition the band below your feet and VIOLA a harder resistance

Good luck!:flowerforyou:

hiddensecant

Yoga Zone has a "Strengthen and Tone" video. The first half works on the lower body and the second half works on the upper body. It's only 20 minutes and very balanced (it's not 20 minutes worth of push-ups). The strength exercises are combined with stretch so the muscle you do build stays lean and long.

So it could be something to look into if you want to trim it down without building too much muscle.

trenauldo

Another rule of thumb for resistance training is that, to build muscle size, you want to select a weight that allows you to do 8-10 reps per set of an exercise with good form where the last 2-3 reps are tough. If you want to tone / shape your muscles (not increase their overall size in a sense), select weights that allow you to do 12-15 reps per set of an exercise with good form where the last 2-3 reps are tough. If you do the latter, you'll build muscle certainly, but not to the extent that you'll see major muscle size increases over time. Of course, we guys like 'em bigger (gotta look good in that swimsuit or tank top :bigsmile: )

hiddensecant

I just found this and thought of you :-). http://living.health.com/2008/10/19/end-arm-jiggle/

AHealthierSuzyQ

THANK YOU!

I really appreciate all the at home ideas and encouragement. :flowerforyou:

I used muscles I forgot I had yesterday but feel I am on my way to firmer arms. Up until my week at the beach I was focusing on getting rid of the biggest part of me - my belly. Now I am trying to take a more balanced approach and not only whittle down but firm up.

trenauldo

I used muscles I forgot I had yesterday but feel I am on my way to firmer arms. Up until my week at the beach I was focusing on getting rid of the biggest part of me - my belly. Now I am trying to take a more balanced approach and not only whittle down but firm up.

When you get started, you'll sometimes be amazed at the places you'll discover muscles, and they will sure let you know they're there, too.. lol.

I think your last sentence is really the best way to go. The fact is, you really can't "spot reduce" in an effective way, and as you gain more muscle and your body fat percentage decreases over time, you want the body to have that strong, symmetrical look to it.

I'm excited for you... Now go get 'em..!!! Let us know how you're doing...