The dreaded 'bingo wings'!

Loula124
Loula124 Posts: 35 Member
edited October 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Not sure if this should be in weight loss or fitness, but I'd love some inspiration from ladies who have toned up their upper arms. I am 5'6" and currently weigh 9st 7 (133lbs) and have a relatively flat stomach really (post two kids and c-secs and having lost 12lbs) but I seem to carry loads of weight on my arms and I hate it!

Should I be doing weights? What machines would be good? Will the jiggle go as I lose more weight? I can make an ok bicep but if I (or my charming offspring!) wobble the underside of my arm it's not pretty! Oddly, my frame is pretty small, I can easily overlap my thumb and index finger round my wrists.

Thanks!

Replies

  • melmckay99
    melmckay99 Posts: 358
    ahhhh I am also built like this. My mom and my sister are the same. runs in the family. We all have relatively small frames, but we have these unproportionally large arms. I am so envious of girls with those thin dainty looking arms, they look so nice and feminine. I was about 141 lbs a cfew months ago and now am about 128 lbs. I have been doing a lot of weight lifting (even for my arms) and I have had a bit of improvement. I still think my arms are too big for the rest of my body, but I think I will just always be like that. I have gained a lot of muscle though so they don't really jiggle anymore. I used to notice it when I was blow drying my hair, lol, lifting my arms and having my hands in my hair, I would see the fat under by arms jiggle back and forth,....ewwwwww. Anyways, even though I have gained muscle, I know that my arms have gotten a bit smaller cause my arm strap for my MP3 player fits a bit looser at the gym. I never took my measurements, so can't tell you exactly how much it went away, but it did go away a bit! I say go ahead with the weight lifting, what have you got to lose (except fat :) ).
  • Loula124
    Loula124 Posts: 35 Member
    ahhhh I am also built like this. My mom and my sister are the same. runs in the family. We all have relatively small frames, but we have these unproportionally large arms. I am so envious of girls with those thin dainty looking arms, they look so nice and feminine. I was about 141 lbs a cfew months ago and now am about 128 lbs. I have been doing a lot of weight lifting (even for my arms) and I have had a bit of improvement. I still think my arms are too big for the rest of my body, but I think I will just always be like that. I have gained a lot of muscle though so they don't really jiggle anymore. I used to notice it when I was blow drying my hair, lol, lifting my arms and having my hands in my hair, I would see the fat under by arms jiggle back and forth,....ewwwwww. Anyways, even though I have gained muscle, I know that my arms have gotten a bit smaller cause my arm strap for my MP3 player fits a bit looser at the gym. I never took my measurements, so can't tell you exactly how much it went away, but it did go away a bit! I say go ahead with the weight lifting, what have you got to lose (except fat :) ).

    Yes, me too - would love that slender armed look! Actually my Mum also complains about her arms so I shall blame her. I have to say that in your profile pic your arms look great so that is very encouraging if you feel things have got better recently. I could live with width if I lost the jiggle (I know exactly what you mean about the arms up thing). I always notice my arms when I see myself in photos, I reckon a flabby arm gives the impression of fat even if the rest of you is slim.
  • Cuddlemonster2
    Cuddlemonster2 Posts: 30
    A bit unrelated but, what does it mean if you can overlap your thumb and index finger around your wrist? I tried, and I couldn't even let the tips touch!
  • AimersBee
    AimersBee Posts: 775 Member
    A bit unrelated but, what does it mean if you can overlap your thumb and index finger around your wrist? I tried, and I couldn't even let the tips touch!

    probably meaning they can go just a bit further than just touching the tips of their fingers together... (usually meaning their bone structure is a really small frame)


    (i can touch the tips of my fingers together, that's it)
  • RHHMom
    RHHMom Posts: 34 Member
    Tricep kickbacks and dips.
  • marinebiologist_girl
    marinebiologist_girl Posts: 300
    A bit unrelated but, what does it mean if you can overlap your thumb and index finger around your wrist? I tried, and I couldn't even let the tips touch!
    Not really relevant. I have always been able to do that, even at my heaviest (93kg). Personally I just don't carry weight on my hands, wrists and forearms.
  • melmckay99
    melmckay99 Posts: 358
    ahhhh I am also built like this. My mom and my sister are the same. runs in the family. We all have relatively small frames, but we have these unproportionally large arms. I am so envious of girls with those thin dainty looking arms, they look so nice and feminine. I was about 141 lbs a cfew months ago and now am about 128 lbs. I have been doing a lot of weight lifting (even for my arms) and I have had a bit of improvement. I still think my arms are too big for the rest of my body, but I think I will just always be like that. I have gained a lot of muscle though so they don't really jiggle anymore. I used to notice it when I was blow drying my hair, lol, lifting my arms and having my hands in my hair, I would see the fat under by arms jiggle back and forth,....ewwwwww. Anyways, even though I have gained muscle, I know that my arms have gotten a bit smaller cause my arm strap for my MP3 player fits a bit looser at the gym. I never took my measurements, so can't tell you exactly how much it went away, but it did go away a bit! I say go ahead with the weight lifting, what have you got to lose (except fat :) ).

    Yes, me too - would love that slender armed look! Actually my Mum also complains about her arms so I shall blame her. I have to say that in your profile pic your arms look great so that is very encouraging if you feel things have got better recently. I could live with width if I lost the jiggle (I know exactly what you mean about the arms up thing). I always notice my arms when I see myself in photos, I reckon a flabby arm gives the impression of fat even if the rest of you is slim.

    it's all about angles....in my profile pic you are looking at me staight on, and my arms are pulled back slighty and are away from my sides. If I was standing on and angle and had my arms all the way down (pressed to my sides) you would really see how big they are. I will have to try and find a pic maybe that shows this more (I am at work now tho so can't at the moment). I hate seeing pics of me from the waist up wearing tank tops cause I always look so huge cause of my stupid arms!!!
  • Zaftique
    Zaftique Posts: 599 Member
    Just a jiggle? I wish I had just a jiggle. ;) I have full-on wings brought on by amazing arms after 2 weeks of canoeing in the Boundary Waters followed by 10 years of diddly squat. :D Flap flap flap, up and away!

    You need tricep exercises. There's several things you can do, like canoeing(!), or several ideas in the wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricep
  • Loula124
    Loula124 Posts: 35 Member
    Tricep kickbacks and dips.

    Thank you, I will look these up. All new to me.
  • Loula124
    Loula124 Posts: 35 Member
    Just a jiggle? I wish I had just a jiggle. ;) I have full-on wings brought on by amazing arms after 2 weeks of canoeing in the Boundary Waters followed by 10 years of diddly squat. :D Flap flap flap, up and away!

    You need tricep exercises. There's several things you can do, like canoeing(!), or several ideas in the wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricep

    Thanks - not sure canoeing is going to happen any time soon in South London but filed away for future reference! When I was riding as a teen that was great for arm and thigh strength, partially from controlling my strong stocky stubborn pony and partly to do with all the buckets of water and bales of hay I was always carrying around, plus mucking out of stables etc
    I wonder it's worse to start out fairly strong and then lose it? I never really saw what I did as exercise but it was definitely hard work
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    A bit unrelated but, what does it mean if you can overlap your thumb and index finger around your wrist? I tried, and I couldn't even let the tips touch!
    Not really relevant. I have always been able to do that, even at my heaviest (93kg). Personally I just don't carry weight on my hands, wrists and forearms.

    I've never been able to do that, even at my thinnest/healthiest. I have my mother's short fingers!
  • P05T5CRIPT
    P05T5CRIPT Posts: 285 Member
    Kettlebells have done wonders for my bingo wings, after 6 months of kettlebell classes, they are disappearing. Kettlebells have helped tone up my arms and shoulders like nothing else, easily my favorite workout.
  • dena789
    dena789 Posts: 165 Member
    A bit unrelated but, what does it mean if you can overlap your thumb and index finger around your wrist? I tried, and I couldn't even let the tips touch!

    It's a way of telling what size frame your body has. I thought that it was the middle finger and the thumb circled around the wrist to determine frame size. If your fingers do not meet/touch, your frame is large. If your fingers do meet/touch, your frame is medium and if your fingers overlap, your frame would be small.

    If this test is accurate using the middle finger and thumb, my frame would be medium. If it is supposed to be the index (or pointer) finger, then my frame is large. Now I need to go do some more research to find out for sure which finger is supposed to be used for the measurement.

    Edited to add; I looked it up and according to this link http://www.ehow.com/how_2346297_determine-body-frame-size.html it is the longest finger and the thumb that is used. They also have an alternate method of measuring that I have not tried yet.
  • claritarejoice
    claritarejoice Posts: 461 Member
    I have the same issue. I wish I had an answer for you. I have actually heard that tricep kickbacks and all that don't work, but I'm not an expert. I will have to call some of my trainer friends who know more into this thread.
  • Cuddlemonster2
    Cuddlemonster2 Posts: 30
    Thanks everybody that answered me, by the way. Looks like I have a medium body frame, if I use my longest finger and my thumb.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    If you tense the back of your arm is there still fat and flesh? If so you need to lose more bodyfat to reduce that. Do you know what your bodyfat percentage is, preferable measured by callipers or a professional machine (Bod Pod or a lie-on-the-floor with wires and pads job)? Triceps exercises will only tighten up or develop the underlying muscle somewhat. If you are already doing exercises like chest press or press ups you are already working your triceps. Be sure you are doing slow quality reps to failure taking your elbows back in line with your body, to 90 degrees.
  • phoebeleb
    phoebeleb Posts: 172 Member
    bump
  • scfarrant
    scfarrant Posts: 30 Member
    P05T5CRIPT wrote: »
    Kettlebells have done wonders for my bingo wings, after 6 months of kettlebell classes, they are disappearing. Kettlebells have helped tone up my arms and shoulders like nothing else, easily my favorite workout.

    Bit late to the plate on this one, but I concur, the best kettlebell move for 'bingo wings' is called the Arnold Press. Here is a short demo: https://youtu.be/_8skv7eKibA

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