what do you do to tone and slim your arms?

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Banglore
Banglore Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
....When you're an inexperienced beginner who is also female and doesnt want to be bulky(who also happens to have very little upper body strength) who can BARELY use the shoulder press and chest press type machines on the lowest weight. My arms are always my worst point and Id love to feel really comfortable in tanks for this summer ya feel?
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Replies

  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
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    Dumbbells work. You can get 2lbs, 3 and 5 lbs. Do arm exercises for the biceps and triceps, but also make sure to work the chest muscles and back muscles because the arms connect to these major muscles. You can find many exercises for these muscles and how to perform them properly on YouTube or body building sites.

    Pushups are also a great way to build strength and slim your arms. You can do pushups against the wall to begin with, or even inclined at the edge of your bed. You can put your knees down while in a pushup position on the floor instead of doing a regular pushup. It is important that you maintain a flat back and keep your abs tucked in. That helps support your lower back plus keeps focus on the upper body.

    If you go to a gym, try using cables. Most gyms have them, and you can do less resistance with more repetitions.
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
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    Check out Ellen Barrett DVDs.

    BTW "weakling girl" may not have been the best choice of words.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
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    yoga
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..

    :flowerforyou:
  • Banglore
    Banglore Posts: 10 Member
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..

    Im sorry Im a complete rookie with this stuff :) Im not familiar with macros What do you mean by that?
  • mrstravisjones
    mrstravisjones Posts: 104 Member
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    you can target strength training to certain muscle groups, but you cannot target weight loss to a specific part of your body.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Check your local library for Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones. She does a lot for the arms. You can start with small weights (soup cans are about 1 lb each, and that will save you from buying 1 lb dumbbells) and work up. I say to try it from the library because it's free, and after a week or 2 you may decide that you can do it on your own, or you may decide to buy it.

    Along with that, you want to eat at a deficit to help get rid of body fat. You can't spot reduce, so it's important to reduce your body fat as well. But it is also important to do exercises so that the muscle that is there when the fat goes is nice and tight :smile:
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
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    that wasnt directed at you. no need to apologize for honest question.

    are you macro nutrients. proteins, carbs and fats. a proper diet should have a somewhat balance of all three. one mistake i see a lot of people do is eat healthy food, but ignore macro sources. most common is very high carb and very low fat. end result is your body is still starving as its nutrient deprived. and excess carb stores as fat. making results be way slower than they should have been
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    If you are a beginner, the last concern should be becoming bulky. No offense, but that would require a few years of eating at a surplus while lifting heavy.
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
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    I tend to have skinny arms, after I lose fat. I find that doing a good general weights program really helps. You need to think about your goals and then how to achieve them. Please to not worry about getting bulky. I would love a bit more meat on my arms bones, but at this stage it isn't happening lol.

    My personal goals- to be able to lift things I need to do at work and not get injured. Functional strength basically. The changes in my appearance are a massive bonus. The work and diet work well together. For strength I do dumbbell squats, lunges, dead lifts, and calf raises for lower body and these help my core and upper body, because the weights are getting heavy to hold. I also do shoulder presses , raises , push ups, chest flys , bent over rows and bicep curls. The bicep curls are just to hopefully make my biceps bigger, or at least stop them from looking skinny lol. This is roughly what I do for strength. It is proving effective and I am always trying to either lift heavier or squease one more rep out. If I can do more than 12 ,I move up and generally the next highest weight means I can only do 5 or 6 at first. I am far from bulky and am getting kind of skinny. I also have started doing the 30 day shred. I am adding it in to my routine, doing it 3 days a week. This is because I what respeditive strain injury. I have had that at work and lift to avoid that. Level 1 has a lot of decent upper body work. Higher reps, but still okay. I also do a lot of cardio , because I enjoy it.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Yoga, pilates, barre3
  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..

    Yes, exercise does burn fat. Diet alone will not burn fat.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..

    Yes, exercise does burn fat. Diet alone will not burn fat.

    Yes it will.

    You lose fat due to a calorie deficit. That is achieved through your diet.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    30 day shred makes my arms look pretty damn good.
  • PrimalSiren
    PrimalSiren Posts: 144
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    If you are a beginner, the last concern should be becoming bulky. No offense, but that would require a few years of eating at a surplus while lifting heavy.

    This^

    "doesn't want to get bulky" Why do females keep spouting off this crap?

    Push ups, pull ups, dips, any body weight exercise that uses arms will tone up the muscles in your arms.
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
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    ugn.. exercise does not burn fat or slim arms people. so why are you recommending it?

    count calories, balance macros, and do full body compound exercises. fat will be lost as determined by genetics. there is no such thing as an arm toning exercise..

    Yes, exercise does burn fat. Diet alone will not burn fat.
    I honestly don't know what to say to this.
  • Viva81Diva
    Viva81Diva Posts: 148
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    Let me reiterate. I am under the impression that the original poster wants to improve the appearance of their arms. In order to do this, sculpting is the focus. Diet alone does not "sculpt" figure. You may lose weight by dieting alone, but will still have fat that remains stored. Why? Because dieting does not burn the fat necessary to sculpt muscle. Exercise, such as aerobic activities burns fat. Resistance training, which is anaerobic, conditions the muscles by ripping and tearing muscle fibers so they may regenerate cells that will improve elasticity and reshape the body by bonding together during the rest period. Nutrition is key to this process. Our cells feed on nutrients in order to survive, and as long as we provide these cells with the nutrients they need, we will see improvement in our bodies overall.

    You cannot spot reduce, but you can spot train. If the focus is on having more shapely arms and more strength to perform weight training exercises, then my advice to the original poster is sound.

    There should be no further need to argue about this matter.
  • amandadawson24
    amandadawson24 Posts: 11 Member
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    Nothing has toned my arms like pole dancing has. If you live in a more populated area, there are bound to be classes around you. If you are in a more rural area, then there may not be. When I first started, I could barely lift myself off the ground, and it took me a few months to be able to climb 14 feet. It really is a great whole body workout!
  • FCHW
    FCHW Posts: 35
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    For arms to be leaned out, my advice would be: low amount of weight (like 3-10 pound dumbbells) with a high amount of reps(to burn more calories and work that muscle simultaneously). Also, up the cardio to burn the fat.

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