Upper Arms - How to lose inches?

VeggieKidMandy
VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ive been steadily losing weight but my biggest weakness is my arms...I recently noticed that I have lost some weight in my forearms, but now my upper arms seem largely disproportionate , what can I do to lose some inches in my arms? I already do 60 minute of cardio and 30 min strength training 6 days a week - I need exercises that specifically target my upper arm to elbow area

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Press ups. Though actually all you need to do is reduce your bodyfat, and your arms will become smaller.
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
    thankyou, I will have to add more of those into my day when ever i can.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    You can't spot reduce. As you keep going you will lose weight overall.
    For some people it happens equally, for others it's different.

    Keep going :)
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I have the same problem. My hands and feet are starting to look like Skeletor they are so lean but my arms won't give up the fat!! You can't spot reduce, so just keep losing fat and they will eventually shrink with everything else.

    I do a lot of pushups, dips, and other tricep work to make sure I have sufficient muscle in that area because it will help fill in the loose skin.

    Good luck!!
  • bobbystrongarm
    bobbystrongarm Posts: 72
    There are none. Spot reduction and targeted fat loss is a myth.

    Everyone gains and loses weight differently. Some people get large bellies, some love handles, some inner thigh. It is your genetic disposition.

    You will need to focus on bringing down your body fat % to make large changes in your composition. Perfect example of this is fat in the pubic region. A lot of even very fit people still have a pouch of fat above their privates from when they were heavier. For men the only way to get rid of this is by attaining and maintaining a very low body fat percentage, think like ~8% or for some even lower. ( I used men as an example because I am uncertain of the exact percentages for women)

    It sounds like your training is in a good place now, keep making adjustments when you plateau and you will eventually see results. keep your diet in check, watch your macros, and eat smart. You'll get there.

    Also, depending on how large you were your skin can be stretched out. The skin is much slower to bounce back than fat loss, give it time.
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
    There are none. Spot reduction and targeted fat loss is a myth.

    Everyone gains and loses weight differently. Some people get large bellies, some love handles, some inner thigh. It is your genetic disposition.

    You will need to focus on bringing down your body fat % to make large changes in your composition. Perfect example of this is fat in the pubic region. A lot of even very fit people still have a pouch of fat above their privates from when they were heavier. For men the only way to get rid of this is by attaining and maintaining a very low body fat percentage, think like ~8% or for some even lower. ( I used men as an example because I am uncertain of the exact percentages for women)

    It sounds like your training is in a good place now, keep making adjustments when you plateau and you will eventually see results. keep your diet in check, watch your macros, and eat smart. You'll get there.

    Also, depending on how large you were your skin can be stretched out. The skin is much slower to bounce back than fat loss, give it time.

    maybe thats what it is, I was 311 lbs Ive lost over 100lbs now , I had no idea spot reduction was a myth! thankyou guys for shedding some light on that.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    at 100lbs+ fat loss, its very likely thats loose skin. thats organ tissue, it doesn't go away. if you weren't overweight for very long you can have some give in that stretched skin can shrink back down a bit. but excess skin is excess skin, you can only do so much before it just exists. and nothing you do, short of surgery, can change that.
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
    at 100lbs+ fat loss, its very likely thats loose skin. thats organ tissue, it doesn't go away. if you weren't overweight for very long you can have some give in that stretched skin can shrink back down a bit. but excess skin is excess skin, you can only do so much before it just exists. and nothing you do, short of surgery, can change that.
    Oi. :/ I hope thats not the case and it does shrink down...I dont want to have to go to surgery for this.
  • magentamorbid
    magentamorbid Posts: 47 Member
    I disagree with most people, you can't spot reduce with fat loss, however you can do specific muscle training to get that toned look. Maybe up the weights a bit? Depending on what you're already doing, adding a bit of weight can challenge your muscles more. Just let your muscles rest and recover.
    I'm looking to tone up my arms and strengthen them myself and agree that push ups are the way to go. The only problem is I can't do them very well XD
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    I agree that you can't spot reduce fat. It will come from where it comes from. My arms were slowest to lose. Like maybe I'd lost 10% from my arm circumference at the same time I'd lost 20% from my waist and hips. Good luck!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    you can do specific muscle training to get that toned look.

    She wants to shrink inches from her arms, so that means losing fat (or excess skin). That can't be targeted through exercise.

    I still think she should strength training though. But i would follow a normal, full-body program, without modifying it to target her fattier areas more (unless she wants to make the muscle under it bigger).
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
    do you think if I did strength training that it would increase how big they look? Or if stick to more cardio it will be more likely to shrink?
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    do you think if I did strength training that it would increase how big they look? Or if stick to more cardio it will be more likely to shrink?

    Neither really. My arms are tighter now than they ever have been and that is due to strength training and fat loss. It's not because I did a lot of cardio; it's because I lost body fat due to a deficit and maintained my lean body mass by strength training.
  • VeggieKidMandy
    VeggieKidMandy Posts: 575 Member
    thankyou
  • magentamorbid
    magentamorbid Posts: 47 Member
    That is what I meant, sorry. I'm just tired of seeing the go-to response of 'you can't spot reduce'. That and the usual 'starvation mode' reply. It just bums me out, we all know this stuff, now give the people some better advice on what they want to know, not your personal opinions.
    This was not an attack on you, just a quick rant after seeing these responses in countless threads on MFP.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    I'm just tired of seeing the go-to response of 'you can't spot reduce'. It just bums me out, we all know this stuff

    Actually a lot of people don't, like the person above you:
    I had no idea spot reduction was a myth! thankyou guys for shedding some light on that.
  • aekaya
    aekaya Posts: 163 Member
    Try some of the POP Pilates upper arm workouts :) those changed my arms!
  • kckBxer396
    kckBxer396 Posts: 460 Member
    Try some of the POP Pilates upper arm workouts :) those changed my arms!

    I love these!
  • Skinny_foodie
    Skinny_foodie Posts: 47
    http://news.yahoo.com/video/10-minutes-tone-arm-workout-190119594.html
    There was a video on the front of yahoo on this exact thing, I couldn't find it, but this is a 10 minute workout.
    The video I couldn't find, used lighter weights and used total movement, non-traditional movements so the hard to reach places became engaged and the tissue in those places became tighter.

    It made sense to me... another great way maybe swimming.

    Good luck and CONGRATS on the 100pound loss! Your are an inspiration!!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    at 100lbs+ fat loss, its very likely thats loose skin. thats organ tissue, it doesn't go away. if you weren't overweight for very long you can have some give in that stretched skin can shrink back down a bit. but excess skin is excess skin, you can only do so much before it just exists. and nothing you do, short of surgery, can change that.
    Oi. :/ I hope thats not the case and it does shrink down...I dont want to have to go to surgery for this.

    Check this out: http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

    He theorizes that loose skin from weight loss is a myth. That 'loose' skin is skin that still has a significant amount of body fat attached to it, and that if you lose the fat, the skin will adapt and shrink. It's worth a read anyway. :smile:

    Oh, and I wanted to add that I have seen some great before and after photos of women who were obese and lost weight sometimes to the tune of achieving 8% total body fat for figure competitions. And not a bit of loose skin to be seen!

Categories