Arms! How to get rid of that excess flab

srogers89
srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I have been doing various forms of exercise over the last 3 or so years, but have only recently started calorie counting and really digging into it. I had 5kgs to shift and am more than halfway there. My problem is I seem to have lost weight/gained muscle in my legs and belly but my arms are still hideously flabby, specifically the tri-ceps area.

No amount of dips, tri-cep extensions and dieting seems to be able to shift this fat! I can see muscle developing in my bi-ceps and shoulders and am really loving how the 'front' is coming together, but every time I turn on my side or look at myself in the mirror from behind I get so down about the state of my arms :(

Any and all tips would be appreciated!

Replies

  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    All you can do is keep working on it. I've had good luck with kayaking and kettlebells. I have lost 5 inches off my arms but every person is different and there's no such thing as spot reducing.
  • TattooedNici
    TattooedNici Posts: 2,141 Member
    I have that dreaded tricep flab, too. Right now, I'm doing P90X twice a day to help build up my upper body strength. In my opinion, P90X is a great work out for strength training.
  • JustYandy
    JustYandy Posts: 221 Member
    Weights
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
    I have the same problem so I know how you feel. We all lose weight in different places and usually the last place you lose is the place you want gone the most :ohwell:

    Best thing is to keep losing weight and strength training so you don't also lose muscle. Rowing machines and bench press are good for this, try upping the weight and going for 8-10 reps before you literally can't push it anymore. You have to push the weight up constantly if you want to keep everything moving in the right direction.

    Good luck!
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    I stopped doing kettle bells as the new gym I go to doesn't have any (cheapy around the corner!) maybe I should get back into those Russian Swings!
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    I sould also say I am doing weights regularly (3-4 days a week) I only do 2 days of cardio a week and play one netball game during the week also.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Sounds like your body is just holding fat there and you'll need to continue at a calorie deficit to burn it off and possibly ramp up your arm exercises to tighten everything up. I'm sure over time it will fade and get back to normal if you eat healthy and continue to exercise. Everything should balance itself out over time.
  • thesifter
    thesifter Posts: 107 Member
    My wife calls them Bye bye arms , they keep waving bye bye after your'e done. I realize this doesn't help , just gunning for a smile :wink:
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    My wife calls them Bye bye arms , they keep waving bye bye after your'e done. I realize this doesn't help , just gunning for a smile :wink:

    Here we call them Bingo Wings...they start flapping about when you yell out BINGO!
  • zumbawhit
    zumbawhit Posts: 115 Member
    How about push-ups? I'm sure that seems obvious, but people who usually do push-ups go for the wide-grip kind because they are usually naturally easier and can make you feel more accomplished. The best thing you can do for your body is a proper basic push-up. Hands directly under the shoulders. The wider the arms, the less tricep is used. Keeping your arms right under the shoulders will work all the upper body together, but will target the triceps in a different way than tricep-specific resistance moves alone. Just a thought! :-)
  • zumbawhit
    zumbawhit Posts: 115 Member
    Basically, the elbows should brush the sides of the body... (that might be a better explanation)
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
    lower your overall body fat
  • lebaker310
    lebaker310 Posts: 164 Member
    Every thing I've read and heard is that you can't spot treat fat. I did a bagillion crunches before I realized the fat wasn't going anywhere, it was just staying on top of the muscle. It wasn't until I got my diet on track and drinking a ton of water that I started losing the fat and finally saw the muscle peaking through that I had been working on. Like someone else said, everyone loses fat in different places.

    I love my arms right now, but I have that little bit of armpit flab next to my bra that really pisses me off. No matter how many exercises I do focusing on that area, it never changes.
  • Sierra_christine89
    Sierra_christine89 Posts: 156 Member
    lower your overall body fat

    I think she meant the flab you get after you have lowered your overall body fat.
    I know when I lost weight a few summers ago I wasn't as educated on everything as I am now, and all I did was run everyday. So, I lost weight without toning anything, and I was left with a bunch of flab. Now I have to kill it daily to get rid of it all and tone it up.

    I'd suggest doing weights everyday though, girl!
    Chair tricep dips, pushups, etc. Any arm workout really. You don't even have to lift a lot. 5lb dumbbells could even do the trick to tone up. But, I'd suggest heavier weights because you'll see results faster :)
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    How about push-ups? I'm sure that seems obvious, but people who usually do push-ups go for the wide-grip kind because they are usually naturally easier and can make you feel more accomplished. The best thing you can do for your body is a proper basic push-up. Hands directly under the shoulders. The wider the arms, the less tricep is used. Keeping your arms right under the shoulders will work all the upper body together, but will target the triceps in a different way than tricep-specific resistance moves alone. Just a thought! :-)

    Thanks! I haven't done pushups of any kind (tri-cep or wide grip) in a long long time! I might have to get back to that... I sorted started focusing on weight training only and left little things like that to the side.
  • markrossi50
    markrossi50 Posts: 1 Member
    Was this an area that had excess fat deposits when you started your weight loss program? Because it may be an area that can burn fat a little easier than other areas it may be that you have burned the fat and now have excess skin that needs to shrink. This takes time to happen but it does. For a guy it is easier to build the muscle to fill that location.
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    lower your overall body fat

    I think she meant the flab you get after you have lowered your overall body fat.
    I know when I lost weight a few summers ago I wasn't as educated on everything as I am now, and all I did was run everyday. So, I lost weight without toning anything, and I was left with a bunch of flab. Now I have to kill it daily to get rid of it all and tone it up.

    I'd suggest doing weights everyday though, girl!
    Chair tricep dips, pushups, etc. Any arm workout really. You don't even have to lift a lot. 5lb dumbbells could even do the trick to tone up. But, I'd suggest heavier weights because you'll see results faster :)


    Haha thanks for that! Yes I did mean the after flab :) I have been doing 3-4 sessions weights only in the gym a week and only about 2 cardio so I might have to ramp up my workouts, maybe even increase the weight/reps a little.
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
    yeah muscle can be built or broken down, not "toned"
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    My wife calls them Bye bye arms , they keep waving bye bye after your'e done. I realize this doesn't help , just gunning for a smile :wink:

    Here we call them Bingo Wings...they start flapping about when you yell out BINGO!

    We call them Tuck Shop Lady Arms.

    I'm really conscious of my arms too. I agree with the above comment - keep a moderate deficit and keep lifting. In time, it will all come together nicely. Fortunately you have age on your side.
  • aszwarc
    aszwarc Posts: 200 Member
    It might be excess skin, too. My bingo wings started looking a little better when I started remembering to moisturize the skin to help its resilience.
  • srogers89
    srogers89 Posts: 190 Member
    Thanks for all the responses guys :) it keeps me motivated to keep going!
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    my arms were the last to thin out, and I am finally seeing some results with the skin tightening. just stick with it and give it time!

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