Slim arms down

Options
lisanug
lisanug Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya.
So I'm getting married in a few months and my arms will be on show ????
I hate my arms there big. I've managed to lose 2cm off each arm in a month but today I gained 0.5cms. Is there any particular exercise I can do to shrink them?! I'm doing low weights with more reps rather than big weights. Is that the right thing to do? I'm still a newbie to exercise so any help would be greatly appreciated

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    do big weights... eat in a deficit...
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    Options
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1277905-anybody-got-success-stories-for-bingo-wings

    Good Luck !
  • BentWifey
    BentWifey Posts: 2
    Options
    Hi Lisa, congratulations on your wedding!

    Do you have a TRX system in your gym? I found doing pull ups and press ups on there GREAT for arms and back. Try and do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. Agree with the other post, the higher the weight the better. I love military presses too. Trust me, you won't get big just lovely and lean (as long as you are eating right too - really important).

    I also found searching on You Tube for arm exercises/workouts really useful for as you can actually see people doing the exercises.

    If you do use a gym, ask one of the trainers for advice and see if they'll give you a program. This really helped me :)

    Good luck!
  • _L_A_
    _L_A_ Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    I have been worrying about the same thing, so when I was in the gym I asked if I could be "re-inducted" and taken through some movements with free weights and some of the other machines (pulley systems, assisted pull-up etc) to develop a good work out for my arms and upper body. She helped me out straight away and now I work my upper body out every time I go to the gym :) (before I'd just run on the treadmill, then do leg presses and other leg exercises, so my arms were fat, flabby and weak and my legs were getting stronger and stronger!)

    I don't know about any actual size change because I haven't been measuring them, but I my arms look less flabby and more toned in the mirror and they're getting stronger :) also since working my upper body out my back has started looking much nicer! Which is good because my wedding dress is strapless!

    My routine is:

    Assisted pull-ups (12 reps, 2-3 sets depending on when I really can't do much more)
    Assisted dips (same as above)
    Low row on pulley system (12 reps, 2 sets, the last couple feel almost impossible, when they are easier I go up a weight)
    High row on pulley system (same as above)
    Chest press system (same as above)
    Then I use free weights and I do bicep curls, forward arm lifts and arm lifts to the side.
    If I have energy and time I'll use some of the arm machines in the gym as well.

    I probably need to ask the gym instructor to go through some more free weights exercises with me to be honest as I have forgotten a lot of the ones she said :(

    Something I have read is that doing higher weights and making sure on the last ones it is very difficult is better than doing many more reps at a lower weight that never gets to the point where it is incredibly difficult. I may be wrong on that so hopefully someone better than me will be able to confirm/deny that!

    Anyway, I'm not an expert, this is just what I do and I have had some visible improvement :) I could probably improve my work-out a lot more to get more improvement but for now this is doing the job! I make sure I go up weights as soon as I can too, although sometimes that takes a while!
  • lisanug
    lisanug Posts: 14
    Options
    Thank you. That's really helpful. I was obviously told incorrectly as I come away from the weight machines feeling like I've lifted a few bags of shopping nothing that makes me ache. I will start lifting heavier. I think I'm eating correctly, my cals are 1400-1500 per day which my GP recommended. Thank you again x
  • lisanug
    lisanug Posts: 14
    Options
    Wow I've copied and pasted into my gym notes. I'll defo give those a try. I am noticing a change in my back my bras sit better at the back and when I sit I can actually feel my spine! Haha! Good luck on your wedding day! It's so exciting isn't it! X
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    Sorry to burst your bubble but the only thing that will slim your arms down is a calorie deficit to lose fat. You can't spot reduce.
  • BentWifey
    BentWifey Posts: 2
    Options
    That sounds like a great routine Larcher91 :)

    As soon as you can do 3 x 15 reps of anything fairly easily you need to up your weights.

    I had a trainer for a while and I wanted to be sick every session and I always came aways a shaking sweating wreck, but man I had never felt or looked so fit.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Options
    You can't spot reduce your arms. However if you eat at a deficit you'll lose fat all over, including your arms over time. I also recommend weight training, but not because of spot reduction. Just because that will help you keep your muscle while you lose fat and you'll end up with a lower body fat percentage when you reach your goal weight than you would without resistance training.

    However I'd encourage you to do a full body lifting routine based on compound movements, not a bunch of arm isolation exercises. Look up Starting Strength, Stronglifts, or New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Categories