Ladies: Patience with Toning Arms

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I know that everyone has to start from somewhere, but it seems to TAKE FOREVER for me and my girl friends to tone our arms! The other day at the gym, my friend and I were just in awe as we spotted a woman with the most beautifully toned arms. I'm not talking about thin arms that don't jiggle. I'm talking about arms that don't need to flexed for everyone to know how fit you are. I definitely lift heavy, eat enough protein, and all that. I am not a fan of supplements/preworkout. I reached my goal of being able to do pullups and chinups, but yet I don't feel as though my arms look fit. They look nice and thin, but nothing can be seen unless i flex... What on earth do you ladies do to speed up muscle growth in your arms?!

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  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    you're doing the right things. depending on how far away you are from your weight goals you might still have a good layer of fat covering up those muscles.

    and great job on the pullup!!!
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    It has alot to do with BF%. The lower the BF the more you are going to see your muscles, veins etc...

    Keep working those muscles and lowering your BF% and you will see them soon!! Keep up the good work! :smile:
  • abbymgonzo
    abbymgonzo Posts: 8 Member
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    I'd say I only have 15 pounds on me to lose without looking gross and thin. Maybe I should bump up my cardio a bit? How much cardio do you ladies do?
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    It depends where your body is predisposed to lose fat from first. If you are prone to hold fat in your arms, then your arm will be one of the last places to look "toned" (toned is not a real word, by the way, it means nothing. I think the word you are searching for is "lean" Lean is a word that is actually quantifiable and has meaning in the fitness community. :flowerforyou:) Stay consistent and you'll see results eventually.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I'd say I only have 15 pounds on me to lose without looking gross and thin. Maybe I should bump up my cardio a bit? How much cardio do you ladies do?

    Just 10lbs can make a pretty big difference in terms of definition. And if you do get down there and still don't have the muscle definition you want you can work on making your muscles bigger (go on a bulk).

    Cardio does have health benefits but as far as achieving muscle definition all it does is burn more calories which can make eating at a deficit easier (or sometimes it just makes me hungrier).
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
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    I'd say I only have 15 pounds on me to lose without looking gross and thin. Maybe I should bump up my cardio a bit? How much cardio do you ladies do?

    you'd be surprised what definition you will gain after losing those 15 lbs.....just keep at it. I do 5 days a week, 20-30 min HiiT/Tabata or jumping rope.
  • abbymgonzo
    abbymgonzo Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you all very much! I think I'm going to have to focus on losing this small layer of fat then... I never have patience doing cardio for more than 30 minutes, but I am familiar with HIIT. :)