Arms!

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authip85
authip85 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I'm a special case..I have big muscular arms..I want to slim them and tone at the same time. What do I do??
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  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    If you have naturally muscular arms, you will have to use them less to slim them. Its called atrophy.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Slimming and toning = reducing bodyfat. Fat loss can't be targeted, so just follow the standard fat loss plan of a calorie deficit plus full-body strength training to keep a high metabolism. Fat takes up more space than muscle, so your arms will be leaner. Makes sense?
  • authip85
    authip85 Posts: 49 Member
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    Thank you Allan and Cherimoose! Great feedback!!
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
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    This question isn't meant to be snarky. How big is big, and how do you know it's muscle and not fat? What did you do to get "big" arm muscles?
  • authip85
    authip85 Posts: 49 Member
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    3bambi3, I've always had muscular arms. They aren't huge but they are pretty muscular. I want them to be muscular but I'm trying to slim them as well as keep them toned. So I like having muscle just not as bulky so it fits my frame. I have been using heavy weight arm workouts but I was under the impression that the more weight you use the slimmer your arms get.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    authip85 wrote: »
    So, I'm a special case..I have big muscular arms..I want to slim them and tone at the same time. What do I do??


    lol. sure you do.
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
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    If they are already muscular why do you want to "tone" them? Agree with previous posters that losing fat will help with removing some of the "bulk", but that will also make your muscles more defined.
  • aalmanza5
    aalmanza5 Posts: 3
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    I also have big arms, they are muscular and not as lean as I'd like. I saw the most progress when I was doing kung fu and Chi Kung(qi gong) Lots of big circular arm movements, and some rapid movements repetitively with no weights seems like the best approach that i have found. I moved away from my kung fu school, and finding a good substitute has been difficult. I've never been great with remembering forms without guided help. I recently found a video series, you can view short segments on youtube. It's called Ballet Beautiful and there is a swan style arm exercise that has been kicking my butt. It really fatigues the muscles, releases a ton of neck tension and I think it will have similar results as the kung fu. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KlnteHnZaU
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    Use some form of cardio (rowing) to exercise your arms, rather than doing lower rep weight lifting. Think about what a runner or swimmer's muscles look like versus what a weight lifter's muscles look like. Why are they different? It's the kind of muscle fiber they've worked and how they've worked it. :)

  • authip85
    authip85 Posts: 49 Member
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    Capt_apollo..why do you laugh? I'm serious! I'm not saying I gigantic arms but I have arms I think are bigger than my overall frame. Why is that so silly to say?
  • cantumelia
    cantumelia Posts: 59 Member
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    I have a similar problem with my legs: because of frequent bicycle use they´re too muscular and I can´t find tight pants to fit my calves except for elastic ones. I don´t want to look like She-Hulk but well you can´t loose targeted volume so I try to embrace them and I am training my arms so they don´t look so mismatched. Muscles burn more calories than fat so actually it´s not that bad to be muscular.
  • authip85
    authip85 Posts: 49 Member
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    Thanks to you all!! All this info helps a lot
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    edited April 2015
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    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    Use some form of cardio (rowing) to exercise your arms, rather than doing lower rep weight lifting. Think about what a runner or swimmer's muscles look like versus what a weight lifter's muscles look like. Why are they different? It's the kind of muscle fiber they've worked and how they've worked it. :)

    No. They look different because they train differently for different results.

    OP, it sounds like maybe, since you want to lose 15 pounds, you just have some excess fat on your arms. Keep eating at your deficit to lose fat and your arms should get slimmer along with the rest of you. I will say though, that I encourage you to keep lifting. It will help you retain the muscles you like and help ensure that a greater percentage of your weight lost comes from fat.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    authip85 wrote: »
    Capt_apollo..why do you laugh? I'm serious! I'm not saying I gigantic arms but I have arms I think are bigger than my overall frame. Why is that so silly to say?

    There will occasionally be a post where folks say they’re genetic mutants and get massive muscular body parts and what to get rid of the muscle. They never lift weights, but somehow have this incredible muscle mass (they also never post pictures of said body parts). The posts typically get under people’s skin for two reasons:
    1) Gaining muscle mass, especially for women, is quite difficult (yes, there are some folks with good genes and rare), or
    2) We’re all going to lose muscle mass as we age. So wanting to purposefully eliminate muscle mass is counter to a healthy lifestyle. The single best indicator for longevity is lean muscle mass.
  • Jacqueline_Conley
    Jacqueline_Conley Posts: 26 Member
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    I have a great circuit 30 min ab/arms workout that I do every week! works to tone and slim my arms. I have bigger arms too
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    3bambi3 wrote: »
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    Use some form of cardio (rowing) to exercise your arms, rather than doing lower rep weight lifting. Think about what a runner or swimmer's muscles look like versus what a weight lifter's muscles look like. Why are they different? It's the kind of muscle fiber they've worked and how they've worked it. :)

    No. They look different because they train differently for different results.

    OP, it sounds like maybe, since you want to lose 15 pounds, you just have some excess fat on your arms. Keep eating at your deficit to lose fat and your arms should get slimmer along with the rest of you. I will say though, that I encourage you to keep lifting. It will help you retain the muscles you like and help ensure that a greater percentage of your weight lost comes from fat.

    I would agree with this. Losing fat will help. Keep lifting and lose the fat and then once you get to your goal weight determine if you need to do anything differently.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Tai Chi, Pilates, and Yoga promote long, stringy muscle fibers.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Tai Chi, Pilates, and Yoga promote long, stringy muscle fibers.

    Are you saying these exercises elongate your muscles?
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    3bambi3 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Tai Chi, Pilates, and Yoga promote long, stringy muscle fibers.

    Are you saying these exercises elongate your muscles?

    Stringy is the new sexy!

  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
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    I'd kind of really like to see these arms. OPs and the stringy muscle ones, too.

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