Any success stories with flabby arms?
Agapeguerrero84
Posts: 4 Member
If I had to choose one body part I hate, it would be my arms. I mean when I wave my upper arm keeps waving long after my hand stops. Anyone able to improve and tone just with excercise and diet ,no surgery.? If so what excercise programs did you follow?
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Replies
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Do you still have weight to lose? If so, that will make a signficant difference.
Beyond that, I find that most women (every single one I've discussed this with in real life, in fact) are misidentifying relaxed triceps muscles as part of their loose skin or fat. I ask them to stretch one arm out straight, then take the opposite hand, and grab the "loose skin" "chicken wing" "bingo wing" "flap" on the extended upper arm, putting their finger tips close to the upper arm bones, and hold on.
Next, I've had them flex that extended arm in as "bodybuilder-like" a pose as they can accomplish: Upper arm above shoulder level, elbow bent, hand curled down/in toward the inside of the arm, consciously/conscientiously tightening every single muscle they can feel, especially those underneath the upper arm. Anything that firms or tightens up when we do that is muscle, not fat or loose skin.
I'm not saying there's no fat or loose skin. I'm saying that in many cases, a big chunk of what women identify as fat/loose skin is actually relaxed muscle. It's 100% normal among even quite fit women (and men) to be able to extend an arm horizontally but otherwise relaxed, shake it hard, and get some floppy mobility in the upper arm. If relaxed muscles were tightTight, how would we move our skeleton around? Relaxed is relaxed, so somewhat slack. The long muscles, in a horizontal position, relax and hang a bit, under the influence of gravity. (Thighs will do the same thing, but we don't usually see them in the same way.)
(That women often misidentify their triceps and hate them as part of their "arm flaps" is one of my pet peeves. )
So, figure out what part of your upper arm is actually fat, as above. It's probably less than you'd think. Losing weight overall will help reduce the fat part of it. After the fat is lost, the loose skin part of it will start to shrink, and that will take some time to happen (maybe slower than fat loss, but you appear to be young, so your odds are pretty good that it will happen in the first year or so after you hit goal weight. You can firm up the muscles in that area for some other moderate benefits.
A compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups would be best (overhead press/shoulder press, bench press, push-ups and variations; and there are others). It's also possible to do accessories like tricep extensions or tricep dips, and others. (You can look those up).
Don't expect that relaxed triceps will be firm under all conditions, even once very trim and strong, though. You need some slack in there to be able to move your arm. (Our thighs are kind of the same; but they're mostly vertical, and the slack is at the back, so we don't so much notice.)
Best wishes!5 -
Thank you so much! I do still have a lot to lose, like 60 pounds or so. I know it will take time, was just looking for a ray of hope that they will improve eventually. Thank you again.1
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Agapeguerrero84 wrote: »Thank you so much! I do still have a lot to lose, like 60 pounds or so. I know it will take time, was just looking for a ray of hope that they will improve eventually. Thank you again.
They will. :flowerforyou:3 -
I feel your pain girl want that *kitten* to disappear... but truth is weight loss is the way to go I guess. We can do it. 😊1
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I tend to store fat on my arms. I hate it, but not much I can do. Strength training particularly with tricep exercises using a full range of motion plus losing fat. I almost got the jiggle gone pre pandemic and the the 10 lbs I have put on located back there. Recommitted to getting those arms lean again.3
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My arms (biceps) went from 18 inches to 11 inches.
I lost over 80 pounds. When I reached my goal my arms were around 13 inches and it stayed there for a while. My triceps had some loose skin and it was annoying, but they were better then it was previously.
After a couple years of maintaining I noticed my skin was slowly tightening up. I continued to stay on my plan, working out and taking my measurements regularly. It was exciting to see the changes.
I didn't do anything fancy. Typical upper body workouts. I never went heavy with my weights, but while losing weight and in my early days of maintaining I used mostly moderate weights.
Now that I'm happy where I am, using mostly resistance bands and bodyweight is perfect for me now.
All I can say is keep going. It might be a long road, but let me tell you the results of being consistent is so worth it!
Good luck!
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