Arms

Spoilascanb
Spoilascanb Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I asked this question a few years ago and 2 trainers went back and forward with their opinion.
I have natural BIG arms. Am told my arms don’t match my body. There isn’t a lot of loose fat, but naturally (hereditary) big. What are some suggestions to decrease the size?

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    edited June 2021
    That's probably where your body stores fat. Fat takes up more space than muscle, and women usually don't have big muscles when they're lean, so you probably just need to reduce your body fat. As trainers will tell you, exercises don't spot-reduce fat, so just focus on eating in a calorie deficit. If you do strength training, i'd follow a normal, full body program, without adding extra arm sets.
  • Spoilascanb
    Spoilascanb Posts: 40 Member
    Cherimoose…..so you won’t recommend not doing any arm exercises?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,027 Member
    Okay so for sake of not giving you the wrong info, do you have a lot of weight to lose? And if so, your arms may be one of the places you hold a lot of fat. That's a genetic issue you can't change, but if you lose enough weight, they WILL get smaller.
    As for exercise, I would still train them, but maybe only do one exercise for them with very moderate weight for a couple of sets just to keep the muscle active WHILE you keep losing weight if you're overweight.

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  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    I think arm size has a lot to do with genetics but when I was obese my arms were definitely thicker. I lost 43 lbs over 10 months and my arms slimmed down but they were one of the last places I lost fat from. They also slimmed down when I did my version of “mini bulks and mini cuts” which are cycles when I gained 5-10 pounds then lost those pounds over as many weeks the arms definitely got slimmer. When I was younger and before I was obese I was always very self conscious about my “spaghetti arms” and now that I am a healthy BMI 23.3 they are back to being spaghetti-like but I don’t mind anymore, they are what they are and I am happy with them. For reference I am 5’11” 167 lbs 46y/o and mainly a runner, I don’t really do arm exercises, maybe a little swimming but that’s about it, I’ve maintained my goal weight for 7+ years now. Not sure if this helps but you can see how my arms did change with my weight loss. If you are already at a healthy weight then recomp might be the way to go for you, best of luck! :)
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  • Spoilascanb
    Spoilascanb Posts: 40 Member
    Yes, I have a lot of weight to drop. My goal is 50 pounds. I had am arm tuck in 2019, but my arms are still big.
  • Spoilascanb
    Spoilascanb Posts: 40 Member
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  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    edited June 2021
    I am old, and overweight, and have been dropping weight pretty fast. So I have some chicken wings going.

    This may not be the answer for you, but it’s worth considering.
    I have begun using arm sleeves meant for shielding your arms from the sun. Or for covering tattoos.

    They’re slimming. Like a girdle. But for your arms. They won’t give you any other slimming benefit that I am aware of. They won’t burn fat or anything like that. But if you’re looking to de-emphasize the size of your arms? It’s one tool in the box, anyhow.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Spoilascanb wrote: »
    Cherimoose…..so you won’t recommend not doing any arm exercises?

    They won't reduce your arms, but i'd still do strength training for other reasons.
    50 lbs seems like a good goal. :+1:

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