Although upper-arm fat is not as dangerous as stomach fat, you know firsthand the embarrassment it causes. You can only hide it under your sleeves for so long, before you are forced to expose it. The best approach you can take to thin out your upper arms involves diet and exercise. Forget about doing one single exercise dozens of times a day. This is called spot reduction, and it is ineffective. You do need to do arm exercises, but that's only part of the plan.
Step 1
Reduce your calories to promote weight loss. Chew your food more slowly and decrease your portion sizes. In doing so, replace all of the empty-calorie foods in your diet with high-nutrient foods. Lean meats, fish, whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and tofu are all healthy foods. Eat smaller meals and spread them out over the course of the day to keep your appetite under control.
Step 2
Perform cardio that involves your arms. To lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of cardio may be necessary, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Do not be shy in doing this amount to slim down your arms in a hurry. Elliptical training, swimming, rowing, versa climbing and kickboxing are forms of cardio that focus on your arms as well as your legs.
Step 3
Perform exercises that target all of the upper-arm muscles. The triceps are the muscles on the back of the upper arms, the biceps are on the front of the upper arms and the medial deltoids are on the sides of the upper arms. Target all of these muscles with exercises like triceps pushdowns, triceps kickbacks, barbell curls, twist curls and lateral raises. Aim for 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets. Building these muscles will give your arms a leaner look as you lose weight.
Step 4
Execute upper-body plyometric exercises. These exercises are done in an explosive fashion, and they build lean muscle while burning calories. Clap push-ups, overhead throws, chest passes and slams are examples. Except the push-ups, these exercises are performed with a medicine ball. Do 12 to 15 reps and three to four sets of and save them for the end of your workout.
Step 5
Build the muscles in the rest of your body. A pound of muscle burns 30 to 50 calories per day just to maintain itself, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Do exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, squats, lunges and crunches to target your other muscle groups. Perform 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets. The more muscle you build, the more calories you will burn throughout your body.
Step 6
Exercise on a regular basis to reap the best results. Do your cardio three days a week on alternating days and split your arm and leg workouts. For example, one week do your arm workout on Monday and Friday and your other workout on Wednesday. Switch this the following week so you are doing your arm workout on Wednesday and the other workout on Monday and Friday. Alternate back and forth.
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