Getting rid of flabby arms requires you to build up arm muscles and lower body fat. Building muscle on your arms provides the firmness and shape you want, and decreasing the layer of fat covering your arm muscles allows your toned arms to show. The process entails discipline and hard work, but your arms will look better and you will be stronger. Additionally, weight-bearing exercises can help lower your risk of osteoporosis, states the National Osteoporosis Foundation, so exercise to burn off flab from your arms can improve your overall health.
Build Arm Muscles
Step 1
Select exercises to build your biceps. Examples of biceps exercises include barbell or dumbbell curls, curls using a resistance band or assisted pull-ups using a pull-up bar. If you are new to exercise, begin with light weights and gradually increase the resistance as your muscles adapt.
Step 2
Choose exercises that target your triceps. Your triceps constitute the bulk of your upper arm muscles and are commonly covered with fat tissue if your arms are flabby. Triceps extension with a dumbbell, close-grip bench press and body-weight bench dips all focus intensely on the triceps.
Step 3
Include forearm exercises to balance your arm-building routine. While your forearm muscles may be slower to develop than your biceps and triceps, increasing your forearm strength helps you progress in your resistance-training program. Wrist curls, plate pinches and wrist roller exercises all work to improve your forearm strength.
Lower Body Fat
Step 1
Keep a food diary for several days, noting what and how much you eat and drink. Include foods and beverages from all sources.
Step 2
Use a calorie counter or the searchable USDA food database to calculate the average number of calories you consume every day.
Step 3
Consume 500 fewer calories per day than your current daily average. Include 12 percent to 15 percent of calories from protein, 30 percent to 35 percent of calories from healthy fats and 50 percent to 58 percent of calories from carbohydrates.
Step 4
Incorporate 30 minutes of vigorous cardio exercise, such as running, hill-climbing or bicycling, into your fitness routine. Adding this exercise several times per week helps burn extra calories, keeping your body in the calorie deficit needed to lower body fat.
Tips and Warnings
- Practice resistance training three times a week, performing three sets of eight to 12 reps for each exercise. Drink eight cups of water each day to stay hydrated. Substitute water for soda as an easy way to cut calories from your daily diet.
- Check with your health care provider before beginning a new fitness or diet routine.
Things You'll Need
- Exercise equipment, such as dumbbells and resistance bands
- Food diary
- Calorie counter
- Diet plan
- Cardio equipment, such as running shoes or bicycle
References
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: Exercise for Healthy Bones
- Bodybuilding.com: Exercises
- "Strength Training Anatomy"; Frederic Delavier; 2006
- American College of Sports Medicine: Strength Training for Women
- Hospital for Special Surgery: Exercise Tips for Fat Loss
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