Even if you're a healthy weight, loose skin and deconditioned muscle can contribute to flabby-looking arms. Lifting weights helps you shape and tone your muscles, giving you sleek arms instead of flab. A single set of 8 to 12 repetitions is enough for general strength training and toning, as long as you lift a weight that makes the last repetition a challenge.
Bench Dips
If you don't have access to a gym or weight-lifting equipment, you can work your triceps -- the large muscles on the back of your upper arms -- with bench dips. Sit on the edge of a weight-lifting bench, bed or sturdy chair. Place your hands on either side of your body, with fingers lapping over the edge of the bench. Extend your legs in front of you. Slide your body forward off the bench, supporting as much weight as possible on your arms. Lower your body, keeping it as close to the bench as possible, until your shoulders are approximately level with your elbows. Extend your arms, pushing your body back up. Push as little as possible with your legs to carry any weight your arms can't handle.
Triceps Extensions
You need only a single dumbbell to do triceps extensions, which work both arms at once. Sit on a sturdy bench or chair. Grasp one end of a dumbbell securely in both hands, so that the bar hangs vertically. Extend both arms straight overhead. Bend your elbows, lowering the dumbbell slowly behind your head. Your elbows should stay stationary, pointing forward. Extend your arms straight overhead again. Repeat.
Lifting weights overhead predisposes your lower back to hyperextension. Combat this by squeezing your abs to keep your spine in neutral position throughout the exercise. If you sit on an upright weight bench with a back support, you can use the feel of your lower back pulling away from the bench as a cue that you need to either correct your form or use lighter weight.
Biceps Curls
Although the back of the upper arm is often considered a trouble spot, toning your biceps -- the large pulling muscle on the front of your upper arms -- can also reduce jiggle, giving your arms a toned and sleek appearance. Try doing biceps curls: Hold one dumbbell in each hand, with arms down by your sides. Your palms should face in. Squeeze your abs to keep your torso from swinging back and forth as you curl the weights up toward your shoulders, one at a time. Rotate your hands palms-up as each weight clears your side. Rotate your hands back to palm-in on the descent. Repeat.
Your biceps isn't the only pulling muscle in your arms. This type of biceps curl also works your brachialis, a muscle that sits between your biceps and the arm bone, and your brachioradialis, a forearm muscle that also crosses into the upper arm.
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