How To Tone Flabby Arms In Three Easy Ways

As you get older, waving to a friend may be daunting when your skin and muscles lose their tone, becoming flabby. The muscles of your arms include your shoulders, biceps and triceps. Dumbbells and barbells are very useful tools for building arm muscles, especially because you can progressively measure the increase in the resistance you are using. However, if you are short on time and have to skip your free-weight workout, exercise at home or take advantage of the cardio machines at your gym that have moving bars.

Step 1

Do plenty of push-ups two days per week. On Mondays and Thursdays, strive to do 30 push-ups in the morning, 30 push-ups in the afternoon and 30 push-ups in the evening. Begin with wall push-offs if you cannot do push-ups on the floor, engaging the front of your shoulders and your triceps. Put your feet on an elevated platform once the floor push-ups become easy. Include triceps push-ups with your hands directly under your shoulders and your arms tucked close to your ribs for an even greater challenge, toning the back of your arms.

Step 2

Use an exercise band to efficiently and conveniently train your arms. Hold a handle in each hand and step one foot through the center of the band. Curl the bands toward your shoulders to tighten the front of your arms. Straighten your arms, keep a slight bend in your elbows and raise both arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor, toning the sides of your arms. Hold one handle then raise your arm directly over your head; bend your elbow just below your head then returned to the start position focusing on the back of your arm. Make these band exercises more difficult by stepping through the band with two feet and spreading your feet further apart; or step on more of the band for one-arm exercises.

Step 3

Use cardio machines with movable arm handles or hold 2-lb. dumbbells throughout a low-impact aerobics class; low impact means you are not bouncing on your toes and one foot is always on the floor. Tone your arms by pulling and pushing on the elliptical and bicycle machine handles or pulling on the rowing machine more than you normally would during your aerobic workouts. Increase the speed in which you push and pull to tone your arms even faster.

Tips and Warnings

Divide your push-ups into a few sets of five, 10 or 15. Try push-offs and push-ups on your knees using one arm. Exercise with a heavier-tensioned band. Keep track of your exercises, the number of reps and the number of sets so you can push harder during your next workout.
Start slowly to reduce your risk of muscle strains and sprains.