Flabby arms and droopy chests are unattractive on men and women, but there are a few things you can do to tighten up and reduce the fat and flap. The secret is to firm up the underlying muscles while losing excess weight. Strength training can help with both goals.
Types
Resistance training, weight training, machines or at-home sans equipment, dozens of workouts designed to build muscle and strength in the arms, shoulders, chest and back can help shape and tone flabby arms and reduce excess chest flab. The American Council on Exercise offers workout plans on its website for arms and chests.
The website Shapefit.com offers a plethora of exercises as well as full-body and strength training workouts so you can choose just to improve muscle tone in the arms and chest or select a workout that will improve your entire body, including those two problem areas.
The best workout for arms and chest is resistance training for strength. Short, intense bursts of exercise that tax your muscles using dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, stability balls, weight machines and body-weight resistance builds strength and burns fat.
Lateral pull-down exercises, rowing machine exercises, bench presses, curls and push-ups are all good choices for strengthening muscles in the arms and chest.
Function
Strength training builds muscle, and muscle burns fat. If you are overweight, it only makes sense to make arm and chest exercises one part of a full body workout to lose weight. If you have recently lost a lot of weight and the departing pounds left behind excess skin, building muscle below the sag may help fill it in.
Exercises for the upper chest area should also include exercises for the lower chest for best results, according to Mike Behnken, founder of AskTheTrainer.com. Chest exercises strengthen pectoral muscles and are beneficial for men and women, Behnken advises. For women, strengthening the pectorals behind the breasts can give them a lift.
Features
Whether just starting out or seeking to enhance your workout, the number of sets and repetitions has a huge impact on your results. Your diet also impacts the success of a workout program, as does overall health and fitness level.
The best course is to consult a trainer before embarking on a program to firm up the arms and chest, especially if you are a beginner. A trainer can provide a professional appraisal of all muscle groups. Some muscles may be more developed than others, causing an imbalance. A trainer can help you correct imbalances and design a workout that includes aerobic and anaerobic exercises with a concentration on arms and chest to help you reach your goal.
Benefits
According to Behnken, the benefits of exercise vary according to which exercises you perform. He calls it the SAID principle -- Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. If your workout is heavy on resistance and strength training for your arms, shoulders, chest and back, those areas will benefit most from the exercises. Since the goal is to reduce flab in the arms and chest, working those areas more will achieve at least some success.
Considerations
Even if you are at the proper weight for your body type, age, gender and height, excess fat may still be present. Examine your eating patterns to determine if you are consuming too much of the wrong kinds of foods and fats.
Muscle-building does not happen overnight, and it may take a few weeks of steady workouts and changes in eating habits to begin to see real results.
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