Arm flab is right underneath the skin, which makes it benign in comparison with deep abdominal fat, which raises disease risk. However, seeing and feeling this extra flab jiggle when you reach out your arm to wave to someone can negatively impact your self-esteem. The good news is, you can melt this fat away by making the right changes to your lifestyle.
Spot Reduction Concept
People looking for fat loss in one particular area of the body often think they can melt it away by doing a particular exercise for that area. This theory of spot reducing is not possible. Fat can be melted off flabby arms, but it also has to be melted off the rest of the body as well. Simply put, to lose arm fat, you need to zero in on overall weight loss.
Dietary Intake
The food you choose to eat has an effect on weight gain, maintenance and loss. If you want to shed arm flab, you need to cut back on your daily caloric intake. One lb. equals 3,500 calories, so you can lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week by reducing your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories. Make sure to eat foods that are low in saturated fat and high in nutrients like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, low-fat dairy products and lean meats. By also eating small meals throughout the day, you will keep your appetite under control and be less likely to overeat. This will further help you reduce your arm fat.
Benefits of Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular exercise is a must when it comes to burning arm flab. When you do cardio, you burn fat throughout your entire body. Any form is sufficient, such as brisk walking, running, elliptical training, rowing, stair stepping or jumping rope. Be aware that you need to be disciplined with your workouts to achieve success. Working out sporadically will not make much progress. To effectively lose weight, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity performed five days weekly. You also have the option of breaking this up into smaller bouts and accumulating your time if it is more convenient.
Effect of Arm Exercises
Although arm exercises alone will not get rid of your flab, they will help improve your tone and definition as you lose weight. This will give your arms a more slender appearance. Adding muscle to your body will also increase your resting metabolism, leading to more calories being burned in a 24-hour span of time. The triceps and biceps are the two major muscles in the arms. The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms, which is a common trouble spot for flab. The biceps sit on the front of the upper arms. Perform exercises that work both of these muscles such as close grip bench presses, dips, triceps kickbacks, barbell curls and twist curls. Two or three training sessions a week on nonconsecutive days is sufficient.
References
- American Council on Exercise; Why Is the Concept of Spot Reduction Considered a Myth? Jessica Mathews
- CNN Health; Slow and Steady Wins Weight-loss Race; Jean Weinberg; January 2005
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines
- MayoClinic.com; Metabolism and Weight Loss; How You Burn Calories; Mayo Clinic staff; October 2009
Member Comments