Arm exercises will slim your arms for a sleeker appearance. These exercises can firm up sagging arms but you might want to take a look at your diet if you have a lot of fat to get rid of. Eating more calories than you need to survive will cause you to gain weight. Therefore, the American Obesity Association recommends cutting calories to lose weight. The weight will come off your arms as it comes off your body since there is no way to only lose weight in one part of your body.
Tone Your Arms
Step 1
Perform skull crushers to tone the tricep muscles on the back of your arms. Lie on your back on an exercise bench. Hold a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart with your palms facing forward. Hold your arms straight above your shoulders. Bend your elbows and lower the barbell toward your forehead or to the top of your head, recommends the Aerobics and Fitness Association (AFAA). Your elbows should be pointing toward the ceiling. Straighten your arms to complete one rep. This exercise is also called supine elbow extensions.
Step 2
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with your arms straight in front of your body, palms facing forward. Flex your elbows to raise the barbell toward your shoulders. This is a standing barbell curl and it targets the biceps in the front of the arms, according to AFAA. Straighten your arms to complete one rep.
Step 3
Lie back on the bench to perform a second set of exercises. Do the skull crushers and barbell curls back-to-back for a total of two to three sets. Perform eight to 20 reps of each exercise to tone your muscles with a weight that fatigues your muscles on the last rep.
Diet for Weight Loss
Step 1
Determine your maintenance number of calories by utilizing a calorie needs calculator (see "Resources"). This will tell you the amount of calories you need to eat each day to keep your weight the same.
Step 2
Subtract 500 to 1,000 calories from your maintenance calories to figure out how many calories you should eat to lose weight. You should lose one to two lbs. a week by cutting this number of calories, according to the American Obesity Association. This fat will not directly come off of your arms, but they will get slimmer over time.
Step 3
Keep track of how many calories you consume daily by writing down what you eat and its calorie value in a journal and adding it up daily. Stick to your weight loss calorie goal by eating smaller portions and/or eliminating unneccessary foods like soda, alcohol and desserts.
Tips and Warnings
- Consult a dietician, nutritionist or weight loss specialist if you need help sticking to your reduced calorie diet. Do arm exercises three days a week, but not on back-to-back days.
Things You'll Need
- Journal
- Barbell
- Exercise bench
References
- "A Guide to Personal Fitness Training: Aerobics and Fitness Association of America;" Mary Yoke, MA; 2003
- American Obesity Association
Member Comments