How to slim upper arms ?

[workingtocruise-59]

Hi

Don't know if it's just me (it probably is !) but the sleeves on dresses seem to be getting tighter and tighter ...

Any hints/tips for slimming the upper arms ?

I have seen elastic sleeves that you wear all day but can't see how they would work and I wonder whether exercises would just make my upper arms bulkier ?

I'd be grateful for any advice ....

[kris2cruise]

I've not so lovingly referred to my arm issues as my bat wings & am happy to say that they are going away! I started doing Pilates & the work we do with the rings arm wise is working miracles!!

Best of luck to you :-)

[pretykym]

Done basic exercises will tone and shape not bulk and you don't need any equipment just stuff you have at home like a chair and some water bottles or canned food.

 

You can do done body weight dips with a chair

 

Shoulder/arm raises to front and sides with the water bottles/canned food

 

Good old small arm circles and big arm circles

 

Overhead tricep extensions

 

Use the water bottles (equal size:weight) when you walk to help tone arms

 

Push-ups You can start by pushing agAinst wall and then use a counter then a low coffee table then eventually floor on knees then floor off knees

 

Hope that helps and gives you a start

[JanineM]

It's impossible to spot trim - but you can tone arms. Dips work well for upper arms, as do shoulder presses. Use tins of food if you dint have hand weights. There are a zillion workout examples available for free on You Tube.

[cb at sea]

Push ups....you will not get "bulky" unless you really try! All you want to do is firm your muscles!

 

And...stop wearing sleeves with elastic! That's just drawing attention to your flabby arms! Wear sleeves that cover the bat-wings, until you get them under control. No "cap sleeves"...no elastic...no sleeveless. Unless, of course, you just say, "To hell with it...I don't care!" That's probably the healthiest and most sane thing to do!

[whataboutport]

I don't understand why so many women have an aversion to weight training or working out for fear of getting bulky. You will not get bulky before you lose fat. More muscle you have the more it will burn fat. But only way to get rid of fat is cardio. You can tone your muscles with dips and push-ups though.

 

Quick solution: when posing for pics, put hands on hips.

Edited February 23, 2014 by whataboutport

[Pushka]

I started training a few months ago. Never thought I'd like weights but I do. If your arms have excess skin from weight gain then there isn't much you can do about that as there's no muscle in that area, it's just skin. But you can tone the muscles in your arms.

[klauer]

Find a beginner's upper body weight training program online or in a magazine like SHAPE. You need to use a weight that is challenging enough so that you can only do 8-12 reps in a set. A water bottle is not going to be heavy enough unless you are extremely weak. You can also use elastic bands (Theraband is a brand) which are great to travel with.

 

You can't "spot reduce" if bigger arms are part of overall weight gain, and hanging skin can only be removed through surgery (which leaves a scar).

[klauer]

P.S. Make sure that you do all exercises with proper form. Physical therapists see a lot of women with shoulder injuries, and exercises like lateral raises are not recommended anymore.

[MollyFlyer]

Honestly, the problem isn't you -- it's the fashion industry. If sleeves are the only area where a dress feels tight? It's because some idiot designed it to fit a mannequin and didn't consider how it would end up on someone who would actually have to move their arms.

[Pushka]

Hmm. I was thinking that designers were designing sleeves tighter these days as this was my problem area but I know now I was in denial. When I look at photos of my upper arms 12 months ago they'd become "beefy". They've slimmed down significantly now. Same with my calves even though I've built up the muscles there.

 

I agree the weight should be challenging enough to only complete 12 reps. Then you gradually build up to 15 then up the weight and drop back to 12 again and so on. But doing the moves correctly is extremely important to avoid injury.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Pushka