If you are under 35, you probably don’t need to read this. But those of us over a certain age are all too familiar with the unsightly arm fat that starts to form on our upper arms as we age. Of course, some of it is genetic and some related to lifestyle, so not everyone will experience this specific aging issue. If it’s not genetic is it either a result of carrying excess weight or having recently lost a bunch of weight. The good news is, all hope is not lost. There are some things that you can do to help tone and firm up your arms.
While products like collagen powder and supplements can help the elasticity in your skin if you have recently lost weight, I am going to focus on simple exercises that you can do at home to help reshape those problem areas by focusing on muscle toning & growth.
Flabby upper arms, commonly called “Bat Wings”, form when there are excess fat cells stored in the upper arms. You can get rid of it by doing a combination of two things. Eating a healthy diet to lose weight and doing exercises, like resistance training. You really can’t pick and choose. If you want shapely firm arms, you have to incorporate both into your daily routine.
The healthy diet pretty much speaks for itself. Focus on whole foods and avoid processed foods. Basically, when you go to the store, you want to shop the perimeter and avoid the center aisles full of less healthy items. While you work on tweaking your eating plan, you can start to incorporate some of the following exercises into your daily routine. These particular bat wing exercises are all easy to do at home and require little or no equipment.
CHAIR DIPS
This is an effective exercise that targets the triceps. It tones the arms and the back muscles. For this workout you need to choose a hard surface, like a chair. It should be at least 2 feet higher than the ground. You should have 3 feet of free space in front of the item, to perform this exercise with ease. Face away from the furniture and place your hands on it. Your arms should be shoulder width apart. Bend your knees to match the furniture. Bend your elbows and move your whole body to the ground, the aim is to touch the floor. Come back into your normal position. You need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, every day. This is undoubtedly one of the best exercises to tone arms quickly.
COUNTER PUSH-UPS
The counter push up is an easy-to-do exercise to tone arms that can be done using a table or kitchen counter, as the focus of this exercise is on stability. You need to face the counter with your arms on the edge of it and your feet touching the base of the counter. Move back from the counter until you feel your body leaning forward on tiptoes.
You need to be balanced on your feet and your back should be straight. This is your starting position. Bend your elbows and come down till you touch the counter. Now straighten your elbows and come back to your starting position. This is a complete rep and you need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, every day. This will tone your arms within a few weeks.
SCISSORS
This exercise is easy to do and it is a fun cardio workout. It can be done standing or even sitting down. This exercise, as mentioned in the name, resembles a scissors being opened and closed. You need to begin by standing straight and lifting your arms to shoulder height, in front of you. Stretch your arms to the side and bring them back to your front, the right hand should overlap the left. This resembles an open scissors. You need to stretch them to the side again and bring them back to the front. This time your left arm should overlap your right. This is a complete rep and this exercise needs to be done in 3 sets of 10 reps every day.
DELTOID RAISE
For this exercise, you can use weights or do it without. If you don’t have weights at home, you can use other household items like water bottles or canned goods. This exercise targets all three parts of the deltoid (commonly known as the shoulder muscle) in addition to the biceps, triceps, chest and back.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Learn forward 20 degrees at the waist and engage your core to prepare for the movement.
- Hold dumbbells down beside your body, palms facing your thighs.
- Raise your arms out to the side into a “T” position until they reach shoulder level.
- Return to starting position and repeat 10–15 times. Perform 3 sets.
TRICEP PUSH-UPS
Triceps pushups target your upper body pushing muscles—namely your triceps with complementary support from the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and core.
- Start in a plank position on your feet or knees. Place your hands directly under your chest. Turn your hands inward so your fingers form a triangle.
- Slowly lower yourself to the floor, making sure to keep your body in a straight line with your core engaged.
- Push back up into a plank position, squeezing through the back of your arms and midback, pulling your shoulders away from your ears.
- Repeat 10–15 times. Perform 3 sets.
ARM CIRCLES
Stand with your feet placed shoulder width apart and arms extend straight to your sides, raised at shoulder height. Now, do 50 small circles with your hands by rotating them in the forward direction. Then switch to 50 small backward circles. The backward and forward arm movement tones all the muscles of the arms including the triceps, biceps, shoulders and back muscles as well.
You can use weights or do the circles without. If you don’t have hand weights at home, use water bottles instead. Improvise!
PUSH-UPS
Last but not least, the old classic. Push ups are an easy exercise that can be done anywhere. First start off with knee push-ups and then you can go in for the normal ones. This exercise will strengthen your muscles and tone them. Do 3 sets of 10 reps every day, to get the best results. Done consistently, this is a very effective muscle building exercise.
You don’t have to do all 7 of these exercises. Start with one. Any little bit will help and done consistently, over time, you will see a difference. You will be showing those gorgeous arms off in a cute sundress in no time!
