Do you have flabby arms (aka bat wings), and want to tone them?
You are in the right place! After reading this post, youll learn:
Lets dive right in. Disclaimer ***READ FIRST*** Although I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This information is for informational purposes only and should not substitute the advice from your healthcare professional. All kinds of exercise and dietary changes are potentially dangerous, and those who do not seek counsel from the appropriate health care authority assume the liability of any injury which may occur. Please read my full Disclaimer for more information. Also, this post may containaffiliate links: meaning I may receive acommissionif you use them. Ok, moving on. How To Lose Arm Fat (The Truth)Getting rid of upper arm fat involves two things:
Both are necessary, but decreasing your body fat percentage is more important. The biggest mistake many women make when trying to tone their arms is to focus on exercise only and nothing else. You cant spot-reduce fat loss from your arms with any exercises. Muscle tone is the result of BOTH muscle development and fat loss. So if you dont address your nutrition, you wont lose arm fat. The Best Bodyweight Exercises For Bat Wing ArmsSo first, lets start with arm exercises you can do at home. All of these exercises will use your own bodyweight to target the tricep muscles. These sit on the back of your arm where most of bat wing fat accumulates. I will show you three separate variations for each exercise:
Ok, lets get started. Kneeling Close-Grip Push-UpsThe first exercise is the kneeling close-grip push-up. This effective exercise isolates the arm muscles much more than the standard push-up. As a result, it is a more challenging variation. Heres what it looks like:
The Incline Close Grip Push-up (The Easier Version)If the close grip push-up is too difficult for you, you can do them on an incline. In other words, place your hands up on a ledge or a chair. This will decrease the amount of weight you have to press. The taller the incline, the easier the exercise becomes. As you get stronger, work your way up to using a shorter and shorter incline. The Full Close-Grip Diamond Push-up (The Harder Version)To make the exercise more challenging, you can do the full diamond push-up. In this variation, your hands will be physically touching. The diamond push-up really activates the tricep muscles much more than any of the other push-up variations. If you mentally focus on contracting your triceps during every single rep it can really help in developing muscle in that area. The Foot Assisted Triceps DipThe next exercise is the foot assisted dip. This exercise is different from the standard chair dip, and much better for training the muscles in your shoulders and triceps. You will need two chairs to do this exercise. Heres how it looks:
The Chair Tricep Dip (The Easier Version)The easier variation to the dip is the chair dip. In this variation, you only need one chair. To do this exercise you will sit in front of a chair and place your hands behind you on the seat of the chair. While keeping your knees bent, you will then perform dips as seen below. It is important that you turn your hands out to the side to keep your shoulders in a healthy position. Full Tricep Dips (The Harder Version)*Do not try this exercise unless you are very comfortable with the dip movement.* Serious injury can occur. Also, make sure that your chairs are very sturdy and can completely support your body weight, and do not slide!* To make the dip exercise harder- all you have to do is use less assistance from your feet. As you get stronger, you will be able to do this exercise with no support. As always, make sure to contract your triceps during every repetition. Side-Lying Tricep ExtensionsThe next exercise is the side-lying tricep extension. Some people also call this exercise the tricep side push-up. This exercise is great for really isolating the back of the arm to help tighten and develop the triceps. Heres how it looks:
Kneeling Sphinx Push-Up (The Easier Version)An easier variation of the tricep extension is the kneeling sphinx push-up. In this movement, you will work both arms simultaneously. Heres how it looks.
Full Sphinx Push up (The Harder Version)Lastly, you can perform the full sphinx push-up for the hardest tricep extension exercise. Heres how it looks:
See The Video Of These Exercises Below! So those are the top 9 bodyweight arm exercises you can do for flabby arms. Next up, lets go over some weighted exercises you can do. The Best Bat wing exercises with weightsThe following exercises can be done with any kind of resistance such as
I will demonstrate the exercises using dumbbells, but any of the above will work fine. Ok lets get started. Dumbbell Shoulder PressThe first exercise is the dumbbell shoulder press. This exercise is great because it will develop both your shoulders and triceps at the same time. Heres how to do it:
Dumbbell Floor PressThe next weighted arm exercise is the floor press. This exercise is great for strengthening and developing the shoulders as well as the back of the arms. Heres how to do it:
Lying Dumbbell Tricep ExtensionsThe third exercise on our list is the lying dumbbell tricep extension. This exercise is one of the best ways to isolate the triceps muscles. When starting out, just make sure to use lighter weights. This exercise is harder than it looks. You can do this exercise on a bench or on the floor. Below, Ill show you how to do it on the floor. Heres how to do it:
Bonus: Dumbbell ThrustersThe last exercise is the dumbbell thruster. This exercise is different from the ones before it. Thats because the thruster is a full body exercise. You wont just be training your arms, youll be training your lower body, your shoulders, and your triceps at the same time. Remember when I said that losing flabby arms requires two things losing fat and building muscle? Well, whole body exercises like the thruster are way better than isolation exercises (such as the tricep kickback) at doing both of those things. You get a bigger bang for your buck. That is why I recommend that you spend the majority of your exercise time doing compound exercises! Heres how to do a thruster:
See The Video Of These Exercises Below! So there you have 13 different exercises for flabby arms that you can do from home. Now, let me show you a quick workout you can do to put it all together. A Simple Bat wing Exercise Routine You Can Do At homeHere is a simple exercise program you can do to train your upper body and target your batwings. The first workout uses only your bodyweight. Feel free to mix and match the tricep specific exercises with any of the ones above. Workout 1 ExerciseSetsRepsClose-Grip Push-Up38-10Lateral Plank Walk38-10Quadruped Straight Arm Pulldowns38-10Side-Lying Tricep Extension210-12You can find the Lateral Plank Walk exercise in this article: 9 Armpit Fat Exercises You can find the Quadruped Straight Arm Pulldowns in this article: 15 Exercises For Back Fat Workout 2 The second workout focuses on using some type of equipment such as dumbbells or resistance bands. ExerciseSetsRepsDumbbell Floor Press310-12Towel Lat Pull Downs38-10Thrusters38-10Lying Tricep Extensions210-12You can find the Towel Lat Pulldown exercise in this article: 9 Armpit Fat Exercises. What causes bat wing arms?Bat wing arms are a result of having excess body fat. Your arms just so happen to be the place that your body stores extra fat. Unfortunately, the specific distribution that your body stores fat is determined by your genetics. Some women have more fat cells in their upper arms. Others have more in their hips or abdomen. Can flabby arms really be toned?Flabby arms can be toned, but not with exercise alone. Research has proven that you cant spot-reduce fat from a specific area of your body. This means that doing endless arm exercises wont burn arm fat. Similarly, doing crunches every day wont burn abdominal fat. Your body will lose fat from wherever it decides to lose fat from first. In order to see the definition of a toned arm, you will need a combination of
How long does it take to tone flabby arms?If you train your arms at least two times per week AND improve your nutrition, you can see significant improvement in your upper arm development in as little as 6 weeks. The less excess body fat you have, the quicker you will be able to tone your arms. But if you have stubborn arm fat (thank genetics again) this can increase the time it takes to see results. What Kind Of Diet Should I Follow For Weight Loss?In general, achieving successful weight loss requires three things:
Simple tips to help you do this includes: Consuming more protein (this is the most filling macronutrient) Consuming more fiber (this is the most filling micronutrient) Drinking more water (this will help you stay hydrated and cut back on extra calories from juice and soda) Keeping track of what you eat (find a routine of something you can sustain for a long period of time). I have an entire outline of a simple postpartum diet plan you can follow with all of these tips. Or if you want a step-by-step nutrition guide that helps you with every step of the way, you can check out My Postpartum Fat Loss Guide. Can Cardiovascular Exercise Help With Arm Flab?Cardio can be an effective way to decrease your overall body fat percentage, which is one of the necessary components of losing the bat wing arms. This can be done with
Keep in mind that cardio wont help you build muscle mass, which is the second component to toning the upper arm. What About Exercises For My Biceps?The bat wing appearance is caused by the tricep muscles, which sit on the back of the upper arm. The biceps sit in the front, opposite the triceps. To see all the different exercises you can do to develop your biceps (with various bicep curl variations) check out my post on Complete Arm Toning. Dont Forget To Get This Entire Workout & Post in PDF Format! Click here to get it now! Final Words On Losing Arm FatGetting toned arms isnt straightforward, but it is doable! To lose fat anywhere in your body, you must improve your diet while building muscle. This guide has taught you how to build arm muscle to tighten your triceps area. Now its up to you to also lose body fat. Check out my post on How To Lose Baby Fat to learn everything you need to know about the role of food/ calorie intake for weight loss. Now I want to hear from you. Have you been able to get rid of bat wings without surgery aka arm lift? What helped you the most? Comment below and let me know! Dont forget that you can get this post in PDF Format above! Related Posts On Arm Exercises
Get Four Free Workouts To Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor & Heal Your Mommy Tummy! YES- I WANT THE PDF! Brittany N Robles, MD, MPH, CPT Brittany Robles is a full-time OBGYN, a NASM certified personal trainer, and health & fitness, expert. She holds a Masters of Public Health degree in maternal health with a special interest in exercise and nutrition. She is also the co-author of The White Coat Trainer. Learn more about herhere. Sharing is Caring Send This To A Mom In Need! Video |