Summer is a month away, and if you dare to bare - your arms, that is - its time you started working on getting rid of that flab. Upper arms are a storage site for fat, and even the thinnest woman who doesnt seem to have an inch of spare fat anywhere on her body and proudly declares "No matter how much I eat, I just cant put on weight…" would in all probability have upper arms that jiggle. The reason that most of us have flabby upper arms is because they dont get worked out at all during our regular routine. Heres how you can get your upper arms in shape: Start doing some form of aerobic activity like walking or jogging. Just exercising your arms will not really accomplish much, unless it is combined with aerobic activity. Aerobic activities help you burn fat from all over, and at a much faster rate than spot reduction exercises do. Thus, its best to combine a spot reduction activity which targets the muscles in your upper arm, with an aerobic exercise. In this articleWeightsPulsingPush-upsWeights Invest in a pair of dumbbells. Alternatively you could use an empty oil can filled with water. You could also use a large coke bottle, but this may not be easy to hold on to. Its better to stick to something with a handle. Do you really need weights even if you dont want to build large muscles? The answer is yes. Working with light weights wont increase the size of your biceps and triceps. It will, however, convert the fat into muscle. Muscle helps you lose fat even when you are not working out, so you will be burning those calories while sleeping! Isnt that great? In addition, more muscle means more strength, so you will be able to lift that chair - and table - without calling for help. (We dont recommend it though. You dont want to strain your back muscles.) Hold a dumbbell in one arm and lift your upper arm so it is against the side of your head, pressed against your ear. Support it from the front with your other arm, and slowly raise the arm so it is straight up above you. Lower it again, till the dumbbell touches the back of your spinal cord. Do this ten times for each arm, rest, and do two more reps. Pulsing Stretch your hands straight out on your sides so they are shoulder level. With your palms facing down, pulse them up and down 50 times. Then face your palms out, pulsing back and front, up, pulsing up and down and back, pulsing back and front again. Pulse them 50 times each time. Push-ups Assume the regular push up pose, with your legs out straight behind you and your arms below your chest on the floor. Keep your arms as close together as possible, with fingers pointing forward. Slowly lower your body till your elbows are bent at 90 degrees, pause for a few seconds, and lift your body again. Start with around 2-3 push ups, and slowly keep increasing. Once this gets too easy, you could keep lowering your body till your chin almost touches the floor, and then lift it again. Combine this routine with a jog around the block thrice a week and youll be set to bare-all this summer!
Summer is a month away, and if you dare to bare - your arms, that is - its time you started working on getting rid of that flab.
Upper arms are a storage site for fat, and even the thinnest woman who doesn't seem to have an inch of spare fat anywhere on her body and proudly declares "No matter how much I eat, I just can't put on weight…" would in all probability have upper arms that jiggle.
The reason that most of us have flabby upper arms is because they don't get worked out at all during our regular routine. Here's how you can get your upper arms in shape:
Start doing some form of aerobic activity like walking or jogging. Just exercising your arms will not really accomplish much, unless it is combined with aerobic activity. Aerobic activities help you burn fat from all over, and at a much faster rate than spot reduction exercises do. Thus, it's best to combine a spot reduction activity which targets the muscles in your upper arm, with an aerobic exercise.
Weights
Invest in a pair of dumbbells. Alternatively you could use an empty oil can filled with water. You could also use a large coke bottle, but this may not be easy to hold on to. It's better to stick to something with a handle.
Do you really need weights even if you don't want to build large muscles? The answer is yes. Working with light weights won't increase the size of your biceps and triceps. It will, however, convert the fat into muscle. Muscle helps you lose fat even when you are not working out, so you will be burning those calories while sleeping! Isn't that great?
In addition, more muscle means more strength, so you will be able to lift that chair - and table - without calling for help. (We don't recommend it though. You don't want to strain your back muscles.)
Hold a dumbbell in one arm and lift your upper arm so it is against the side of your head, pressed against your ear. Support it from the front with your other arm, and slowly raise the arm so it is straight up above you. Lower it again, till the dumbbell touches the back of your spinal cord. Do this ten times for each arm, rest, and do two more reps.
Pulsing
Stretch your hands straight out on your sides so they are shoulder level. With your palms facing down, pulse them up and down 50 times. Then face your palms out, pulsing back and front, up, pulsing up and down and back, pulsing back and front again. Pulse them 50 times each time.
Push-ups
Assume the regular push up pose, with your legs out straight behind you and your arms below your chest on the floor. Keep your arms as close together as possible, with fingers pointing forward. Slowly lower your body till your elbows are bent at 90 degrees, pause for a few seconds, and lift your body again. Start with around 2-3 push ups, and slowly keep increasing. Once this gets too easy, you could keep lowering your body till your chin almost touches the floor, and then lift it again.
Combine this routine with a jog around the block thrice a week and you'll be set to bare-all this summer!
