fat arms

Tan Princess

I'm female, 27, about 9.5 stone and 5ft5 so not particularly fat but my upper arms are really fat, will lifting weights do anything for them or do I need to lose weight overall?

rubadub

You cannot spot reduce fat, so lifting will not reduce fat in that area. However it will give you a better shape and lifting helps shift fat overall very well. Developing new muscle tissue uses up lots of calories, just like if you were pregnant you would need more calories to develop the baby.

Do not worry about getting overly muscular, women find it a lot harder, many guys are going all out trying to get big arms and find it hard. After a hell of a lot of training you might end up like a fitness model or one of the thin gladiator women.

check out www.simplefit.org for exercises without wieghts. If you do pushups with your hands close together it hits your triceps more- the muscles on the back of your arms. But tricep pushups are very difficult so you might want to do them on your knees starting out. Or you can lean against a wall to make them easier at first.

Developing strength is also great just for daily life.

if you are thinking of getting weights check out www.exrx.net and DO NOT get pink "lady" dumbbells! they are useless, you can start with family size tins of beans, that all those pink dumbbells weight anyway! then you could get 2L bottles of coke, and then decide if you want to buy some. I would recommend these

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=30001&partNumber=3008250

or at least these

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=30001&partNumber=3008243

avoid the plastic/vinyl/cement ones, they are crap and degrade quickly

podge57

triceps are the key

Al_Fernz

Tan Princess wrote: »

I'm female, 27, about 9.5 stone and 5ft5 so not particularly fat but my upper arms are really fat, will lifting weights do anything for them or do I need to lose weight overall?

Wow the idea of someone trying to lose size in their arms is totally foreign to me....I'd take some of that arm size off you if I could.:D

I think Rubadub has it pretty spot on with his post. Lifting weights will rev up your metabolism and help with fat loss. Don't worry about your arms getting hyooge - increases in size will only happen when you eat a diet geared towards muscle growth as well as training.

Make sure you have a balanced routine that works all muscle groups- Legs, back, shoulders, arms, chest. Did you have any particular routine in mind OP?

Brian?

podge57 wrote: »

triceps are the key

To what? Having triceps?

davyjose

Ok, so it's fat, so weights are not going to remove it. You need to burn more bodyfat and your arms will start to get slimmer. Weights, cardio and a clean diet is what I'd recommend.

podge57

briankeating wrote: »

To what? Having triceps?

no, to not having flabby arms

there are a serious amount of ladies with flabby tri's, because they are overlooked

davyjose

podge57 wrote: »

no, to not having flabby arms

there are a serious amount of ladies with flabby tri's, because they are overlooked

Their triceps aren't flabby - the muscle is underneath there? It's got nothing to do with her triceps, it's to do with her upper arms being somewhere her body stores fat. If she stored fat on her belly, would you recommend crunches? It's the same thing.

Brian?

davyjose wrote: »

Their triceps aren't flabby - the muscle is underneath there? It's got nothing to do with her triceps, it's to do with her upper arms being somewhere her body stores fat. If she stored fat on her belly, would you recommend crunches? It's the same thing.

Cheers davey, that was my point.

Tan Princess

Yeah my arms aren't flabby they're just fat, I kinda guessed it was a reduce body fat scenario but i'm happy enough with the rest of my body. aaargh. I'll keep running so...

gabgab

Tan Princess wrote: »

Yeah my arms aren't flabby they're just fat, I kinda guessed it was a reduce body fat scenario but i'm happy enough with the rest of my body. aaargh. I'll keep running so...

PLEASE do not do this........ If you mean just keep running, if not then ignore below,

Take some time, read the stickies, and figure out what WILL work for you. Fitness is hard, it takes away from fun time, only when we see results, decent proper results does it truly become rewarding

So if you put in the work, but do not get DESIRED results, then we become dejected and think its pants and dont bother anymore,

JP Liz

There are certainly exercises that will help but please remember that you can’t just focus on the problem areas. Build the following into a workout with cardio and other resistance exercises for the best results. Tricep dips are a home favourite. It’s a tricky exercise to describe but it’s a start. Locate a low wall or very solid chair (use your imagination as long as it’s solid and stable), position your hands on the front edge of your ‘wall’ about shoulder distance apart, gripping the edge. Plant your feet about 3 to 4 feet away from the edge of the object you are holding so that the arms are holding you up. Bend at the elbows to low your bum to the ground and when your elbow reach a 90 degree angle pause and then push yourself back to the start position making sure not to use the legs to help. It’s a tricky exercise to describe but it’s a start. If you use the Internet try putting in Tricep dips, Push ups, Tricep extensions and/or tricep kickbacks. If you can find a site that has pictures it will make it easier to understand and any or all of the highlighted exercise target the triceps in different ways to help you tone up those arms.