If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: Women want sexy, sleek, toned arms and are willing to do just about anything to get them. But what if I told you that doing that 10th set of tricep extensions is NOT, in fact, going to reduce the amount of flab under your arms but, instead, will just develop the muscle and potentially grow the area? It’s actually true! Don’t believe me…yet? Keep reading.
One of the biggest mistakes I see most women making with their workouts is trying to reduce their underarm flab by doing excessive tricep extensions. Ahhh…when I see this, I want nothing more than to scream from the mountaintops: No amount of weight lifted or number of reps completed will get rid of flabby arms! In fact, the heavier the weight, the more muscle you will build, making the tricep region appear even larger than it did before!
Consider this: By doing extensive amounts of arm-centered exercises, you are just expanding the muscle. You are NOT burning the fat in that region, so that same pesky layer will be there no matter what tricep-focused lifts you do.
Unfortunately, you can’t spot reduce fat. That’s the honest truth. And trust me, I wish I was wrong about this one. Any extra fat will leave your body in its own unique way, and that can be so frustrating! Some people lose weight first in their faces, others in their chest, and others lose in other areas. But don’t lose hope!
How to Get Sexy Arms
There are plenty of ways to get those sexy sculpted arms of your dreams, AND it’s surprisingly simple. The key to decreasing that underarm flab….(you ready for this?)….is all about what you eat and about building the muscles around the underarm flab to create the illusion of slimmer triceps.
Start with nutrition.
In order to get rid of any extra fat, including that underarm flab, you MUST eat fewer calories than you burn—you must be in a calorie deficit. Every single day. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this one. And while this is simple science, let’s take it one step further. Protein, and eating enough protein, is key to helping you not feel hungry and for helping you to retain muscle while you’re in that calorie deficit. Protein is the most immediately satiating macronutrient, which means you’ll feel fuller faster and stay feeling fuller longer (helping to curb any cravings), and it’s also crucial for building and repairing so many things in your body. Including those sexy arm muscles.
Build the correct muscles
We often get so fixated with the old-school body building mentality that we need to do bicep curls and tricep extensions to sculpt those limbs, all the while, we are neglecting the most important muscle groups that actually help create the appearance of a slim and sculpted arm: The shoulders and the back. By focusing more on compound movements that fire your back and shoulder muscles first, you will automatically (and secondarily) work the appropriate bicep and tricep muscles without risking overdeveloping your arms.
Before we dive in, take a look at the muscles in your shoulder. It’s made of up of 3 different muscles:
- Anterior delt
- Lateral delt
- Posterior delt
It’s important to know and understand the angles of your shoulder so you can strategically make sure you’re working all three muscles instead of focusing on just one area. When you work all three, you can achieve that rounded, strong appearance that will set the tone for giving you your dream physique.
Related: Click here to read more about how your shoulders can make your waist appear smaller
Think about it like this: The nicer the shoulder boulder, the slimmer the arm appears. I’ll bet you’ve never seen a woman with nice shoulders who didn’t have amazing arms as well, right? They go hand-in-hand! Same goes for your back. The more sculpted your back, the nicer your arms AND the slimmer your waistline will appear. Who knew it was all about the optical illusion?? (wink, wink)
It’s time to graduate from old-school to new-school and start sculpting that upper body look you’re dreaming of…toned underarms and all.
Here are a few of my fave compound shoulder and back exercises to help you create those beautiful arms you’re wanting:
Aim for 3 sets of 12 of each exercise on your upper body days, and don’t work out these muscle groups two days in a row. That day or two of rest in between will help those muscles become even stronger AND more shapely.
xo,
Related reading:
How to Burn Fat While Building Muscle || Body Recompositioning 101
10 Minute Upper Body Workout
5-Minute Workout for Sculpting Sexy Arms
The Dos + Donuts: Your Top 5 Nutrition Questions Answered
No Equipment? No Problem! At-Home Upper Body Workout
59 Responses
What can be done if one has gastric bypass?
Is there anything we can do to help the skin before surgery makes the weight come off too fast? I understand the process of a regular diet followed by these exercises., slow is better. I get the feeling there is nothing I can do if the weight comes off and the skin can’t slowly tighten up. But if I can do anything, to minimize the fallout.
Do you have any advice on skin creams for tightening skin?
Thanks
Hi Bev: Here’s a post that can offer some ideas: https://heidipowell.net/3485. And there are some skin creams that can help also. Since each person’s skin can react in a different way to weight loss, it’s hard to tell exactly how your skin will react to losing pounds. I’d definitely discuss this with your healthcare team also, and then follow their recommendations. 🙂
Definitely gonna bookmark this and give it a try… maybe by spring/summer results will be noticeable!
Sigm me up, god love ya
I’m so excited to get back to the gym and give these a try! I’ve been recovering from a back injury for the last 3 months, so exercise has been slow going. I’m ready to get back at it, and these are at the top of my list! Thank you!
I am a mother to three. My oldest just turned 3. My second is 18 months, and my baby girl is 3 months. I am very active – I try to exercise with my kids however I can. The stroller I have is not for jogging, but I do it anyhow. On special occasions my husband is off and I get to enjoy a jog with my daughter the city select I have holds all 3 but it isn’t for jogging and I have fallen, tripped, and face planted over so many rocks that I am afraid to go jogging with my daughter. I love to run. This stroller will allow me to share my story of getting my body back after 3 back to back kids and I would be sure to give it to someone once we outgrow it too. This would be a dream come true and I could enjoy these special moments with my daughter and kids without the fear of someone getting hurt. Here in AZ, the mountains get rocky and the roads where I live off Carefree hwy are dirt. This would change my life! Thank you Heidi for being so kind and giving.
I often wonder if my arms will ever tighten up thanks for the advice I hope I can be successful at some point with getting everything tightened and toned!
This is my problem area. So I appreciated this post.
( Also, it’s my entry to help win your orbit for my friend Heidi ?…as a mom I’d 5 myself, I know how much I appreciated my Orbit…sadly my babies are growing up too quickly, so I live to see a mommy pay-it-forward)
Awesome! I will have to start this! #nomoreflabbyarms
Yes! Okay so yes I am commenting because of the stroller giveaway but I read this blog entry a couple of weeks ago and I was screaming with you! Because I did this lol! But I started focusing on my shoulders (and by biceps) a little more, and did more cardio and…I HAD NEVER HAD NICER/SEXIER ARMS IN MY LIFE. And of course putting the right foods into your body ;).
This blog really helped me with the issue of arm flab! You’re totally right. We are way too hard on ourselves, and approach the issue with the wrong idea (ie. no spot fat reduction!)