[ElizabethG]

Hello! I know one cannot spot reduce but I have ALWAYS had issues with my upper arms being HUGE! Even when i was thin I still couldn't wear some shirts because of the sleeves. I've noticed recently I think they even have cellulite! ew! They currrently measure 13.5" at my best measure (kinda hard to measure your upper arm yourself).

Anyway, I've tried doing push ups but I can only do wall ones, i can't even do girly ones. lol

I just wondered if anyone had an arm workout so i could tone my arms and hopefully that would make them look a bit smaller while I wait for my middle to get rid of its fat so i can go on to losing weight in my arms (my stomach loses first and fast, arms and legs take FOREVER, or well, never).

Thanks!!!

[Denise24]

There are tons of exercises I can think of to do - but first - what exercise equipment do you have available to you? You just mentioned push-ups so I don't know if you have dumbbells, a barbbell & weight bench, a gym membership?

Let me know what you have available and I will list some of my favorites!

P.S. If you are talking super super super UPPER, you have to incorporate a lot of shoulder moves to get that area toned and slim too. Or do you mean the tricep area? Details please

[ElizabethG]

Tricep area. When i look down at my arms they look fine, looks like i have a bicep and everything, BUT then I look at a side view or raise my arms and I see it.

I don't have any equipment really. I used to have some bands but I'm not sure where they are anymore. I also had some weight balls that came with my Tae Bo, but I haven't done that in forever either and I don't know where those are.

If there is something cheap I can get that would be okay, but I'd prefer no equipment. I have wii fit plus and I do their arm exercises as much as possible.

I guess I am just now getting back to exercising. Before I met my husband I used to do at home videos (mainly Tae Bo) to keep my weight down (170s when we met), I since gained a ton of weight and am just now starting to lose again. I have lost the first 35 pretty easily just with food changes but I want to incorprate some exercise too. I do walk my dog on a fairly regular basis though not everyday.

Thanks for the reply!

[Denise24]

With no equipment I would try these:

Triceps:
Bench/Chair dips - try to work your way up to 15-20
Diamond Push-up (on your knees)

Shoulders/Back:
Bent Over Rows - holding anything heavy
Reverse Flyes (using maybe 2 cans of soup?!?!)

I'll try to think of more you can do without any equipment and send them over later. But I have to get back to work haha!

~Denise

[ElizabethG]

Thanks! I was at work myself when I wrote this post.

I will look up those exercises to make sure I'm doing them correctly tomorrow! Thanks again!

[StephanieM]

The dips are a good one, I like that one

And 13.5 isn't big, at my heighest weight I was at 13 inches for my arms and I've gotten them all the way down to 11 inches with incorporating weight lifting. Weight lifting has had the most dramatic change for me when it comes to inches.

I know you said you don't like equipment, but I do suggest getting a few free weights and using them to work your arms. I even use them while I watch tv sometimes, haha.

[Eliana]

Dips are great, but make sure you aren't using your legs to help. I found that using a bench just a few inches off the ground was HARDER (in a good way) than using a chair because I was unable to assist myself with my legs.

Push-ups are terrific for the shoulders, chest and back.

Bi-ceps: curls using 8, 10, or 12 pound weights. Focus as much on the down motion as the up motion. It provides more resistance. (I like to do these while standing on my tiptoes to hit the calves as well. Hold the dumbbells at your side. Come up on your tiptoes, hold and do a curl. Lower the curl, then lower to flat on your feet. Repeat. It's harder than it sounds and you lose a lot of core muscles to keep your balance. It also prevents you from having improper form on the curls.)

Bicep hammer curl: A curl, but holding the dumbbells so that the palms face each other.

Tricep kickbacks: Standing on two feet, hold a dumbbell at your side, keep your upper arm against the body and unhinge at the elbow moving the dumbbell behind the body.

Tricep pushups: Do pushups with the hands close together. (the wall works ) This really focuses on the triceps.

I know you didn't ask for shoulder, but I can't resist as this is my new favorite:
lateral raises starting at the top: Holding two 5lb weights, raise both arms out the sides. Drop the right arm only, raise back up, drop left arm only, raise back up. One arm is always up rather than resting while the other arm works. After 15 on each side, hold both arms in the "up" position for a count of 5-10. The same exercise can/should be done raising the weights to the front as well.

[kateleestar]

Originally Posted by Eliana

I know you didn't ask for shoulder, but I can't resist as this is my new favorite:
lateral raises starting at the top: Holding two 5lb weights, raise both arms out the sides. Drop the right arm only, raise back up, drop left arm only, raise back up. One arm is always up rather than resting while the other arm works. After 15 on each side, hold both arms in the "up" position for a count of 5-10. The same exercise can/should be done raising the weights to the front as well.

Ooo. I'm adding that in to my "rest day workout" ... THANKS!

[mkroyer]

Do close grip pushups for your triceps. rear flys work your deltois and trapezius (upper back)
Your best best is to stick with full(er) compound movements as much as possible. Little isolation exercises are not functional and do not work your muscles in natural motions (a lot of the time).
Can you hold yourself up in the starting pushup position? Work on holding that for time- 20 sec 30 sec etc. Its another form of plank, and will also work you core and shoulders. Bigger exercises are more bang for your buck. google pushup progressions to find more ideas to get better at pushups

[ElizabethG]

Originally Posted by mkroyer

Do close grip pushups for your triceps. rear flys work your deltois and trapezius (upper back)
Your best best is to stick with full(er) compound movements as much as possible. Little isolation exercises are not functional and do not work your muscles in natural motions (a lot of the time).
Can you hold yourself up in the starting pushup position? Work on holding that for time- 20 sec 30 sec etc. Its another form of plank, and will also work you core and shoulders. Bigger exercises are more bang for your buck. google pushup progressions to find more ideas to get better at pushups

Thanks everyone! I will definitely look up pushup progressions too!

Now I just gotta do all of these!

[lolcat]

I do this.... I'm sure there's a name for it, but I don't know what it is.

Raise arm like I'm eager to answer a question in class (inner arm nearly touching ear), with 1# weight or can of soup in hand. Gently drop hand so that hand/weight/soup nearly touches back. Lift. Repeat.

Helps get the (triceps??) "batwing" area toned.

[lili58]

Thanks for posting this, my arms are so so so weak, I can barealy do one push up. I am getting a lot of tips here.