I don't like my arms. How do I make them smaller?

I am 25 years old and have been a member for less than a year. Since Jan 09, I have lost 7 lbs and I'm very happy about that. However, I want to lose some of the fat on my arms because I want to go back to wearing sleeveless tops and dresses again.

I've been alternating doing aerobics, walking 3 miles per day and some strength training with dumbells. I can feel that I have built up muscles in my arms but the fat is still there.

What am I doing wrong?

Consumer fewer calories than you burn.

I lift weights and it has helped. I started doing lighter weights and more reps. This has made my arms leaned but toned. I do bicep curls, triceps (over the head), and then dead lift rows. These have seemed to work for me. Good luck! Plus I did lose weight along the way to help the extra fat go away lol.

Happily, arms are one area you can 'spot reduce' a bit more easily than other parts.

Try some push ups..girl style if you need to (with your knees on the floor)

The dumbbells are great, too..try them in different ways to work different areas of your arms, and aim for 3 times a week, as many reps as you can comfortably do.

Don't worry..they'll shape up!

You aren't doing anything wrong - ultimately, you are really just going to have to lose the fat the same way you lose any fat - by maintaining a calorie deficit. Building muscle in your arms will definitely make them look better, though, so keep on doing what you are doing! Losing arm fat can be a slow process, but don't get discouraged.

I don't agree that you can "spot reduce" arms any more than you can anywhere else. You can get some muscle to make them a little more defined, but working the arms won't preferentially burn fat there. If only it did.... my arms are one of the few places that I'm still unhappy with on my body.

Pullups, shoulder press, rows, and pushups can all help get some more definition, and general fat loss will eventually help with reducing the fat in that area, and it's up to your body how long that takes. With mine, it's on the longer side - but they're still a ton better than when I started!

My rec. for pushups is to not do them "girl" style (on knees), but to start with your hands elevated - on a workout bench or even better on stairs - as you improve, keep using a lower step, til you are on the floor. Just be sure that you are keeping your body straight - don't let your hips stick up or dip below. That's why I don't like "girl pushups" - they don't really teach you proper form, because you can't keep your knees, hips, and back aligned.

I started on the 4th stair, and now I do pushups on the ground. Took time, but definitely worth it for me.

Try taking your dumbells on your walk with you...while you're speed walking do overhead presses with your thumb placed behind the bar rather in front, That little change will isolate your shoulders and triceps and biceps. It really burns bad but do as many as you can. I promise your arms will shrink, I did it this same way and lost an inch and a half in each arm in a month. My trainer is the one who taught me this trick. In fact my profile pic shows what my old arms used to look like, as of right now I have 13in arms that are much more sculpted than the blob like 14.5 inch arms I had before.

Thanks so much for all your encouragement! I'll continue exercising and will not give up.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Consumer fewer calories than you burn.

That's crazy talk

Original Post by amethystgirl:

I don't agree that you can "spot reduce" arms any more than you can anywhere else. You can get some muscle to make them a little more defined, but working the arms won't preferentially burn fat there. If only it did.... my arms are one of the few places that I'm still unhappy with on my body.

Pullups, shoulder press, rows, and pushups can all help get some more definition, and general fat loss will eventually help with reducing the fat in that area, and it's up to your body how long that takes. With mine, it's on the longer side - but they're still a ton better than when I started!

My rec. for pushups is to not do them "girl" style (on knees), but to start with your hands elevated - on a workout bench or even better on stairs - as you improve, keep using a lower step, til you are on the floor. Just be sure that you are keeping your body straight - don't let your hips stick up or dip below. That's why I don't like "girl pushups" - they don't really teach you proper form, because you can't keep your knees, hips, and back aligned.

I started on the 4th stair, and now I do pushups on the ground. Took time, but definitely worth it for me.

 I believe it..I have awesome arms. No matter my weight, I can always easily shape up my arms and build muscle and tone in them. It's always the first and easiest part to tone on my whole body.

I see a difference within a week.

 

Original Post by raychelc:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

I don't agree that you can "spot reduce" arms any more than you can anywhere else. You can get some muscle to make them a little more defined, but working the arms won't preferentially burn fat there. If only it did.... my arms are one of the few places that I'm still unhappy with on my body.

Pullups, shoulder press, rows, and pushups can all help get some more definition, and general fat loss will eventually help with reducing the fat in that area, and it's up to your body how long that takes. With mine, it's on the longer side - but they're still a ton better than when I started!

My rec. for pushups is to not do them "girl" style (on knees), but to start with your hands elevated - on a workout bench or even better on stairs - as you improve, keep using a lower step, til you are on the floor. Just be sure that you are keeping your body straight - don't let your hips stick up or dip below. That's why I don't like "girl pushups" - they don't really teach you proper form, because you can't keep your knees, hips, and back aligned.

I started on the 4th stair, and now I do pushups on the ground. Took time, but definitely worth it for me.

 I believe it..I have awesome arms. No matter my weight, I can always easily shape up my arms and build muscle and tone in them. It's always the first and easiest part to tone on my whole body.

I see a difference within a week.

 

 Everyone has different bodies. People lose weight in different parts of thier body sooner then others. I don't believe you can spot reduce in any particular spot that you want unless your body allows it.

Arms are a problem area for me as well but now that I have lost quite a bit of weight and am now 5'6'' 140 with working out they look pretty god and a bit toned now. 

The easy part for my body to lose is my legs. My worst spot is definitely my stomache!

Original Post by djchicky11:

 Everyone has different bodies. People lose weight in different parts of thier body sooner then others. I don't believe you can spot reduce in any particular spot that you want unless your body allows it.

Arms are a problem area for me as well but now that I have lost quite a bit of weight and am now 5'6'' 140 with working out they look pretty god and a bit toned now. 

The easy part for my body to lose is my legs. My worst spot is definitely my stomache!

Agreed - for me, I lose easiest on upper body except my arms (and the pooch - I might never lose the pooch).

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by djchicky11:

 Everyone has different bodies. People lose weight in different parts of thier body sooner then others. I don't believe you can spot reduce in any particular spot that you want unless your body allows it.

Arms are a problem area for me as well but now that I have lost quite a bit of weight and am now 5'6'' 140 with working out they look pretty god and a bit toned now. 

The easy part for my body to lose is my legs. My worst spot is definitely my stomache!

Agreed - for me, I lose easiest on upper body except my arms (and the pooch - I might never lose the pooch).

 I am the total opposite...I can never seem to see much difference in my legs, but it is a lot easier to me to lose arm fat/ build up muscles in my arms.