Skinnier arms?

Okay I weight about 135lbs as of this past whole year, although I've weighed 115lbs throughout high school. I'm by no means fat, but being short with an average build, it makes me look a lot bigger than I'd like to. I want to get back down to the size I was, yes, but my main concern is just LOOKING smaller.

I think the main problem with the way I look is that my arms just always seem incredibly huge to me. Even in pictures, my body might look fine, but my arms are chubby and just puff out, and it makes all of me look bad!

So although I'm trying to lose weight in the tummy area and slim down a little, I'd LOVE to lose the extra fat in my arms that always looks so terrible!

I know that with lifting weights and things, you gain muscle mass, which weights even more. I don't want to gain weight in my arms from that, nor do I want big body builder arms. I don't need to be any stronger, I just would like them to look slimmer. So since lifting weights doesn't solve the problem, I'm really confused as to how on earth I could focus on losing the fat in my arms! I figure it has to be possible, I just don't know how.

So if anyone has the same problem or knows any tips on what I could do about it, it would be very much appreciated :) Thank you!

If spot reducing was possible, I would not be walking around on these legs!  Could be that your body has decided to hold it's fat on your arms...

I personally prefer to see well defined biceps and triceps...besides the fact that muscles burn more cals than fat...Why don't you wnat to develop muscle?  And what's wrong with getting stronger?  I guess I'm confused here...

i know what you mean... some people have a tendency to gain mega muscle in their arms, i am one of those people. not sure if it is the healthiest thing to do, but i simply avoid all weight training in my arms, because they bulk up like crazy. if anything, just do arm exercises with really light weights, it might help to tone without building muscle...

 There is no such thing as "toning". There is only building muscle, and losing it.
 
 And if you want to lose weight, learn to squat - let Mistress Krista teach you how to do it right from the start.

 You won't get huge arms from lifting weights - you won't get huge, period. You're a woman, you don't have the genetics to bulk up in a male pattern without using illegal drugs. Just look at Mistress Krista - to get even skinny-muscly arms like that you've got to lift heavy for years.
 

melkor, don't wear your shorts too tight. Women and men actually do build muscle equally as fast. I know because my body builds really fast if I'm not careful and the difference be noticable within the first 2 weeks. Women carry more fat than men on average, so it just takes a bit longer to see the muscles under that fat. As well, I read about muscle building for men and women. lol.

I'm the spoon type, or pear type. My upper body shows muscle really easily since I don't have much fat up there and actually got the same speed for building muscle as any men. My lower body puts on more muscle than my upper. If i just mountain bike for a week, my legs will bulk up intesively.

awhite, it's easir to know what to do if you know how your body works. If you build really quickly on the upper body, than heavier weight lifting isn't for you. If you're not sure, it doesn't hurt to experiment. Even hough muscle weighs more than fat, it does take up less space than fat and also helps you burn more calories through out the day since muscle requires more energy.

My arms are more defined, but because the fat from my near overweight days been burning off, they're thin. I'm careful with the weigth lifting I do. I'm not doing universal weight lifting for body builders, lol. I'm sticking with small weights and just going for good reps and sets. I increase my sets as I get use to it. As well, you can't just work on one muscle. If you going to tone out your arms, you need to excercise all the muscles. I do 3 different weight lifting for my arms that target a different part. I also work out the rest of my body, which is another thing to do to get results. You can't just target your arms, you  work with your whole body. But not on just weight lifting. Calisthenics, stretches, cardio, those things are a help for working out your entire body.

As I said before, I have a problem where my legs and thighs will easily bulk up if I work them out. So for my legs, I just stick to cardio and stretches. Got a light  calisthenics for my lower body as well and then crunches for my abs. My upper body gets the weights. So if you build up up fast on your upper body like I do on my lower, than try a reverse of that. Good calisthenics or very light weights with moderate reps for the upper body and weights for the lower.

If you are able to go to a personal trainer, they'll find out what works for you best. I don't know how your body builds, so can only give you examples from myself and just some guessed suggestions.

Good luck and don't be afraid of muscles. They're thinner than fat.

 You may build visible muscle as fast, but not the same volume. As long as you're not using steroids, that is :)

  The max for a drug-free male athlete is 28.03 grams of new muscle a day according to the UCLA sports medicine department. For women it's quite a bit lower. It may make more of a visual difference if you're shorter and with smaller bones, but the visual impact and the actual amount of muscle added are different qualities, innit?

 'Course, the UCLA people can't account for singular events like Casey Viator adding over 60 pounds of muscle in four weeks, so there are exceptions to the general rule. When it comes to biological systems exceptions seem to happen with remarkable regularity :) 

 But I still think that adding large amounts of muscle mass just won't happen if you're female - or male for that matter.

 Well, unless you're willing to go the Ronnie Coleman route and use steroids to the point where your sweat is classified as hazardous medical waste...

 But weirdo exceptions on drugs aside, a healthy, defined and muscular body is very beutiful indeed :)

melkor, if you don't think women can build a lot of muscle, look at serena Williams. She is in no way fat, but a lot of people would not want to look like her. She is one of those people naturally "thick" with muscle. If she did a lot of weight lifting, I bet she would be even bigger. It can happen, it just depends on many factors (including hormones).

 Oh absolutely, she looks gorgeous, doesn't she? So do a lot of other female athletes, and hell, they're a lot more muscled than I am, a lot stronger, and faster, better fit and more hardcore.

 Their physiques have been developed over years though, with expert nutrition, coaching, and having hit the genetic jackpot by being born almost pure mesomorph.

 Us poor endomorphs have to struggle along as best we can with what nature gave us, and - well, yeah, I messed up by not including my usual caveat about the general rule not holding true if you're a meso. Hope you can forgive me that little slipup :)

 

yoga! i do hot yoga and it's wonderful. you detox by sweating in a temperature controlled room and i've definitely noticed a difference in toning.

i've also done regular yoga. just take a class and you'll see better results.

Serena busts her ass to look like that with a lot of professional help.  Saying a woman would look like that if she lifted is like saying a guy would look like Arnold if he lifted.  Not possible.

Trying using the elliptical since it invovles using the arms and it's carido (which burns fat!) I've used it and both my of arms has gotten a lot slimmer, but I also do light 'butterfly' weight lifting 2-3 times a week. Seems to work for me.

big arms are like a curse.. long sleeves to cover them ... odd angles to minimize them.. iv so been there. :)

i shed inches off my arms by doing varied punches into the air with a 5 lb weight in each hand.

i varied the punches from high to low, keeping legs shoulder width apart and back straight. upper cuts and haymakers really makes it burn ;)

then to balance the workout id curl row press and what ever other arm exercise i could conjur for 15 min or so, actualy its great to mix into your circuit training and you burn alot of calories.

the muscle does build to a point, but it looks good, especialy when you shed those few pounds and they shine through.

hope this was of some help.

 

I totally get what you mean. It seems that no matter what I can't get rid of it, and the bad things i I am the one that put it there. I did a lot of arm exercises an now the muscle won't shrink down to a normal size. It is so embarrassing. Hang in there sista!