[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
Do you dream of having less lax arms, but you don’t know how to refine them? Rest assured, I have the solution for you! To have firmer arms, you will already need to know the anatomy of the arms as well as the reasons that make them grow. Then, I will give you tips for losing weight in your arms with several methods: without the help of sport or on the contrary by carrying out the appropriate exercises, by doing simple movements using dumbbells or by monitoring your diet closely.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
The anatomy of the arms
The set of biceps, triceps and forearms, all three made up of other portions of muscles, constitute the arm.
Biceps
“Biceps” refers directly to the arms. They consist of the short portion of the biceps, the long portion of the biceps, the anterior brachialis and the coracobrachialis.
- The “bi” in biceps also comes from the two muscular portions: the short and long portions of the biceps. The bone attachment points at the upper level of these muscles are not the same. The short portion attaches to the humerus while the long portion fits onto the scapula. On the other hand, they are both attached to the radius or forearm bone using a tendon. They also share the same roles, namely: flexing and rotating the forearm on the arm.
- The brachialis anterior muscle is found just below the biceps before the humerus, placed vertically and attached to the Ulna bone or ulna. It also allows you to flex the forearm by stimulating the musculocutaneous nerve.
- The coracobrachialis or long supinator is located between the biceps and the forearm. It wraps around the latter, tending towards the elbow. The upper part of this muscle is attached to the humerus while its lower part attaches to the styloid process of the radius. It is therefore this muscle that allows you to support weights with the help of the biceps during arm flexion. Which gives it its role as supinator of the forearm and don’t forget that it also serves to flex your elbow.
Triceps
“The triceps”, also called triceps brachii, are positioned at the back of the arm. These are the muscles that help you straighten your arms and therefore act as elbow extensors. The triceps are made up of three muscle bundles: the long head, the vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis.
- The long head is the largest muscle of the triceps. It is hidden by the torso. At the top, it is first inserted at the shoulder blade and then inserted at the elbow at the bottom. We therefore call it bi-articular bundle.
- The vastus medialis and vastus lateralis are mono-articular bundles. They are attached to the humerus (the vastus medialis on the upper part of the humerus and the vastus lateralis on its middle part), and end at the elbow. On the side of the arm they are arranged as follows: the vastus medialis is closer to your bust while the vastus lateralis is located on the visible part of the triceps.
It should be noted that the biceps and the triceps are opposed in size since the triceps are larger.
Forearms
“The forearms” are arranged in two parts: the extensors and the flexors which number 13 muscles in total. However, the most important is the supinator longus.
Located on the upper portion of the forearm, the long supinator is a powerful and large muscle. It is he who allows you to flex your arm or keep your hand still.
Why do our arms get bigger?
As with every part of the body, the arms are made up of cells whose role is to store fat to produce the calories necessary for the proper functioning of our metabolism. However, it happens that these cells store more fat than normal. It is in these cases that we find ourselves with relaxed or even thickened arms, especially at the back of the arm or the triceps.
Here are the main possible causes of this phenomenon:
- Taking certain medications
Taking cortisone or even contraceptives can disrupt hormones. This then results in the presence of excess fat and the arms, like the rest of the body, are not spared.
- Poor lifestyle
Here again, weight gain is favored by a poor diet and a lack of daily physical exercise.
- Age
In this case we are not necessarily confronted with the theory of too much fat trapped in the arms. It would be more of a relaxation of the muscles due to advanced age (over 40 years old).
How to lose weight in your arms?
Are you fed up with your arms that you consider too loose? It’s time to fix it! To lose arms, you will not only have to work to refine them, but also to strengthen them. One does not go without the other. That said, there are also effective ways to lose weight in your arms without doing exercises.
Of course, athletes will not be left out given the multiple sports and daily exercises aimed directly at the biceps and triceps. I can’t wait to reveal them to you to put an end to those arm fats! You should also remember to monitor your diet closely.
Can you lose weight in your arms without exercising?
No one would feel comfortable with cellulite on their arm. If this is your case, take note of these tips that I have put together just for you!
Turn to slimming devices
There are varieties of slimming devices that will allow you to tone your arms by directly targeting this part of your body. For example, there are massage devices that will play the role of slimming. These electric massagers will therefore directly burn and remove fat from the arm in depth thanks to its high-speed vibrations. A very simple and effective method!
Carry out slimming treatments
There are also products aimed at losing weight in any area of the body on the market today. These are slimming creams. Simply spread the mask on your skin and then wrap your arms with plastic wrap for greater effectiveness. For visible results, you will need to do this treatment 2 or 3 times every week for 1 month. I guarantee that your arm circumference will be reduced!
If it is really the skin that is sagging with age, a special cream is recommended. This time, your arm will regain its former tone and sagging skin will be nothing more than a bad memory!
What sports should you practice to strengthen your arms?
As promised here is for you a list of 8 sports to practice without delay to restore tone to your arms, but also to your hands, you can find out more in my article “How to lose weight on your fingers?“
1. Boxing
It goes without saying that boxing is an intense sport. It is therefore no surprise that I tell you that you will burn more than 300 calories in 30 minutes of exercise! Plus, it will also help you work on your cardio. Several choices of boxing disciplines are even available to you: Thai, kickboxing, French or English boxing.
2. Swimming
Swimming is also a sport of great intensity. In 45 minutes of practice, swimming allows you to expend 300 to 800 calories of energy. This sport aims in particular to work the upper limbs including the arm.
3. Climbing
This physical activity will cause you to lose between 450 to 1000 calories in one hour. The simple action of climbing will work the entire body and will also strengthen and firm the arm muscles.
4. Squash
When hitting the ball, you concentrate the effort on your arms. This amounts to approximately 500 calories spent in 30 minutes of activity. All this to tell you that you will come out of this with stronger arms than ever!
5. Kayaking
800 calories lost in one hour of practice, this is the result that is available to you by practicing this sport categorized as an intense activity. Especially since when paddling you will undoubtedly lose arms in no time at all!
6. Rowing
Like butterfly swimming, step swimming and squash, rowing requires a lot of arm strength. Depending on its intensity, you can burn 300 to 1000 calories in the space of an hour.
7. Skipping rope
An intense and practical exercise to refine your arms, jumping rope will burn between 200 and 800 calories in 30 minutes. You will particularly refine your biceps by rotating the skipping rope with your arms.
8. Tennis
Tennis will also refine and tone your arms. Just mentioning jumps and serves, accelerations and replacements, you will burn around 500 calories. One hour will be enough for an energy expenditure of this magnitude, taking into account your size.
Exercises to refine your arms with dumbbells
Now here are targeted exercises to refine your arms. Don’t forget your dumbbells!
Exercise #1
Get two 1 or 2 kg dumbbells. You will mainly work your biceps. Follow the following instructions: stand up, hold the dumbbells firmly in your hands and keep your arms static. Then bend your forearms and bring them closer to your body while tightening your abs. Then don’t move. Repeat this exercise 30 times.
Exercise #2
For this exercise, you will always need two dumbbells or two bottles of water, whichever you prefer. Here’s what to do: stand up, making sure you stay as straight as possible. Place your feet parallel to your hips. Then extend your arm upwards, a dumbbell in each hand, and then bring them back behind your shoulders. Repeat the exercise 30 times, one arm at a time.
Exercise #3
This exercise aims to strengthen the biceps. Use two 1 or 2 kg dumbbells for this. Start by placing your feet apart from your hips and then bend your knees a little. Take a weight in each hand and raise your arms straight out to both sides of your body. Stay still for a moment then raise the dumbbells above your head. Then bring your arms back as gently as possible and return to the first position. A series of 15 times will do the trick.
Exercise #4
This is a floor exercise. Lie on your gym mat with your knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the ground and hold a dumbbell (1 or 2 kg) in each hand. Then, extend your arms upwards, elbows bent, then bring them behind your head, making sure to touch the ground. Finally, return to the first position and do this exercise in a series of 15 times.
Diet: lose weight in your arms without building them up
Even if you persist in various physical exercises, you must support your efforts with a balanced diet. So see how to get rid of fat from your arms once and for all by consuming the right nutrients.
First of all, forget fast foods and industrialized or too chemical foods and also avoid eating too salty, too sweet or too fatty.
Then, see an overview of the categories of foods to favor for losing arms, always relying on the expert advice of dietitians:
Good fats
These are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They will balance your cholesterol level, as opposed to bad fats (saturated fats and fatty acids).
On the one hand, polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils (rapeseed, sunflower, flax, or walnut oil), margarine, nuts, and seeds. There are also fats found in fish (sardines, mackerel), or in soy.
On the other hand, monounsaturated fats include olive oil, sesame oil, avocados, macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and peanuts.
Don’t hesitate to get inspired by ideas to best implement your diet. For breakfast you can for example have a piece of margarine toast, then a wholemeal bread toast accompanied by avocado for lunch, and why not some nuts for a snack and finally end the day with a good baked fish always with a drizzle of olive oil for dinner.
Fruits and vegetables
Don’t we often say that we should eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day? So here comes the perfect opportunity, because the good nutrients present in these two food groups will not only give you strong health, but will also allow you to lose weight on your arms.
Fruits will directly absorb excess fats. In addition, fruits rich in pectin quickly lead to satiety and therefore limit the appetite. So think now about filling your shopping baskets with pomelo, oranges, apples, pears, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, plums, peaches, strawberries and bitter oranges.
Citrus fruits will also be great allies in this fight against fat. For example, you can choose yellow or green lemon, citron, kalamansi lemon, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines.
The acidity of these fruits eliminates toxins and cellulite from the arms in no time.
As for the vegetables to prioritize, you will have a wide choice between leeks, spinach, fennel, zucchini or even peas and beans, particularly rich in fiber. So cook green bean woks, pea puree or even baked zucchini (without sauce) more often. You can also make leek soup or even toasted fennel, cooked over the coals or prepared in compote.
Whole foods
Rich in fiber, they will also help you eliminate your cellulite. Therefore, replace the white rice with whole grain rice and the white sandwich bread with whole grain sandwich bread. So the fat reduction will have immediate effect.
Lean meats
The ultimate secret to a successful slimming diet! This category of meat is less fatty than all other meats. They will melt the fats in your arms with the proteins they contain. Nothing better than eating chicken, duck, or turkey escalopes (without the skin), egg, cooked ham (without rind), and beef (steak, cheek).
Drink enough water
Staying hydrated is the cure for saggy arms. Indeed, drinking a good sip of water will stave off hunger and therefore snacking, the source of excess fat in the body. In addition, good hydration will facilitate calorie expenditure during your daily sports sessions. So make sure you don’t forget your water bottle again, whether at work or school, at the gym or while traveling.
It would be better to just drink water. However, you can add fruit slices to your bottle for taste. Unsweetened tea or herbal tea can also be an exception. Losing weight in your arms by changing your eating habits remains entirely possible. The secrets are now revealed! Whether you are a man or a woman; a teenager or an elderly person, you no longer have any excuse for your slack arms.
You now have all the tips in hand. Follow a special slimming diet or take up sport and practice targeted exercises to lose weight in your arms. Of course slimming treatments are there to promise you slimmer and toned arms. All you have to do is choose the method that suits you best.