How to Lose Arm Fat – Step-by-Step Guide

Why We Gain Arm Fat

Arm fat refers to the buildup of fat on the back of your arm, causing the arm to look flabby and soft.

Since excess arm fat can be a nuisance and harmful to your health, just like any excess fat, it is important to get rid of it as soon as you see the signs.

Are you wondering how to lose arm fat?

This article explores a must-read comprehensive weight loss strategy that involves physical exercises and dietary changes that can help you in getting rid of arm fat.

Additionally, it looks at the do’s and don’ts, and preventive measures you can take to keep fat off your arms; reading this content will ensure that you are well equipped with adequate tips on how to lose arm fat and reclaim the look of your arms.

As you age, your body tends to store excess fat in various parts, including the arms.

This fat becomes more noticeable than your lean muscle.

Your metabolic rate also declines with age, causing your body to lose its ability to burn calories, which leads to fat accumulation.

Eating calorie-rich foods, including refined grains and sugary foods, causes your body to surpass its calorie needs.

And sugar is easily digestible, which triggers the release of insulin, i.e. a hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels.

Frequent consumption of excess sugar results in increased levels of insulin in the body, forcing your body to store excess calories in the form of fat.

This fat is deposited in various parts of your body, including the arms.

Typically, the fat causes your arms to grow in size and weight.

To lose this fat, you need to adopt a balanced diet plan that contains whole grains, vegetables, and regulated lean proteins.

Such a diet will ensure a healthy arm shape and muscle.

Another possible cause of arm fat is low testosterone levels.

The levels of testosterone in your body may decline as a result of various factors, including poor diet, inadequate sleep, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle.

A drop in the levels of this hormone results in low sex drive, loss of energy, and loss of your body’s ability to build muscle.

Because your body develops resistance to muscle development, it is likely to store excess fat, resulting in flabbier and soft arms.

To control your testosterone levels naturally, you need to eat adequate protein.

The sources of natural protein include fish, eggs, legumes, beans, organic meats, and organic dairy.

You also need to create an effective workout routine that facilitates fat burning and muscle building.

Remember, your workout routine should be designed in a way that is sustainable because you have to practice it over a long period.

A short-term exercise routine may not provide a long-term solution to your arm fat.

Additionally, you need to reduce stress in your life by applying stress-relieving methods such as meditation and psychotherapy.

Be sure to keep your hunger hormones under control by getting adequate sleep.

This facilitates body weight loss, including arm weight.

 

Exercises to Reduce Arm Fat

Exercises are an important way to lose weight in your arms fast.

Note that stored fat in your arms can be converted into useful energy if there is a need.

Because physical exercise involves the use of more energy, your body resorts to using the stored fat to meet its energy needs.

This results in fat burning, which rids your arms of the fat.

However, you need to strike a balance between the energy that enters your body and the energy that leaves it.

Eating more calories, which are the main cause of fat buildup, causes your body to store more fat than it can burn.

You need to increase the intensity of your physical exercise to burn this excess fat effectively.

Exercises to help you reduce arm fat include:

 

Weightlifting

Weight lifting is vital in making your arms firmer, stronger, and leaner.

It causes your arms to develop lean muscle tissue and a good appearance.

It also reduces your belly fat, which is essential for a strong core.

And weight lifting increases your metabolic rate, which is helpful in controlling excess body fat.

However, spot-toning one part of your body may not be effective.

For better results, weightlifting should occur concurrently with cardiovascular exercise and a proper diet plan.

Proper weight lifting involves first choosing a suitable weight item in your home.

A 2.5-liter bottle of water can be appropriate.

During the exercise, you need to do the following:

1. While sitting straight on a chair, hold your chosen weight item with both of your hands and raise it over your head. Move your hands to a straight position and hold the bottle for a few seconds.
2. While still holding the bottle, lower your arms towards your back and the bottle as much as possible.
3. Slowly lift the bottle by raising your arms above the head. The slow movement is vital for proper toning of your arm muscle.
4. Repeat this exercise 20 times before resting.

For better results, you need to undertake three sets of this exercise per day.

Be sure to rest for one minute between sets.

 

Wrist Rotation

This is one of the simplest yet most effective physical exercises that can help you to lose weight and fat in your arms.

It can be done with or without the help of weights.

If you are using weights in this exercise, lighter ones are appropriate.

Two half-liter water bottles can do the trick.

To perform a wrist rotation, you need to:

1. Hold the bottles in your hands while standing straight.
2. Move the bottles clockwise, followed by anti-clockwise. This will set your palms in a rotation. The rotation should last for about one minute.
3. If you are not using weights, stand straight and separate your feet shoulder-width apart.
4. Stretch your arms to your sides and hold them at shoulder height.
5. Rotate your hands in the forward direction 50 times.
6. Repeat another 50 backward rotations to complete the process. These forward and backward rotations will tone muscles in various parts of your body, including the shoulders, back, triceps, and biceps. Remember to perform arm rotation on a regular basis for better results.

 

Scissors

Performing scissors can be fun because of their low intensity.

It is one of the best cardio exercises you can adopt if you want to lose your arm fat fast.

As the name suggests, the exercise involves continuous opening and closing of your arms, a movement that resembles the operation of a pair of scissors.

To perform scissors, do the following:

1. While standing straight, raise your arms in front to the height of your shoulders.
2. Move the hands to your sides and bring them back to your front so the hands appear like a pair of scissors.
3. Repeat the movement 10 times to complete a set, and then take a break.
4. Repeat the procedure for two more sets to complete your daily scissors exercise. This exercise will tone your arm muscle by burning the fat buildup in the area.

 

Push-Ups

This exercise targets your triceps brachii and pectoral muscles.

Push-ups tone your upper arms by burning fat deposited in the area.

One good aspect of push-ups is that you do not need other items like barbells or dumbbells to perform them.

In push-ups, you use your body weight to burn your arm fat.

Performing push-ups involves:

1. Lying on the floor with your stomach facing downward.
2. Drawing your hands apart while keeping your feet together to assume the push-up position. Your hands should be slightly wider than the width of your shoulders, and your elbows should be straight.
3. Bend your elbows to move your body downward. Ensure that your stomach does not touch the ground.
4. Stretch your arms to allow the elbows to go back to the initial position. This marks a complete push-up. Repeating the exercise 10 times completes one session of push-ups. You need three sessions a day for the best results.

Remember, this type of exercise may be difficult in the beginning.

However, your arms get accustomed to it with time.

You may begin with fewer push-ups per session and increase the number gradually with time.

 

Counter Push-Ups

Unlike basic push-ups, which do not require any equipment, counter push-ups, as the name suggests, require a raised platform like a counter or a table to perform.

They burn your arm fat the same way ordinary push-ups do and will tone your muscles in a matter of weeks.

To perform counter push-ups, do the following:

1. Place your hands on the counter and take the push-up position. Draw your hands apart so they are wider than your shoulder width, and put your feet together. Your back should be in a straight position. This helps in exerting the appropriate weight on your arms during the exercise.
2. Perform the push-ups just like in V. above, but with 20 push-ups per session. Remember you are exercising on a raised platform; hence, the weight exertion on your arms may not be as intense as in the case of push-ups without the counter.

 

Aerolean Push-Ups

Aerolean push-ups help you lose arm fat by targeting your triceps.

Just like ordinary push-ups, this exercise relies on your body weight and does not require any equipment.

However, there is a slight difference in the way you place your hands on the ground and move your elbows.

To do aerolean push-ups, you need to:

1. Lie flat on your stomach and take the push-up position. This involves drawing your arms apart wider than shoulder-width while keeping your feet together. With your palms flat on the ground, point your fingers out to your sides.
2. Tilt your body by bending one of your elbows.
3. Raise your body back to the initial position, and tilt your body again by bending the opposite elbow.
4. Perform the movements as much as you can, and repeat the entire procedure for two more sessions each day.

Since aerolean push-ups involve intense exertion of pressure on your arms, it may be difficult to perform this exercise in the beginning.

Performing the push-ups with your knees on the ground may help as you adapt gradually.

 

Lateral Plank Walk

This exercise also tones your arm muscles by burning the fat in the area.

It involves:

1. Taking the plank position by lying on your stomach, while keeping your hands shoulder-width apart and joining your legs and feet together. Your body should be straight, and the fingers should be pointed outwards.
2. Moving and keeping your left hand on the right while moving your right foot towards the right.
3. Repeating the same moves with your right hand and left foot.
4. Returning to the initial plank walk position, and pulling your abs towards the pelvis and spine.
5. Reversing direction, and taking three steps to your left to complete the process.

To get the most out of the regular plank walk, you need to perform the exercise on a regular basis.

 

Chair Triceps Dips

Chair dips help in toning both your arm and back muscles.

For this type of exercise, you can use a chair, bed, desk, or any other suitable equipment that is at least 2 feet higher than the ground.

The equipment must be stable, to avoid falling and possible injury.

Follow the following procedure to perform chair dips:

1. Set the chair or other equipment you intend to use in a stable place.
2. Stand with your back facing the equipment, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the equipment.
3. Move your legs 3 feet away from it.
4. Hold your upper body in a straight position, and bend your knees so they are in line with the height of the equipment.
5. Lower your body by bending the elbows as much as possible.
6. Resume the initial position, and repeat the procedure twenty times for a complete set.
7. Repeat the set two more times to complete your daily chair dips, taking care to rest between the sets.

 

Half-Moon Rotation

Though less intense, half-moon rotation exercises help you burn your arm fat effectively.

This type of exercise targets your triceps and biceps, which are the major muscles of your arms and shoulders.

To perform a half-moon rotation, do as follows:

1. Take the half-moon rotation position by standing with your feet hip-width apart, and raising the arms straight at shoulder height to your sides.
2. Open your palms and keep the fingers on each hand together.
3. Turn your palms towards the ground and rotate your thumbs slowly toward the back. Rotate them until your palms face upwards. Rotating your thumbs down and forward completes the rotation.
4. Perform 30 rotations per set to get the most out of this exercise.

 

Opposite Arm and Leg Lift

A very effective physical exercise, opposite arm, and leg lift tones both your arm and leg muscles.

It is also useful in stretching your back and perfecting your posture.

Perform this exercise as follows:

1. Get on all fours.
2. Raise your left hand straight. The fingers of the hand should point forward.
3. While holding the hand in position, raise your right leg straight backward.
4. Remain in this position for a few seconds, and resume the original position.
5. Perform steps 2, 3, and 4 with your left leg and right hand.
6. Repeat the whole procedure 15 to 20 times every day for best results.

 

Hand Exercises

Hand exercise involves a combination of simple yet effective exercises that involve your hands.

It targets the upper part of your arms, which is prone to fat accumulation.

If performed regularly, hand exercises can tone your arm muscle and help get rid of arm fat.

One good feature of hand exercises is that they can be done in the comfort of your home without going to the gym.

To perform hand exercises, do the following:

1. While standing straight, spread your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift your arms to shoulder height with your fingers pointing outwards.
3. Rotate your hands in forwarding circular motions for about 30 seconds.
4. Rotate your hands in backward circular motions for the same amount of time.
5. After the hand motions, bend your elbows with your fingers pointing upwards.
6. Move the elbows back and forth for 30 seconds. This enhances the flexibility of your biceps.
7. Repeat these exercises on a regular basis to burn your arm fat effectively.

Although physical exercises are helpful, they need to be accompanied by certain practices for them to be more effective.

First, you need to hydrate your body properly by drinking adequate water.

Remember that physical exercise causes your body to lose water through sweating.

This water that is lost needs to be replaced as soon as possible to ensure that your body continues to function normally after the exercise.

Be sure to drink enough water before, during, and after the exercise.

Secondly, a healthy exercise routine should be accompanied by a healthy diet.

Your body uses a lot of energy during exercise.

Failure to replace this energy may render your body weak, depriving you of the energy needed to accomplish your daily activities.

Healthy eating replaces all the lost energy for better body functioning.

Adopt a proper eating habit that involves breakfast.

However, you should limit calories and sugary foods as much as possible, to avoid fat accumulation.

 

Dietary Changes to Lose Arm Fat

Changing your diet serves as an important tip on how to lose weight in your arms, as well as fat.

Dietary changes can be challenging, especially where you need to limit or completely avoid some of your favorite foods.

You need to have a clear objective and make some sacrifices.

Remember, there are no foods that will specifically help you in getting rid of arm fat.

Fat-reducing foods aim to reduce fat all over your body, which will eventually result in losing arm fat.

You can lose your body fat naturally in the comfort of your home if you choose to eat certain foods while avoiding some at the same time.

Be sure to stick to a regular eating schedule, and accompany your dietary changes with exercise for the best results.

Natural foods to help decrease arm fat include olive oil, beans, fish, leafy greens, and whole grains.

Coffee, green tea, and certain herbs and spices also help in ridding your arms of fat.

 

Olive Oil

Although olive oil contains calories, eating it does not necessarily mean you will gain weight.

Remember, irrespective of the type of food you eat, your body can only increase in weight when your calorie consumption surpasses your body needs.

This means you can consume a lot of olive oil and fail to gain fat or weight, as long as the caloric balance in your body is normal.

The most important property of olive oil that makes it suitable for burning body fat is its monounsaturated fat content.

This fat has the ability to lower the levels of cholesterol in your body, which prevents fat formation in your arms and other body parts.

Thus, olive oil can be part of your healthy diet plan for ridding your arms of fat.

 

Fish

Fish contains lean protein, which should be part of your healthy diet.

It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that are helpful in preventing food cravings.

When your craving for sugary and high-calorie foods decreases, you are less likely to consume these foods.

Since your body is not able to make omega-3 fatty acids, including fish in your diet is essential.

On the other hand, fish is low in bad fat, or omega-6 fatty acids, which are common in red meat.

Hence, eating fish helps keep your arm fat under control.

Additionally, fish, particularly white-fleshed fish, is very low in fat, ensuring that your body does not pack on the pounds.

Omega-3 rich fish include salmon, tuna, and halibut.

 

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and collard greens have low-calorie content, which makes them ideal to help reduce your arm fat, as well as fat in other areas of your body.

Leafy greens are also rich in nitrites.

Nitrites have the ability to change your white cells, which are fat-storing cells, into brown cells capable of burning fat.

When this conversion occurs, your body gets an extra ability to burn fat, including arm fat.

This may eventually lead to weight loss.

 

Whole Grains

Substituting high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods like whole grains helps you to shed those extra pounds and fat, including arm fat.

Additionally, whole grains ensure that you stay full most of the time by loading your stomach with fiber, which reduces your craving for food, including high-fat foods.

The fiber also slows the rise of your blood sugar, preventing you from having sugar cravings.

Examples of whole grains that can help you in reducing arm fat include oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa.

It is crucial to note that whole grains contain carbohydrates.

Although they provide body energy and reduce fat, you need to eat them in moderation as part of your healthy fat-burning diet plan.

Carbohydrates can increase your food appetite, which may result in overconsumption of high-calorie foods.

 

Coffee and Green Tea

While most beverages do not help in fat burning, adding green tea and coffee to your fat-loss diet plan enhances your results to a certain extent.

Green tea and coffee are rich in caffeine, which speeds up your metabolic rate.

The increased metabolic rate ensures that calories in your body are burned at a faster speed, preventing them from changing into fat.

This prevents fat accumulation in various parts of your body, including the liver and arms.

However, overconsumption of caffeine may cause certain side effects, such as trouble sleeping and nervousness.

Thus, you need to consume coffee and green tea in moderation to avoid these side effects.

To do this, avoid consuming more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day.

Remember, a cup of green tea contains up to 60 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams.

 

Beans

Beans contain a lot of essential minerals, including potassium and magnesium, which are beneficial for the normal functioning of your body.

And they contain healthy vitamins like folate, which should be essential ingredients in your fat-loss plan.

Beans have a relatively low glycemic index, which makes them helpful in keeping your blood sugar in check. Glycemic index refers to the measure of the extent to which food affects your blood sugar levels.

Low glycemic index foods like beans impact your blood sugar subtly, preventing you from experiencing blood glucose spikes.

In contrast, foods with a high glycemic index cause blood glucose spikes, which necessitate a rapid release of insulin, the hormone that regulates your blood sugar.

This rapid release of the hormone results in a blood sugar crash, leading to food craving.

Hunger tempts you to eat more food, meaning you may end up consuming more calories than your body needs.

This causes fat formation in your tissues, including the arms.

 

Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices are a smart way to add flavor to meals without adding extra sugar, salt, or calories to your body.

They work by increasing your metabolic rate, which is essential for speedy fat burning.

Examples of herbs and spices that can help you in burning arm fat include cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, black pepper, and ginger.

Cumin, cayenne, dandelions, and cardamom are also helpful.

Note that these herbs and spices add flavor to your food, and this may increase your appetite, leading to overconsumption of calories.

You need to be disciplined to avoid overeating, irrespective of how tasty the food may be.

 

How to Prevent Getting Arm Fat

Excess arm fat, just like fat in other parts of the body, occurs when you consume more calories than your body needs.

Too much fat in your arms poses a health risk; hence, you need to ensure that the calories you take in are just enough for the body’s energy needs.

You can prevent arm fat at home using natural methods that involve eating low-calorie foods.

This ensures that all the calories that enter your body are used for energy.

The diet should be accompanied by regular aerobic and strength physical exercises designed to burn any extra calories in your body.

 

Eating to Prevent Fat Storage

As mentioned earlier, there are no specific foods that can reduce arm fat.

The foods that do reduce arm fat are those that help reduce body fat in general, including belly fat.

Eating to prevent fat storage involves limiting your intake of calories to prevent your body from entering the fat storing cycle.

You need to limit your intake of white rice, white bread, sugary foods, and salty foods.

These foods are high in carbohydrates.

Excessive consumption of carbohydrates raises the levels of your blood glucose, leading to the production of excess insulin.

The excess blood glucose enters your fat cells found in body parts such as the arms, where it is stored as fat.

Too much insulin discourages the fat cells from releasing the fat to be used as energy.

Substitute calorie-rich and sugary foods with low-calorie foods, including leafy vegetables, whole grains, stir-fried asparagus, and legumes to prevent arm fat.

For instance, whole grains contain fiber, which slows down digestion.

Slow digestion prevents blood sugar spikes, which helps maintain stable insulin levels.

This prevents you from having sugar cravings. Other low-calorie foods to add to your diet include bananas, fish, herbs and spices, olive oil, and cauliflower.

A serving of lean proteins from sources such as poultry and fish in every meal also ensures that you stay full most of the time.

This keeps your blood sugar levels in check to prevent the rapid release of insulin.

 

Exercising to Prevent Arm Fat

Besides a decreased metabolic rate, failure to exercise is another reason behind your arm fat.

When you exercise, your body uses more energy than normal.

This prompts the body to convert any stored fat to energy for use.

Your arm fat is burned in the process.

Also, because a lot of energy is lost during exercise, your body needs to replace this energy after the workout.

This maximizes the conversion of calories you eat into energy, preventing fat formation in your arms.

Unlike with food, there are arm-specific exercises you can do at home or in the gym to prevent arm fat.

The exercises will not only prevent fat formation in your arms but also strengthen the arms and facilitate the formation of lean arm muscle.

To achieve the best results, you need to exercise regularly, possibly on a daily basis.

The exercises you can do to prevent arm fat include counter push-ups, lateral plank walk, half-moon rotation, chair triceps dips, scissors, and wrist rotation.

 

Do’s and Don’ts

• Do drink enough water for proper hydration, which is essential for body processes such as metabolism. Proper and faster metabolism prevents arm fat.
• Do eat healthy proteins from lean meats, including fish. Physical training to lose arm fat causes the development of your arm muscle tissue; hence, the body requires more protein to repair, grow, and maintain your muscle.
• Do regular physical exercise, mostly involving your arms. The exercise will tone your arm muscle, burn fat in them, and make them lean.
• Do eat a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. This prevents arm fat by ensuring that most of the fat and cholesterol in your body are put to use.
• Do stick to a diet that is high in quality complex carbohydrates and fiber, such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.
• Don’t consume fast foods. Most of them have very little to offer in terms of essential fatty acids, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein. Instead, they contain a lot of sugar, salt, cholesterol, and saturated fats, which encourage arm fat build-up.
• Don’t eat processed foods. They are low in fiber, and hence quickly digested, leading to the craving for sugary foods. They are also high in calories, which cause fat accumulation in the arms.

 

Conclusion

In a nutshell, too much fat in your arms distorts the shape and look of your arms.

The fat is also risky to your health and may hinder you from performing your daily activities.

The best tip for how to lose arm fat is to reduce calorie intake.

You can do this via natural means, by eating natural foods with low caloric content.

You should complement your low-calorie diet with regular physical exercise that mostly involves your arms.

You should do these concurrently if you want to achieve the best results.

However, always remember that it is more important to prevent arm fat than to cure it.

The wise say, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”