Question of the week: How do I get rid of my flabby arms?
Posted by | Posted in Question of the week | Posted on 13-01-2009
Tags: arm exercises, best stomach workouts, decrease arm fat, how to get rid of flabby arms, spot reduction
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Back when I was a newbie to personal training and was still in the learning process, I had a client who came to me one day with a sad and frustrated tone to her voice. I asked what was the matter, and she proceeded to go into a a semi-venting explanation that she was upset because she just heard on the news that many women who have flab on the back of their arms will have a very hard time ever getting rid of it, no matter what they do. This really got to her because even though she was is very good shape, and extremely motivated, she still felt that her arms needed some work. So what do you think we did? You guessed it; we worked on her arms. We did all kinds of different triceps exercises, and what do you think happened? That's right … nothing.
Unfortunately, a lot of men and women have this same misunderstanding. They feel that if they exercise a certain area, they will get rid of the flab. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it just doesn't work that way. The news report that my client heard hit the nail on the head. You've heard me say it before, but spot reduction doesn't work. Just because you do lifting exercises for your triceps doesn't mean the fat is going to melt off in that area. Studies have proven that there's no formula to "target" fat loss. Fat goes on and comes off wherever it wants to. You can't eat a pizza and tell the fat to store itself in your arms instead of your hips. Well, with the same idea in mind, you can't exercise in a way to make fat come off in a certain area over another.
The best way to cause fat to melt away is to go for the knockout punch. Your big muscles like your legs, chest, and back burn the most calories off and release the most hormones that can alter body composition. By choosing to work these muscles, instead of your arms, you'll be able to burn off more total calories and release more hormones to help alter your entire body.
There are certain areas that are very difficult to stimulate fat loss … the back of the arms is one of them, so in order to get favorable results in an area such as this, a lot of times it takes impeccable nutrition and a dedication to high-intensity total body exercise … not triceps extensions or crunches for the stomach.
The next time you see a program or an article featuring "5 exercises to smaller arms", please beware. I'm sure you'll still want to look at it, but remember these type of programs will bring a lot of frustration because they simply don't work. It's science, and it's a fact.
Note: If you want me to answer your question, just ask.
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