5 Best Exercises for Flabby Arms (Tighten Bat Wings Workout)

Looking for the best exercises for flabby arms? Then you’re not alone there are millions of people who desperately need a work to tighten their bat wings.

One of my clients came up to me the other day with a worried look on her face. She started to shake her jiggly arms to show me the problem. But I already knew she was looking for some exercises for flabby arms.

It’s one of those pain points a lot of my clients seem to have. I’ve never met a woman on this planet who actually liked having flabby arms aka the dreaded bat wings.

But even if you lose weight that doesn’t mean the bat wings are going to change much. The trick is to shape and tone your arms instead of having them hang.

Most of the time flabby arms are caused from two reasons…

  1. You don’t have any muscle on your arms to tone them.
  2. You still have too much excess fat on your arms.

98% of the time these are the main reasons why people, women in particular, have bat wings.

This is also a huge problem for people who are “skinny fat” who might appear to be thin but they’re really lacking serious muscle tone. This is why somebody who looks thin can still have a flabby unattractive body.

Here you’ll discover what you need to do to change your flabby arms for good. You’ll tone them up into nicely shaped arms with strong triceps. Now let’s dive into the best exercises to tone up those flabby arms and tone the bat wings up.

What Causes Bat Wings and Flabby Arms?

how to get skinny arms

Now we all have those stubborn parts on our body that just seem to cling on to fat more than others. And it seems with our bad luck they’re the first spots to gain weight and the last places we lose it.

This is mostly due to your genetic makeup. Based on your genetics and gender you’re going to be more likely to store fat in your arms than other places. Men tend to more easily store fat in their belly while women tend to hold it in their hips and thighs. But in your case you also tend to store more excess fat in your arms.

But just because you have the genes to store this excess stubborn fat in your arms doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it for good. There are science-backed methods you can use to tone up your arms quickly.

Now that you also know stubborn fat is caused by lack of muscle mass it’s going to be critical to start building some on your arms. But you’re also going to have to lose body fat on your arms and the rest of your body. Otherwise you’ll build muscle mass on your arms but the fat will still be there. This could end up making your arms look even bigger.

Unfortunately losing fat in certain areas (spot reduction) isn’t a very efficient way to tighen up this stubborn flabby arm fat. What will work is losing fat throughout your entire body and then the fat on your arms will also come off. Then when you add in these best bat wing exercises you’ll build muscle to tone and shape your arms.

How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Bat Wings?

excess skin on lower arms

This is largely going to depend on how much fat your arms are carrying to begin with. The triceps fat on your arm will take longer to lose of since your body is genetically predisposed to hold fat there.

The first step is going to be to measure where you are currently and then to keep track of your progress. Now stepping on the scale to measure your weight isn’t going to be a great way to see your progress. That’s because as you burn fat you’ll also be building lean muscle.

And the scale will deceptively not move much if you keep adding lean muscle onto your body. That’s because muscle weighs something too so it’ll replace the fat you’ve burned off. But the good news is muscle takes up far less volume than fat.

So start off by getting a tape measure to see the circumference of your arms, hips, waist, thighs, etc. As you lose fat your inches will go down because you’re replacing this fat with muscle. Also try to have your body fat measured. Your local personal trainer can do this or you can pick up smart scale to do the job.

Now if you’ve never worked out before then you’ll initially gain more muscle quickly. So you could start to see progress in a matter of weeks. But completely getting rid of your bat wings could take months. But the good news is you’ll continually make progress as long as you’re following the plan and the process.

When Exercises For Flabby Arms Isn’t Enough

how to tone back of arms

 

If you’re carrying too much excess fat on your arms then all the exercises in the world probably aren’t going to help to tone them up. The key is going to be eliminating the excess fat on your arms then toning them up.

The best way to lose the fat on your arms causing them to be flabby is through dieting. The exercises below are going to tone those flabby arms but they’re not going to be able to burn off the fat.

Nutrition is going to be the most effective strategy along with the following exercises. For a complete nutrition and workout system for eliminating those bat wings check out my Flat Belly Formula system designed to rapidly melt fat off your body.

Then when combined with the exercises below you’ll be able to drop those unwanted flabby arms once and for all.

How to Get Rid of Flabby Arms

Flabby Arms & Bat Wings Before & After

 

When my former client came up to me it was a little shocking to see the pain in her face as she pled for me to show her what to do about her flabby arms.

I always knew people didn’t like having belly fat and thigh fat, but the excess fat on the triceps was kinda of a new one for me.

I told her I was on the case and immediately went to work designing a workout program for her to follow to tighten up those stubborn flabby arms once and for all.

The reason she was so desperate to lose her arm flab was of her daughter’s upcoming wedding in only a couple short months.

She was wearing a dress with higher sleeves so it was only a short matter of time before she needed to have her arms looking slim and toned.

The good thing about these deadlines is it drives us to take action otherwise it’s all too easy to put these goals on the back burner.

She looked eager and determined when I met up with her a few days later for our first training session back.

It was a hard workout for her I won’t lie, but by the end of it she was more than satisfied with what she had just done.

Along with the nutrition system in my Flat Belly Formula program we were able to help tone her arms up enough so she could feel confident and happy take pictures on her daughter’s wedding day.

She thanked me for helping her overcome this pain point in her life.

With the following exercises hopefully you’ll be able to use them too to lose those flabby arms.

5 Exercises For Flabby Arms Workout (Video)

When I made this video I decided to do it from home just to show you didn’t need to go to the gym to do these simple but highly effective exercises.

That doesn’t mean you can’t do them at the gym, but not having the time to make it there often keeps people from doing the exercises in the first place.

All you’re really going to need is a pair of dumbbells for some of the exercises, which are super inexpensive and you can find them at your local Target.

Find a weight for your dumbbells that will be challenging, but won’t cause your form to suffer.

These exercises aren’t going to tone your flabby arms if your form is all over the place.

For most women I suggest starting off with a pair of 5-8 pound dumbbells. This is typically enough weight to challenge the your arm muscles while also allowing you to control the dumbbells.

If you don’t have access or can’t afford dumbbells then try using some heavy water bottles. Filled up water bottles with give you some weight to work with when you can’t use dumbbells. You can also use resistance bands to do these exercises too.

When you’re doing these exercises really focus on the muscle you’re working. This mind body connection is going to help you isolate these specific muscle groups. This will enhance the arm toning workout routine to get better results.

Use a slower tempo of 2-3 seconds for the positive and negative phases of the exercises. The positive is usually when you’re lifting the weight against gravity while the negative is when the weight is being lowered.

An example for biceps curls would be to raise the dumbbells up at a pace of 3 seconds to reach the top then slowly lower them back down at a pace of 3 seconds until it reaches the bottom.

A slower more controlled tempo is going to cause your arms to have to work harder with a higher time under tension.

This study by The Journal of Physiology found time under tension to be an important factor with regards to muscle growth.

But don’t worry about getting big and bulky arms from doing these exercises. As long as you’re eating the right foods and lowering your calories then you can only expect your arms to be sleeker, toned and more attractive.

This arms workout is designed to be done with one exercise after the other. Try not to rest long between exercises as we want to create as much demand on your arms as possible.

Use a timer to time your intervals with each work set at 30 seconds per exercise. Set the timer to rest for 10 seconds before you would move onto the next exercise.

After you complete all five exercises you can take a 40 second rest before starting it all over again. Just let the time complete another 30/10 set before beginning the next round.

Go for 3-5 rounds total and I’d recommend doing this workout no more than 2-3 times per week.

List Of Exercises To Tighten Flabby Arms

exercise for arms with weights

Close Grip Push up

close grip pushups - arm exercises

  1. Get started in the all-fours position with your hands and knees on the ground to do the close grip push up.
  2. Place your hands so they’re shoulder width apart. Lift your knees off the ground so you’re now on your hands and toes. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
  3. Keep your body perfectly straight with your abs tight and your elbows tucked to begin the push up.
  4. Slowly lower yourself to the ground while keeping your elbows tucked in.
  5. It should feel like your elbows are scraping your sides as you perform the push up.
  6. As you nearly reach the ground push yourself back up to the starting position. At the top focus on squeezing your triceps. If this is too difficult to do from your feet then just stay on your knees throughout the movement.

Lunging Tricep Kickbacks

lunge kickbacks - arm exercises

  1. To do this variation of the tricep kickbacks get in the starting position you’ll need to stand with your feet hip width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder width apart with your palms facing your sides.
  2. Take a big step forward and bend your front knee just like you would a lunge.
  3. Now lean forward with your upper body.
  4. Hold this position while you raise up your elbows as you keep them close to your side.
  5. Ideally your upper arms will now be parallel to the floor.
  6. Raise the dumbbells up towards the sky trying to make a straight line from your shoulder to your hand. Pause and squeeze the back of your arms at the top before lowering back and starting again.

1-Arm Planks

1-arm push ups holds - arm exercises

  1. The starting position will have you on all fours position with your hands and knees on the ground. Your hands should be shoulder width apart.
  2. Bring yourself up into the push up position (elevated plank position) with your palms facing the ground.
  3. Now take your right arm off the ground and placing it on your opposite shoulder.
  4. Make sure you keep the arm holding yourself up straight and you’re focusing on squeezing the back of your arm.
  5. Hold for 15 seconds per side before switching over to the other side. If you’re unable to hold yourself up then just find a low chair or table about knee height to do it on. Be sure to repeat on your left arm too.

Hip Bridge Tricep Extensions

hip bridge tricep extensions - arm exercises

  1. Get started by laying on your back in the starting position while holding a dumbbell in each hand directly straight out over your body shoulder width apart with your palms facing each other.
  2. Lift your toes up off the ground so only your heel is on the floor. Raise your hips up off the ground. If you want to go to the next level then lift one leg off the ground.
  3. While keeping your elbows in slowly begin to lower the weight down towards the top of your head. Make sure your elbows don’t flare out.
  4. Lower your hips with the dumbbells then slowly raise the dumbbells back up to the start position as you extend your arms along with your hips.

Chair Bench Dips

chair dips - arm exercises

  1. Find a sturdy chair that won’t break or tip over easily. Stand with your feet in front of the chair. With your back turned to the chair place your hands on the sides of it to get in the starting position. Your knees will now be in a bent position while you’re keeping your arms straight.
  2. Squeeze the back of your arms while your at the top. Slowly begin to lower yourself down by bending your elbows. Only go so low you don’t feel any overstraining in your shoulder.
  3. Then slowly raise yourself back up to the top where you’ll squeeze your triceps again.
What is the fastest way to get rid of flabby arms?

The fastest way to lose the excess fat on your triceps is to use exercises that directly build arm muscles there and lose body fat. Now doing the exercises is the easier part but losing your body fat can be tougher. It’s going to require that you start dieting, doing a full body workout that’ll get your heart rate up and then adding in these bat wing exercises.

Can you really get rid of bat wings?

The good news is you can lose your bat wings and you’re not doomed to live with them forever. Most people just try to lose weight to lose their triceps fat but the trick is to actually lower your body fat and use these arm toning specific exercises.

The Last Word

We all have issues with our body image and nobody is perfect. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your body too.

It’s true you’re not going to be able to specifically spot reduce the fat on your arms. This study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is just one of many studies proving it’s impossible to get any real results with spot reduction.

This is why it’s important to follow at complete fat burning system like my Flat Belly Formula program so you can melt fat off your entire body the fastest way possible. Then with these five killer exercises to lose the arm flab you can really start to tone and define them.

Getting rid of those last 10-15 pounds of stubborn fat can feel like the hardest. The initial weight loss you’ll get will be a lot more straight forward than losing stubborn fat.

Just make sure you don’t wait until the last minute before taking action on an exercise routine. The last thing you want to do is only have a short time before you have to lose those flabby arms.