Get rid of arm flab and have trim, toned arms again at any age. Those awful wings that hang down from your upper arms are unnatural and can be embarrassing. The good news is that getting back to normal is easy if you know what to do, even after 40. In my opinion, the fitness advisor with the best advice on this topic is Jon Benson, who explains his top three strategies here.
[Note from Dr. D: Jon shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]
Got arm flab?
Know someone who does?
Some women I know with a healthy sense of humor refer to it as “their wings” because their arm flab flaps when they walk or jog.
It’s time to get rid of your wings ladies…
… and guys, listen up: You are not immune to arm flab. Even if your don’t have any, the tips I’m about to give will help you build stronger arms.
Before I go any further, I have to tell you about Marty Web.
Marty looked like … well, your typical 59-year-old housewife. Actually she looked a bit worse.
She was a good 80 pounds over her ideal bodyweight. And she had her wings…
… big time wings. Loads of arm flab.
That was at age 59.
At age 61… wow. Different story.
Marty transformed her body to such a degree that even I could have never guessed she was an OUNCE overweight!
Her story and 52 others just like her, male and female, are in my first book — and my best-seller, Fit Over 40.
I’d like you to read more about my cure for arm flab here — Fit Over 40
Marty replaced her “wings” with toned, beautiful arms. And you can too.
How to Get Rid of Arm Flab
She has two pages in Fit Over 40… too much to cover in an email… but here’s the basics to get you started:
1. You have to get your nutrition down pat. Most people think that the flab on their arms (or anywhere for that matter) can be solved by “turning it into muscle.”
This is not true folks. Fat does not turn into “anything.” It is used for energy. Period.
Muscle is muscle. Fat is fat.
You must use low-insulin nutrition like I recommend in all my books, including Fit Over 40, to lower your bodyfat. For ladies, the back-of-the-arm bodyfat is often the last bit to go.
But I promise — it will go. I can go for anyone. Marty Web and dozens of other ladies in Fit Over 40 prove that in living color… and they share how they did it.
Low-insulin nutrition means eating more protein-rich foods, foods that are not processed, and plenty of tasty veggies. But it does not mean you cannot have your pizza and burgers here and there. I do every week and my bodyfat is low.
2. You must train your triceps. The back of the arm is made of three muscles called the “triceps”. You have a long head, a medial head and a lateral head that form the triceps muscle group.
If you cannot access a gym, you can do plain-old pushups to work all three heads of the triceps. Here’s a few tips. First, if you cannot do a pushup with your legs straight, start by doing them on your knees. Work up to straight-legged pushups.
Second, do one third of your reps with your hands facing away from your body, one third with your hands facing toward your body (fingers pointing toward you) and the final third with your hands in the “normal” pushup position, facing the same direction as your body. This will work the various heads nicely.
If you want to say good-bye to arm flab, and you have access to a gym, see the exercises for the triceps found in my book Fit Over 40
3. Finally, you have to have a role model. Find someone like Marty who has lost their wings and use their success to inspire you.
Put these three things together and you too will be “grounded” — wingless, but with a lovely pair of arms that look fantastic and will never jiggle again.
With help against arm flab,
Dr. D
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