10 Tips to Get Rid of Arm Fat

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Whether it's because of age, lifestyle, or genetics, pesky arm fat can seem hard to eliminate. It might be tempting to try to work only on your arms, but the only way to get strong, toned arms is to focus on overall health and wellness while also doing exercises that encourage muscle growth. Not only will you burn fat, but you will get fit in the process. Here are ten tips to get rid of arm fat and keep it off.

Focus On Fat Burning

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You can't spot reduce fat anywhere specific on the body but what you can do is lose fat all over. A combination of cardio, strength training, and daily movement will help move the process along. A healthy diet is also very important.

Lift Weights

Lifting weights helps burn fat and build muscle, which is particularly important if you want toned, taut arms. "I encourage my clients to do an arm workout at least three times a week to build muscle, plus cardio at least twice a week to help with overall fat and calorie burn," trainer Stephanie Mansour tells NBC News.

Ensure a Calorie Deficit

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In order to lose weight, you must be burning off more than you are taking in through food. This is the foundation of weight loss. "Losing weight essentially comes down to one thing: By burning more calories than you're eating, a math solution called a calorie deficit," says the Cleveland Clinic. "You can create a calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake or combining fewer calories with more exercise."

Get Professional Help

If you're struggling to lose weight and not sure where to start, a professional nutritionist and/or personal trainer could be helpful in demystifying the process. "There's so much misinformation and so many mixed messages out there," Tegan Bissell, RD, LDN, CDCES, tells the Cleveland Clinic. "As experts in food and nutrition, dietitians can help you sift through it all and point you to the science."

Enjoy a Healthy Diet

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Enjoy a diet with lots of quality protein, healthy fats, and fiber—such as the Mediterranean diet. "The Mediterranean Diet pyramid is one way to visualize what foods you should eat and how often," says the Cleveland Clinic. "Different organizations have created slightly different versions of this pyramid. All Mediterranean Diet pyramids encourage you to eat mostly veggies, fruits, whole grain, and extra virgin olive oil while limiting red meat and sweets."

Be Mindful of Alcohol

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"Keep in mind that alcohol has empty calories," says Mount Sinai. "This means it has calories (7 per gram versus 4 per gram for carbohydrate and protein) but no nutrients. In order to drink alcohol while cutting back on calories, you need to plan it into your daily calorie count so you do not go over. Remember that when you drink alcohol, you are replacing potentially healthy and filling food with calories that will not fill you up."

Walk As Much As Possible

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The more you walk throughout the day, the more calories you burn. "A lot of people have a hard time getting motivated to start exercising," exercise physiologist Katie Lawton, MEd, tells the Cleveland Clinic. "But walking is simple, right? We do it every day."

Keep Dumbbells In Your Home

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You don't need to join a gym to get some of the benefits of strength training. Both dumbbells and resistance bands can give you a great at-home arm workout that will encourage fat-burning and muscle growth. "Dumbbells are often used for joint-isolation exercises such as biceps curls, chest flyes, or shoulder raises," Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, tells Ace Fitness. "Using dumbbells for full-body, multiplanar movements, however, can provide a variety of different strength outcomes."

Eat Lots of Protein

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"If you want to lose weight, aim for a daily protein intake between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (.73 and 1 grams per pound)," exercise physiologist Brad Dieter tells NASM. "Athletes and heavy exercisers should consume 2.2-3.4 grams of protein per kilogram (1-1.5 grams per pound) if aiming for weight loss."

Get Some Rest

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Give your body time to rest and recuperate. "When it comes to exercise, more is not always better," says UCLA Health. "Exercising too much — too often or too intensely — can lead to problems. It can even stop you from achieving your fitness goals."

💪🔥Body Booster: Use an online calorie counter to make sure you're in a deficit.

Ferozan Mast

Ferozan Mast is a science, health and wellness writer with a passion for making science and research-backed information accessible to a general audience. Read more

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