If you feel like you might take flight if you flap your arms fast enough, consider adding a few simple arm exercises to your day. Eliminating your arm flab requires following a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Along with cardio workouts, choose a few exercises that target your triceps. You don’t need any fancy equipment or a trip to the gym -- just take advantage of your downtime at home to tackle those triceps.
Plank to Pushup
Both yoga plank exercises and pushups are great choices for fighting arm flab, but combining the exercises packs a more powerful punch. Begin in plank position with your legs fully extended and your body weight supported on your forearms and toes. Hold the plank pose for three to five seconds. Then, replace your forearms with your hands and bring your body into the traditional pushup position. Perform a pushup and then replace your hands with your forearms, bringing yourself back to plank position. Repeat the entire sequence, switching between the two positions as many times as you can for 60 seconds. Perform the sequence during commercial breaks for a killer triceps workout.
Arm Circles
Arm exercises are one of the simplest arm exercises you can choose and they target the entire upper arm. Stand straight and extend your arms out to the sides. Begin moving both arms in small forward circles. Complete as many circles as you can in 15 seconds and then repeat with backward circles. Rest for 15 seconds and then repeat the sequence at least three times. Don’t let your form fail you -- although the arm circles will become very difficult as your arm muscles begin to fatigue, keep your arms as parallel to the ground as possible. The exercise is less effective if your flabby arms begin to fall. Make the exercise more challenging by holding soup cans or full water bottles in your hands. Since the exercise takes less than five minutes, just squeeze it into your daily routine. Perform arm circles while you’re waiting for dinner to finish or reading emails at your desk.
Bridge the Gap
“Shape” magazine recommends the “Bridge the Gap” exercise to tone flabby triceps -- and it can be performed in any corner of your home. Stand straight with your back against a corner. Move your feet forward until just your head and back are resting against the wall. Bend your elbows and lift your arms in front of you -- your forearms should be parallel with the wall, while your upper arms should be parallel with the ground. Keep your triceps muscles contracted as you push your elbows back into the walls, lifting your body away from the wall. Hold for a few seconds and then lower back to the starting position. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.
Kitchen Calisthenics
Ditch your kitchen appliances for a multitasking kitchen workout. Rather than using a bread machine to knead a ball of homemade bread dough, get to work on the tough dough yourself. After just a few minutes, you’ll feel your biceps and triceps burning from the repetitive movements. While your bread is rising, whip up a batch of meringue or custard -- both of which require an arm-blasting session with a wire whisk. When your finished, forego the dishwasher and clean your dishes by hand for an extra arm workout. And if you’re really feeling motivated, give the countertops and floors a quick scrub by hand as well.
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Writer Bio
Krista Sheehan is a registered nurse and professional writer. She works in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and her previous nursing experience includes geriatrics, pulmonary disorders and home health care. Her professional writing works focus mainly on the subjects of physical health, fitness, nutrition and positive lifestyle changes.