Armpit flab, which is also mockingly termed as “bingo wings” or “bat wings”, develops with age. More than men, women are prone to acquire armpit flab once they cross forty. This causes a lot of embarrassment when they wave their hands in a sleeveless or strapless outfit. The low level of testosterone is the reason for the accumulation of fat under the armpit. By taking the right diet and going for weight training exercises, you can reduce the fat cells that get accumulated under your arm. Perform cardiovascular exercises that help burn fat and weight training exercises to tone and build your muscles.
5 exercises to get rid of armpit flab
Shoulder press
As your target area is the triceps muscle, focus on performing shoulder presses. Take dumbbells weighing 2 to 5 pounds and hold them in each hand. Stand with your legs at shoulder width distance with your palms toward the wall. Raise your hands slowly above your head. Take care not to lift your shoulders toward your ears. Slowly lower your hands down and repeat the procedure 20 times. You can get a noticeable result in a month’s time if you strictly adhere to this exercise three times a week. Be cautious if you have pain in the lower back, neck or the elbows.
Push-ups – one of the best exercises to get rid of armpit flab
To fight against sagging skin under your arms, push-ups are ideal as they focus on arms, chest, and shoulders. These are simple exercises which do not require any equipment. You can do many variations of push-ups so that you can focus on different parts of your body. Standard push-ups are perfect for toning all parts of your body.
Keep your palms down on the floor at a shoulder-width distance. Keep your feet together with your back and butt held tight. Lower your body slowly till your chest nearly touches the floor. Slowly raise your body to the original position. Repeat the steps 10 times taking rest for 15-30 seconds.
Push-ups for arms target the triceps muscles that lie at the back of arms. Make a little variation to the standard push-ups by keeping your hands closer together. Keep your elbows closer to the sides when you lower down. The change in the posture targets the triceps and tones the flabby skin under your arms.
Triceps exercises
To effectively reduce your armpit flab, triceps dips are the right choice as the target is the triceps. Sit on a bench and hold it tightly with your hands keeping them by the side of your butt. Keep your feet flat on the floor and slide your butt away from the bench. Slowly lower your body until your elbows are at a right angle. Raise yourself slowly to the original position. Doing 3 sets continuously, repeat the procedure 10 times, taking a gap of 15-30 seconds in between.
You can also go for another type of triceps exercise. Carry weight in your hands and stretch your arms up over your head. Then bend your arms to the back at the elbows, making the weight rest behind your shoulder blades. Slowly raise and lower them over your head and behind your head. You can feel the effect of the exercise on your triceps. When doing the triceps exercise with weights, take care not to let the weights slip. It is likely that you may get severely injured when your body is not set in a fixed position. So take care to maintain a proper body posture while doing exercises with weights.
Overhead press
This exercise is great for shoulders and for toning armpit flab. Choose a comfortable position either standing or sitting. Contract your abdomen and keep your back straight. Carry a kettlebell in each of your hands. Bend your elbows slowly, keeping the weights at the shoulder level. Stretch your arm out to press the kettlebells overhead. Lower the kettlebells slowly and bring them back to the original position. Repeat the procedure 25 times. Take care while doing this exercise as you are carrying a weight that may slip and injure you. It is also likely that you may develop a muscle pull if your body is not positioned in a comfortable posture.
Cardiovascular and aerobic exercises
Cardiovascular exercises help in the burning of fat. Walking, swimming, running, jogging and biking are great for reducing body fat. Incorporate underarm exercises into your routine cardiovascular workout. See to it that you pursue a good combination of strong arm movements and intense workouts. Remember that the more pressure you put on your arms, the more pressure you give to the flabby skin that wiggles under your arms. The pressure you exert over the flab tones them and improves your appearance.
Swimming involves greater arm movements so make swimming a part of your regular exercise. Dancing can also be a part of your exercise routine as it involves a lot of arm movements. Use the exercise bike for a wonderful workout by unlocking the movable arm handles. Aerobic exercises also help you burn more calories and work great for toning the saggy skin of your underarms. Thirty minutes of these kinds of exercises thrice a week will really help you burn underarm fat.
Before you go…
If you have to actually pull yourself out of bed every morning to stay fit, here are some great tips to sustain your motivation for working out and staying healthy. Read on to know more.
Keep your fitness motivation sky high with these tips
You already know the benefits of working out. You start with zeal and zest, but a few weeks into your routine, you let yourself slow down, and slump to your older self. It happens to many of us. It could be that your initial motivation\’s power waned, or you are finding the price too high. The problem here is that you won\’t get results if you aren\’t motivated.
Lack of motivation crushes the belief you had in yourself. Where you had the reasons, you start finding excuses. Your daily schedules might be too tight, but you will still find time for your workouts if well motivated. The following tips will help keep your fitness motivation sky high, help you break all the plateaus and keep you on a fitness fast track.
1. Set some goals
Having an end goal in mind is an excellent way to keep yourself motivated. Goals should be realistic and could either be long term or short term. Your short term goals should be to reach a particular treadmill speed, doing 30 push-ups, getting some reps or a length of time when exercising. The short-term goals should be a stepping stone to long-term goals. Be sure to record all of those goals in your fitness journal
Example of a fitness journal above, credit to Pinterest
Time-bound goals are much easier to measure and achieve. Write your goals down and set a specific deadline and sign a commitment plan. Don\’t forget to do a periodic review. Realizing the goals with your effort is incredibly motivating. When you have attained your goals, set some more.
2. Reward yourself
Have something to look forward to if you reach your goals. If your goal was to bench 220 lbs by a particular day, and you end up hitting 230 lbs, take a day off and go to a celebratory meal. Don\’t shy away from admiring your progress. When you look in the mirror and see some results, congratulate yourself and buy a new pair of jeans, a new shirt, or any clothes to show off your new shape.
3. Keep reminders of your motivators nearby at all times
There are numerous ways you can keep yourself motivated. You can download motivation pictures from the internet, print them and hang them in your room or just store them on your phone. You can also subscribe to motivational Youtube channels, social media platforms or join online workout forums. By surrounding yourself with constant streams of motivation, you won\’t find a reason to slack off.
Even just a nice photo of you with your family can be all the motivation you need to stay the course.
Example of a great motivational picture, if family is your great motivator – Image from TheCanvasFactory
4. Change things up
Monotony breeds boredom. Trying out new things is the easiest way to remain motivated. If you did 2 miles yesterday, try 2.1 miles today. If you did 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday, add five more today. Also, find a workout plan that you enjoy, and which delivers results. Changing your workouts and having a routine that you enjoy is the simplest way to enjoy your workouts.
5. Keep it Social
Have a workout partner to commit to. It can be your spouse or friend. Sign a contract with them to pay each other some cash in the form of penalty whenever any of you fails to reach the set goals. Group exercise is another way to psyche yourself up and arouse a competitive spirit.
Article Submitted By Community Writer