Fitness Nutrition Forums

How to Beat Flabby Arm Jiggle

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Just because you're holding excess body fat on your arms doesn't mean you can't get rid of it. Altering your exercise regimen and making a few simple dietary changes can help you beat arm jiggle.

Add 30 Minutes of Aerobic Exercise

If you're not doing cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis, it's time to start. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week to beat arm jiggle and burn fat all over your body. A study published in 2012 in the American Journal of Physiology found that study participants lost about the same amount of body fat whether they participated in 30 or 60 minutes of aerobic exercise daily.

Participate in Interval Training

Adding interval training to your workout regimen may result in significant arm-fat loss. A study published in 2011 in the Journal of Obesity found that high-intensity interval training, which is alternating short stints of high-intensity exercise with recovery bouts at lower intensities for just 20 minutes, three days weekly is an effective fat-loss strategy.

Perform Upper-Body Resistance Exercises

While it's difficult to reduce body fat in just one area of your body, participating in upper-body resistance training on a regular basis reduces arm fat, according to a study published in 2007 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Work each muscle group two to three days weekly, and perform two to four sets of 8 to 20 repetitions for each exercise, suggests the American College of Sports Medicine.

Upper body exercises that help you beat arm jiggle and work your biceps, triceps, shoulders and upper back include arm curls, triceps extensions, triceps kickbacks, push-ups, chest press, shoulder press, front raises, lateral raises, bent-over deltoid raises, bent-over rows and upright rows.

Make Subtle Dietary Changes


Lowering your overall caloric intake, cutting out extra sugar, and boosting dietary protein are subtle dietary changes you can make to help beat arm jiggle. A study published in 2011 in The Journal of Nutrition found that study subjects who exercised regularly, ate slightly fewer calories than usual, and consumed 30 percent of their total calories from protein, including protein from calcium-rich dairy foods, lost more weight and body fat and maintained more lean muscle than participants who consumed lower amounts of protein.

Foods to include in a fat-loss diet include those rich in protein, such as low-fat milk, low-fat cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, reduced-fat cheese, lean poultry, seafood, egg whites, soy products, nuts, seeds and legumes. Pick plenty of fiber-rich vegetables, such as leafy greens, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers and green beans. Choose whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-grain couscous instead of white bread, white rice, crackers, commercial baked goods and other sweets.

Considerations if You Have Loose Skin


If you've lost a considerable amount of weight, have reached your goal weight, and your arm jiggle is due to loose, saggy skin, talk with your doctor about ways to get rid of it. In some cases, people with significant weight losses require skin removal surgery to get rid of excess skin caused by extreme weight loss.


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An experienced health, nutrition and fitness writer, Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian and holds a dietetics degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also has worked as a clinical dietitian and health educator in outpatient settings. Erin's work is published on popular health websites, such as TheNest.com and JillianMichaels.com.

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