Do Dumbbells Help Flabby Arms on Seniors?

As you get older, your upper arms may develop flabby fat that seems to hang from them and jiggle. This happens as part of the natural aging process of your skin and muscle fibers. Dumbbells can be used to tone flabby arms regardless of age, though you may need to include cardio workouts as well to lose the flab.

  1. Flabby Arms and Aging

    • According to WebMD, seniors with flabby arms probably won't be able to shape their arms to look like young-looking arms, but they can get rid of the flab. As people age, the skin and its connective tissue slowly lose elasticity, meaning older muscles will look different than younger muscles whether toned or not. However, most of the sagging caused by aging can be eliminated through weight lifting, which tightens the muscles and helps burn fat hanging from them.

    Lifting Weights Builds Muscle

    • Muscle burns more calories than fat, meaning that your body composition plays a role in your metabolism. Lifting weights builds muscle mass; the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism. If you have a thick layer of fat hanging from your arms, burning more calories than you consume each day will allow you to lose weight. This in turn can lessen the fat you have, and while you can't spot-reduce, some of the fat you lose could end up being from your arms. With weight lifting, you'll have firm, defined muscles to show off once the fat is gone. It's important to lift weights as you get older whether you're overweight or not since you lose muscle mass with age, which significantly slows your metabolism and can prevent you from doing things you did when you were younger.

    You May Still Need to Lose Fat Overall

    • Lifting weights might not be enough for getting rid of flabby arms, whether you're 25 or 65. If a layer of fat is covering your arms, you can't spot-reduce the fat by lifting dumbbells. Instead, you would lose fat by doing strength-training and cardio that work your largest muscles. This way you can scorch more calories and build more muscle mass, which boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories at rest too. You may want to reduce your calorie intake if it's too high by cutting down on processed foods with refined carbs and sugars, and trading fatty, greasy foods for lean proteins.

    The Younger You Start, the Better

    • According to "Oprah" magazine, pumping iron in your middle age will slow the diminishing of your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which keep your muscles strong and quick. Starting a regular weight lifting program with dumbbells early on will help keep you springy, energetic and able-bodied as you age. Starting weight lifting early and continuing into old age even increases your life expectancy by keeping your bones strong and lowering your risk of chronic conditions and fatal diseases.