The Best Ways to Lose Flabby Arms Without Push-Ups

If you think that doing hundreds of pushups is going to reduce arm flab, think again. Targeted strengthening exercises only tone and shape your muscles. If your muscles are hidden under a layer of fat, you must also work on reducing that jiggle. Since spot reducing fat isn't possible, a full-body, fat-burning approach is the best way to lose flabby arms. When your body fat reduces, so will the excess fat in your arms, making them your best accessories.

  1. Reducing Body Fat

    • Doing 30 to 60 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise on five days of the week, and strength training two days can help you burn calories and reduce body fat. Arm-intense cardio, such as a game of tennis, exercising on an elliptical machine with moving handles, walking or jogging briskly while pumping your arms back and forth, and rowing or boxing, burns calories while activating your arm muscles for optimal results. Strength training should include multi-joint exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses and dumbbell rows, to target all major muscle groups for optimal muscle stimulation and caloric burn.

    Target Your Triceps

    • When it comes to flabby arms, the triceps at the back of the upper arms are often part of the problem. While reducing body fat, targeted exercises can strengthen and tone this area. In place of triangle pushups, do bench dips, dumbbell kickbacks and overhead triceps extensions -- these are the next best thing, according to the American Council on Exercise. And these exercises can be done at home. If you have access to a high pulley, you can also include rope or bar pull downs in your routine.

    Target Your Biceps

    • For an even muscular balance and tone, working the front of your upper arms is essential. Biceps curls can effectively do this. You can do them while sitting on an incline bench, while standing upright or while hinged over on a preacher bench. The motion consists of bending your elbow and bringing the weight toward your shoulders by using your biceps. You can use dumbbells, a barbell, resistance bands or cables. If you don't have access to these, have two water bottles double as weights.

    Watch What You Eat

    • Regardless of how much you exercise, if your diet consists of fatty junk food, you won't see results. Consuming fewer calories can help you lose body fat. By cutting out 500 calories every day you can lose one pound of fat in one week. Small changes, such as eating smaller meals and choosing low-calorie foods over high-calorie foods, can help you achieve this deficit. Get your nutrients from veggies, whole grains, fruits, lean protein and low-fat dairy. Adhering to a healthy diet will help you lose flabby arms.