Batwings may be stylish on the Batmobile, but nobody thinks they look good attached to the back of their upper arms.

A common request from my personal training clients is the loose skin underneath their arms. Up until now I have had a series of top secret highly effective protocols that I closely guarded under lock and key.

But since this is not about me holding onto the information, but finding a way to share it with the world, here goes nothing:

Know that your triceps are not purely a result of your fat. The way our hormone profile stands, we develop fat in key areas depending on how our profile is. High estrogen, Low progesterone, Cortisol and other hormones can all play a major part in how our body stores our fat.

As you will see, key diet and workout variables can be instrumental in helping us trim that problem area many women (and men!) experience.

The 6 best things you can do to tighten the triceps:

1. Eat several times a day and always ask ‘where’s the beef’.

Wait a sec.. this is for triceps, right?  Yep, you are in the right place.  If we can shave the fat off the tricep while we are trying to tone that muscle by the time the fat comes off we will have a nice looking tri ready to meet the world.  So, what’s with the picture of a cow?  Its saying you need to eat meat?  How does that make sense?

Well, you don’t need to ask ‘where’s the beef’ as much as you need to ask ‘where’s the protein?’ If you are eating regularly then your system is more able to stabilize (if you are running a race and you know a drink break is just around the corner then you can pace yourself more effectively. Since we are on top of the food chain, go for the quality high density proteins whenever possible (think hormone-free animal proteins).

If you are vegan, then…. juuuust rellllaaaaxxx… yooouuuu arrreee feeeliinnngg slleeeeppyyy.. Eaaaaaat soooome meeeaaaat….. (hey, it works for that guy that makes people act like chickens up on stage, right?)

Do not underestimate your bodies ability to anticipate what is coming next – your reward for eating small high protein meals more frequently will be leaner upper body fat (specifically the upper arms) and an improved metabolism and energy level. No, I don’t mean follow an ‘atkins diet’. I just mean make sure if you eat an apple that you have something protein to balance it out. Ok? Don’t go grab a roll of salami and start chowing on it like a hungry dog – that is not what I am suggesting here.

2. Get stuck into the ‘smart fats’ on a daily basis:

To regulate your hormone system and tell the body where to put the right fats, We need to supplement our diet with ‘smart fat’. Get some eggs, high quality fish/salmon oil supplements and good quality meats into your diet (think hormone-free filet mignon over mystery meat). A nice side benefit of the right fats is healthier joints and improved organ health.

3. Hold back on the booze

Alcohol and nicotine can play havoc with the bodys fat levels. There has been much written about the benefits of cutting back on these two substances so I won’t bore you here with more info. Just know that the back of your arms and the consumption of alcohol and ciggies is connected. End of lecture.

4. Measure yourself.

We can improve that which is measured. If you dont know how much you have on that arm, then you dont know if it is getting better. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement to want to get more committed. None of us are going to wake up tomorrow with major change in the back of the arm.

5. Work Hard and Sleep hard.

Your hormone profile will stabilize and your body fat levels will normalize the better quality sleep you get. Getting to sleep before 12 and sleeping in past 6 can be highly beneficial on a number of health and lifestyle related factors. As much as you love those late night informercials, watching television right before you go to bed can also prevent quality sleep even though you might feel you are getting to bed at a decent hour. Try a nice warm cup of herbal tea in the evening to help your body prepare for sleep. Play some soothing music. Take a few deep breaths and let your body know that deep relaxing sleep is just around the corner.

6. Lift hard

The hormones stabilizing factor of lifting hard has been proving scientifically time and time again. Don’t be afraid of bulking up – think of those lean triceps you are after, bottle that energy up and get to shifting some iron!

Remember: Tricep kickbacks are not the solution!

Tri Kickbacks are inefficient, non-functional and use one muscle and one arm at a time – and only truly works the muscle through about 1/3 of its natural range of motion.   You could do more for your triceps simply by pumping out a set of standing bicep curls because you would be burning more calories and therefore shedding the body of more fat that covers up that tricep.

All you are doing is firming up a muscle group that is shrouded by a layer of fat. There is no spot reduction from working a specific muscle for a specific area.

Lift for 3 sets of large compound exercises (squat, lunges, dumbbell chest press, chin ups or lat pulldowns) and do reps in such a way that if you did more than 12 you would feel the urge to grunt loudly like those guys with the big weight-belts and hairy backs. This will make your body move fat like never before and give you the tighter upper body you have been looking for.

So take notice of the small changes – if you can put lots of small diet and workout changes together, you can build an arm you will be proud to wave goodbye with.

Jamie Atlas

http://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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