Many people wish to lose weight in their arms. Here's why it's not so easy to do.
When most people think about dropping a few pounds or trimming body fat, they usually talk about losing it in all the same places: belly fat, the thigh area, excess butt weight, or their "love handles." Such focus is understandable as these are all areas where fat is commonly known to accumulate and store.
But subcutaneous fat − that's what fat is called that you can see and feel beneath the surface of the skin − is not exclusive to these areas and is stored all over the body. A sometimes surprising place fat can accumulate is on the arms − though that isn't the case for everyone. "Some individuals are prone to more fat distributed in their arms than others," says Dr. Shelby Johnson, a physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
What causes arm fat?
Arm fat, like fat that accumulates anywhere on the body, can be "caused by a combination of many things," explains Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, a licensed psychotherapist at Pacific Pearl of La Jolla and the director of the San Diego Marathon Clinic. He says such factors sometimes come down to different body composition or decreased skin elasticity related to age. "This can also make arm fat more noticeable," he says.
But genetics usually play an especially significant role in determining where one's body stores fat. "Some people are genetically predisposed to store more fat in their arms while others may store it in their hips, abdomen or other areas," Gontang says.
Additional contributing factors for excess arm fat "may be related to lifestyle factors such as diet, activity levels, stress and sleep," adds Johnson.
Arm fat isn't as common in men as it is in women either, and hormones are also a factor. "Females are at a greater risk of carrying excess weight in their arms," explains Dr. Michael Fredericson, director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the co-director on Longevity at Stanford Medicine. He says that hormones like estrogen regulate where and how one gains and stores weight and that women are more likely to be affected by such hormones, especially during menopause.
Is arm fat hard to lose?
No matter what has caused arm fat to accumulate, many people who have it wish to lose it. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. "Everyone's body is different," says Gontang. He says that some people may notice reduced arm fat as soon as they start losing weight everywhere, while others "might find that their arms are one of the last places they lose fat."
Several factors can also determine how long or how easily arm fat is lost. "Losing it can vary in difficulty based on several factors including genetics, hormonal influences and individual body composition," says Gontang. "The ease or difficulty and the time it takes to lose arm fat can differ significantly from person to person."
It's also worth noting that despite what some influencers say online, it's not possible to single out individual places where fat is stored. "Although targeting fat loss in specific areas of the body would be ideal, the theory of 'spot reduction' has yet to be proven effective by scientific studies," says Fredericson. He explains that the preponderance of research actually shows that such attempts are "not effective, and that fat loss tends to be generalized to the entire body."
How to lose arm fat
That doesn't mean one is stuck with unwanted arm fat, however. Losing weight everywhere can certainly help you lose arm fat as well. "Since arm fat is often associated with being overweight or losing significant weight, the first step is changing your eating habits and incorporating more exercise into your days," offers Fredericson.
And while one can't target fat loss in the arms alone, one can target and tone arm muscles specifically. "This can make them appear more defined, especially as one loses fat overall," says Gontang. Some exercises he points to that target arm muscles include bicep curls, tricep dips, tricep extensions, push-ups and arm circles. "Overall cardio, strength training, and high intensity interval (HIIT) training are the most optimal ways to tone your arms," adds Jackie Miller, a certified IRONMAN and USA Triathlon coach who has been advising athletes for 18 years.
Even after building arm muscles or losing overall weight, however, Johnson says, "some amount of arm fat is likely normal and the amount that one has depends on your genetic make-up."
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