Targeted Exercises and the Right Machines for Arms at the Gym

17th February 2023

Summer is approaching and it’s time to bring out those spaghetti tops, tank tops, v-necks, t-shirts, sleeveless tops and more. However, they are prone to exposing your arms to the world and if you don’t feel confident about such exposure, it may be a good time to start thinking of how you can slim your arms using the right machines for arms at the gym.

In this article, we’ll cover a few exercises you can do to slim your arms, some gym machines to target for this purpose and end off with our analysis of the best machine for flabby arms overall. Read on to find out more.

Contents hide

1 What exercises can help me tone my arms fast?

2 What should I do at the gym with my arms?

3 How do I slim my arms and lose arm fat at the gym?

4 What gym machine is best for flabby arms?

What exercises can help me tone my arms fast?

There are machines for arms at the gym and general exercises you can do there as well. We kick off our discussion by focusing on these general exercises that you can try to help you slim down on arm fat. Some of these exercises require no additional equipment and just the resistance of your body weight, while others require some equipment such as dumbbells, weights, elastic bands and more. Here is a list of exercises you can therefore try.

Lifting weights: apart from targeting the arms, weight lifting is also great for strengthening the core. It requires picking up a relatively heavy weight (according to what your body can handle) and then lifting it over your head, bringing it behind the neck and lifting it again over your head once more. It’s usually best done if you perform it in reps or cycles of several lifts that follow each other and then take a short break before the next repetition or cycle.
Chair dips: these are great for arms and back muscles. It requires a platform that is a bit higher than the ground (around two feet) such as a bed or a chair and it should be quite stable and preferably hard. With this exercise, you need to face away from the furniture, place your arms shoulder width apart, bend your knees and then bend your elbows as you use your natural body weight to rise up and down and use natural resistance.
Tricep dips: this exercise focuses on the main area in the arms where fat accumulates the most. You’ll just need some space and much like the chair dips, it involves your arms being “dipped” down while your body weight is used for natural resistance. It also involves using one arm at a time as opposed to both.
Counter push-ups: here, you need something like a sturdy table or a kitchen counter because stability is key. Face the counter with your arms on the edge of it while your feet are touching the base of the counter. Much like regular push-ups, these sorts of “standing” push-ups also use your body weight as natural resistance.
Push-ups: these are the big brother of counter push-ups. They require no equipment and although it may require strength and persistent practice, by lifting your body weight off the floor with your arms, you will be targeting the arm muscles and making them leaner. You can also modify this workout by balancing on both your hands and knees instead of your hands and toes.
Scissors: this arm exercise requires that you move your arms in a scissor-like fashion, with one hand overlapping the other and vice versa. It’s best performed standing straight up and lifting your arms to shoulder height in front of you. You then stretch the arms to the side and bring them to the front while repeating the action several times for maximum effect.
Arm circles: this exercise can be performed with or without weights. It is also a low-impact type of exercise. You stand up straight and move your arms forward in a circular motion several times followed by the repetition of the same exercise but this time backward. It’s great for the triceps, biceps, shoulders and back muscles.
Opposite arm and leg lift: this is a combined exercise for arms and legs. It’s great for balance and posture. You’ll want to get down on all fours. Your knees should be directly below your hips and your palms should be directly below your shoulders. As you raise one arm forward, the opposite leg will be extended and stretched back at the same time. Repeating this with every arm and opposite leg several times on both sides is another excellent arm workout. However, remember to hold the outstretched position for several seconds first before moving on to the next arm and leg movement.
Jabs: related to traditional moves found in boxing, you essentially extend each arm out while holding a fist. Make sure not to shrug your shoulders but rather keep them away from your ears. Your elbows should be at the sides of your ribcage. It’s also important not to lean forward.
Biceps curl: as the name suggests, these exercises target the biceps and they can be done using added weights. You have to bend your elbow and lift the weight towards your shoulder and then down again.
Other exercises you can perform: there is the isometric biceps hold, planks and plank sidewalks, diamond push-ups, ball slams, dumbbell bench press, bicep curls with a resistance band, and bench dips. As for sports you can play to target your arms, these include squash and tennis, cardio, swimming, jogging, kayaking, rock climbing, boxing, and rowing.

What should I do at the gym with my arms?

Although most of the exercises mentioned above use your natural body weight as resistance, you can really increase the intensity of your workout by using some specific machines for arms at the gym.

These machines can help you pack more weights, thereby increasing the intensity of your arm workout. They can also help you target specific arm muscles much more concretely, although it is argued that to strengthen your arms and lose weight, you should avoid spot training but rather focus on whole-body workouts instead.

With that being said, some of the top machines for arms at the gym are:

Lateral pulldown machine: targeting the arms and upper back
Chest fly machine: targeting the chest and shoulders
Shoulder press machine: targeting the shoulders and arms
Cable machine: targets the arms exclusively
Rowing machine: targets the arms, shoulders, back, core, quads, hamstring and calves
Assisted pull-up machine: targets the arms, shoulders, upper back and core

How do I slim my arms and lose arm fat at the gym?

At the gym, you can use a combination of machines for arms at the gym and combine them with non-machine exercises. Some of the exercises mentioned earlier are proven to yield positive results in terms of reducing arm fat.

As such, you may wish to spend some time with your weights doing bicep curls, get on a machine and do lateral pulldowns, get on the tricep press or chest press, climb onto the rowing machine for a full body workout, do arm circles or push-ups, dumbbell bicep curls on the right machine, do front raises with dumbbells and a whole lot more.

What gym machine is best for flabby arms?

Although the machines and exercises mentioned above are a great way of toning your arms, you may be wondering if there is one machine for arms at the gym that can do it all. The answer is “yes” and it comes in the form of the vibration plate. It is a low-impact full-body workout that you can supplement with a few things only. These are your body for natural resistance or some dumbbells for added resistance.

The vibration plate can help you target arm flabbiness effectively and it is a great choice whether you are at the gym or at home. With the vibration plate, you can combine vibrations with tricep kickbacks, one-arm rows, tricep dips, planks, push-ups and a whole lot more.

Final thoughts

Yes, there are plenty of standalone exercises and even more machines for arms at the gym. But this means doing hundreds of reps on different machines and using up a lot of time. With a vibration plate and a few dumbbells at your side, you can quickly and easily start toning your arms for a more sculpted appearance.

The vibration plate, when combined with low-impact, high-resistance exercises is an excellent way of helping to give you a more refined upper body appearance that you’ll love to flaunt when summer arrives.

Resources:

http://livehealthy.chron.com/cardio-workouts-lose-leg-arm-fat-3618.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/269652-the-best-gym-exercises-for-losing-arm-fat/
http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/a41048803/how-to-lose-arm-fat/
http://www.eatthis.com/exercises-lose-arm-fat-fast/