Upper arms look awful 😞

[Monkeytapper]

Im 43 I’m a size 12, …I run 3 times a week so the rest of my body is in proportion but my upper arms are just awful.

I’ve tried upper arm exercises with weights at home and also got a ‘power spin ’ hoop that I follow a routine on YouTube.

I was heavier a few years ago so am guessing the skin has stretched and will never bounce back regardless of what I do.

Love the hot weather but just feel so paranoid if I have to wave or lift my arms up.

I know no one is looking at me but I keep going from thinking I’m just going to accept this is me and to just get on with it, to then googling surgeons.

I’m off for a run tonight and would love to put a vest on rather than a T-shirt bit in my head all I can think about is my arms flapping behind me.

Anyone else feel this way or has anyone managed to improve their upper arms?

Photo doesn’t really reflect the ‘movement’ of them

OP, I love you for starting this thread. In fact I’d hug you, but our upper arms might knot together in a loose flappy bundle.

My arms are like yours, probably quite a lot worse. What’s annoying is the rest of me is slim - I’m 5’7 and 9st 1, BMI 20.something, and yet I just CANNOT wear sleeveless tops.

They’ve been big ever since I was young. I had a tiny waist and smallish boobs, but big thighs and big arms. And even when I went gym-crazy in my early 40s they’ve been swingers.

I spend hours scouring those surgery sites. The scar is awful, isn’t it?

I have trained myself never to reach straight out for something when I’m in a t-shirt; I swivel my arm 90* which kind of keeps the upper arm tighter. It probably looks mad but shrug.

Thanks. I’m going to try everything on here.

I remember catching sight of myself running on a treadmill once and the backs of my arms were flapping and shuddering like pigeons trapped in sacks. CRAZY jiggly.

@coodawoodashooda - I was reasonably fit but a bit out of shape. Legs not too bad but definitely very unhappy about my arms.

I started off with 3kg weights, now using mostly 5kg, plus occasionally my son's 7.5kg.

Caroline obviously uses much heavier weights, but she makes it clear that you should use whatever you feel comfortable with.

Life changing!!

Hi @Saggybaggyaggy I’m guessing you have lost a lot of weight in a period ,well done for that, x

@todaysdilemma no, not gained or lost a huge amount, put on 4 stone when pregnant 13 years ago, slowly lost it. Never had toned arms though, always been my biggest ‘problem’.

@Comebloodyon think that’s what I should do, wear stuff that flatters and makes me feel good.

I will add to those saying your arms look fine, however I totally get it if that is your problem area, mine is my stomach and no one will convince me it's fine (although it is - just not to me) we all have that area we focus on and if it wasn't that it would be something else.

So having said that. There are lots of ways to improve your triceps and fill in the flappy area with firm muscles.

If you train in the gym YouTube tricep exercises. There are so many!

If you don't then then push ups, tricep dips off the sofa and holding anything heavy behind your head and raising it up and down are all great ways to tone those muscles.

I came on to recommend the powerspin OP, it helped me so much and is so easy - my arms are really toned now. Definitely worth doing.

My upper arms are huge in comparison to yours, I'm a size 14 but my arms are disproportionately large compared to the rest of me. What I wouldn't give to have your arms, I wouldn't be seen dead in a top with sleeves that aren't at least elbow length 😒
Hanging around for any miracle cures that don't involve surgery...

@FlowerArranger Thank you too, I've also earmarked that to look at later too.

I. Will. Have. Toned. Arms. Goddammit.

@Saggybaggyaggy

Now these are bad arms op. Hope it makes you feel better about yours!

They are not bad arms. They are just more senior arms. It's not a defect to grow older! I am uncomfortable with all this criticism of perfectly lovely hard working bodies. (So I should probably get off this thread but you are all posting photos of ordinary, nice arms and saying how awful they are.

Swimming and yoga are great for all over body toning

I think no one looks at other peoples arms…..yours look pretty standard to me!

I think your arms look quite shapely and I can't think when in life you'd need to strike that post unless doing 'I'm Popeye the sailor man' impression so that's not representative of how your arms look.

I think you need to up the weights to target the 'dinner ladies' (that's what called the back of the upper arm when I was younger😆)

Try fitness blender arm routines on You Tube.

I'm 38.

That was a response to @Cowbells telling me I have 'senior' arms. This is why they're bad. I am 38, size 10/12. My arms look 75.

@Saggybaggyaggy have you previously been a lot heavier ?

I think your arms look normal.

Someone else mentioned flabby armpits. I'm a BMI 22 and my armpits are so flabby. I can't wear anything sleeveless because I have all this flesh bulging out. How can I get rid of it? It seems to swell in hot weather along with my inner thighs.

I'm a lot bigger than you and I think what's helped my arms has been Bent over Dumbbell rows !

With 10/12 kg .... 3 sets of 12 then moving up to 3 sets of 15 2-3 times a week as part of my work out

Hi op, yes I have been heavier. :-) So much happier with my body now though - better to have old lady saggy arms and a BMI of 23 than full fat arms and a BMI of 48. It is what it is!