Stand in front of the mirror and lift your arms straight out in front and then shake your hands.
If you experienced a rippling wobble in your arms during that shake, it is time to tone those lunch ladies into the sleek, tight muscle they can become.
Arm flab often occurs as a result of rapid weight gain or loss, when your fat cells hold on to the extras for longer than you might intend.
The flab essentially appears as excess skin but what is really happening is your arms have lost elasticity and tone.
It is not unusual to have a nicely developed muscle peeking out of a side of arm wobble.
Genetics dictates where your fat cells like to take refuge but with a little work and simple changes to your lifestyle, you can tone those arms up fast and maintain a mighty physique.
Understand Some Basics The arms are a plethora of muscle bundles.
Barbell curls might build one part of your bicep but if that is all you do, you are neglecting several other muscle groups in your arms.
You cannot expect to shape and tone muscle if you do not work all the muscle groups in your arms.
The biceps and triceps alone contain at least five different muscle bundles, hence the prefix of the muscle name.
Fat will accumulate in welcoming arm cells if you do not cut down on your calorie consumption.
Modifying your food intake reduces this as a source for adding arm flab.
Fatty foods in particular, work against your efforts at forming defined muscles.
Part of the problem of arm flab is that you might be consuming more calories than you need per day.
Muscle toning is different than losing excess weight.
If you need to lose pounds then your first step is to check your eating habits and reduce your calorie intake.
Fast arm toning involves a daily effort of exercise.
Think of muscle toning as the sprint needed at the end of the race to win.
Muscle toning exercises are geared toward accelerating the win.
It is not intended to produce massive muscle bulking or weight loss.
Toning Exercises Curl the biceps with two sets of 21s.
The 21 exercise challenges both muscles making up the biceps brachii and tones the forearms.
To properly execute the 21 use a curl bar and begin from the standing position.
As the name implies, you will complete 21 repetitions per set.
However, seven of the reps are done halfway up into a curl, the next seven are done from the halfway point toward the top point and the final seven are done as a full length curl.
You will be burning by the time you reach the last rep of seven.
During the first seven, once you get to the halfway point, pump your wrist twice before dropping the weight back down.
This works your forearm muscles.
Curl the outer biceps muscles and tone the triceps muscle with hammer curls plus triceps extension.
Perform three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.
Begin in standing position placing one leg slightly forward so you can lean forward without losing coordination.
If necessary you can also brace one leg on a bench or chair to help you lean forward.
Use dumbbells and hold them as you would a hammer, with your palms facing inward instead of the traditional curl with palms facing upward.
Curl the weight up and then on the extension straighten the arm all the way back and squeeze the triceps muscle.
Complete each rep slowly to ensure you maintain form and fully engage the bicep and triceps muscles.
Push-ups and pull-ups are classic arm toning exercises you can do in the traditional style or by using special machinery at the gym.
For the classic push-up perform three versions: wide arm, narrow with a foot of distance between hands and diamond.
Each version targets different arm muscles.
Conduct 10 to 20 reps of each version.
For the classic pull-up perform one set with wide arms, narrow and then reverse grip.
Considerations If you engage in cardiovascular activity for the majority of your workouts, include these toning exercises at the end of your cardiovascular routine.
On days you target strength-training of the upper body, do not include these exercises unless they are already a part of the workout.
Do not perform arm toning exercises everyday because your muscles need time for recovery and rest.
However, you can add toning exercises to your weekly workout routine every other day, four or five times per week.
The more days per week you workout, the faster you will see results.