So ladies (not that I exclude gentlemen, but this usually concerns women), for sure a lot of you at some point thought about waiving your arm like the queen, so you can hide your hanging tricep. Yes, I am talking about the back of the arm, that a lot of us complain it is hanging when waiving at someone.
What causes the ‘hanging arm’?
But what causes this ‘hanging arm’ problem? If I ask younger people under 30, this is probably not one of their concerns. So this is something that comes slowly with age. Diet and exercise are also factors that affect the ‘hanging arm’, so proper nutrition and regular exercise help a lot.
Is there a solution to the ‘hanging arm’?
Lackily, there are exercises you can do to strenghten that muscle, making it tighter and more attractive. At this point, I have to mention that people with loose skin will experience more difficulty in seing the results they want, because, although they might be exercising the tricep muscle, the loose skin will make it difficult to see the result of their efforts. I have a client who is concerned a lot about her hanging arm. She is a thin lady, always has been. So in her exercise routine we include a lot of tricep exercises. I can see that the muscle is tight and strong. However, because she has loose skin (genetics in her case), she still feels that the problem exists. Of course, if she didn’t exercise her tricep muscle, the problem would have been a lot worse.
In the example above, the lady had loose skin due to genetics. However, if you have lost a lot of weight you could also experience the ‘hanging arm’ problem due to weight loss where the skin was unable to shrink back all the way. In the case where you want to loose weight, I would suggest two things: one is to loose the weight slowly, don’t try to loose it too fast because the skin will hang, while if you loose it slowly, the skin will shrink also. The second thing is to start an exercise program at the same time as you start your diet. I often hear this myth, that they need to loose the weight first, and then start exercise, otherwise, the muscle will turn into fat!!! NEVER. Muscle could never turn into fat. In fact, exercising along with diet will help you loose the weight easier, and get fit and strong at the same time, but will also prevent your skin from becoming loose.
So if you have a ‘hanging arm’, you are in the right place, because next, I will show you exercises you can easily do at home to improve the problem a lot. So keep reading. All you need is some basic equipment like small weights (1-3 kg), exercise band and exercise mat.
So put your favourite music, comfortable clothes and lets get started. Do the exercises as often as you can for better results. For each exercise perform 10-20 repetitions. If an exercise feels difficult, start with 10 repetitions, and gradually increase to 20 as you get stronger.
1 Tricep Kickbacks
Remember to keep your elbow high and only move your forearm, not your elbow.
2 Overhead Extensions with Weights
Same tip as before, keep your elbow high overhead, and using your forearm only, take your weight behind the head, and up again.
3 Dips
Using your body weight on this one, put your hands on a furniture like a coffee table or chair (make sure it can hold your weight, so you won’t have an accident). Keep your torso closed to your hands, and from there, bend the elbows to take your torso low, and extend to take your torso back up again. Keep your elbows parallel, not turned out.
4 Overhead Extensions with Band
Hold the band with the right hand, while you step the other end with your right leg, like in the photo. Keep your elbow pointing up all the time, end extend the forearm up, and then down behind the head. Bend the knees slightly so your lower back stays relaxed, but keep your abdominals engaged. Optional, you can softly hold your working elbow with the other hand, to help it stay in place and not drop forward.
5 Band Pushdown
Lock the middle of the band on the edge of a door like in the photo. Make sure it is locked safely, otherwise it might injure you if it slips. Alternatevly, you can use a tree branch to support your band. Lock your elbows by your sides, and bend and extend the forearm. Keep your wrists straingt.
6 Lying Tricep Extension
Lay on the bed or floor holding one weight like in the photo. Keep your elbows steady above the shoulders, and slowly bend to take the weight in the middle of the forehead, and up again.
7 Tricep Pushups
The difference from the regular pushups, is that you have your hands under the shoulders, not wider. From here lock your elbows in to stay parallel, and bend to go down and back up. Keep your shoulders over the wrists at all times.
8 Lying Press
Laying on your bed again (or floor), hold a weight on each hand, and bend down and up by keeping your elbows parallel and closed to your body.
You made it!
Great job you did it. If the tricep is your weak point, try to do these exercises as often as you can, and you will see the first results within the first few days.