We all know that diet and regular exercise will cause overall fat loss. But will arm-specific exercises like tricep dips get rid of stubborn arm flab? The short answer is no. Isolation exercises like tricep dips will build muscles, but they can not target arm fat. The good news is arm-focused exercises could help improve the appearance of weak and stringy muscles. There are a few things to keep in mind before including muscle bulking arm or tricep exercises into your routine:

1. Targeted exercises for your triceps can add bulk to the appearance of stubborn arm flab. Training triceps three times a week will make the muscle grow, but muscle growth does not equal fat loss. Spot training (for fat burn) does not exist! DrJohnRusin.com remarks: “Leanness, which essentially means less body fat, is primarily achieved through nutrition. Quite often, excess body fat covers the muscles and prevents many people from achieving the lean and sculpted look they are seeking.”
2. Toning up doesn’t mean what you think it does. Born Fitness says here’s the real definition of toning up, “Achieving “tone” (a concept of what you desire, more than a scientific reality) results from a combination of adding muscle and losing fat.”
3. Train your underarms, shoulders, and back to balance out the appearance of larger arms. Personal trainer Heidi Powell, from the television show Extreme Weight-loss, says this super helpful bit: “The nicer the shoulder boulder, the slimmer the arm appears. I’ll bet you’ve never seen a woman with nice shoulders who didn’t have amazing arms as well—they go hand-in-hand![...]The more sculpted your back, the nicer your arms AND the slimmer your waistline will appear. Who knew it was all about the optical illusion?”
4. A lazy diet could be the culprit of stubborn arm fat. If you are losing weight everywhere BUT your arms- don’t lose hope. Arm flab could be the last to go says Livestrong.com, “To lose weight in the arms, adopt a comprehensive weight-loss strategy that helps you slim down overall. The fat on your arms may hang on longer than fat from other areas, but it will eventually yield to classic weight-loss efforts.” And if you just noticed a little extra weight on your arms, you could be in luck! Livestrong.com mentions that “If your arms are one of the places at which you have noticed recent weight gain, it'll also be one of the first areas where you will lose weight.” 

 

Our Go-To Moves For A Dangerously Sexy Upper Body

Ball Slams

Burn fat with this cardio workout and get dangerously sleek and strong arms, shoulders, and a great back. Tamsen Butler, Certified Personal Trainer, says "this whole-body workout that combines strength work with cardiovascular exercise for a complete workout session."

Inverted Rows

Can't do a pull up? No worries, if you want a dangerously sexy upper body go for inverted rows. Inverted rows work a wider scoop of back muscles in comparison to chin-ups and are easily modified.  

 

Diamond Push-Up

Diamond push-ups train your underarms, shoulders, and back and could help balance out the appearance of larger arms. Diamond push-ups emphasize the triceps. Once you begin to lose body-fat from your arms this should be your go-to for getting sleek curves. 

Single Arm Bent-Over Rows

This exercise engages your core and stabilizer muscles. Include single-arm dumbbell rows to, "heavily challenge your core and force you to lift with one arm at a time, you probably have use lighter weight than you do for other types of Rows," says stack.com.  

Mountain Climbers

Want a sleek upper body? Just do a few fierce rounds of this exercise and you’ll be getting-in astonishing cardio, upper body, and core workout. Ideal shape says “A 130 lb person burns more than 10 calories per minute of mountain climbers!” 

Spiderman Push-Up

This workout requires you can do a push-up with proper form. So, if you’re not the push-up queen, there are a few modifications you can make. Work up to the spiderman push up with regular push-ups. Try the Spiderman push-up sans the ‘push-up’ and work on core stability. Coupled together you should be able to crush the advanced move in no time (with great form!) 

 

 

Shoulder Taps

Shoulder taps are another great full body workout. If you noticed most of our favorite workouts that made this list work the whole body! Achieving trim arms means you have to work the entire upper body (and the whole body) to get the exact look you want! Don't get hung up on a dozen tricep dips and focus on a full body blast, sexy arms will come in time.