The Underarm Bulge | 3 Toning Exercises For Women

Today’s hot topic is underarm fat, or, as my mother likes to call hers, “bat wings.”

First of all, don’t refer to your underarms as bat wings or any other derogatory name. There’s no need to berate your body for something that’s actually really natural and common. But if you do want to work on strengthening and toning your arms, there are some great exercises that you can do to make changes in those areas.

Targeting Underarm Fat

Before we dive into the exercises, I want to lay out a harsh truth: Spot reduction is a myth.

There is no exercise in the world that will blast your arm fat and only your arm fat like a laser gun. Just erase that notion from your head. Everyone’s body composition is vastly different, and genetics, sex, and hormones all factor into where we carry fat on our bodies. As women, we tend to carry excess fat in and under our arms. It doesn’t help that the bras and tank tops can often showcase this “underarm bulge.” If you’re self-conscious about it, you’re not alone. And if you want to do something about it, you’re not alone there, either.

The good news, you can reduce fat and increase tone in your underarm and armpit areas. It’s just going to require a more holistic approach – not a targeted one.

It’s a simple formula.

1. Build muscle

2. Operate at a safe and healthy calorie deficit (aka: burn more than you take in)

3. Feel that fat fall off to reveal strong, toned arms, calves, shoulders, and thighs

3 Exercises To Tone Your Underarms And Armpit Area

You’re tired of excess fat in your underarm or armpit area. So, let’s do something about it! Try one (or all) of these 3 exercises:

Heavy Bag Boxing

Harvard Health Publishing estimates that a 155-pound person burns 372 calories from 30 minutes of martial arts. Martial arts are typically combat or partner sports, but punching a heavy bag is known for being a powerhouse martial arts workout that you can do at home by yourself.

Heavy bag workouts offer cardio and resistance for strong and toned arms (they’re free on the FightCamp app!) Plus, boxing is known for coming with tons of unparalleled mental health benefits, too.

• Start with a 4- or 6-round boxing workout

• Build up to an 8 or 10-round session as you get stronger

Low-impact option:

• Shadowboxing Workout

Shadowboxing is a great boxing workout for strong and toned arms. You can shadowbox with zero equipment, or include dumbells for added weight and resistance.

Tricep Extension

Tricep Extensions are a great exercise because they’re so versatile; you can do them standing, kneeling, or lying on a bench if you have one. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can even use 8 - 10 pound household items, like books or canned foods.

We’ll focus on the standing tricep extension because it requires neither a bench nor putting pressure on your knees into the floor.

• With your weight in your hands, stand with your feet hip-width apart

• Put a slight bend in your knees

• Grip the bar of the dumbbell in both hands and carefully lift it up and over your head so that the dumbbell is behind you and your triceps are parallel to your neck and head

  • The key to this exercise is to keep your elbows from flaring out or moving much at all

• Keep your elbows steady, lower and raise the dumbbell behind your head, using a full range of motion

• Aim for 3 sets of 9 - 11 reps

Diamond Push-Ups

Need a zero-equipment, bodyweight exercise to tone those underarms? Tack on these diamond push-ups at the end of your next workout for the ultimate arm fat blaster.

The diamond shape of your hands activates the triceps brachii muscles more than a standard pushup, making it an ultra-effective exercise for building and toning those muscles in your arms. It’s going to burnnnn, and you’ll love it.

• Start in a standard push-up position (toes or knees) and scoot your hands together so that your index fingers and thumbs are touching, forming a diamond shape on the floor

• Keeping your back flat, lower your chest toward your hands and slowly push back up

  • Focus on keeping those elbows from flaring out

• Aim for 3 sets of 9 - 11 reps

Incorporate this exercise into your workouts at least twice a week. Trust me – the pain will be worth it.

Train Like a Fighter

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