Banish Bingo Wings & Polish Those Guns

Summer is fast approaching and it’ll soon be time to dust off those summer outfits and…wait for it…bare your arms. This can be a traumatic time for men and women.

Ladies worry about whether or not the backs of their arms are going to wobble as they go about their daily routine. This common ailment, known rather unflatteringly as bingo wings, bat wings or dinner lady arms, can rock the confidence of even the most outgoing of individuals.

For men the concern is with the biceps, known in bodybuilding circles as ‘the guns’. And, for most, size really does matter and if there’s no bulk, shape or definition then you might as well keep that shirt on.

The way most people tackle their concern with their arms is to get into the gym and do lots of either tricep extensions for the back of the arms (that’s you ladies) or bicep curls for the front of the arms (that’s for all the wannabie Arnies). Not that there’s anything wrong with these exercises, just that it’s not the quickest way to the best results.

Here's a fitness tip that will help:
The muscles of the arms are relatively small so don’t work on them in isolation. Try exercises that work other bigger muscle areas at the same time, for example

• press ups work the chest and the front of the shoulders as well as the triceps
• pull ups work loads of muscles across the back as well as the back of the shoulders and the biceps.
  

That way you’ll tone other parts of your upper body that will look great in summer and at the same time you’ll be increasing your overall muscle mass (without looking like a bodybuilder) which will help to raise your metabolism and to burn fat.

And of course, don't forget the fat burning exercise. There’s no point having toned arms if there’s a layer of fat covering your muscles so don’t just concentrate on strength training, mix your workout up with some cardio intervals by running, cycling or rowing between exercises.

Go forth bravely and bare those killer arms of yours!