Tame your “bat wings” and achieve more defined arms with these simple moves.
As we age, there are many natural changes that take place. One of them happens to be flabby arms. You know what we’re talking about—that loose underarm jiggle that’s challenging to hide when sleeveless weather rolls around. This loose flab occurs with age due to reduced elastin and collagen in the skin, combined with the loss of lean muscle mass and extra fat storage. When your skin becomes less elasticized and your muscles decrease, everything sags and loses its firmness. Hence, jiggly arms.
Don’t despair, because we have you covered. We spoke with the experts who put together four standing arm exercises that will smooth arm jiggle faster than bicep curls after 50.
Where Bicep Curls Fall Short
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“Traditional bicep curls often fall short in reducing arm jiggles after fifty because they target the front of the arm, while the ‘jiggle’ (often called ‘bat wings‘) is caused by muscle loss and sagging skin on the back of the arm (triceps muscle),” explains Eric North, The Happiness Warrior—a wellness speaker, coach, and advocate redefining what it means to age with purpose, strength, and emotional vitality. “To effectively firm this area, training must focus on the triceps, shoulders, and upper back, rather than isolating the biceps. To put it in perspective, the triceps muscle comprises almost two-thirds of arm muscle.”
The exercises below are “superior” for those who want to achieve strong, tone arms, as they’re total-body, functional compound movements. They force the stabilizer muscles, back and core to activate, in addition to the arms.
“Unlike seated or isolated movements, standing increases muscle recruitment, calorie burn, and hormonal response, providing greater, more efficient overall strength and toning,” North says.
4 Standing Arm Exercises That Smooth Jiggle
In order to tighten and engage upper-arm jiggle after 50, North recommends choosing exercises that fire up the triceps and shoulders, as these areas tend to sag more than the biceps.
“Prioritize controlled movements, lighter weights, and higher reps to build endurance and muscle tone without straining joints,” he notes.
Tricep Extension
“This exercise tones the shoulders and upper arms,” North tells us.
- Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell with both hands.
- Lift the weight overhead.
- Keep your elbows close to your ears as you slowly lower the dumbbell toward the back of your head, feeling the stretch in your triceps.
- Use control to press the weight back overhead.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Tricep Kickbacks
- Begin by standing tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Hinge forward just a bit, keeping your back flat and your core engaged.
- Keep your upper arms parallel to the ground as you extend the dumbbells behind you.
- Squeeze your triceps at the top of the movement.
- Use control as you return to the start position.
- Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Arm Circles
- Begin standing tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Extend both arms at shoulder level.
- Make tiny, controlled circles with your arms, slowly increasing the size.
- Make forward circles, then reverse the direction.
- Perform arm circles for 2 sets of 45 seconds in each direction.
Hammer Curls to Press
“This engages the bicep, shoulder, and triceps in one motion,” North points out.
- Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Curl the weights to shoulder height.
- Then, press them overhead.
- Use control to reverse the motion.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa
