For those looking to banish bingo wings, TikTok and Instagram appear to have the ultimate solution.
Search ‘toned arms’ and you’ll be met with a plethora of videos featuring slim, shredded women offering a workout that lasts just 10 minutes, but is said to muscle you up in a matter of weeks.
One popular example is the exercise series shared by social media influencer Hannah Townsend, who is best known for her celebrity interviews and film reviews, which she conducts alongside her fellow ‘creator’ husband Benedict.
The former digital content manager – who has 80,000 TikTok followers – regularly posts clips of her seemingly easy weight-lifting routine which, she says, takes up just 10-15 minutes of her day a few times a week, and is responsible for her enviably toned upper body.
The workout clips are some of her best-performing videos, raking in between 50 to 80,000 views a piece.
But is the route to athletic-looking arms really that simple?
According to personal trainer Edwina Jenner, who has spent a decade helping mid-life women tone up, the answer, unfortunately, is no. ‘Doing 10 minutes of exercises a few times a week likely won’t get you results,’ she says.
So what will? Here, she reveals the exact routine that will lead to visible improvements in muscle tone – and why you don’t need to lift heavy weights to see results.
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Where do bingo wings come from?
Many factors contribute to your fat vs muscle ratio, including genetics, diet and hormonal shifts. Those who’ve lost a large amount of weight may notice excess fat in the arm area due to stretching of the skin and stubborn fat deposits.
But the upper body will get ‘softer’ for women after the age of 30, Jenner says, adding that, after this point, the average woman loses between three and five per cent of their total muscle mass per decade.
During and after menopause, this process speeds up as a woman’s body makes much less of the hormone oestrogen, which helps protect the muscles and bones.
Ms Jenner explains: ‘Declining oestrogen can change muscle mass, strength and fat distribution.
‘Menopause doesn’t specifically target the upper arms, but women may lose lean muscle and gain fat more easily, making the upper arms appear softer than a couple of years earlier.’
She adds that muscle loss is often more noticeable on the arms, compared to other parts of the body.
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This is because when the triceps, the muscles on the back of your arm, are small, the skin on top of them has nothing to grip, making it look loose.
The good news, Ms Jenner says, is that muscle is highly responsive to resistance training at any age.
Boosting the muscles through weight lifting acts like an internal ‘filler’, pushing the skin out and giving the arms a firmer, tighter look.
What exercises should I do – and how often?
There are six movements that are most effective for toning arm muscles, says Ms Jenner – detailed below.
But the route to defined arms doesn’t just mean strengthening the biceps and triceps.
‘Training the chest and back, along with your shoulders, is what creates visible definition across the whole upper body, including the arms,’ she says.
‘It also allows you to handle heavier weights and burn more calories, which will help add extra tone to the biceps and triceps.’
You don’t have to work out every day – or even every other day.
Just 30 minutes, two to three times a week, should get you visible results within two months, Ms Jenner says.
If you’re doing this workout, you should do three sets with 10-12 reps of each move.
Every movement she recommends involves dumbbells, which don’t have to be extraordinarily heavy.
‘Start with two to three kilogram weights and, after a month, move up to five kilograms,’ she says. ‘This is called progressive overload, which means slowly making your muscles work harder over time to grow stronger.’
Dumbbell chest press
Focus: Triceps, chest and front of the shoulders
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Hold the weights at either side of your chest, then push up to the ceiling until your arms are fully extended – picture them creating an ‘A’ frame above your head.
Lower the weights until your upper arms are parallel with the floor and repeat.
PT Edwina Jenner shares her top exercises for toning the upper arms
Bent over row
Focus: Biceps, back muscles, trapezoids and back shoulder muscles
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge at the hips until your upper body is parallel with the floor. Keeping your back flat, and knees slightly bent, pull the weights up towards your ribs. This movement will drive your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower and repeat.
Shoulder press
Focus: Shoulders and triceps
Either standing or sitting, hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. Drive one arm up until it’s fully extended and then return to shoulder height. Repeat with the other arm.
Bicep curls
Focus: Biceps
Hold the weights with either the palms facing up or down, with your elbows held closely to your body. Curl the weights up toward your shoulders, squeezing your biceps at the top and then lower the weights slowly. If you’re doing the moves too quickly, you need to increase the weight.
Tricep extensions
Focus: Triceps
While standing or sitting, hold a dumbbell behind your head. Lift it up until your arms are fully extended and then lower it back down slowly again. Make sure your elbows are facing forwards and don’t flare out.
Lateral raises
Focus: Shoulders
To work the medial deltoid – the cap on the top of the shoulder – stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding your dumbbells at your sides. Raise your arms out to the sides, bringing them up to shoulder height, then slowly lower them back down again.
