Strength coaches explain why resistance training is the key to firmer, stronger arms – and share the best exercises to get you started
We are more prone to developing the wobbly skin that can be found beneath our upper arms as we age – the delightfully-termed ‘bingo wings’. If you find them unsightly or uncomfortable and want to help tone up the area, we have the best advice and exercise routine to help.
Bingo wings can easily be hidden in the winter under long sleeve tops but come summertime and it’s very common for women to feel conscious of them. In fact, numerous studies have revealed that a vast majority of women with flabby underarms feel uncomfortable wearing a vest top or dress, so if you are one of these people, you are certainly not alone.
The good news is whilst there are certain skin tightening aesthetic treatments you can have, there are also exercises you can do that will help tone up the area.
First up, it is helpful to understand why we get bingo wings, particularly when it comes to older women. Fitness expert Anwen Davies, who works at www.networldsports.co.uk points out:
“Bingo wings aren’t caused by a single issue and they are actually the result of three compounding factors: excess fat, lost muscle, and looser skin.
“The back of the upper arm is one of the female body’s preferred fat storage sites and as women get older bingo wings can be even more prominent once they hit the menopausal years. Falling oestrogen and testosterone levels accelerate natural muscle loss and women who don’t strength-train can lose one to two % of their muscle every year through their fifties and sixties.
“The good news is that resistance training reverses muscle wastage. Resistance exercise also has additional benefits beyond bingo wings. These benefits include keeping your bones strong, metabolism relatively high and your long-term independence intact.”
The importance of resistance training
Our metabolism can play a huge part in getting bingo wings, particularly once we hit the menopause. This is the time when the body stores more fat in areas like the arms due to hormonal shifts and at the same time muscle declines. For women over 50, resistance training is particularly important because we can lose around three to eight % of our muscle mass each decade after the age of 30 if we don’t actively maintain it.
According to fitness coach Jacob Siwicki, founder of Siwicki Fitness, one reason women over 50 may develop bingo wings is that because of slow metabolism, our muscles start to waste and skin becomes flabby so unless strength training is introduced, the skin will just hang loose.
“The best way to reduce bingo wings is to try and do strength training consistently, especially with increasing resistance,” he explained.
“Most of my clients come from group fitness workouts where their strength training includes eight to twelve pound dumbbells in each hand at most. If those weights no longer feel challenging and they never increase them, that may not be enough to keep building strength. So, the key thing is to continue working out, but also to continue increasing your weights and building strength.”
It is this method that he recommends helps to build muscle in the upper arms, which then makes it easier for them to look toned, but the fat will still be there if you are not continuing your habits the right way, which means reducing fat throughout the whole body. Whether that is through cardio, strength training, eating habits, or alcohol habits, you have to stay consistent throughout the week.
Whilst the above is relevant for regular exercisers, for those new to working out their arms, strength and conditioning coach Melissa Leach from www.yogago.welltech.com suggests the below:
Five beginner-friendly exercises for toned arms
“You can do these exercises with small dumbbells, wearable wrist weights, or just using your own body weight. I would recommend starting small and gradually adding weight as your posture and form improve.”
Arm circles
How to do it: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and extend your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height. Make small circles forward for 20-30 seconds, then reverse the direction.
Melissa’s expert tip: “Keep your shoulders relaxed and avoid shrugging them toward your ears. Focus on smooth, controlled circles rather than speed. The goal is mobility and endurance, not momentum.”
Single arm lat pull-downs
How to do it: Stand tall with your arms extended overhead, palms facing forward. Pull one elbow down towards your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly extend your arm overhead and repeat with the opposite arm. Repeat 12-15 times.
Melissa’s expert tip: “This exercise is better performed with small weights or a resistance band. The resistance should come from muscle engagement, not momentum, so focus on your form and squeezing the muscles along the sides of your back with every repetition.”
Side body reach pulses
How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and raise one arm overhead. Lean gently towards the opposite side to create a stretch through the side of your torso. From this position, perform small pulses deeper into the stretch for 10-15 repetitions before switching sides.
Melissa’s expert tip: “Keep the pulses small and controlled, with both feet firmly planted on the floor. The goal is to create length from your hip all the way to your fingertips.”
Steering wheels
How to do it: Hold a light dumbbell with both hands or clasp your hands together and extend your arms in front of your body. Slowly rotate your hands from side to side as though turning a steering wheel. Complete 15-20 rotations per direction.
Melissa’s expert tip: “The farther your arms are from your body, the harder your shoulders have to work. Keep your core engaged, your spine tall, and move slowly to maximise muscle activation.”
Bicep curl to shoulder press
How to do it: Stand holding a light dumbbell in each hand, with your arms at your sides. Curl the weights up to your shoulders, then press them overhead until your arms fully extend, without locking your elbows. Lower the weights back to your shoulder and then down to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 times.
Melissa’s expert tip: “Avoid rushing through the transition from curl to press. Keep your ribs pulled in and your core engaged so the work stays in your arms and shoulders rather than the lower back.”
Finally, if you really want to see huge progress with combating your bingo wings, the following ten exercises below can help you get fantastic results.
According to Anwen Davies, these exercises combined with a good diet will leave you well placed to tackle bingo wings and within eight to twelve weeks you can expect to see real progress. You can measure progress with a tape measure and by taking before and after photos. Beyond bingo wings, your entire body should feel stronger and move better by week 12.
Top 10 Exercises to Banish Bingo Wings
Lower body
1. Goblet squat — Hold a dumbbell against your chest with both hands. Feet shoulder-width, squat down as if sitting into a chair, then drive up through your heels. Three sets of 10–12 with the biggest muscles in your body doing the biggest work.
2. Press Ups — start on your hands and knees on the mat or floor. Place your hands in-line with your shoulders so shoulders, elbows and hands should line up. Keep a straight line from your knees to your head and don’t hunch over or lean back. Bend your elbow and lower yourself down towards the floor, pause for a second and press yourself back up to the starting position.
3. Reverse lunge – Step one leg back and lower until both knees are at 90 degrees then push through the front heel to return. Kinder on the knees than forward lunges, and great for balance and mobility.
Upper body
4. Overhead tricep extension – Sitting down, hold one dumbbell overhead with both hands with elbows pointing up and close to your ears. Lower the weight behind your head and then extend your arms back up. This targets the long head of the triceps which is exactly where bingo wings appear.
5. Tricep dips (bench) – Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with your hands beside your hips and slide off and lower by bending your elbows to 90 degrees. Keep feet close initially and walk out further to make it more challenging.
6. Tricep kickback – Lean forward with a dumbbell in hand and your upper arm glued to your torso. Extend your forearm back until your arm is straight, then lower slowly over 3 seconds. The slow lowering is important and is where most of the muscle-building signal comes from. Three sets of 10–12 per side.
7. Close-grip or diamond press-up — Hands close together under your chest with thumbs and index fingers forming a diamond. Do it against a wall, on an incline or on your knees and start with a version you can complete 5–8 times with good form for three sets
Balance and posture
8. Dumbbell bicep curl – Hold a dumbbell in each hand and curl up to your shoulders, lowering slowly. Aim to complete three sets of 10–12. 9. Bent-over dumbbell row – Stand and lean forwards. You can place one hand on a sturdy table or chair. and with your other hand grab a dumbbell. Pull it up to your ribs and squeeze your
