Eliminate Those Bat wings!

​It has been stated that the two ways to reduce or eliminate those bat wings is nutrition and exercise. If it were that easy this problem wouldn’t still be so prevalent. While this issue can come up with men, typically you find it with women, which is attributed to societal and gender differences. That being said preventing, reducing, or eliminating the droopy under arm frequently referred to as bat wings is most effectively handled through nutrition and an exercise strategy.

Nutrition
In terms of nutrition, be sure to be getting enough protein and water, as well as maintain a healthy weight. The recommended daily allowance states persons should consume .8 grams per kilogram of body weight; however most fitness and nutrition experts agree that this amount is low especially for those physically active or building muscle. A better recommendation to eliminate bat wings is to consume approximately 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
 
The Bat Wing
The “bat wings” as it were, is the loose or loosening skin that develops on the back of the arm. The muscles on the back of the arm are called the triceps (triceps brachii). It is typically caused by under activity of the triceps brachii muscle as we age or as a result of gaining weight beyond a healthy level.  Therefore, to tighten the skin up a weight loss program with proper resistance training is required (additional assistance may come from skin products such as cocoa butter). If weight loss is not the issue but rather under activity of the triceps muscle, a targeted triceps exercise regimen with adequate protein and water is required. This will cause the muscle to grow (don’t worry ladies you will not develop “muscly” or “manly” looking arms), this will also stimulate the skin to begin to draw up to the muscle itself, which will reduce that hanging appearance.
 
The Exercise
There are numerous exercises that can be used to target the triceps. However, the triceps have 3 heads (rather they attach at three different points in the body). Therefore, if you want to maximize firming the back of the arm, as well as stimulate the hanging skin it is necessary to use exercises that challenge each head. In English this means that to get the best results employ various exercises hitting the muscle at various shoulder elevations and hand grips. With any program designed to tighten and build muscle the program should be changed periodically. The changes should incorporate different exercises, reps, rests, combinations, and even exercise tempos. Three good exercises to get you started are: triceps kickback, close grip pushups, and the overhead triceps extension.