<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
It's a familiar scenario for many: you work hard in the gym for months and see muscle growth in virtually every part of your body – except one.
The upper arms, commonly known as bingo wings, can seem impossible to strengthen, especially for women.
Now experts have revealed the biological reasons behind this, of which there are many.
It means that if you are not getting the results you want, it is not that you are not working hard enough. There are much bigger forces at play.
Most importantly, some people are genetically programmed to store more fat in their upper arms.
They are a hated part of the body for many, but experts say there may not be much that can be done to beat the dreaded bingo wings.
“Some people are prone to having more fat distribution in their arms than others,” Dr. Shelby Johnson, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, told me. USA today.
Other crucial factors are age and gender, experts add. Age-related changes in skin elasticity can make arm fat more “visible,” according to Austin Gontang, director of the San Diego Marathon clinic.
And then there is another curse of being a woman.
Experts explain that female sex hormones such as estrogen can affect where the body retains fat, making it more difficult to remove it from areas of the body such as the arms.
“Women are at greater risk of carrying excess weight in their arms,” says Dr. Michael Fredericson, director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and co-director of Longevity at Stanford Medicine.
This is especially true during periods of extreme hormone fluctuations, such as menopause, he adds.
Experts say it's possible to hide arm fat by strengthening muscles, but genetics can take over your efforts
And the idea that you can burn fat in certain parts of the body is a myth, the experts say.
“While it would be ideal to target fat loss in specific areas of the body, the theory of 'spot reduction' has yet to be proven effective through scientific studies,” says Fredericson.
However, it is possible to hide the fat by building up the biceps and triceps in the area.
Exercises that target the arm muscles include biceps curls, triceps dips, triceps extensions and arm circles.
But Johnson says that even after months of lifting the heaviest weights, it's “normal” for some fat to remain.
And the amount that does, unfortunately, depends on your genetic makeup.