Tone your arms and banish armpit fat with these effective underarm fat exercises! Say goodbye to flabby arms and hello to a more toned appearance! You can tone, firm and strengthen your arms, shoulders, chest and underarms, and reduce the appearance of underarm fat, all with bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment at home.
These three powerful underarm fat exercises target key areas such as the triceps (the backs of your arms), shoulders, chest, and upper back, helping you to achieve a more toned and confident look.
How to Get Rid of Underarm Fat With Just 3 Exercises To Tone Your Arms
1. Knee Push-Ups
So, you’ve got your chest muscles, or pectorals. Then there are your triceps, which are at the back of your arms. Next are your shoulders, or the deltoids. Finally, there’s your core.
How to do it step by step:
- Start by getting into a press-up position on a mat or other soft surface.
- Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and spread your fingers for stability.
- Keep your knees on the floor and your feet lifted or together so that your body forms a straight line from your head to your knees (do not allow your hips to sag or your back to arch).
- Engage your core by pulling your belly button towards your spine and squeezing your glutes.
- Inhale and slowly bend your elbows, lowering your chest towards the floor while flaring your elbows out at about 45° from your body.
- Go as low as is comfortable (your chest can almost touch the floor).
- Exhale and push powerfully through your palms to straighten your arms, squeezing your chest and triceps at the top.
- Keep your neck in a neutral position and gaze slightly forward (don’t look down at your hands).
- Repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Why it works:
Knee push-ups are an excellent beginner-friendly variation of the traditional push-up that still activates the entire upper body, especially the triceps and chest. These muscles are key for toning the underarm area. They build pressing strength, improve posture by pulling the shoulders back, and reduce the appearance of armpit fat by toning the surrounding muscles. As an added benefit, they engage the core and work multiple large muscle groups, thereby increasing overall calorie burn.
2. Triceps Dips
The main target for underarm flab is the triceps (back of the arms), while the chest (pectorals) and shoulders (anterior deltoids) are also worked on. The core is also targeted.
How to do it step by step:
- Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair, bench or sofa with your hands gripping the edge beside your hips and your fingers pointing forwards.
- Slide your hips forward off the seat with your legs extended straight in front of you (or with your knees bent at 90° for an easier version).
- Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears — don’t shrug.
- Bend your elbows and inhale as you lower your body straight down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor (or lower if you are flexible).
- Keep your torso upright or slightly forward; don’t let your hips sag backwards or lean too far forwards.
- Exhale and push through your palms to straighten your arms, squeezing your triceps hard at the top.
- Repeat in a controlled manner — no bouncing or swinging.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Why it works:
Triceps dips put intense pressure on the back of the arms (the triceps), the main area that causes “flabby” or “batwing” underarms. They also engage the chest and shoulders, improve posture by pulling the shoulders back, and work the core to provide stability, making them a highly effective total upper-body exercise for toning the underarm area and reducing the appearance of excess skin and fat.
3. Dumbbell Upright Row
For the shoulders, you’ve got the deltoids, especially the lateral and front heads, and the upper trapezius. For the triceps, that’s secondary, and for the core, it’s all about stabilising.
How to do it step by step:
- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, your core engaged and your chest up.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand (or two heavy water bottles with handles), with your palms facing your body and your arms hanging straight down in front of your thighs.
- Pull the weights straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows which should be pointing out to the sides (your elbows should be higher than your hands).
- Keep the weights close to your torso and avoid swinging or using momentum.
- Pause briefly at the top with your shoulders and upper traps engaged.
- Slowly lower the weights back down under control with your arms fully extended.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Why it works:
This exercise strengthens the shoulders and upper back, while also engaging the triceps to tone the back of the arms and underarms. It also improves posture by pulling the shoulders back and down, reduces the appearance of bra bulge and armpit fat, and builds upper-body definition without the need for heavy weights.
You don’t need a gym or heavy weights to tone your arms and armpit area. These three simple, highly effective underarm fat exercises, when done consistently, will firm, sculpt and strengthen your arms and upper body, giving you the toned, confident look you want.
