These 6 Arm Moves Burn Fat Fast, Trainer Says

Many of my clients hire me because fat loss is their primary fitness goal. When I first begin working with them, I put them on a proper strength-training program that targets their entire body. Strength training builds muscle and burns more calories than traditional cardio activity. This is why lifting weights should be the bulk of your fitness program (not the other way around.

When trying to burn fat, you want to pick strength-training exercises that target a large number of muscle groups and can drive blood to these areas. Although spot reduction is a myth, there is a science behind training certain areas that you want to lose fat: Increasing blood flow in these spots can lead to more lipolysis, which helps release fatty acids in the parts that you're targeting.

So, if you're looking to burn fat fast, especially on your arms, then you need to pick the right exercises to do so. To that end, here are six moves that you can incorporate into your upper body workouts. Some of these movements target your arms as well as other muscle groups in order to burn more calories and fat fast. And for more, don't miss This Workout Plan Will Keep You Lean Throughout the Holidays.

Dumbbell Arnold Press

Grab your dumbbells and hold them up at shoulder-width height with your palms facing toward you. As you lift the dumbbells over your head, rotate your palms and elbows out away from you and press the weight up in a smooth motion. Flex your shoulders at the top, then reverse the movement back to the starting position before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

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Feet Elevated Dumbbell Pushups

Start by placing a pair of dumbbells in front of you while putting your feet on top of a stable surface. Keeping your core tight, hips high, and chest tall, use control to lower your body, coming down until your chest is an inch or two above the ground. Then, push yourself back up, flexing your upper pecs and triceps to finish. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Close Grip Bench Press

Start the exercise with a narrower grip than the traditional bench press. Pull the bar out and set your shoulder blades back and down into the bench. Lower the bar under control until it touches your chest, then press it back up, flexing your triceps hard at the top before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Neutral Grip Chinup

Start by grabbing the parallel bars with your palms facing each other and get into a full hang. Leaning slightly back, pull yourself up to the bar by driving with your elbows. As you come up, reach with your chest (not your chin) and squeeze your back, biceps, and forearms hard at the top. Resist on the way down until you're back into a full hang before performing another rep. Do 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Dumbbell 21s

Start by grabbing a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing up. Keeping your chest tall and core tight, lift your arms up until they're parallel to the ground. In this position, curl the weight up 7 times, lowering it back down to just parallel, flexing your biceps hard at the top with each rep.

After 7 reps are done, lower the weight all the way down until your arms are fully straightened, then perform 7 full reps all the way up and down. Once those 7 reps are completed, curl the weight up just to parallel 7 more times, then your set is complete. Do 3 rounds of 7-7-7 reps.

Overhead Triceps Extensions

Grab a dumbbell with both hands and hold it over and behind your head. Bend from the elbows and lower the weight slowly under control, getting a nice triceps stretch at the bottom. Once you're at the bottom, extend your arms back up, flexing your triceps hard at the top. DO 3 rounds of 10-12 reps.

For more, check out Doing This One Thing While Strength Training Burns Twice as Many Calories, New Study Says.