Get Fit with GBN: 5 tips to tone your arms and get rid of bingo wings ahead of Christmas

He laid out five key pieces of advice that will get you off to the right start on your transformation. Fitness expert at Mirafit Mark Harris said: “Arm fat, often dubbed ‘bingo wings’, can leave people feeling incredibly unhappy with their appearance.

"However, with the combination of strength training, cardio and a balanced diet, toning arms can be made much easier. Let’s take a look at my top tips for arm-toning, with Christmas on the horizon."

Prioritise strength training

Mark said: “Firstly, to build muscle, it’s important to incorporate strength training exercises into workout routines. This includes focusing on the shoulders, biceps and triceps to help improve strength and burn calories.

"Workouts such as bicep curls are particularly useful, to do these effectively, use dumbbells or resistance bands and slowly bend the weight upwards before returning to the starting position.

“Aside from bicep curls, other useful strength-training workouts include push-ups, planks, tricep dips and lateral raises. People should aim to incorporate at least one of these exercises into their workout routines to achieve the best results."

Don’t forget cardio

“Unfortunately, strength training on its own is not enough to effectively tone our arms. Cardio is required to help burn fat found on the arms, allowing them to appear much more toned," the expert added.

"Aside from burning fat, cardio has a range of benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease, strengthening bones and helping manage conditions such as arthritis.

“Swimming is a great option when considering cardio exercises as it works the entire upper body and gives arms a real workout. Additionally, rowing machines, found in most gyms, are a great way of exercising biceps and triceps while also focusing on our shoulders."

Avoid overworking arms

Mark explained: “When focusing on improving a specific body part, it’s extremely easy to go overboard and do more harm than good. Overworking the arms can lead to more breaks in between workouts, limiting progress and leading to injuries such as strained muscles.

"Instead, I strongly recommend people take recovery seriously, setting aside enough time for the body to return to normal. If muscles continue to be sore or individuals experience a lack of motivation and poor performance in the gym, these can be clear signs that more recovery time is needed.

"Overall, I advise around 48 hours of recovery time when training a specific body part, such as the arms."

Getting the correct nutrients is essential

The fitness expert said: “When working towards a fitness goal, such as toned arms, eating correctly plays a massive role in how quickly this can be achieved.

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"It’s essential to eat foods with high protein content as this nutrient is vital for muscle growth and repair - this includes lean meats, fish and dairy.

“Aside from protein, I also recommend incorporating whole foods such as brown rice, avocados and nuts into diets to provide energy and aid recovery. Avoid large meals before workouts and always maintain a healthy water intake for the best results."

Track progress

The expert said: “To keep a clear visualisation of the progress made along the fitness journey, taking photos can help people stay on task, see the effect of their workout and maintain motivation. Noticing a dip in progress can help people identify a need to adjust their routines by incorporating new exercises.

“Overall, as we approach Christmas, people can start their arm-toning journey with the help of strength training, cardio, nutrition and a clear focus on recovery. It doesn’t require a gym membership either as these exercises are perfect for those with a home gym.”