From Paige Waehner,
Your Guide to Exercise.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

A. Like any other body part, the triceps (or the back of the arm) won't respond to spot training. In other words, you can't do tricep exercises and hope to burn fat there. The only way to lose fat from under your arms is to lose overall body fat (see below) and hope your body will cooperate (your body is in charge of where and what order you lose body fat). That doesn't mean tricep exercises are useless...strength training is great for building muscle and helping to raise your metabolism and tricep exercises can help you build strength and firm up your muscles. So, training the triceps should be part of your regular exercise routine...just don't expect those exercises to get rid of any excess fat you may be storing there.

Losing Body Fat

Here are the basics for losing body fat:

• Regular cardio exercise in your Target Heart Rate Zone. Beginners, do 2-3 non-consecutive days of cardio (such as walking) for as long as you can. Increase your cardio by 3-5 minutes each week until you can go continuously for 30 minutes.
• Strength training for your entire body 1-3 non-consecutive days a week. If you're a beginner, try Strength Training for Beginners. For advanced exercisers, visit my Workout Center for ideas.
• A healthy low-calorie diet. This is by far the most crucial part of your program. To make it work you need to:
• Keep a food log in which you write down EVERYTHING you eat or drink.
• Use a food calculator to determine about how many calories you eat each day.
• Begin changing bad habits by replacing them, one by one, with healthier choices (fruits and veggies will fill you up and give you nutrients and fiber).
• Keep an eye on your portion sizes.
• Make small changes every day instead of changing everything at once.

For more, you might also enjoy reading How to Lose Weight.