The extra fat deposited under the armpit and on the shoulder is the armpit fat. Armpit fat also increases body weight. It is more common in women than in men. People like to get rid of this fat as it looks unappealing and uncomfortable for some.
Here, we have come up with ‘somewhat’ a solution to this problem with an Armpit fat workout and comprehensive information on arm fat.
A straightforward, upper body strength training exercise that helps build up body composition and help burn more calories, along with a strong rib cage and tight core.
The exercises for reducing armpit fat include punching motion, side plank rotations, feet flat position, plank position, push-up position, elbows slightly bent position, weight bench, push-up position, and many more.
These exercises help reduce underarm fat and build upper body muscles. It is a full-body workout, which includes shoulder width apart, upper arms, shoulder blades, and abdominal muscles.
1. What Causes Armpit Fat?
1.1. A Brief Discussion on How Armpits Get Bigger or Fattier

There are various ways you can gain armpit fat. Generally, women get fat deposition on the armpit when they get older due to the lower levels of testosterone and progesterone hormones1.
Testosterone also plays an important role in metabolic rate2 and fat gain. This hormone plays an important role in pregnancy and other hormonal changes. It is also responsible for the menopause and menstruation cycle. These hormonal changes may cause breasts to increase and swell the excess skin and fat in the underarms.
1.2. How to Prevent Armpit Fat?
A sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet often cause arm and armpit fat. By changing these two factors, you can prevent armpit fat.
Nowadays, women live a more unhealthy lifestyle due to stress and busy workouts, and they cannot get time for themselves.
By focusing on these two factors, lifestyle, and diet, you can reduce and prevent armpit fat.
2. Factors Affecting the Armpit Fat
The two main factors significantly influencing armpit fat development are lifestyle and diet.
Apart from all those, some other factors help in armpit fat development. Some factors include
2.1. Balance Diet
Diet is the first and foremost factor in gaining armpit fat, and if you follow a balanced diet, you can prevent armpit fat. Along with a proper diet, do the proper armpit workout.
2.2. Protein
For a healthy and balanced diet, every meal must have the proper amount of protein.
Protein helps you to gain strength and helps in the improvement of bone health and muscle buildup. The use of proper protein also helps in a good metabolic rate.

2.3. Get Moving
Physical exercise is very important, irrespective of its form. Exercise is important at home, in the gym, or on the morning walk.
Proper exercise improves mental and physical health. It helps properly maintain hormones like serotonin3, dopamine4, and endorphins. It also helps in spot reduction.
2.4. Cardio-Related Exercises
Including or Incorporating aerobic and cardio-related exercises helps in good health and weight. Exercise improves heart health and the rate of the heartbeat. Along with all these factors, an armpit workout is also necessary to reduce armpit fat.
3. List of 7 Armpit Fat Exercises
The armpit is underarm fat, the extra body fat stored in the upper arms or shoulder width.
Many positions and workouts can be done at home or the gym to eliminate armpit fat. Target underarm fat-burning exercises include the overall body and underarm fat. An armpit workout is very beneficial for the overall body as well.
These exercises have fat-burning effects and strengthen the core and underarm muscles. Some of the armpit fat workouts can be
3.1. Cat-Cow
Cat–Cow is one of the best workouts for losing armpit fat quickly and easily. This workout targets the back and chest of the people because, in this exercise, the chest and back are forced to do more work as it is a cat and cow position, so the chest movement mostly takes place.
The method of doing cat-cow yoga5 is very simple. This type of workout can be done in your house using a yoga mat. It also helps reduce fat as it burns fat deposited in the body.
3.1.1. Steps of Doing a Cat-Cow Workout
The steps of doing cat-cow yoga are:
- Keep the yoga mat on the floor. Now, Get on the yoga mat with your knees bent and by your palm.
- Your knees should be straight, lie underneath your hips, and your hands should lie underneath your shoulders.
- Now, exhale the breath and extend your spine like an arch, or we can say that like a cat’s position.
- The head should be dipped down.
- Now, you have to change your position to a cow position, so inhale the breath and lift your chest muscles upwards. Your spine and the stomach curving should be forced downward, or we can say that towards the floor.
- Now, when you exhale, go back to the position of the cat, and then when you inhale, change the position to the cow position.
- Repeat the procedure many times.
3.2. Triceps Press
So, before learning about this exercise, we will first know what triceps are. The triceps are the muscles of the upper arms.
Some people like toned muscles. It can be done by working, and by being involved in the triceps exercise program, you can get rid of the armpit fat because it is deposited only there.
This armpit workout can also be referred to as a strength training exercise.
The triceps press is an exercise that helps tone muscles and reduce armpit fat. It is done by using some weights. A properly balanced and healthy diet should be taken when this exercise is done.
3.2.1. Steps of Doing Triceps Press
The steps of doing this exercise
- Sit properly on a chair or a bench. Hold a weight you can easily handle in your left hand and take another in your other arm.
- The arms should be lifted above the head. The elbows are slightly bent, so the weight should be far from the head.
- Don’t stretch your capabilities too much.
- Do only two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions when the exercise starts. After each set, there is a rest of about 10 seconds.
- Repeat the procedure and increase the weight when you think that is the right time.
3.3. Downward Facing Dog
It is an exercise that will target the overall body fat. This workout, in other words, is beneficial for the overall body. It will reduce the fat from the legs, back, hips, arms, and buttocks.
It is an entire-body exercise, and you must reduce calorie intake. It would be best to have a yoga mat to do this exercise.
3.3.1. Steps of Doing Downward Facing Dog Exercise
The steps of doing this exercise are
- Place the yoga mat on the floor. The starting position is the same as done in the cat-cow exercise.
- Your hands and knees should be on the floor underneath your shoulders and hips. Your shoulder width apart.
- Get on your feet and slowly straighten your legs so your hips can easily swing towards the ceiling.
- Your feet should be comfortable to lift the weight of your shifting back and hips.
- Try to balance the weight between your hands and legs.
- You have to make a triangle by your body so you will remain downwards and your back straight.
- Your head is one end of the triangle, and your legs are another, whereas your back and hips are the last ends of the triangle.
- Hold yourself in this position for some time and then slowly return to the starting position like the downward dog.
- After some days of this practice, you can extend the timing to hold yourself in the position.
3.4. Dumbbell Bench Press
This exercise will help you get rid of armpit fat, and it is an upper-body exercise that is helpful for the arms and chest.
It also helps lose weight and is one of the best exercises to increase fitness.
It would be best to have a flat bench and some weights for this exercise.
3.4.1. Steps of Doing Bunch Press Exercise
The steps of doing this exercise are
- Lie down on the bench facing the ceiling.
- Hold the weight in one arm and then take the weight in your other arm.
- Your elbows should remain at the position of your body.
- Once your upper arm lifts towards the ceiling, you must raise your arm slowly to the ceiling and straighten up your arms.
- Take care that your elbows should not be locked.
- Return your arms to the original position and repeat the procedure several times.
3.5. Push Up
This exercise involves many muscles at one time, including the armpit area, breast tissue, upper arms, shoulders, and chest.
This is the easiest way to get rid of armpit fat. It also helps in burning the store fat.
3.5.1. Steps of Doing a Push-Up
- The starting position is on the floor.
- Position your body so that your hands are slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Now position your head to look straight downward, with your arms extended.
- After that, extend your feet out exactly behind you so that you are on your toes.
- Now, with the help of your arms, slowly bend the lower part of your body to the floor and then come back up to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times.
This exercise helps reduce excess fat and underarm fat and lose fat in the belly. This exercise comes under strength training and cardio exercises.
3.6. Bicep Curl
The main advantage of this exercise is that it is done seated or standing with free weights. These exercises need minimal equipment and are the basic exercise.
3.6.1. Steps of Doing This Exercise
- First, stand up straight and hold some free weight in each hand with your extended arms.
- Slowly bend your elbows and bring the free weight toward your shoulder width apart.
- Hold this position for a few seconds, and then release this position and bring free weights towards the ground.
- Try to do your arms straight and your elbows and wrists aligned throughout performing this exercise.
- Repeat the Bicep Curl exercise for 5 to 10 minutes.
This exercise helps in more calories burned. It also helps in reducing underarm fat. This exercise comes under resistance training and strength training as well.
In this exercise, the individual core engaged in performing it. It also strengthens the left leg, right leg, left arm, and right arm. In short, it provides strength to small muscle groups.
3.7. Bench Dip
This exercise is very beneficial for armpit fat loss. It also helps in reducing the body’s amount of extra fat. It is just similar to the shoulder press.
These are the specific exercises for the triceps, shoulder, upper body, and arms.
3.7.1. Steps of Doing This Exercise
- First, sit on the bench and try to place your hand on the bench next to your hips. Keep your shoulder blades.
- Now, grip the edge of the bench with both your palms.
- Try to move your body off the bench.
- Keep your keens bent and both your feet together.
- While keeping your arms parallel to the floor, lower your body. Try to keep your arms straight.
- With the help of your arms, slowly bring your body back to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise 10 to 15 times.
This exercise helps reduce fat loss from the armpit.
4. How to Control Armpit Fat with Your Lifestyle
Armpit fat loss is very common nowadays. Everyone who has armpit fat wants to lose it. There are so many workouts and different positions by which the person can reduce armpit fat.
The very important and famous strategy for getting a ride from the armpit fat does not always rely on exercise.
The important thing is to control and keep a record of what you eat. The individual diet will have a significant effect on losing armpit fat. You can reduce up to 80% of the armpit fat by keeping a record of the calories.
Most people think workouts are major in fat armpit reduction, but this is not always true. Most of the time, you can see that you are working too hard and following all the workout routines, but no result is visible.
This is because of the poor diet. If you do not consume a healthy and balanced diet, no visible effect on fat reduction will be noticed.

4.1. Some Key Points to Control Armpit Fat Growth
Yes, you heard it right: your lifestyle can help reduce the armpit fat at home without exercise. It can happen by having a good and balanced diet. A balanced diet is one in which a proper amount of carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals are present.
You have to follow certain parameters:
- Have your balanced diet planned.
- Wake up early in the morning.
- Just have a normal morning walk.
- Drink a lot of water.
- Eat healthy food, which includes fruits.
- Say no to drugs and alcohol.
5. Things to Remember Regarding the Armpit Exercises
5.1. Benefits
The advantages of armpit exercises are that they help reduce armpit, arms, chest, and shoulder fat. It improves cardio health, heart rate, respiratory system, and metabolic rate. These exercises also include the full body workout to effect your whole body weight loss.
5.2. Drawbacks
The disadvantages of armpit fat exercises include regular heartbeat due to excess workout, breathing problems, and sometimes joint pain. Too many workouts or exercises are harmful in any condition.
5.2. Take It Slow and Comfortably
To avoid the harmful effects of any exercises, it is better to do them within the limit and with the proper guidance from an expert.
Always do the warm-up exercises before starting any workout because it will help the muscles gain strength and flexibility.
Also, if you feel uncomfortable while performing any exercise, stop doing that exercise and take advice from your trainer. And only start that exercise when you are comfortable with it. If the problem is persistent, then you can also consult the doctor.
Final Note
There are so many exercises that you can incorporate into your daily health. These armpit exercises mentioned above are very easy to perform, and you can perform these exercises at your home and your gym. These exercises do not need any special equipment to perform.
However, to reduce arm fat, other things must be considered, like a balanced diet, stress, routine, and consistency.
- Ghoumari, Abdel Mouman, et al. “Roles of progesterone, testosterone and their nuclear receptors in central nervous system myelination and remyelination.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21.9 (2020): 3163. ↩︎
- Nagy, Kenneth A. “Field metabolic rate and body size.” Journal of experimental biology 208.9 (2005): 1621-1625. ↩︎
- Kanova, Marcela, and Pavel Kohout. “Serotonin—Its synthesis and roles in the healthy and the critically ill.” International journal of molecular sciences 22.9 (2021): 4837. ↩︎
- Wise, Roy A., and Mykel A. Robble. “Dopamine and addiction.” Annual review of psychology 71 (2020): 79-106. ↩︎
- Batool, F., S. Noushad, and S. Ahmed. “A proposed study using psychophysiological biomarkers to evaluate the effectiveness of cat-cow yoga exercise to reduce chronic low back pain.” APP. Vol. 8. No. 2. 2021. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sanjana