Disclaimer: This is a very controversial topic, so please read – and watch- carefully!

The first thing to understand clearly is that YES, some women are able to develop muscle more easily than other women. It’s a very small percentage and you know who you are. In my 20+ years of experience, I have seen this to be only about 1 in 20 women!

The second thing to keep in mind is that nearly all of my female clients would like to tighten up and reduce body fat in the area around the underarm. This area is both in the front (near your bra cup), and back (near your bra strap). You know that area, right!? Ugh. Even I hate “the overhang!”

So let me get to the point here. There are 3 strength training exercises that I LOVE, however they are problematic for women in these “trouble zone” areas.

The science is really pretty simple. Pushing or pulling against weight will stimulate the muscle responsible for the movement in that precise direction. This is simply a conversation of physics. If you push against resistance in a specific direction, your muscle is going to develop in that specific direction.

And this applies to these 3 strength moves. These 3 moves in particular build up the muscles underneath the body fat that is around your arms. It makes sense, right? If you build muscle underneath body fat, the body fat is going to be pushed outward making your trouble zone appear more troubling.

Now, these 3 moves are also great if you are primarily focused on strength and moving well. For me, I truly only care about being strong and avoiding injury. Therefore, I don’t really care tooooo much about what my bra strap area looks like- catch my drift?

If you’re more concerned about tightening up this area, be sure to check out what I have to say below.

PS! I reserve exclusive content for the Women’s Strength Nation email update. If you want to receive more info that isn’t shared here on the blog, use the sign up form at the top right of this page to enter your first name and email address. Then stay tuned every other week for insights on becoming stronger inside and out.

Women’s Strength Nation is committed to improving the ratio of women to men strength training around the world. You can Join the Movement by sharing your thoughts and questions below. Your thoughts and ideas may help another woman’s journey. Please join the conversation and leave a comment below!

And lastly,

Today’s #Strengths

Life doesn’t get easier. You get stronger. 

Stay strong, friend.