Home exercises for armpit jiggle after 60: 5 movements

A Certified Trainer’s Five At-Home Moves Target Armpit Shaking After 60—No Gym or Dumbbells Required.

Say goodbye to someone and you may notice a little extra movement in the back of your arm that continues to beat after your hand stops. That softness along the backs of the arms is one of the first changes many people notice after age 60, and it’s easy to assume that it’s simply a fact of aging that you can’t do anything about. If you understand, we have good news: you can firm up armpit movements at any age.

Part of this change is due to the decline in skin elasticity with age, which no exercise can completely reverse. But a lot of it comes down to something you can absolutely control, which is doing exercises that tone and tighten your upper arms. Your triceps in particular (the muscles that run along the back of your arm) make up about two-thirds of your arm’s total muscle mass, but most everyday movements barely use them. We spend our days pulling doors, lifting cups, and typing, and almost none of this requires the triceps to press or extend under real load. Eventually, unused muscles shrink, and this loss of firmness is a large part of what people see when they talk about armpit “jiggle.”

But with all the misinformation online, it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why we spoke with James Brady, CPTcertified personal trainer at OriGym, who has compiled a list of his top five exercises for firming armpit movements after 60. And the best? All you need is your weight and a pair of light dumbbells. Plus, you can do them from the comfort of your home.

Read on for the moves and detailed instructions. Then, when you’re done, don’t forget to check out these 5 daily exercises that reduce waist overhang faster than gym workouts after 50.

Chair Tricep Presses

This is a great beginner exercise for anyone who hasn’t trained their triceps in a while, as it uses only your own weight and the support of a chair. “Chair-mounted triceps presses are a simple place to start,” says Brady. “By pressing your palms to lighten your body from the seat, you teach the backs of the arms to engage without immediately demanding a full range of motion.”

How to do it:

1. Sit up straight with your hands gripping the sides of a sturdy chair.
2. Press into your palms to slightly lift your body off the seat.
3. Hold the raised position for one to two seconds, feeling the effort on the backs of your arms.
4. Relax slowly with control.
5. Perform two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

Wall pumps

Wall push-ups are one of the easiest ways to engage your triceps because they allow you to press against real resistance while remaining comfortably on your feet. “Wall push-ups work your chest, shoulders, and triceps without requiring you to get down on the ground,” says Brady. “Plus, moving your body toward and away from the wall works your upper body pushing muscles as a group, and you can make it more difficult simply by moving your feet back.”

How to do it:

1. Place your hands against a wall at chest height, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your elbows to bring your body toward the wall.
3. Pause for one to two seconds once your chest is close to the wall.
4. Return to the starting position.
5. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

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Overhead Tricep Extensions

Overhead extensions isolate your triceps through a greater range of motion, which is exactly what your muscles need to rebuild their strength and firmness. “Because your arms are raised above your head, even a light dumbbell or filled water bottle provides great resistance,” says Brady.

How to do it:

1. Hold a light weight with both hands directly above your head.
2. Keep your arms relatively still throughout the movement.
3. Bend your elbows to slowly lower the weight behind your head.
4. Straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
5. Aim for two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions, resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

Triceps kickback

Rebounds target your triceps through an extension movement that mirrors how the muscle works in real life, like closing a heavy door behind you. “Keeping your elbow tucked in next to your body is what keeps tension on the target muscle rather than letting momentum take over,” says Brady.

How to do it:

1. Lean forward slightly with your back straight, holding a light weight in one hand.
2. Keep your elbow close to your body.
3. Extend your forearm back until your arm is completely straight.
4. Return to the starting position with control.
5. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions per side. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

Close-grip wall pumps

The routine ends with a variation that shifts even more work to the triceps by narrowing your hand position. “Bringing your hands together and keeping your elbows tucked in as you bend them places more emphasis on the backs of the arms, making it a natural progression once standard wall push-ups seem manageable,” says Brady.

How to do it:

1. Stand facing a wall and place your hands closer together than with a traditional wall push-up.
2. Keep your elbows fairly close to your sides as you bend them.
3. Lower your chest toward the wall with control.
4. Return to the starting position.
5. Repeat for two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

Adam Meyer, RHN