There is a lot of variance between upper arm exercises. Some are astronomically more effective than others. And if you're doing lots of the infective ones, you could spend an insane amount of time in the gym and not notice any results!

To make matters worse, every expert out there has a different opinion as to which arm exercises for women are best. You could develop a mental hernia trying to navigate all the opinions.

The good news is that I've already done all the homework for you and I'm ready to share my findings!

So without further ado, here are 4 essential arm exercises for women:

1. Extensions over the head. Specifically, triceps extensions. A triceps extension over the head will do a great job of isolating the area where arm fat lives-the long head. This is probably one of the best exercises for directly working the arm fat area.

2. Curls with an inside grip. Curling with an inside grip or narrow grip does an excellent job at working the outside part of your biceps. And the outside part of your biceps is a very visible area. Not to mention, the biceps is the first arm muscle someone will see when looking at you from the front.

3. Inner grip dumbbell curls. Also known as hammer curls, these do an excellent job of working the forearm. So if you feel the need to firm up your forearms, then please include these in your routine. Just be aware that they are NOT effective for toning the upper arm area.

4. Incline bench curls. Rarely will an exercise work a muscle through its entire range of motion, yet this movement just does that. It's one of the best exercises you can do for your biceps. Again, you'll have to use lighter weights here. And don't be discouraged because of the reduced load!

If you stick to the basics and do them with maximum effort, you should notice some drastic results. The key here is to stay away from all the fads and flashy movements-rarely do they provide much benefit. And remember that intensity is the name of the game.