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Best Arm Exercises

We’ve all heard the saying “curls for the girls” and there’s no doubt that a nicely developed set of arms looks good, whether you’re a man or a woman. If you’re looking to build some muscular upper arms, the first thing you should be aware of is that the triceps muscles make up 2/3 of the mass of the upper arm. What does that mean? It means if you want to put on your own gun show, then you’re going to have to make sure you work your triceps too.

If you’re already doing a good compound lift workout (squats, dead lifts, bench press, etc) then you need to be careful not to over train. It’s OK to add in a few sets of arm isolation exercises at the end of your workout, but don’t overdo it. Here are a few of my favorites:

Chin-ups

Chin-ups? I hear you asking. Isn’t that a back exercise. Why yes, yes it is. But it’s also a great exercise for the biceps. I finish every workout with 2 sets of chins. Make sure you put your mind in the muscle – you’ll be surprised at how much of a biceps pump you’ll get from a few sets of chins!

Standing Bar Curl

The king of biceps exercises. Keep a medium grip (not too wide and not too narrow). I prefer a straight bar as to one of those curl bars. A straight bar forces more pronation of the wrist and isolates the biceps more.

Standing 1-Arm Dumbbell Curl

Another fantastic exercise. I do them alternating, You don’t need to go heavy here to feel the burn, but keep the form strict.

Dips

Dips are a great upper body exercise. Do them with your elbows out and your chin tucked and you’ll keep the focus primarily on your chest. But if you do them with your chin up and your elbows tucked at your sides, you move the focus to your triceps. Like the chin-up, I finish every workout with 2 sets of narrow grip chins

Behind the Back Dips

This really isolates the triceps. Aim for 10 – 15 reps. If they really are too easy, you can always rest a plate on your legs to increase the resistance.

Close Grip Bench Press

This is probably the best exercise for pure mass when it comes to the triceps. You don’t have to go heavy here. You want your hands as close as you can get them; lower and raise the bar in a slow controlled motion, making sure to keep your elbows tucked in tight at your sides.

Now I know a lot of you are asking “What about press downs? What about skull crushers?” And the answer is I don’t do them. These can be great exercises as long as you don’t abuse them, but they put an incredible amount of strain on the elbow joint. Trust me when I tell you, after 20 years of doing these you’ll have the same elbow problems I do, so do yourself a favor and just stay away.

Add these exercises to your routine – you only need to do a set of two each time you’re in the gym. You’ll be surprised as how fast your arms will grow without too much added attention. You’ll be selling tickets to the gun show in no time!

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