There’s probably not a single person who does weight training and does not wish for bigger arms. Powerful, well-developed arms are a visual sign of strength; they add bulk and shape to your physique making your look and feel more confident. Here are 6 moves that can you maximum gains for your arms workout.
1. Triceps Dips
For decades, dips have been a staple in the routines of top bodybuilders and strength athletes. There’s no better way to build those back arms than with dips. This exercise maximally targets all three heads of the triceps.
Grab the bars and jump up. Balance yourself with locked elbows. Lower your body by bending your arms. Lean your torso slightly forward. Go down until your shoulders are below your elbows at the bottom. Lift your body back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
2. Chin-Ups
While many people classify chin-ups as a back exercise, they’re also a great workout for your biceps, especially because you’re grabbing the bar with your palms facing you. This exercise overloads your biceps as you pull your bodyweight through the air and your chin over the bar.
Grab the bars and jump up. Balance yourself with locked elbows. Lower your body by bending your arms. Lean your torso slightly forward. Go down until your shoulders are below your elbows at the bottom. Lift your body back up to the starting position by straightening your arms. Balance yourself with your shoulders over your hands. Lock your elbows.
3. Skullcrushers
Skullcrushers are great isolation movement for your triceps and have even been endorsed by award-winning bodybuilders. This exercise is about working the muscle rather than adding more and more weights.
Using a close grip, lift the EZ bar and hold it with your elbows in as you lie on the bench. Your arms should be perpendicular to the floor. Keeping the upper arms stationary, lower the bar by allowing the elbows to flex. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Pause once the bar is directly above the forehead. Lift the bar back to the starting position by extending the elbow and exhaling.
4. Incline Dumbbell Curl
This is an extended range of motion exercise because of the incline which forces your arms to go behind your torso.
Sit back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand held at arm’s length. Keep your elbows close to your torso and rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward.
While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as you breathe in.
5. Overhead Rope Triceps Extension
This is very elbow-friendly triceps exercise. Overhead rope triceps extensions provide continuous tension on the triceps, even at the top position.
Attach a rope to the bottom pulley of the pulley machine. Grasping the rope with both hands, extend your arms with your hands directly above your head using a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
Your elbows should be in close to your head and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor with the knuckles aimed at the ceiling. This will be your starting position. Slowly lower the rope behind your head as you hold the upper arms stationary. Inhale as you perform this movement and pause when your triceps are fully stretched. Return to the starting position by flexing your triceps as you breathe out.
6. Hammer Curl
Hammer curls are very effective for working the brachialis, a muscle in the upper arm that flexes the elbow joint. The bigger you build the brachialis, the more it can push your biceps upward, giving you bigger, thicker arms.
Stand up with your torso upright and a dumbbell on each hand being held at arm’s length. The elbows should be close to the torso. The palms of the hands should be facing your torso.
While holding your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the weight forward while contracting the biceps. Continue to raise the weight until the biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a brief moment as you squeeze the biceps. After the brief pause, inhale and slowly begin the lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
