There’s a certain fascination people have with building bulging biceps, however, many don’t know how to go about achieving these results and become faced with a muscle-growth plateau.
Often, you see people mindlessly curling away for hours on end only to end up with little or no gains in muscle size.
In this article, we’ll break down the various muscles of the upper arm and provide you with the 6 best exercises to really pack on the mass.
In order to build a set of show-stopping arms, you first need to know the muscles you’re going to be training and the functions they perform.
The upper arm is made up of two major muscle groups:
- The Biceps
Your biceps are made up of the long head (outer) and the short head (inner) and make up 1/3 of the upper arms.
- The Triceps
The triceps, as the name implies is made up of three heads – the long head, short head and medial head. It also makes up 2/3 of the upper arm, which may come as a surprise to those thinking that the key to bigger arms is working on your biceps.
In order to train the arms for maximal growth, you need to make sure that you’re targeting each head of each muscle with a specific set of exercises. Sadly, endless curls are not the secret.
The following 12 exercises, in my opinion, are the best ones for targeting each head.
Spider Curls
Begin
this exercise by putting the bar on the sitting part of the preacher
bench. Make sure it’s balanced so it doesn’t fall off. Then, step to the
forward part of the bench, where you would usually put your arms and
lay on your stomach at 45 degrees against the front side of the bench.
Your feet and more importantly your toes, have to be well positioned on
the floor and your upper arms need to be on top of the inside pad on the
preacher bench. Then, take the barbell or dumbbells while holding a
supinated grip with your palms upwards. Your arms should be about as
wide as your shoulders or a bit closer, but never wider. Lift and
exhale, hold for a second and squeeze your biceps, after which you
should bring the bar or dumbbells down, while breathing in. Do 4 sets of
spider curls, with 12, 8, 6 and 15 reps each, respectively.
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Sit on
an incline bench and have two dumbbells in your hands, at arm’s length.
Your elbows need to be close to your body and your palms need to be
facing forward. Remember, nothing above your elbow should move. You are
curling the weights forward and contracting your biceps. Breathe out
while you curl upwards and breathe in as you lower the weights back up.
When you’ve raised the dumbbells to shoulder level, hold that position
for a second and bring them back down. Do incline dumbbell curls for 2
sets of 8 reps each and a final set of 6 reps each.
Barbell Curls
Stand
with a barbell in your hands at shoulder width and with your back
straight. Your palms should be facing forward and your elbows should be
close to your body. Contract the biceps and lift the barbell, moving
only your forearms while breathing out. Lift into a curl until your
biceps are completely contracted and the bar is at your shoulders, then
hold the position for a second and squeeze your biceps. Bring the bar
down and breathe in. Do barbell curls for 2 sets of 8 reps each and a
final set of 12 reps.
Preacher Curls
Get an
EZ curl bar and find a preacher bench. Hold the E-Z bar at the close
inner handle. If possible, have someone hand you the bar, or you can
take it from the front bar rest installed in a lot of preacher benches.
Your palms should be facing forwards and they should be tilted just a
little bit inward to adjust to the bar’s shape. Your upper arms need to
be placed on the preacher bench pad, as well as your chest. Your
starting position should be your E-Z curl bar in your hands, at shoulder
length. Breathe in and lower the bar until your biceps are completely
stretched and your arms are fully straight. Exhale and curl the weight
back up with your biceps until they are completely contracted and the
bar is positioned at shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps and keep that
position for a second. Do one dropset of preacher curls until you reach
muscle failure.
Triceps Pushdown
Get a
rope, a straight bar or an angled one and attach your handle of choice
to a high pulley. Take it with an overhand grip with your palms facing
down. Your grip should be as wide as your shoulders, and your back
should be straight with a slight tilt forward. Your upper arms should be
close to your torso and at a 90 degree angle to the floor, while your
forearms should be pointing upwards towards the pulley, holding the bar
or rope. While exhaling, pull the bar down with your triceps until it
touches your thighs and your arms are completely extended and holding a
90 degree angle to the floor. Your upper arms should stay right next to
your torso, completely immobile. Hold the position for a second and
breathe in while you bring the bar or rope back to its starting
position. Do 4 sets of triceps pushdowns – the first one with 12 reps
and three consecutive ones with 8 reps each.
Seated Triceps Press
Sit on
a bench that will let you support your back on it. Take a dumbbell in
both of your hands and hold it over your head with your arms
outstretched. The intensity should be in your palms, while they face
inwards. Keep your arms close to your head with your elbows inside,
perpendicular to the floor. Breathe in and lower the dumbbell behind
your head in a semi-circular movement until your forearms connect with
your biceps. Breathe out and raise the dumbbell to its starting
position. Do 3 sets of seated triceps presses with the first set having
10 reps and the last two having 8 reps each.
Low Cable Triceps Extensions
Choose your weight and lay down on the bench of a seated row machine with a rope. Your head should be on the side of the machine, not away from it. Take the ends of the rope with your palms facing each other in a neutral grip and have your forearms perpendicular to your upper arms, which should be perpendicular themselves, in relation to your torso. Breathe out and extend your lower arms until they are completely vertical and straight. Your upper arms and elbows should be stationary all the way through the exercise, with only your forearms moving. When you reach the peak of the movement, contract your triceps, breathe in and return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of low cable triceps extensions with 12 reps each, as well as a final set of 15 reps.
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Lie
down on a flat bench and get dumbbells in your hands. Your arms should
be fully extended and perpendicular to your body. Your palms should be
facing in and towards each other, and they should be tucked in. Breathe
in and lower the dumbbells until they are near the sides of your head
without moving anything below the elbow, so only the forearms should
move. Breathe out and lift with your triceps back to the starting
position. Do 3 sets of lying dumbbell triceps extensions, with the first
two having 15 reps each and the last one 20 reps.
Seated Palms-Down Barbell Wrist Curl
Take a
barbell with both of your hands and your palms facing downwards. Your
hands should be positioned at shoulder width and your feet should be
flat on the floor and a bit wider. Lean forwards and put your forearms
on your upper thighs, still keeping your downward grip. Holding tightly,
inhale and lower the bar as quickly as possible. Then, curl the weight
up as high as possible while flexing your forearms, which should still
be positioned on your thighs without moving. Hold the contraction for a
second and go back to the starting position. Do seated palms-down
barbell wrist curls for 4 sets of 25 reps.
Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back Wrist Curl
While
the name might be a mouthful, it’s a relatively simple exercise. Stand
with a straight back and a barbell behind your glutes at arm length. You
will need to use a pronated grip in this exercise, which means your
palms should be facing away from your body, and your hands should be
apart at shoulder width. Look straight forward with your feet at
shoulder width as well. Exhale and lift the barbell with a little curl
in your wrist and a semi-circular movement upwards. Hold the contraction
for a second, then inhale and lower the barbell to its starting
position. Do this exercise for 3 sets of 15 reps each, and when you’re
done make sure to put the barbell down on the squat rack or the floor
while bending your knees, because it would be rather difficult to do it
otherwise.
Reverse Barbell Curls
Stand
with a straight back and hold a barbell at shoulder width, and your
elbows tightly packed in. Your palms should be facing down for a
pronated grip. While keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the
weights and contract your biceps while breathing out. Your forearms are
the only part of your body that should move in this exercise. Keep doing
the movement until your biceps are completely contracted and the bar is
at shoulder height. Hold the position for a second and squeeze your
biceps. Breathe in and slowly put the bar back down to its previous
position. Do 3 sets of reverse barbell curls for 15 reps each!
Hammer Curls
Stand
with a straight back and a dumbbell in each of your palms, at arm’s
length. Your elbows should be close to your body, but not packed in.
Keep your upper arm stationary, exhale and lift the weight in a curl
while contracting your biceps and keep lifting it until it’s fully
contracted. At this point, the dumbbells should be at shoulder height.
Keep this position for a second and squeeze your biceps. After a second,
inhale and lower the dumbbells down into their starting position. Do up
to two sets of hammer curls, all the way to muscle failure!
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