An upper body workout, when done properly and consistently, can help you build muscle mass that not only helps you achieve the look you want but also improve your overall fitness and may even have benefits outside of the gym. Regular arm exercises can lower your risk of heart disease, increase blood flow, and raise oxygen levels in your body, all of which benefit your overall health.
It takes more than a few push-ups at the end of your workout to effectively strengthen your arms. Consider incorporating these exercises into your workout two times a week on nonconsecutive days to ensure that you’re challenging and targeting multiple arm muscles.
Choose from the list below eight-arm exercises to target different muscle areas. Complete 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, and You’ll see incredible results in around a month if you do the workout two or three times per week.
21 Best Arm Exercises
If you want big arms, you’ll need to work your biceps, triceps, and forearms, which is why we’ve chosen exercises that target all three muscle groups.
Barbell Curl
Stand up straight while holding a barbell at a shoulder-width grip. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and the elbows close to the torso. Curl the weights forward until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second squeezing your biceps, then return to the starting position. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Sit with your back against the bench, and weights by your sides. With your palms facing up, Curl the dumbbells until they reach your shoulders. Maintain a full contraction by squeezing your biceps at the top of the movement. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position, and repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Concentration Curl
Sit on a bench, take a dumbbell in your right hand, and place the back of your upper right arm on the inside of your right thigh. Curl the weight up slowly, only moving your forearms. Pause for a moment by squeezing your biceps at the top, then slowly lower the weight back to the start. Perform all of your reps with one arm, then switch to the other.
Hammer Curls
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a pair of dumbbells in your hands, palms facing your body. Slowly curl the dumbbell up to your shoulders while keeping your elbows close to your body. Pause for a second at the top of the lift, squeeze your biceps, and then lower the weights slowly.
Twisting Dumbbell Curl
Stand tall with your palms facing each other, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your side. Curl the weights up to your shoulders. As you lift the dumbbells, twist your palms to face your chest. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat.
EZ Bar Preacher Curl
Sit on a preacher bench and grab an EZ-Bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Place your upper arms against the padding, fully extended. Curl the bar toward your shoulders by contracting your biceps. Raise the bar as high as you can while maintaining constant biceps tension. Pause for a moment, then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
Reverse Curl Straight Bar
Stand up straight while holding a barbell with a shoulder-width grip with your hands on top of the bar (pronated grip). Curl the weights up until the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second squeezing your forearms, then return to the starting position.
Leant-Forward EZ Bar Curl
With an underhand, shoulder-width grip, hold the EZ bar in front of your thighs. Lean forward slightly, so that your torso is at about a 30-degree angle to your hips. Curl the bar as you inhale, until your hands are at your shoulders level. Hold for a second squeezing your biceps, then return to the starting position.
Prone Dumbbell Spider Curl
Lie down on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, allowing them to hang beneath your shoulders. Contract your biceps and curl the weights up towards your shoulders, squeezing your Biceps. Hold for a count, then slowly return to the starting position.
Underhand Seated Row
Sit on the bench and grasp the cable row bar with your palms facing up. Maintain a straight back while allowing your shoulders to relax forward. Pull the cable handle to your chest and pinch your shoulder blades together in the back. Pause for a moment, then slowly return to the starting position.
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other, and arms at your sides. Curl the dumbbell up in front of your right shoulder by flexing your right arm. At the top of the rep, rotate your wrist so that your palm is facing your shoulder as you lift the dumbbell. Pause for a moment, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, and repeat with your left arm.
Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
Lie flat on the bench using a close grip about shoulder width. Lift the bar with the rack’s assistance while keeping it straight over your head. Slowly lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body throughout. Exhale and use the triceps muscles to push the bar up, locking the arms at the top of the movement. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Cable Triceps Press Down
Set up the cable machine so that the bar is at eye level. Grab the bar and stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart. Pull the cable down until the bar touches your thighs and pause at the bottom of the move to squeeze your triceps. Then slowly return the bar to its starting position.
EZ Bar Skull Crusher
Grab an EZ bar with your hands turned in toward each other. Lie back on a bench, and bend your elbows then gradually lower the weights towards your head by unlocking your elbows and allowing the EZ bar to drop toward your forehead. When your forearms have reached parallel or just below, reverse the movement by extending the elbows.
Standing Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension
Stand up straight feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Your hands should be closer to each other than shoulder width. Raise the barbell above your head and extend your arms fully. Lower the barbell behind your head until your forearms are in contact with your biceps. Return to the starting position.
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
Sit upright on a flat bench, holding a heavy dumbbell overhead with both hands. Take a deep breath, then lower the dumbbell behind your head in a slow, continuous motion, keeping your upper arms right beside your head, then lift it back to full extension.
Javelin Press
Stand upright holding an EZ bar in your right hand just above your shoulder. Extend your arm and raise the bar above your head, then lower it to your shoulder and repeat.
Pull-up
Grab a pull-up bar with your palms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull your body upward until your chin is above the bar, then slowly downward until your arms are extended again.
Chin-up
Using an underhand grip, grab a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees bent and your lower legs crossed. Pull your body up until your chin is parallel to the bar. Pause for one to two seconds at the top before gradually lowering to the starting position.
Weighted Tricep Dips
Wrap a weight belt around your hips, and place your hands on the bar with an overhand grip. Straighten your arms and push yourself up into the air. Bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself. Pause and push yourself back up once your upper arm is parallel with the ground.
Diamond Press-up
Lie on the floor with your body straight and your hands in a diamond shape, then extend your arms so that your body is elevated and forms a straight line from your head to your feet. Lower your chest towards your hands while keeping your back flat. Before your chest contacts the floor, push yourself back up to the starting position.