Many people want to know how to get bigger arms. Muscular arms give you a feeling of confidence. They also provide a sense of athleticism and attractiveness. But bigger arms also have some significant practical benefits. Anything that requires effort from the upper body, from lifting your children to lifting heavy bags, you can do more easily with powerful arms.
The two major muscles in your upper arm are the front biceps and the posterior triceps. They are opposite working muscle groups, so they need a variety of strength training. Here we will discuss the best exercises for your biceps and triceps.
Exercises for biceps
Biceps is a double-headed muscle that runs from shoulder to elbow. This is the key muscle in lifting and stretching your arms. To do these exercises, choose a weight that allows you to do 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise correctly.
To get started, do one set of each exercise two or three times a week, allowing at least one day of rest. Then, when you increase your strength, you can do two to three sets of each exercise.
- Concentration curl
Researchers suggest this is the most effective biceps exercise in the ACE study because it sets the biceps apart from other exercises.
How to do a concentration curl?
- Sit on the end of a flat bench and spread your legs in a V shape.
- Hold the dumbbell with one hand and lean forward slightly.
- Place your palm in front of your center, resting your elbow on the inside of your thigh.
- Place your other hand or elbow on the other thigh for stability.
- While maintaining your upper body, slowly bend the weight towards your shoulder.
- When lifting, bend your wrists slightly so that you end up with your palm facing your shoulder.
- Pause for a moment, let yourself feel the effort in your biceps, and then slowly lose weight. Don’t rest on the floor, though, until you have your last repetition.
- Repeat 12 to 15 times, and then switch arms.
- Cable curl
You can perform cable curls in different ways. Thus, you can use a low-pulley machine fixed with a cable with a handle. Or, you can use a resistance band to tie one end of the band to something strong.
How to do a one-arm cable curl?
- Stand a couple of feet from the pulley machine and hold the cable handle in front of your palm and your elbow on your side.
- Place your feet in front of your other feet as opposed to your curling hands for better balance.
- Slowly rotate your arm, bringing your palm towards your shoulder.
- Hold the curl for a moment and feel the hard work in your biceps.
- Slowly bring the handle to the starting position.
- Repeat 12 to 15, and then switch arms.
In this biceps exercise, it is crucial to keep your back straight and don’t move your body apart from your arms. You want the biceps to do all the work, so you may need to start with a lightweight first.
How to do a barbell curl?
- Stand with your feet apart from shoulder-width.
- Hold the barbell by your arms, facing the palms.
- While exhaling, slowly move the barbell towards your chest. Then, keep your chest quiet, lift the barbell using only your arms.
- Hold the position for a second, and then slowly bring the barbell to its starting position.
- Repeat 12 to 15 times.
- Chin-up
The chin needs a strong pickup bar that is so high above the ground that your feet will not touch the floor when you extend your arms.
How to do a chin-up?
- Stand under the pickup bar and raise both arms so that your palms are in front of you.
- Hold the bar with both hands. You may need to jump or step to reach the bar.
- Strengthen your body with a powerful grip and wrap your thumbs around the bar. Crossing your legs can help for greater stability.
- Slowly exhale, bend your elbows and pull your body upward.
- Keep your elbows in front of you and focus on pulling your biceps toward where your chin meets the bar.
- Pause for a moment, and slowly bring yourself back to the starting position before repeating the movement.
Exercises for triceps
Your triceps brachialis, commonly called your triceps, is a group of three muscles in the back of your upper arm. These muscles lie between your shoulder and elbow. They help strengthen your arm and strengthen your shoulder.
The followings are the best exercises to get stronger, firmer triceps.
- Triangle pushup
In all the triceps exercises included in the ACE study, the triangle push-up proved to be the most effective in working your triceps. Best of all, you only need your body weight to do this exercise.
How to do triangle pushups?
- Achieve the traditional push-up position with just your fingers and hands touching the floor.
- Place your hands under your face and make a triangle between your hands by touching your fingers.
- Keeping your torso and legs straight, slowly lower your body so that your nose is close to your hands.
- Push your body back to its starting position. Be careful not to arch or tilt your back.
- Repeat 12 to 15 times.
- Tricep kickback
A study by the ACE has shown that the triceps kickbacks are behind the triangle push-ups that give your triceps exercise. You can do this exercise using only one arm at a time, and then you can change arms once you have completed one set with the first arm.
How to do triceps kickbacks?
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keep your palms facing inwards. Bend your knees slightly.
- Lean forward on your back, keep your back straight, and bend your core until your upper body is parallel to the floor.
- Keep your arms close to your sides, bend your elbows so that the dumbbells come close to your chest.
- Slowly straighten your arms, keep your upper arms silent.
- Hold for a second, and then bend your elbows until the dumbbells are in the starting position, close to your chest.
- If using only one arm at a time, relax for a minute, then switch arms and repeat 12-15 times.
- Overhead extension
You can perform overhead extensions with a dumbbell. Use light weights to get started, and once you get used to this exercise, turn to heavyweights.
How to do overhead extension?
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly in front of the other for balance. You can also perform this workout by sitting on a bench.
- Keep your hands around the dumbbell handle.
- Lift the dumbbell on your head so that your arms are straight.
- Gently bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle so that the dumbbell ends behind your head.
- Straight your arms so that the weight is above your head.
