What is the best workout program for your arms? Let’s face it: We all want strong and defined arms.
No matter why you initially got started with training, you probably had this goal at the back of your mind. There is nothing wrong with that. Having a pair of developed arms is great and says a lot about your fitness level.
So, if you’re looking for the best workout program for the arms, then you’re in luck. Today, we’ll go over everything you need to know about it.
Let’s jump in.
The anatomy of our arm muscles
Before we can get to the best workout program for the arms, we first need to understand the muscles we are trying to develop and their functions.
- Biceps Brachii
The bicep is a two-headed muscle located on the front side of the upper arm. Its primary functions are to flex the elbow and to supinate the wrist.
- Brachialis
The brachialis is a small muscle that lies underneath the bicep and assists with elbow flexion. And while the muscle itself isn’t massive, developing it helps improve your bicep’s overall appearance, as it pushes it out.
- Triceps Brachii
The tricep is a three-headed muscle located on the backside of the upper arm. As an antagonist to our biceps and brachialis, the tricep’s primary function is elbow extension. Also, because the long head of the tricep crosses the shoulder joint, it aids with arm extension and adduction and stabilizes the humerus (the upper arm bone) at the shoulder.
- Forearms
Unlike the upper arm muscles, the forearm is vastly more complex, and a total of twenty different muscles make up the distance between the elbow and wrist.
The primary functions of this cluster of muscles are to:
- Flex and extend the wrist
- Move our fingers
- Assist with elbow flexion and wrist supination
Should We Even Train Our Arms Directly?
You’ve probably heard that you don’t need to train your arms directly if you want them to grow. The idea is, all you need is to do pushing exercises for your triceps, pulling for your biceps, and heavy grip-intensive movements like farmer’s walk, deadlifts, and shrugs for your forearms.
To an extent, this is true. Your arms will grow from indirect work. But, as with all muscles in your body, you need to train them directly if you want to develop them optimally.
The Best Workout Program For The Arms
Now that we have a good understanding of the muscles, we are trying to train ourselves to look at what we should do.
The best workout program for the arms will train all parts of your forearms, as well as all heads of the bicep and tricep. So, here goes:
EZ-bar bicep curls – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Close-grip bench press – 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Seated dumbbell hammer curl – 2-3 sets of 8 to 15 reps
Cable rope tricep extensions – 2-3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
Incline bench dumbbell bicep curls – 2-3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Dumbbell tricep kickbacks – 2-3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Dumbbell wrist curls – 3 sets of 8 to 20 reps
Plate pinch – 3 sets of 30 to 60-second holds
