That’s right – you throw them the biceps pose. You get the guns out and you unleash the pythons.
A good, strong and muscular pair of guns tell a story. That you train hard and have the grip of a medieval ironmonger.
If there’s an area of your body worth investing time on, it’s your arms.
Now here’s the thing. Your triceps are the biggest upper body muscle you have. They’re designed to be hit with heavy weights and low reps.
Your biceps have a fairly even fiber composition. You can build them with heavy reps, but you can also add mass with lighter weights and more volume.
This makes arms one of the most versatile (and fun) areas of your physique to train.
Here are the very best exercises to get you going.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand up tall with them positioned by your sides. At this point your palms should be facing inwards.
Keep your elbow in a fixed position and begin curling your wrists towards your shoulders. As you curl up though, begin to rotate your thumb outwards so that at the end of the movement your palm is facing your shoulder. By doing this you’ll achieve peak contraction and work the whole bicep. Your elbows shouldn’t have moved though – they should be pointing toward the floor still and not forwards.
Much like standard dumbbell bicep curls, this exercise requires you to set a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing inwards. You can do this one either standing or seated, dependant on your own preference.
Keep your elbows fixed and curl your wrist to your shoulders. For this one you need to keep your palms facing each other throughout. By doing this you’ll keep tension on the long head of your biceps but also your brachialis – the muscle that lies underneath your biceps and contributes to overall arm mass.
Set a bench at 45 degrees. Any lower than that and you might find that your shoulder muscles take over too much.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and arrange yourself so that when you sit down your back is in contact with the bench, your feet are flat on the floor and your arms are fully extended. At this point your elbows should be behind your rib cage and the dumbbells close to the floor and palms facing towards each other.
Keeping the elbows back and down helps to place more emphasis on the long-head of your biceps which helps to create mass and symmetry in your arms muscles.
Keeping your elbows in this position, begin to curl the weights upwards. As you do this, begin to rotate your wrist so that as the bells come towards your shoulders, your palms are facing the ceiling. This is what’s called a ‘screw curl’ action. At the top of the movement your elbows should still be behind your rib cage.
Return to the start position under control.
Grab a barbell with an overhand grip at a shoulder-width grip. Your palms should be facing towards your body as you stand up tall with your knees slightly bent.
Keeping your elbows fixed, begin to curl the weight up so that your wrist moves towards your shoulders. You’ll have to work hard to keep your wrists straight.
Slowly lower the weight back to the start position keeping your elbows in tight to your waist.
For this exercise you’ll need to set a duel action cable pulley on its lowest setting and attach a stirrup handle to each cable.
Grab the handles and let your arms fully extend. Your hands won’t be completely by your side but instead will be out at a light angle, leaving around 12 or so inches from the outside of your leg to your wrists.
Keep your elbows fixed and curl the weight up, aiming to bring your wrists to your shoulders. Return under control and complete the desired number of repetitions.
Set a rope on a single pulley column on its lowest setting. Grab the underside of the rope so that the top of your thumb is in contact with the rubber supports of the rope. Stand in close to the pulley with your back straight, chest tall and knees slightly bent.
Keep your elbows in a fixed position and your palms facing inwards. Curl the rope up so that your wrists move towards your shoulders. Keep your elbows facing down throughout the movement.
Return to the start position under control and complete the designated number of reps.
For this one you’ll need a pair of dumbbells and a bench. It’s often called the ‘skull crusher’ – and you’ll soon see why
Arrange yourself so that you lie on the bench with your arms fully extended over your chest. Your palms should be facing towards each other in a ‘neutral’ grip.
Keep your shoulder and upper arm in a fixed position and slowly arc the dumbbells towards your forehead. With your elbows facing the ceiling you’re aiming to let the end of the bell pass just in line with your ear. Keep your shoulder, elbow and wrist in line and you should just miss your head – but keep it close to reduce shoulder strain.
Keep the upper arm fixed as you extend the weight upwards in an arcing movement but avoid locking your elbow out at the top.
For this one you’ll need a flat bench and a pair of dumbbells. It’s pretty similar to a bench press only you’re eliminating all horizontal movement so the pecs can’t contribute to the movement.
Start with the dumbbells just above the bottom of your ribcage and with your palms facing towards each other. Your elbows should be pointing toward the floor and your forearms pretty much in contact with your waist.
Keeping your palms facing inwards, drive the bells up until you fully extend your elbows. You’ll find that the weights travel up but move in a slight arc. At the top of the movement they’ll be above your mid chest rather than at the bottom of your rib cage.
Aim to keep your wrists, elbows and shoulders in line throughout to really hit the triceps.
Attach either a straight bar or slightly angled bar to a high pulley machine. Stand in close to machine with your knees slightly bent and your shoulders directly above your hips. Push your chest out nice and tall to fix your shoulder position.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip with your wrists, elbows and shoulders in line. Tuck your elbows into your waist and fix them into position. Your wrists should now be at the same height as your shoulders.
Keeping your elbows fixed, push the bar down in an arcing movement until your lock your elbows out. At the point the bar will be close to your thighs. Don’t change position of your upper body as you’ll begin to recruit other muscles to support your triceps.
Return to the start position under control and repeat for the desired number of reps.
For this one you’ll need a straight bar and a flat bench.
Arrange yourself so that you lie on the bench with your arms fully extended over your chest. Your palms should be facing towards your feet at around shoulder width apart. .
Keep your shoulder and upper arm in a fixed position and slowly arc the barbell towards your forehead. With your elbows facing the ceiling you’re aiming to let the end of the bar come right to your forehead – just about an inch or so above.
Keep the upper arm fixed as you extend the weight upwards in an arcing movement but avoid locking your elbow out at the top.
Set a single cable column to head height/the lowest setting. Grab the underside of the rope so that you can pivot around and stand away from the column whilst holding the rope. Your elbows are high and your wrists and hands are now behind your back.
Keeping your upper arm in place, extend your wrists upwards until your elbows lock out. Your upper body should remain in position and not lean forwards.
Slowly let the rope return to the start position midway down the back. Complete the desired number of repetitions.
© 2024 Boss Workouts. All Rights Reserved.
Roar Ambition Ltd | Whitehall Waterfront, Unit G4, 2 Riverside Way, Leeds, LS1 4EH
Registered Company Number in England and Wales: 08953534
