To develop an impressive set of arms you need to target them from every angle, and hit them hard in a number of ways. The Biceps muscles include both the long and short heads of the Biceps Brachii, as well as the Brachialis muscle. While the short head of the biceps are worked at pretty much every angle; the long head of the biceps, the part that provides the ‘peak’ of the biceps when flexing, is better worked when the biceps are in a more flexed position, known as passive tension.
The triceps muscles include the lateral, long and medial heads of the Triceps Brachii. Again just like the biceps, certain portions of the triceps are more and less active in different positions.
Here are six highly effective exercises that will help you do just that
Exercise 1: Biceps Curl 28’s
Some, if not most, would have heard of the 21’s method for performing biceps curls. You perform 7 reps at the bottom range of a curl, 7 at the top, and then 7 full range of motion reps. It’s pretty exhausting!
Technique Tips
-Pick a weight that will allow you to complete around 10 repetitions, max, during a full range of motion biceps curl.
– Perform each repetition in a controlled way, about 1 second on the way up and 2 seconds on the way down.
– 28’s should be a grind to complete and you should be struggling to do the last 7 reps, but focus on squeezing your biceps as hard as you can each rep, both on the way up and down.
– Focus on quality; try to resist swinging until you absolutely have to!
Exercise 2: Tate Press
The Tate Press is an advanced triceps exercise that helps to target the medial head of the triceps. The great thing about the Tate Press is that it’s almost impossible to cheat whilst doing it.
Technique Tips
– To make this exercise the most effective it can be you need to choose a weight that will allow you to get around 12-20 repetitions per set.
-Maintain a nice tight position on the bench with the shoulders back and the elbows flared out towards the side, then focus on most of the movement coming from the elbows.
-You can also do this on an incline bench which would help isolate the medial head of the triceps a little more.
-If you hold the dumbbells so your little finger is all the way touching one side, so your hand is off-set from the middle of the dumbbell; this will help to maintain the tension in the triceps in the top position of the exercise.
Exercise 3: Zottman Curl
This is one of the best exercises out there to develop overall arm thickness, because it thoroughly stresses all of the elbow flexors.
Technique Tips
-This exercise can feel a little weird at first, but after a few workouts you will soon get used to it, and sure to be one of your favourite go-to upper arm builders.
– Select a weight based on what you can lift on the positive concentric portion of the lift, slowly pronate (rotate inwards) your wrists at the top of the movement, and then lower slowly for around 4 seconds under control.
-Multiple sets of 12-15 repetitions work the best for this exercise.
Exercise 4: Rolling Triceps Extension
This exercise is essentially a combination between a lying triceps extension and a dumbbell pullover, which, as a result, allows you to use more weight than you normally could during a traditional triceps extension.
Technique Tips
-Perform the exercise for 10-20 reps as this exercise, when loaded excessively, can place a lot of stress on the elbows.
-Do not explosively lock-out your elbows, keep them very slightly bent as you extend your elbow, making sure tension on the triceps is maintained.
-Don’t be too tempted to go heavy on this exercise because excessive weight during this exercise can put unwanted stress on the elbows.
-This exercise works best towards the end of your workout for multiple sets of 12-20 reps, so keep it in your toolbox for when you want a great finisher to your training session.
Exercise 5: One-Arm Leaning Rope Curl
The brachialis muscle is widely neglected during most arm workouts, and it shouldn’t be. Although the brachialis muscle is not as aesthetically desired as the biceps brachii muscles, it is nevertheless a very important muscle to develop if overall upper arm thickness is a goal.
Technique Tips
-Bend your torso slightly forward to help keep tension through the full range of motion.
-Feet can be parallel or one foot slightly in front of the other.
-Perform the concentric portion of the exercise fast, squeeze at the top, and then lower under control for 2-4 seconds.
-If you don’t have a rope available for this exercise, then you can still perform it by just holding on to the end of a cable without any attachments.
-The brachialis muscle responds best to heavy weight and explosive concentric reps, so sets of 6-8 reps would work best for this exercise.
Exercise 6: Band Tricep Push-Downs
The Band Triceps Push-Down exercise makes this list purely because of its cruelness factor. It’s pretty nasty, especially when performed how I would suggest you perform it at the end of a session!
The technique is pretty simple, and very similar to a Rope Triceps Push-Down. You should extend your elbows, part the band at the bottom a little and squeeze your triceps as hard as you can. The increased tension on the band in the end position means that the tension is the greatest when you are squeezing your triceps the hardest.
Technique Tips
-Select a resistance band that will allow you to perform 20 repetitions with good technique.
-Each repetition should be controlled, and focus on the squeeze at the end of each one.
-Pulling the band apart a little and turning your elbows out as you squeeze will help with triceps muscle recruitment.
-Perform 100 reps in as few sets as you can, but still focusing on quality of each rep.
– As you progress with this exercise either use a heavier band, or try to complete the 100 reps in fewer sets.
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