Best Arm Workouts for Big Arm to Build Muscle with Equipment

Introduction

Not only are well-developed arms attractive, but they also play a big role in total strength and a muscular, well-balanced body. Robust biceps and triceps are essential for numerous arm workouts or compound workouts, including pull-ups, rows, and presses, since they help with weightlifting and stability.

Additionally, well-sculpted arms can draw attention to your hard work in the gym and improve the overall aesthetic attractiveness of your physique. Beyond only gaining larger muscles, arm resistance exercise has many more advantages.

It strengthens the grip, which benefits various everyday chores and sports. Because strong arms support the shoulder joints, so they help improve posture and reduce the chance of injury. 2022 study by MDPI Nutrients^[1], Resistance exercise also increases metabolism, which increases calorie burning even when you’re at rest.

Anatomy of the Arms

A. Muscles involved

Biceps

The most noticeable muscle on the front of the upper arm is the biceps brachii, which has two heads: a long head and a short head. These heads are put into the radius bone of the forearm from the shoulder blade.

Flexing the elbow joint is accomplished by the brachialis muscle, which is located beneath the biceps brachii^[2].

Triceps

The big muscle on the rear of the upper arm is called the triceps brachii^[3]. The long head, lateral head, and medial head are its three heads.

These heads attach to the ulna bone in the forearm after originating from the shoulder blade and the humerus (upper arm bone). The elbow joint’s extension is the main purpose of the triceps.

Forearms

Wrist flexors and extensors, two muscles that enable wrist and hand movements, are part of the forearms. The brachioradialis, which is found on the outside of the forearm, helps with forearm rotation and elbow flexion^[4].

B. Functions of each muscle group

The main muscles that flex the elbow joint and enable curling motions are the brachial and brachialis biceps. They also help in supination, which is the rotation of the hand and forearm palm up, and shoulder flexion.

The primary muscle involved in extending the elbow joint, which is essential for pushing motions like pushes and extensions, is the triceps brachii. Strong grip and dexterity are made possible by the forearm muscles, which also regulate wrist and hand movements.

Best Arm Workouts with Weights

A. Compound Exercises

1. Dumbbell Overhead Press

Dumbbell Overhead Press (Video Credit: Bobby Maximus YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Place your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp a dumbbell at shoulder level in each hand, and face your palms front.
• Press the weights above while completely extending your arms while bracing your core.
• Reverse the dumbbells to their initial position slowly, maintaining control during the exercise.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your back, and press the weights in a straight line above your head. Don’t let your elbows flare out.

Benefit: This exercise targets the shoulders and triceps while also engaging the biceps as stabilizers.

2. Dumbbell Bench Press

The ONLY Way You Should Be Doing Flat Dumbbell Bench Press! (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with palms facing forward.
• Brace your core and press the weights straight up, fully extending your arms.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, keeping control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your feet planted, engage your core, and avoid arching your back. Lower the weights in a controlled motion, allowing a slight bend in the elbows.

Benefit: This exercise primarily works the upper chest, shoulders, and triceps, while also engaging the biceps as stabilizers.

Related: How To Do Dumbbell Bench Press

3. Dumbbell Fly

How to Properly Do a DUMBBELL FLY (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward.
• Keeping a slight bend in the elbows, raise the weights out to the sides until your arms are parallel to the floor.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your back, and maintain a slight bend in the elbows throughout the movement.

Benefit: This exercise targets the chest and shoulders while also engaging the biceps and forearms as stabilizers.

4. Reverse Dumbbell Fly

A PROPER Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward.
• Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat, and raise the weights out to the sides until your arms are parallel to the floor.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid rounding your back, and maintain a slight bend in the elbows throughout the movement.

Benefit: This exercise targets the rear deltoids (back of the shoulders) while also engaging the biceps and back with forearms as stabilizers.

B. Biceps Exercises

1. Standing Biceps Curl

The ONLY Way You Should Be Doing Standing Dumbbell Bicep Curls! (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing forward.
• Keeping your elbows tucked and your upper arms stationary, curl the weights up towards your shoulders by bending at the elbows.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid swinging the weights, and focus on using your biceps to lift the weights. Don’t let your elbows drift forward or backward.

Benefit: This exercise directly targets the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles.

2. Seated Biceps Curl

Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl (Video Credit: Opex Fitness YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Sit on a bench with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing forward.
• Keeping your elbows tucked and your upper arms stationary, curl the weights up towards your shoulders by bending at the elbows.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid swinging the weights, and focus on using your biceps to lift the weights. Don’t let your elbows drift forward or backward.

Benefit: This exercise directly targets the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles while providing added stability from the seated position.

C. Triceps Exercises

1. Standing Triceps Extension

Tricep Extension Dumbbell One Arm Workout (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with palms facing forward.
• Brace your core and press the weights overhead, fully extending your arms.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, keeping control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your back, and press the weights in a straight line above your head. Don’t let your elbows flare out.

Benefit: This exercise targets the shoulders and triceps while also engaging the biceps as stabilizers.

2. Overhead Triceps Extension

Overhead Low Rope Tricep Extension (Video Credit: James Harrison YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Sit on a bench or stability ball, holding a dumbbell overhead with both hands, palms facing inward.
• Keep your upper arms close to your head and elbows pointing straight up.
• Brace your core and lower the weight behind your head by bending at the elbows, keeping your upper arms stationary.
• Once you feel a stretch in your triceps, extend your arms back to the starting position.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your lower back, and focus on using your triceps to lift the weight. Don’t let your elbows flare out.

Benefit: This exercise directly targets the triceps brachii, especially the long head, while also engaging the core for stability.

D. Shoulder Exercises

1. Front Raise

Dumbbell Front Raise (Video Credit: Scott Herman Fitness YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise the weights in front of you until they reach shoulder height.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your back, and focus on using your shoulder muscles to lift the weights. Don’t let your elbows bend.

Benefit: This exercise targets the front deltoids (front of the shoulders) while also engaging the biceps as stabilizers.

2. Lateral Raise

How To Dumbbell Lateral Raise – The Right Way! (Video Credit: Mind Pump TV YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise the weights out to the sides until they reach shoulder height.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

Correct form: Keep your core engaged, avoid arching your back, and focus on using your shoulder muscles to lift the weights. Don’t let your elbows bend.

Benefit: This exercise targets the lateral deltoids^[5] (side of the shoulders) while also engaging the biceps as stabilizers.

E. Forearm Exercises

1. Forearm Curls (wrist curls)

Dumbbell Bench Wrist Curl (Video Credit: Renaissance Periodization YouTube Channel)

How to do it:

• Sit on a bench or chair with your forearms resting on your thighs or a stable surface.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing up. Keeping your forearms stationary, curl the weights up towards your shoulders by bending at the wrists.
• Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Sets and reps: 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps

Correct form: Keep your forearms stable and focus on using your wrist flexors to lift the weights. Avoid swinging or using momentum.

Benefit: This exercise directly targets the wrist flexors^[6] and forearm muscles, improving grip strength and preventing potential imbalances.

Structuring an Arm Workouts

A. Number of sets and reps for different goals

Strength gains: To increase arm strength, aim for 4-6 repetitions using heavier weights. This low-rep range encourages neural adaptations and enhanced muscle activation, allowing you to lift more weight.

Hypertrophy (muscle building): To optimize muscle growth, a moderate rep range of 8–12 reps is recommended. This range enables you to lift weights that are difficult enough to test your muscles and build up enough volume to encourage muscular growth.

Muscular endurance: Choose greater repetition counts of 12–15 reps or more if you aim to increase your arms’ muscular endurance. This greater rep range will increase the muscles’ capacity for endurance by testing their ability to execute repeated contractions

B. Exercise order and selection

It is recommended to begin an arm workout with best compound exercises like presses and rows that train many muscle groups. By working the major muscular groups as well as the arms, these workouts enable you to lift more weights and increase overall muscle activation.

Proceed to isolation exercises^[7] that focus on particular arm muscles, such as triceps extensions and biceps curls, after compound workouts.

With these workouts, you can intensify your arm fatigue while concentrating on the targeted muscle region. To facilitate active recovery and effective use of rest intervals, it is also advised to switch up your biceps and triceps exercises.

C. Sample arm workout routine

We had recently interviewed with Mohamed Asfar, a Certified Personal Trainer specializing in HIIT, Functional Fitness, and Nutrition and he shared his balanced arm workout that can be adapted to different experience levels:

Warm-Up:

• 5-10 minutes of light cardio, followed by dynamic stretches.

• Dumbbell overhead press: 4 sets of 6-8 reps
• Seated dumbbell biceps curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Triceps dip: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Standing dumbbell hammer curl: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Overhead triceps extension: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• Forearm wrist curls: 2 sets of 15-20 reps

Cooldown:

• Stretch the biceps, triceps, and shoulders to promote flexibility and reduce soreness.

Warm-up and Preparation Before Arm Workouts

A. Importance of warming up before arm workouts

Warming up before arm workouts is crucial to prepare your muscles, joints, and nervous system for the intense work ahead. A 2018 study Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation^[8] mentioned, proper warm-up increases blood flow raises core temperature, and improves mobility, reducing the risk of injury and optimizing performance.

B. Arm warm-up circuit

• Arm circles (10-15 reps in each direction)
• Bodyweight squats (10-15 reps)
• Pushups (10 reps)
• Arm swings (10-15 reps in each direction)
• Wrist circles (10-15 reps in each direction)