Building a pair of sleeve-busting arms is on the brain of many gym-goers, but while everybody knows how to train their biceps to perfection, nobody approaches the back of their arms the same way. Some guys head straight for the cables to perform all manner of push-downs, while others embark on a 90-minute tour of all the triceps exercises they know. Alas, the result of either method is lackluster growth.
Let’s be perfectly clear: Some movements are better than others when it comes to building muscle, and you should never confuse activity with achievement. The best intentions can be undone first and foremost by making poor exercise choices. If you want to build massive triceps—which make up roughly two-thirds of your arm mass, by the way—then you should check out these 10 exercises. They’re the best for building solid upper arms.
Some of these exercises are validated by research, notably EMG studies, which measure the electrical activity of working muscles. Other choices are based on factors that include how difficult a movement is, how easy it is to overload, how unique it is compared to other movements, and where it fits best into your workout.
If you don’t see your favorite on this list, don’t fret! These 10 exercises aren’t enough to complete your entire upper-body toolkit—after all, you can’t neglect those biceps—they’re just the beginning. We welcome your input in the comments section for any other recommendations you may have!
1. Hammer Curls
- Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at arms length by your sides with your palms facing each other.
- Keeping your elbows tucked, your upper arms locked in place (only your hands and forearms should move), and your palms facing inward, curl the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as you can.
- Pause, and then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
2. Reverse Barbell Curls
- Stand straight and hold a barbell at your shoulder width using a pronated grip (palms facing down) with your elbows positioned close to your torso. It will be your initial position.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary and the biceps contracted, curl the barbell while breathing out. Continue the upward movement until the biceps are fully squeezed and the weight is at your shoulder level. Pause for a few seconds at the point of maximum contraction.
- Gradually start bringing the barbell back to your initial position while breathing in.
- Repeat the steps for the required number of
3. Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back Wrist Curl
- While the name might be a mouthful, it’s a relatively simple exercise.
- Stand with a straight back and a barbell behind your glutes at arm length.
- You will need to use a pronated grip in this exercise, which means your palms should be facing away from your body, and your hands should be apart at shoulder width.
- Look straight forward with your feet at shoulder width as well. Exhale and lift the barbell with a little curl in your wrist and a semi-circular movement upwards.
- Hold the contraction for a second, then inhale and lower the barbell to its starting position.
- Do this exercise for 3 sets of 15 reps each.
4. Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- Lie down on a flat bench and get dumbbells in your hands.
- Your arms should be fully extended and perpendicular to your body.
- Your palms should be facing in and towards each other, and they should be tucked in.
- Breathe in and lower the dumbbells until they are near the sides of your head without moving anything below the elbow, so only the forearms should move.
- Breathe out and lift with your triceps back to the starting position.
- Do 3 sets of lying dumbbell triceps extensions, with the first two having 15 reps each and the last one 20 reps.
5. Low Cable Triceps Extensions
- Select your weight and lay down on the bench of a seated row machine with a rope.
- Make sure Your head should be on the side of the machine, not away from it.
- Take the ends of the rope with your palms facing each other in a neutral grip and have your forearms perpendicular to your upper arms, which should be perpendicular themselves, in relation to your torso.
- Breathe out and extend your lower arms until they are completely vertical and straight.
- Your upper arms and elbows should be stationary all the way through the exercise, with only your forearms moving. When you reach the peak of the movement, contract your triceps, breathe in and return to the starting position.
- Do 2 sets of low cable triceps extensions with 12 reps each, as well as a final set of 15 reps.
6. Seated Triceps Press
- Sit on a bench that will let you support your back on it.
- Take a dumbbell in both of your hands and hold it over your head with your arms outstretched.
- The intensity should be in your palms, while they face inwards.
- Keep your arms close to your head with your elbows inside, perpendicular to the floor.
- Breathe in and lower the dumbbell behind your head in a semi-circular movement until your forearms connect with your biceps.
- Breathe out and raise the dumbbell to its starting position.
- Do 3 sets of seated triceps presses with the first set having 10 reps and the last two having 8 reps each.
7. Triceps Pushdown
- Fix a cable station with a bar attached onto its pulley.
- Hold the bar with an overhand grip of your hands at shoulder’s width apart.
- Position your feet at shoulder’s width apart with knees bent for maintaining stability.
- Now pull the bar down with your forearms parallel the floor, elbows close to the body and wrist straight.
- Push the bar down towards to floor, with the help of your forearms until the arms are full extended in the downwards direction.
- Remain in this position for a while.
- Moving your forearms return to the starting position.
- Remain there for a count of one and then repeat the above steps.
8. Preacher Curls
- Sit on the preacher bench and adjust the height so your armpits are just touching the top of the sloped section.
- Hold the weight using an underhand grip (palms facing up) with your arms extended and your upper arms resting on the bench.
- Curl the weight up, keeping your upper arms on the bench, until your forearms are vertical.
- Pause for a second at the top of the curl, then slowly lower the weight until your arms are fully extended once again.
- Count for three beats as you lower.
- Make sure your feet are planted on the ground, and that your torso and shoulders stay still throughout the movement.Videos
9. Barbell Curls
- First of all, being in the standing position, hold the barbell with an underhand grip of hands. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, legs straight and your arms extended downwards in a straight line feeling the gravitational pull.
- Starting position: Place your elbows by your sides with your palms facing away from you.
- Allowing only the forearms to move, lift the barbell in the upward direction. Do not move your upper arms at all.
- Final position: While lifting the barbell in the upwards direction, and exhaling your breath bring the barbell to your shoulder level while squeezing your biceps. Hold on in this position till the count of one.
- While inhaling return to the initial/starting position.
- Repeat the above steps till you complete your reps.
10. Incline Dumbbell Curls
- Set and adjustable bench to around a 45-degree incline angle.
- Grip a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip. Also known as a “hammer grip”, this is where your palms are facing inwards towards each other.
- Set your back flat against the bench with your shoulders pinned back and down. Keep your chest out and shoulders back throughout the entire set.
- Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. As mentioned, keep your shoulder pinned back against the bench. The movement stops when your elbow can no longer bend any further.
- Lower the dumbbells to the start position and repeat.
11. Spider Curls
- Get into starting position; To do this, you will need first to set up your working area which includes adjusting the bench. You may need to adjust the bench to about 45°. Next, you should position yourself in front of the bench and lie face down and with your chest against the slanting part of the bench.To be in full starting position, you will need to ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the floor to give maximum support and stability.
- Grab The dumbbells; Once you are correctly positioned on the bench, you should then grab the dumbbells in each hand and hold them firmly. Keep your hands around shoulder width apart and re-ensure that you are well positioned on the bench with your arms in front of your body and hanging on the sides of the bench.
- Curl Up; With your arms fully extended, the dumbbells firmly gripped in both your arms and your eyes facing forward, slowly curl the weight of the dumbbells upwards and towards your shoulders, so that you are squeezing your muscles in the process and isolating the biceps. Exhale and hold the curled up position for a while.
- Return To Starting Position; After holding the contracted position for a count, slowly release the tension and lower the weight back to the starting position. Now you can inhale and relax for a bit before you repeat the process.
Health and Fitness 