A variety of sports equipment and exercise equipment in the gym can take training to a new level, get off the “dead point” and further progress. This also applies to arm workouts for men. A set of exercises will help you work out all muscle fibers as much as possible. If your muscles get used to the exercises, you can always replace the equipment and continue to observe progress.
The best arm exercises in the gym
The set of arm exercises in the gym includes exercise equipment that is not intended for use or is rarely found at home. If you reach a “plateau”, it’s time to go to the gym and change equipment. Another benefit of the gym is the presence of assistants who can provide backup. Such training will not only increase safety, but will also contribute to the growth of muscle strength while constantly exceeding the maximum, and therefore muscle growth.
The training will be built on the principle of a straight pyramid, that is, each approach must be added to the working weight, while reducing the number of repetitions.
1. Dips
As you get used to it, you need to increase the weight. Despite the fact that the exercise is performed with your own weight, each gym may have special belts with a chain on which free weight is loaded for weights. If you can do more than 12 push-ups easily, it's time to use a weight belt. The first approach is a warm-up, 15 push-ups without load.
- Stand on the special beam supports.
- Place your hands on the bars under the shoulder joints, fix the elbow and shoulder joints.
- Bend your knees, crossing your shins.
- Inhale: bend your elbows to a right angle, do not squeeze your neck with your shoulders.
- Exhale: Push up with your triceps, straightening your arms completely.
Do 4 sets of push-ups, adding weight, 12-6 reps decreasing in each approach.
2. Close-grip barbell press
A special bench press will allow you to perform the exercise with the most accurate technique, and most importantly, safely. Although it uses the pectoral muscles, it mainly targets the triceps.
- Lie down on a bench and grab the bar with a medium grip.
- Remove the bar from the racks and hold the bar with your arms straight above your shoulders.
- Keep your chest in a slight arch.
- Inhale: bend your elbows, bringing them as close to your body as possible, lower the bar under your chest.
- Exhale: Push the bar over your shoulders with your triceps.
- At the end of the approach, return the bar to the racks and only then stand up.
Perform the bench press 4 sets with increasing working weights and decreasing repetitions - from 12 to 8.
3. Arm extension in Crossover with ropes
The technique maximally works all the triceps bundles, since it allows you to move your hands far back.
- Stand in front of the machine, grasp the edges of the ropes, place your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Press your elbows towards your body, slightly tilting your body forward. Knees slightly bent.
- Exhale: straighten your elbows completely, moving your hands back as far as possible.
- Inhale: slowly bend your elbows, but do not lift them away from your body.
Perform 4 sets of 12-8 repetitions.
4. Lifting the barbell with a wide grip from the knees
The exercise is performed with free weight, but at the same time it is indispensable for working out the long head of the biceps, even in the gym. When performing the exercise in a sitting position, the muscles are in constant tension; the main thing is not to lower the bar onto your hips. You can perform the exercise on a bench with a vertical backrest.
- Sit on a bench with the bar resting on your thighs. Take a wide underhand grip.
- Raise the bar a few centimeters above your hips, fix the position, press your elbows to your body.
- Exhale: lift the barbell to your shoulders.
- Inhale: Lower the bar without touching your hips.
Perform 4 sets x 12-8 reps.
5. Lifting dumbbells on a Scott bench
This exercise is performed on a special bench designed. This technique promotes isolated biceps training, both with a barbell and dumbbells. In this case it is executed. When the biceps contracts, other muscles cannot act as assistants.
- Sit in the machine, place the elbow of one hand with a dumbbell, resting on a special pillow. The second hand serves as a support or as an assistant during the last repetitions.
- Exhale: bend your elbow, concentrating on contracting your biceps, and bring the dumbbell to your shoulder.
- Inhale: slowly lower your arm without fully extending your elbow.
- Having performed it on the right hand, immediately proceed to the left side.
Perform 4 sets of 12-8 reps on each side.
6. Reverse Grip Crossover Curl
This exercise targets the forearms to a greater extent due to the reverse grip. Arm exercises in the gym should not be limited to the shoulder muscles. The forearms are also important when shaping the arms; all muscles must be worked evenly, otherwise there will not be the necessary proportions.
- Place the straight handle on the lower block of the Crossover, grab the handle with a medium overhand grip, place your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Press your arms straight to your torso and slightly tilt your body forward, bending your knees.
- Exhale: lift the handle towards your shoulders using the strength of your forearms, without bending your wrists.
- Inhale: Slowly lower your hands to your thighs.
Perform the exercise 4 sets of 12-8 repetitions.
Conclusion
An arm workout program in the gym will help you achieve symmetry and good proportions much faster than with home workouts. Such training will be enough once a week, but only on the condition that well-constructed complexes for other muscles are present during the week. You should not focus on your arms, even if at the moment these muscles are visually lagging behind. In chest and back training, the arm muscles act as synergists - assistants to these muscles, so pay the same attention if you want to pump up your arms.
Arm training for the gym in video format
Have your arms stopped growing? Are you training but to no avail? Take note of this super killer arm workout that will increase your arm size.
Everyone who comes to the gym, the first thing they want is big arms and pumped-up chests, since I always build up these parts of the body, but not everyone succeeds, some don’t eat right, others have chosen the wrong way of training, others just go crazy in training and training arm muscles is worth it on the spot without bringing results. In order for your hands to grow, you need to work hard on them; these are the best fit for this and will be discussed below.
Program hand training
Before starting the exercises, it is necessary to perform 2-3 warm-up approaches with light weights in order to bring the muscles into combat readiness, stretch them and increase their elasticity, but do not bring the muscles to a state.
During the training process, you need to choose one so that the last repetition is exactly the last; if you can do more repetitions, then the weight is too light; if you cannot complete the required number of repetitions, then the weight is too heavy.
In trisets and supersets, alternate, one day start with an exercise for biceps, another day for triceps.
Rest should be 60 seconds between triset and superset sets.
When moving from exercise to exercise (further to training arms from triset to superset or from one superset block to the next superset block), the rest can be increased to 3 minutes
Training scheme:
TRISET:
- – 3 sets x 8-6 reps
3 sets x maximum reps
SUPERSET No. 1
- – 3 sets x 8 reps
- – 3 sets x 8 reps
SUPERSET No. 2
- – 3 sets x 10 reps
SUPERSET No. 3
- – 3 sets x 12 reps
Step-by-step instructions for performing arm exercises
Arm muscle training is divided into 4 large blocks of exercises; we will analyze each in detail:
TRISET
This technique builds muscle in an excellent way; it is important to perform it in 1 approach - 8 repetitions, and in 2-3 - 6 repetitions. A small number of repetitions and a large weight maximally loads the muscles, developing strength in them, which is why trisets are performed first while the muscles are fresh and full of strength.
BICEPS RAISES – grip shoulder-width apart, in this position the load is evenly distributed on the outer and inner parts of the muscles. If your inner biceps is lagging behind, the grip needs to be made wider; if the outer one, then narrower.
FRENCH BENCH PRESS - a good basic exercise, when performing it, carefully ensure that your elbows do not diverge to the sides and that your triceps are parallel to the floor; at the highest point of the lift, pause for a second for maximum load on the triceps.
NARROW GRIP BENCH PRESS - an excellent basic exercise that will complete a triple blow to the arms; when lowering the barbell, the elbows should be as close to the body as possible, and when lifting, they should not diverge to the sides. At the highest point, do not straighten your elbows completely in order to maintain tension in the muscles and not overstrain the elbow joints.
SUPERSET No. 1
In this block, the number of repetitions increases to 8, so the weight must be reduced in comparison with trisets:
FRENCH PRESS WITH DUMBBELL SEATED – this is a unique exercise of its kind, as it works well on the ever-problematic long head of the triceps, so don’t ignore it. Lower the dumbbell as low as possible to better stretch the triceps, do not forget to breathe correctly when lowering, inhale, and exhale when rising.
ARM CURL ON SCOTT BENCH – arm training on an incline bench perfectly trains the short (inner) biceps bundle, the elbows do not leave the bench during the exercise, and the arms are parallel to each other. Using an E-shaped bar reduces the load on the brachioradialis muscle and joints.
SUPERSET No. 2
For the triceps, use a cable handle; this will allow you to further strain the muscles due to the lack of a rigid base. The number of repetitions increases to 10, and the weight decreases further, thanks to which you feel more and more noticeably, filling the muscles with blood and increasing their volume.
ARM Curls with Dumbbells on an Incline Bench – an excellent exercise that will maximally stretch the biceps (both the internal and external bundles) and powerfully contract it, giving impetus to muscle growth. Set the back of the gymnastic bench at an angle of 60 degrees, the shoulder blades are fully pressed and the head is too.
ARM EXTENSION ON THE UPPER BLOCK – tilt your body forward slightly, press your elbows to your sides and extend your elbows; at the lowest point, try to turn your wrists outward, increasing tension in the triceps, namely lateral heads. It is very important that the elbows are pressed to the body, otherwise part of the load will be transferred to the pectoral muscles and anterior deltoids.
SUPERSET No. 3
This is the last block of exercises, which includes 12 repetitions, its main task is maximum burning in the muscles and super-powerful pumping, concentrate not on the volume of working weights, but on the feeling of the muscle being trained. We perform the exercise with each hand separately for a better feeling of the muscle, so that the more powerful hand does not take away part of the load from the weaker one.
But there is a small nuance here: while one hand is working, the other is resting, so we reduce the rest between approaches to 30 seconds.
ARM BENDING ON THE LOWER BLOCK - take a comfortable position for maximum feeling of the biceps, the advantage of the crossover exercise is that thanks to the cable, the muscle is tense in both the lower and upper parts.
ARM EXTENSION IN TILT – an excellent finishing exercise that will squeeze the last strength out of your triceps. The main thing is that the triceps is strictly parallel to the floor; in the process of extending and lowering the arm, the elbow remains in one place, this is the only way you will purposefully direct the load to the triceps.
- FOR NEWBIES– if you are new to the sporting life of iron sports, then on the day of training your arms, perform only triset and superset No. 1, this will be enough for your arms to receive a good load for starting muscle growth.
- FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL – your muscles are already sufficiently trained, for a good load it will be enough to complete the entire set of exercises without superset No. 4.
- FOR EXPERIENCED– if you have been interested in strength sports for several years, then the triset and 3 supersets are just for you; after completing this hellish workout, your arm muscles will receive maximum load in all directions.
It is not recommended to train according to this scheme all the time, otherwise even the most trained hands will get tired. Train according to this scheme for 1-2 months in a row or from time to time give your arms a shake-up. Since this training program requires a lot of effort, it is better to allocate it on a separate training day, especially if your hands are a weak point.
Increasing muscle volume for beginning bodybuilders is a priority. Particular attention is paid to the biceps and triceps, which are pumped first. It is the volume of muscles in the arms that demonstrate to others whether a person visits the gym or not. To build muscle mass in your arms, you need to not just exercise on machines, but select the most effective program. You should choose exactly those exercises that load the triceps and biceps the most, allow you to quickly progress and achieve your goals and objectives.
The proposed training program does not involve separating exercises for biceps and triceps, for which there is a rational explanation. The reason for training these muscle groups together is that they are opposite each other. Working through one antagonist leads to restoration and increased flow of blood rich in nutrients to the second, that is, the muscle opposite it. And if you train both biceps and triceps at once, you can achieve a powerful pump, which has a positive effect on the growth of muscle mass.
Effective exercises for pumping triceps and biceps
The training program for increasing muscle mass in the arms, performed in the gym, is almost entirely built on basic exercises, but there are also several isolating ones. This allows you to exhaust the muscle and achieve the maximum pumping effect.
The training includes two groups of exercises:
For triceps:
For biceps:
This complex is enough to completely deplete the muscle groups involved in the work. Basic exercises are performed first, and then the emphasis shifts to isolated movements. Such a training system is considered the most effective and efficient in the environment of modern bodybuilding.
The training program is aimed at working out antagonist muscles. Therefore, it is best to train biceps and triceps alternately. Performing all exercises first on one group and then on another is less effective.
To better understand how to pump up your biceps and triceps, you should adhere to the following sequence of exercises. So, the program is done according to the following scheme:
- (3-4 X 8-12);
- (3-4 X 8-12);
- (3-4 X 8-12);
- (3-4 X 8-12);
- + and alternately 3-4 approaches for each exercise.
The first exercises are performed at a pace that is familiar to many, but with the last one, beginners may not understand everything. The final stage of training in the given program involves moving to supersets. In other words, do one set for biceps first, and the next set for triceps. Then they take a short break. After rest, repeat the biceps-triceps ligament again. The presence of a superset at the end of the workout allows you to achieve a powerful pumping effect and bring the muscles to maximum exhaustion. Such sets should not be used every lesson, but periodically. Otherwise, the risk of overtraining increases.
Everyone dreams of toned and beautiful arms. Exercises with dumbbells will help you achieve this goal.
You can have a slim figure without going to the gym, by exercising regularly and purposefully.
It is necessary to practice increasing loads gradually: ignoring this principle can lead to injury. Make a training plan and don’t put it off - the sooner you start implementing it, the faster you will notice the results!
A little anatomy
The target arm muscles that require loads are the biceps and triceps. These muscles are not much used in everyday life. Without receiving load, they acquire a jelly-like consistency. This applies to both men. If you work them out with the help of effective strength exercises, you can increase the volume of muscle mass, form relief and get rid of both thick and too thin limbs. If you want to make your limbs smaller and thinner, you need to stick to.
Strength training is at the forefront of effectiveness for the arms and shoulders. It must be remembered that in these exercises The shoulder joint is subjected to heavy load, which can be easily injured. Therefore, you need to strictly follow the recommendations for execution technique and work through each movement before using even a small weight.
A training set of 10 exercises
The presented complex will help to work out and strengthen as effectively as possible. It is popular and chosen by a large number of people for its simplicity and accessibility. It can be performed at home and outdoors. Exercising outdoors will provide double the benefits!
1. Swing your arms
This exercise is also for the shoulders. You should definitely start with this complex to strengthen your limbs.
We stand straight and alternately make vigorous swings with our arms up.
We perform ten exercises with three approaches.
2. Various types of push-ups
They are in first place among. They work out muscle groups harmoniously, making your shoulders and arms beautiful and lean. Variations of this movement with your own weight allow you to increase and decrease the load, as well as shift its emphasis to different areas of the muscles.
practiced most often to warm up target muscles before training. Taking a step away from the wall, we do push-ups with our hands located at chest level as many times as possible.
- We hold dumbbells with a straight grip, feet shoulder-width apart, and tilt the body forward. The body position should be comfortable and stable.
- Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells up along the side of your thigh.
Repeat as many times as possible.
4. Dumbbell Curls
Simple, but one of the... The biceps receive most of the load.
- We perform it while standing, stretching our arms with dumbbells in front of our chest.
- We make movements in the elbow, bending and unbending it.
- We keep our hands parallel to the floor - Only the elbow works.
To begin, do as many repetitions as possible. This movement helps a lot.
5. Standing Dumbbell Press
Perfectly works the entire shoulder girdle.
We stand straight, press the dumbbells up, while the body maintains a straight line, and the arms should be parallel at the maximum point.
We perform the maximum possible number of repetitions.
6. Plank
The best exercise to perform at home, popular among beginners and professionals. By holding an isometric and static pose, it burns calories and strengthens the abs.
Works the muscles with an emphasis on the arms. Strengthens the forearm. Many people perform this exact exercise at home to prevent the accumulation of fat deposits.
- We lie down on the floor and rest on our toes and palms.
- The body, extended in a line, forms a bar. We breathe freely and measuredly. Hold this position for a minute.
We repeat three times. This is great.
7. Curls behind your head with one dumbbell
Works the triceps. The muscles in this area are usually affected by those who do little physical exercise. This exercise also gives strength to the muscles.
- Holding one dumbbell in both hands, lift it as high as possible.
- Let's start by the head. Movement occurs at the elbow joint, the remaining parts and bodies are static.
- We focus on how the thoracic region and the inner surface of the forearm are stretched.
8. Bent-over dumbbell raises
We work the forearms and back. The load also goes to the extensor muscles and latissimus dorsi. Helps.
- We hold the dumbbells with our palms facing inward.
- Bend your torso, bend your knees slightly for stability. We maintain the natural anatomical curve in the lower back!
- We lower our arms with dumbbells freely.
- Using the shoulder joints, we move our arms apart and bring them together. The body is motionless, only the shoulders work.
We repeat eight times.
Attention! No sudden movements should be made. This may result in sprain or injury!
9. Jumping rope
This is a universal exercise for the main muscle groups. Jumping puts a good load on the inner side of the forearm: it is usually not easy to work out!
We jump at a fast pace for ten minutes.
The exercise is in great demand and is included in many gymnastics complexes with an emphasis on the arms. It is this kind of intense cardio exercise that will help.
10. Arm rotation
You can complete the complex with this exercise, removing the load from your arms and relaxing your muscles. Such a hitch will allow you to avoid it the next day. Also used for stretching and developing flexibility.
- We stand straight.
- Slowly and smoothly rotate your hands clockwise.
- We tilt the body and do small shaking with our hands.
How to train your hands and fingers?
Many novice athletes, when training their arms, underestimate the role of hand and finger strength. However, by working the extensor muscles, overall arm strength can be achieved.
It is generally customary to focus on the shoulders and forearms. But if you pay attention to training your hand, the strength of your forearm will increase.
Experienced trainers pay attention to the fact that the wrists also help to properly hold the weights and increase the impact of strength exercises on the shoulders and forearms. Classes are conducted in several areas.
Compressive force is developed using expander and tennis ball. By squeezing and unclenching them, as well as twisting the expander in the form of a figure eight, you can achieve good results in strengthening the hand. You can train anywhere several times a day.
On a note! A thick barbell or bodybar will help improve your holding power. Pinching power in your fingers can be developed by holding the plate away from the barbell with your fingertips.
- Number of exercises. For beginners, the number of exercises performed should be minimal. You need to focus on your feelings. Muscles cannot be overloaded; loads must be added gradually.
- Training mode. Only strengthened muscles can be trained in a regimen of twelve to fifteen exercises with three repetitions! This figure is average - it can be increased and decreased depending on your physical fitness, age, weight and other individual characteristics.
- Time mode. To avoid overloading your muscles, you need to exercise every other day. Muscle tissue must be restored, so daily training cannot be practiced.
- Proper diet- your first assistant. The presence of protein products and slow carbohydrates will help build a slim figure and a manly silhouette.
Attention! Remember that all advice is advisory in nature. When performing exercises, focus on your individual sensations. If an exercise clearly doesn’t suit you, eliminate it.
In order to have toned and defined muscles, you need to create a training plan and constantly follow it. You can use the arm-focused routine described above, and also consult with a sports doctor or trainer and develop individual workouts for yourself. It is important to remember that missed classes bring you back and force you to start all over again. Regular and targeted training will help you notice positive results quite quickly and achieve your goal!
An increase in the volume of the triceps and biceps muscles is carried out as part of arm weight training, which consists of the simultaneous development of antagonists responsible for flexion and extension of the upper limbs. Alternately performing exercises to develop triceps and biceps contributes to their accelerated recovery. The flow of oxygen-enriched blood increases, and this has a beneficial effect on weight growth.
Anatomy of human hands
You can properly organize the training process if you know the anatomy of the upper extremities. The biceps consists of a long, short head, abdomen and radial process. The triceps is a triceps muscle with a fusiform appearance, consisting of 3 heads: long, lateral, medial. In addition, there are several thin muscles of the forearm:
- brachialis;
- brachyradialis;
- coracobrachial;
- extensor carpi radialis longus.
When thinking about how to pump up big arms, they try to select exercises and choose their optimal combination, determining the appropriate load taking into account the number of repetitions, approaches, and working weight to ensure progression, which serves as the key to increasing mass.
Basic exercises for triceps
When thinking about how to build muscle mass in your arms, you need to consider that 2/3 of the volume forms the triceps. Therefore, more attention in training should be paid to the triceps brachii muscle by performing the following exercises.
1. Bench press with a narrow grip while lying down
- You need to position yourself so that your buttocks and shoulder blades with the back of your head are pressed tightly against the surface, and the bar is directly above your forehead.
- Spread your legs as wide as possible to give your torso a stable position.
- The projectile is pulled up, with the bar positioned above the chest and, while inhaling, lowered to the sternum, while the elbows are pressed to the body.
- After touching the body, the bar is pushed up until the arms are straightened.
2. French press
Performed in a lying position on a horizontal bench.
- Extend your straightened arms upward, placing them perpendicular to the floor surface.
- Take the projectile with an overhand grip, align your arms and move them back 40° from the vertical.
- After inhaling and holding your breath, lower the bar to the back of your head, bending your elbows, while keeping your upper arms in a fixed position.
- The angle at the elbows below is 90°.
- Having brought the barbell to the extreme point at the bottom, straighten your arms and return it to the starting position.
3. Extensions from the upper block
- Extend your arms downwards until they touch your hips, holding for maximum load.
- Slowly bend your arms back to their original position, applying a certain amount of force.
- Inhalation is performed in the first phase of the exercise with the elbows fixed in one position.
Basic exercises for biceps
While focusing on how to build muscle in your arms, don't forget about your biceps by doing basic exercises for your biceps brachii.
1. Lifting the barbell
- Standing with your feet apart and with an underhand grip, bend your lower back, lowering the bar to your hips.
- Inhale and hold your breath before lifting the barbell to chest level. At the same time, the elbows remain pressed to the body.
- You need to hold your hands near your chest and exhale, tighten your biceps.
- Lower the bar down without fully extending your elbows to avoid locking your elbows.
2. "Hammers"
- Hold the dumbbells with a simple grip, bending slightly at the lower back.
- Lower your hands to your hips, inhaling and holding your breath to then lift the dumbbell to the delta.
- Keep your elbows close to your body and do not move them while performing the exercise.
- The hand lingers at the chest for a couple of seconds, after which an exhalation is made and it lowers into the IP.
3. Alternating dumbbell lifts in a sitting position
- Sit comfortably on a bench and lower your arms straight down.
- The torso remains straight to avoid rounding of the spine.
- Raise the dumbbells to your shoulder and lower them down without pausing.
Training program
All that remains is to correctly combine the selected exercises, developing an effective program aimed at increasing the mass and volume of the arms. Do everything in the following sequence, observing the dosage:
- lifting the barbell in a standing position;
- bench press;
- "hammers";
- then proceed to perform the French press;
- and then do dumbbell biceps curls and triceps extensions, alternating these two exercises with a superset.
You need to perform 8–10 repetitions, doing at least 3 series.
Find out how to build big arms with the best advice from leading athletes who recommend avoiding common mistakes that slow down progress or lead to improper development:
- load progression is not applied: it is necessary to increase the intensity, number of repetitions, approaches;
- execution technique is broken;
- incorrect recovery;
- unbalanced diet.
Knowing how to pump up big arms, select exercises that have the maximum effect for increasing mass and volume.
Arm training for weight in video format