Arms Workout: Biceps and Triceps Exercises for Muscle Growth

Do you feel you need to work your arms a little more? To round off our series of articles on different muscle groups workouts, we’ll share some biceps and triceps exercises for muscle growth today.

Strong arms are essential to perform basic activities in your routine and provide better performance in a series of upper body exercises.

If you haven’t read our latest fitness articles, check it out:

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• 6 Good Exercises To Build A Strong Chest
• 4 Exercises to Strengthen your Shoulders
• 5 Back Exercises for Muscle Growth
• 6 Compound Exercises to Build Bigger Legs: It’s Leg Day!

Understanding your Biceps and Triceps

Biceps

The biceps brachii is located on the front of your arm, more precisely between the elbow and the shoulder. It is a muscle composed of two heads (short and long heads), which work together to move the forearm.

The main functions of the biceps are to flex and rotate (externally) the forearm, also aiding forward flexion, abduction and adduction movements.

Triceps

The triceps brachii is located at the back of your arm and comprises three heads (long, lateral and medial head). The triceps allow you to extend your forearm in a movement opposite to the biceps.

Arms Workout: Biceps and Triceps Exercises for Muscle Growth

Both biceps and triceps exercises have pretty simple mechanics, but many people often do these exercises wrongly for the simple reason that they lift more weight than they can handle.

As with any other exercise, you must work with an adequate load to don’t compromise your back, shoulders, and overall health. Pay close attention to your elbow and shoulder positions, keeping them steady, so you can hit the muscle correctly without getting hurt. Remember: focus on quality over quantity and a full range of motion.

It is also essential that you pay attention to the form of each arm while performing the exercises. I say this because, being left-handed, I’m naturally stronger on the left side of my body, and it’s common for me to use lighter weights to perform the right arm movements with quality.

Remember that both arms must perform the exercise with the same load and full range of motion. If one of your arms is weaker, you might want to reduce the load to avoid asymmetries and injuries.

Biceps Exercises to Build Stronger Arms

1. Barbell Curl

The barbell curl is a classic exercise for biceps because it lets you overload the muscle with heavier weights. When done correctly, it is an excellent exercise to build strength and muscle mass.

Here is how to perform this exercise:

1. Lift the barbell with both hands about hip-width, using an underhand grip.
2. Maintain a neutral posture, with your core engaged and your chest puffed out as with any other movement.
3. Lift the barbell until your shoulder height, squeezing the biceps, then bringing the barbell down to the initial position. Keep your biceps engaged the whole time to control the movement.

2. Chin-up

The chin-up is an interesting exercise to include in your routine, as it is a bodyweight exercise that can help build solid muscle mass. Also, it’s an excellent exercise for working back, shoulders and grip strength.

To perform the chin-up, you only need a pull-up bar:

1. Place your hands on the bar about shoulder-width and palms facing you.
2. Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar and hold the position for 2 seconds, squeezing your biceps.
3. Slowly return to the starting position, controlling the movement. Your arms should be fully extended in the starting position.

3. Incline Dumbbell Curl

Some exercises with inclination are great for the biceps. As they take away momentum during the move, you can’t cheat while doing it. In addition, you will feel a good stretching in the biceps, as the incline provides a greater range of motion.

Here is how to perform this exercise:

1. Position the bench angled between 45 and 60 degrees and sit with your back flat, lightly engaging your core.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and flex your arm. Bring the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Don’t forget to squeeze your biceps at the top.
3. Return your arms to the initial position and repeat all over again.

Pay attention to your elbow positions so you don’t lift them too much. Remember to execute it slowly to control the movement.

Triceps Exercises for Muscle Growth

4. Diamond Push-Ups

This is another bodyweight compound exercise. Diamond push-ups are considerably more difficult than regular push-ups. Because of that, it has a significant activation of the triceps, also working chest, shoulder, and core.

To perform the movement:

1. Position your hands just below your chest with your index fingers and thumbings touching each other.
2. Lower your chest toward your hands, making sure you don’t move your elbows to the sides.
3. Stop just before your chest touches your hands and push yourself up again.

This exercise is complex, so do it slowly to control the movement and, if you can’t support your bodyweight yet, try to start kneeling on the floor.

5. Dumbbell Kickback

This is another complex exercise, which has excellent activation of the triceps. The secret of this exercise is to stabilize your shoulders so that you can extend your arm without cheating.

To perform this exercise:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your hips, bent your knees slightly and lean your body forward. Your torso should be almost parallel to the ground, keeping your core engaged and your spine in a neutral position.
2. Keep your arms close to your body and extend your arms, straightening your elbows.
3. When your arms are at the top, try holding the position for 2 seconds, squeezing your triceps for maximum activation.
4. Return to the starting position slowly to control the entire execution of the movement.

Ps: I particularly enjoy performing these exercises with the cable, but dumbbells are also a great option.

6. Parallel Bar Dips

Here, we have another bodyweight compound exercise that provides a significant activation of the triceps, in addition to strengthening your upper body, engaging your chest, shoulders and core.

To perform this exercise:

1. Stand between the parallel bars, grabbing them with your palms facing inward.
2. Lift yourself until your arms are straight, hold 2 seconds at the top and squeeze the triceps.
3. Lower your body until your arms are parallel to the floor, making sure your elbows don’t flare out.
4. Keep repeating the movement until muscle failure.

Prioritize doing this exercise slowly so you can control movement and avoid injury. The best thing about dips is that there are other variations, so it is possible to do a full workout with this exercise. Another two options are bench dips (for beginners) and ring dips – an advanced exercise.