The 6 Best Arm Exercises for Strength & Size
At DiSalvo Performance Training, we understand the appeal of strong, muscular arms. After all, they are one of the first physical messages we send to world.
So if you want sculpted arms, keep reading because we're discussing our six favorite arm exercises for both size and strength.
From the biceps and triceps to the often neglected shoulders and deltoids, we've got you covered with exercises that are not only effective, but also enjoyable. Along the way, we also give you some other factors to think about that you may not have considered before. So read on, get ready to hit the gym, and work those arms!
Arm DAY Tip • The Triceps are the KeyThe best arm workouts involve a great deal of triceps work. You probably thought I was going to say biceps, didn’t you? Well, that’s normally where everyone starts, but no matter how you cut it— the triceps ultimately give the arms the most shape. The more muscle you have on the underside of your arm, the less likely you are to feel extra skin that many people feel self-conscious about.
Firstly, if you have strong triceps, you’re setting yourself up to do many things well. At DiSalvo Performance Training, we’re performance minded first: we want you to feel strong and enable you to move through the world and all you do with confidence while performing your best. That’s why when you train intelligently, you keep making progress. The more progress you make in the gym, the better you’ll look and feel, so it pays to have that insurance policy. The triceps, and other posterior muscles, are the way to accomplish that insurance policy.
Second, if you have well developed triceps, you have a lot of control over the shape of your arm. If you want to emphasize the length of the under part of your arm, you may prioritize exercises that focus on the “long head” of the triceps, whereas if you want some more definition higher in the arm, you’ll want to emphasize slightly different exercises. That is the short head of the triceps, and you might want to use a triceps rope push down.
OUR FAVORITE Arm Exercises
Exercise 1. Bench Press
The thing everyone forgets about isolation movements is that while they’re great for targeting the muscles you want to work and grow, they often lack the intensity (or ability to load enough weight) to really force your body to change and adapt. For this reason, learning multi-joint movements that cover the areas you wish to grow and shape are essential.
The bench press, when done properly, will not only help your triceps grow and improve the look of your arms, but also sky rocket your upper body strength.
To maximally target your triceps, you’ll generally want to have a closer grip on the bar.
Exercise 2. Skull Crushers
These are my preferred way to get someone targeting their triceps, as it’s an accessible movement that can be done from home, the gym, or anywhere you find dumbbells. It works the long head of the triceps and also calls on your body to stabilize the dumbbells in a tougher position, making this a difficult but very effective exercise.
To maximize this exercise, make sure to keep your upper arms still while slowly bending your elbows until your arms make at least 90 degree angles (lower is actually better, just keep the upper arm still!), then slowly push the weights back up overhead.
Arm DAY Tip • Biceps Come SecondWe're performance minded first — but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate great biceps. Once you get your triceps working, to get the strong arms you’re looking for it’s essential to round it out with work on the biceps as well.
It’s important when you train your biceps to do so at different rep ranges and weights (or intensities). Doing the same 10 or 12 reps every workout will stall your progress. And maybe most importantly— you need to lift weights that are adequately heavy.
Exercise 3. Seated Incline Bench Biceps Curl
This is a great example of a curl with tension at the bottom end of the movement. Most people will not fully extend their arms in a curl, robbing themselves of a full range of motion.
This exercise demands full extension for building better arm muscles. Just make sure you keep your head back. Start with your elbows bent, and the weight at the top of the movement. Slowly come down to a full arm extension. Pause for a beat, then curl the weight up.
Exercise 4. Seated Hammer Curl
This exercise works not only the part of the biceps often neglected by gym-goers, but also below the elbow and your forearm muscles to help keep your arms healthy and looking good.
Sitting ensures you aren’t cheating and swinging your hips to help the movement. Start with your arms bent at the elbows (as shown above by Marcelly), and slowly come down to a full extension. Keep your palms neutral (ie: facing each other) the entire time.
Arm Day Tip • Don’t Forget the Delts!Last, but certainly not least, it’s essential to train your shoulders to give full shape to your arms. What we call shoulders are more specifically referred to as your deltoids, or “delts.” They’re the round muscles that create the flattering “cap” to your shoulders and are the literal cherry on top of your arms.
There are a lot of ways to work the delts, and also much room for error, so it pays to be very simple here and stick to the following exercises.
Exercise 5. Lateral Raises
These are a classic, time-tested exercise that most people have done at some point, and for good reason. They’re largely very safe, and when done at different tempos, weights and rep ranges, can be endlessly effective in making progress.
Stand tall with your knees slightly bent. Hold your dumbbells with palms facing in at your side. Raise your arms up while keeping your elbow straight. Try to keep your elbows above your wrists (in other words, don’t fan your hands up first).
Exercise 6. Face Pulls
Face pulls are great because they work the very stubborn “rear delt” portion of the deltoid. You may not have eyes in the back of your head, but a nicely developed rear deltoid looks very good in a tank top, and may hedge your bets against future back and shoulder issues.
Start by extending your arms fully in front of you with a rope attachment on a pulley machine. Ideally, the pulley should be overhead. Opting for a neutral grip (palms facing each other) over a pronated grip (palms facing down) can make this arm exercise more beneficial to the rear delts. Once you’re set up, pull your elbows above your ears, so you end up looking like Marcelly in the photo above. Come back to the start position slowly. That’s 1 rep.
STRONG arms require more than just reps
This is all easier said than done, but working on managing your diet, sleep, and overall stresses will ultimately dictate how well you grow muscle and lose fat to reveal that muscle. A stressed, sleepless person is not one who easily drops unwanted weight. This same person usually isn’t someone who makes the best eating choices either, because sleep deprivation can mess with our body’s hunger signals.
Does this sound like you? Is stress, lack of sleep, and diet getting in the way of your fitness goals? Your ability to manage these things in your life has as much to do with your success as the training itself. And one thing’s for certain, it’s hard to make changes alone.
Work with a trainer who understands your goals
Have you tried these exercises, but they never quite land for you? Or maybe it’s hard to even tell what, if anything, is working.
Sometimes, we’re our own worst enemies. We’re quick to overreact to something, or we’re the first to bury our own heads in the sand. It’s easy to see a quick modest weight gain (2-4lbs) and suddenly want to stop eating, modify your training, or both— but that weight may not be showing up on your body at all. In fact, you may be looking great that day and everyone seeing you thinks it, but that number on the scale is robbing you of your happiness.
That said, no one got anywhere by doing nothing, and I encourage all women to not let possible outcomes worry you into doing nothing— instead, contact DiSalvo Performance Training and we’ll talk about a plan. Not only talk about it, but make sure you understand it, are comfortable with it, and your concerns, if any, have been addressed.
Hello! I’m Mark DiSalvo, CSCS
I’m the founder and owner of DiSalvo Performance Training. I started my gym in NYC in 2015 with the desire to bring a higher level of instruction and training to Chelsea, NYC.
I’m a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Sports Performance Expert, but I work with people every day who just want to enjoy their time in the gym (and see results). I’ve been a featured expert and have been quoted in many articles for SELF Magazine on fitness topics just like this. I’m also a Steve Maxwell Certified Kettlebell Instructor (Levels 1 & 2).
With over a decade of experience training clients and athletes of all backgrounds, I’m confident that my staff and team can help. I’ve built a team of trainers and developed programs designed specifically to help women like you become the best versions of themselves.
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