The 2 Most Effective Exercise’s For Your Arms
There are many effective and fun different ways to work our arms and variations we can do to spice up our workouts. However, when it comes down to the staples there are 2 exercise’s that stand out. Our arms are a smaller muscle group, by that I mean the biceps and triceps. Our arms get worked when we do many exercise’s like pull-ups, chest press, deadlifts even.. but that doesn’t mean they are being isolated. When it comes to working the arms it is largely an aesthetic purpose, but can benefit other movements and performance related exercise’s too. Having strong arms means both sides.. so having strong triceps can give you better chest press and pushups, where as having stronger biceps can give you better pull-ups and even deadlifts.. it doesn’t sound like it but it’s true. When you do exercise’s that work the arms it ends up working our grip and forearms strength too, something a lot of big compound movements rely on but don’t isolate. The big major muscles that actually move our arms through space (adduction/abduction flexion/extension) include the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, all 3 deltoid heads , and all 4 rotator cuff muscles. The muscles that move the forearms specifically (flexion and extension) include the triceps brachii, biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. Finding exercise’s that work these muscles as a whole is not easy, and sometimes the exercise’s themselves are not the easiest either.
Having strong arms is not only important for aesthetic appeal.. it also helps everyone in their daily lives do daily tasks. Having strong arm muscles also helps prevent injury and reduce’s wrist and elbow pain/injury. Many people suffer from conditions like tennis or golfers elbow or carpel tunnel for a number of reasons, and strengthening the muscles and areas under stress is one of the best cures.
So how do we work them effectively as a whole if we don’t have a lot of time? Here are your 2 best exercise’s to work the arms specifically, meaning the bicep and tricep muscles:
Skullcrushers:
Skullcrushers are one of the most effective exercise’s for our triceps and can be done on the bench as seen above or laying flat on the floor. I chose this exercise specifically and NOT dips because dips are very heavy on the shoulder, same as a close grip bench press or pushup is a great choice, it is heavy on the shoulders and chest still. If we are talking about isolating and still doing a big movement with a heavy weight, this is your best bet. You are supported with the bench or floor and the movement relies heavily on the triceps to move the weight, not having to worry about your posture like in kickbacks or overhead extension. Still try to ensure you are keeping the elbows in tight as you go and doing 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps if you are looking for muscle building (hypertrophy).
Bicep Curls:
There is really no other way to isolate the bicep than with a curl.. yes there are a ton of different variations you can choose from and that will depend on each individual. If you are generalizing the bicep only into movements, the curl is your best bet. The dumbbell variation is nice as each side is responsible for its own weight and will also work our stabilizers, same as the dumbbell skullcrushers shown previously.. With the bicep curl again you want to make sure you are keeping the elbows in tight to the body as you go and the shoulders are staying down and back. Try doing 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps if you are looking for muscle building (hypertrophy) here too, a “superset” of these 2 is always nice at the end of an upper body workout!
These exercises may be the best two but its to necessarily the only two! If you are really looking to isolate the biceps I would recommend a variation of the preacher curl, your upper arm being held in place by a surface of some kind so you are even further isolating the biceps!
Happy exercising :)
Robyn