Arm Workout
Small Changes that Lead to Bigger Arms
Best Arm Workouts
To strengthen your grip, try this plate pinch from Strongman competitor C.J. Murphy: Place a pair of 5- or 10-pound plates together, smooth sides out. Pinch the plates between your thumbs and forefingers. Try holding the weights for 30 seconds. Add plates as you gain strength. And watch your toes.
2. Change Grips
It can help you do more reps. Try a set of barbell curls with a narrow grip. When you begin to fail, slide your hands out farther. “You’ll get more out of your biceps,” says celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, C.S.C.S.
3. Do Chinups at a Dip Station
Using the parallel bars of a dip station simulates a chinup without lifting all your body weight. Besides your back muscles, you also strengthen your forearms. Grab the bars from underneath and place your feet on the floor. Keeping your body straight, pull yourself up, pause, then lower yourself.
4. Use a Mirror
“It promotes better technique and helps prevent injury,” says Chris Jordan, C.S.C.S., of LGE Performance Systems in Orlando.
5. Add Extra Tension to Any Move
At the end of your arm workout, wrap one end of a resistance band around the handle of a dumbbell and place the other end under your foot. Now do a set of biceps curls and overhead triceps extensions to fatigue your arms, says Tim Kuebler, C.S.C.S.
6. Pick Up Drop Sets
Doing five reps or fewer per set with a weight you can lift only five times trains your muscles to grow bigger and stronger, says Mark Peterson, an exercise and sport scientist at Arizona State University. Do three to five sets without rest, reducing the weight by 10 percent to 25 percent each set. Read more
