Best Exercises to Build Big Arms Top Workouts and Tips for Muscular Bi’s and Tri’s By Ron Harris
Best Exercises to Build Big Arms
Top Workouts and Tips for Muscular Bi’s and Tri’s
By Ron Harris
Arms have always held a special level of esteem for bodybuilders, and some of the very best arms ever built have belonged to the elite few who were crowned Mr. Olympia: Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva, Arnold, and Ronnie. Though Mr. Olympia is meant to represent the most balanced and complete physique on the planet, you simply won’t have a prayer of winning without a pair of massive, ripped arms with killer shape. Today’s crop of Olympians is a bunch of genuine gunslingers, not only in the Open division, but also in 212 and Classic Physique. We have compiled the routines and top tips from the top contenders heading to Orlando for the 2020 Olympia. Get inspired, learn a thing or two, and of course, get some ideas you can carry to the gym to get your own bi’s and tri’s blowing up!
Brandon Curry
Arm Workout
Incline Curls
3-4 x 12-20
Drag Curls
3-4 x 12-20
Preacher Curl Machine
3 x 12-20
Smith Machine Close Grip Bench Press
3-4 sets x 12-20
Machine Dips
3-4 x 12-20
Preacher Curl Machine
3-4 x 12-20
Other Exercises Brandon Likes and Why
Barbell drag curls: “There is no way you can swing or heave the bar and take tension off the biceps. By dragging the bar up your torso to the bottom of your chest, the tension stays on your biceps 100%.”
Incline dumbbell curls: “A lot of guys don’t get a full range of motion on curls because they fail to lower the weight into a full stretch for the biceps. This exercise starts off in the stretch position.”
Triceps extension: “I don’t do these the standard way, flat on a bench with my head and body supported. I prefer having my head and shoulders off the bench, as in a pullover, so I get a much deeper stretch for the triceps and thus a more complete range of motion.”
Dip machine: “As you get a lot bigger, dips on bars can put a lot of stress on areas like your shoulder joints. The machine allows me to position myself in such a way that the stress goes entirely to my triceps where I want it.”
Phil Heath
Biceps
Alternate Dumbbell Curls (5 + 5)*
3 x 10
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
3 x 10
Spider Curls
3 x 10
EZ-Bar Curls
3 x 10
*He will do 5 reps with his left arm, 5 reps with his right, and repeat for a total of 10 reps each arm
Triceps
Rope Pushdowns
3 x 12-15
Two-arm Dumbbell Extensions on Incline Bench
3 x 12-15
One-arm Cable Pushdowns
3 x 12
Dip Machine
3 x 12-15
Sevens
For most body parts, including arms, Phil has used “Sevens” to finish off the workout with an insane pump. Sevens are part of his coach Hany Rambod’s FST-7 training system, and they involve doing 7 sets of an exercise with only 30 seconds rest between, using the same weight. On the first 2-4 sets, the reps aren’t difficult to complete. By sets 6 and 7, you are struggling to get the reps and the sheer amount of blood and lactic acid built up progressively and packed into the target muscle makes it seem ready to burst. For biceps, Phil used to do these on the Hammer Strength preacher curl machine, for triceps he preferred skull-crushers.
Big Ramy
Latest Workout in Egypt
Barbell Curls
3 x 15, 12, 10
Skull-crushers (straight bar)
2 x 10, 15
EZ-bar Curls (close grip)
3 x 10, 12, 8
Triceps Pushdowns
3 x 10 slow, 10 fast = 20
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
2 x 15
(5 for left, 5 for right, 3 for left, 3 for right, 3 for left, 3 for right, then alternate for 4 final reps each arm)
Rope Pushdown Triple Drops
3 x 7, 7, and 7 reps plus 3 forced reps
Hammer Curls
2 x 16 (8 reps up to deltoid, then 8 across body)
(8 reps up to delt, then 8 reps across body – does all 16 reps for one arm, then all 16 for the other)
Workout at Oxygen Gym Kuwait
Preacher Machine Curls
4 x 10-15
Rope Pushdowns
4 x 10-15
EZ-bar Curls
3 x 10-15
Seated Cable Triceps Extensions
3 x 10-15
Incline EZ-bar Curls
3 x 10-15
Lying Triceps Extensions
3 x 10-15
One-arm Machine Curls
3 x 10-15
Underhand Pushdowns
3 x 10-15
Alternating Bi’s and Tri’s
Ramy doesn’t worry about using heavy weights for arms, because he does plenty of heavy pressing for chest and shoulders, and back day involves pulling serious poundage. The goal on arm day is to fill the biceps and triceps with as much blood as possible, which is why Ramy alternates biceps and triceps movements. “I think this is better than working them separately, doing all the exercises for one and then the other,” he says. “You can also get the whole arm pumped and full of blood, not just get a good biceps pump, then lose it as you start working on triceps.”
Hadi Choopan
Arm Workout
Dumbbell Curls
2 x 10 + 10
(10 reps are done with the left arm, then 10 with the right)
EZ-bar Curls
2 x 20, 15
Rope Curls From High Pulley
2 x 10
(elbows at shoulder level, upper arms parallel to floor)
Alternate Dumbbell Hammer Curls
2 x 10
(curls across body toward opposite shoulder)
Rope Pushdowns
2 x 10
One-arm Reverse Pushdowns
2 x 10
One-arm Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
3 x 10, each arm
(with pause in stretch position at start of each rep)
Overhead Rope Extensions
2 x 12
(Ropes are spread apart for first 4-5 reps, held together for remainder)
Close-grip Push-ups
2 x failure
Pullover/Skull-crushers
3 x 12
(Done with arms lowered behind head, elbows lowered, third and final set goes into a close-grip press)
Two Different Workouts per Week
Hadi likes to perform 2 different types of workouts each week for all body parts. The first is strength training, with heavier weights, lower reps, and 2-3 minutes rest between sets. On the other day, it’s all about hypertrophy. The reps and volume are both higher, and rest periods are limited to 30-60 seconds. “This faster pace also gets my heart rate up and burns more body fat,” he says.
Dexter Jackson
Dexter's Typical Arm Workout, Pre-Charles Glass
Biceps
Preacher Curls
4 x 8-10
EZ-bar 21s
4 x 21
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
4 x 8-10
OR
One-arm Machine Curls
4 x 10
(elbow above shoulder joint)
Triceps*
Cable Pushdowns, V or Straight Bar
4-5 x 10
Skull-crushers or Dip Machine
4-5 x 10
Rope Pushdowns
4-5 x 10
*Dexter performs tri-sets, or 3 exercises back to back without resting, for 4-5 rounds.
Dexter’s Typical Arm Workout Today
Machine Preacher Curls
4-5 x 8-10
Barbell or EZ-bar Curls
4 x 8-10
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
4 x 8-10
OR
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
4 x 8-10
Cable Pushdowns
4-5 x 8-10
Skull-crushers
4 x 8-10
Overhead Cable Extensions
4 x 8-10
Dexter on Using Weights You Can Control
It's probably been drilled into your head that a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. To an extent, that principle holds true. The guy with 30-inch quads can usually squat a lot more weight than another man whose wheels aren't a lot larger in circumference than his arms. But, there are also cases where using very heavy weights can impede muscle growth, simply because the target muscle isn't doing the brunt of the work. "You always need to be able to control the weight at all times with arm exercises," Dexter advises. "I squeeze the muscle into a contraction, then control the negative and feel the muscle stretching," he tells us. When you think in terms of being able to feel your biceps or triceps contract and stretch, the weight you use becomes almost entirely irrelevant. Those of you who have spent any time on YouTube have probably seen video clips of stooges heaving up 90-, 100-, or even 150-pound dumbbells in what are labeled “curls” in the title, yet bear about as much resemblance to a true biceps curl as gorilla tap dancing does to a waltz. "I don't care how much weight I'm using on anything in the gym as long as it's stimulating the muscle like I want it to," Dexter explains. "If I can't get that feeling, I use a little less weight." Sadly, that's something too many guys refuse to do, either out of ignorance or ego. Put it this way, though. Would you rather be the guy who uses the most weight in the gym on curls and have arms that are nothing special, or would you be willing to use less weight and build the best arms your genetics are capable of? Depending on how you answer that question, you're either a weightlifter or a bodybuilder. Weightlifters might be able to impress the other guys and girls at the gym when they train. Bodybuilders build physiques that impress others everywhere, all the time. One last cue to take from Dexter when it comes to his recommendation to select weights you can handle – the man has won close to 20 pro shows including the Mr. Olympia, and he's yet to tear a muscle. Clearly, he's not just training hard, he's training smart.
William Bonac
Arm Routine
Standing Dumbbell Curls
2-3 x 6-8
Preacher Curl Machine
2-3 x 8-12
Dip Machine
2-3 x 8-15
Rope Pushdowns
2-3 x 8-15
One-arm Reverse Pushdowns
2-3 x 8-15, each arm
Bench Dips, Plates on Lap
2-3 x 6-10
Barbell Curls
2-3 x 6-10
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
2-3 x 8-12 each arm
EZ-bar Curls
2-3 x 8-12
Favorite Intensity Techniques
The Conqueror loves supersets and drop sets for both biceps and triceps; peak contractions for triceps. “I tend to feel the muscle connection more [with peak contractions],” Bonac says, “and it’s better for my elbows as well.”
Favorite Biceps and Triceps Exercises
Barbell curls and cable pushdowns.
Flex Lewis
Biceps Routine
EZ-bar Curls
3-4 x 12-20
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
3-4 x 10-15
Preacher Curl Machine
3-4 x 10-15
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
3-4 x 12-20
Triceps Routine
3-4 Giant Sets of
Rope Pushdowns (spread ropes)
20 reps
Rope Extensions (ropes together)
20 reps
Underhand Bar Extensions
20 reps
Overhand Bar Pushdowns
20 reps
Overhead Cable Extensions
20 reps
Close-grip Press on Smith Machine
3-4 x 8-12
Machine Dips
3-4 x 15-20
Flex’s Famous ‘100-Rep Set’ for Triceps
Flex upped his reps for upper body, finding that 12-20 reps gave him excellent results. The culmination of his successful transition to higher reps came in the form of his now-famous 100-rep set for triceps, which had its roots during a rushed workout years ago. “I was pressed for time and had to get arms done,” he begins. “I started messing around with different attachments and grips on the high pulleys of a cable crossover and came up with the giant set that I still use very often today.” Briefly, here is how it’s done. You can either set up a rope attachment to one pulley and a cambered/EZ-bar to the other (recommended), or swap them out after parts 1 and 2 of the sequence of 5 exercises if you must use only one pulley. Begin with the rope and do 20 reps, spreading the hands apart. Then, hold the ropes together for 20 more reps. Next, perform 20 reps of underhand-grip extensions with the cambered bar, followed up by flipping your hands over for 20 reps of pushdowns. Finish the giant set off by turning around and doing a final 20 reps of overhead extensions. That’s 100 reps, and Flex runs through this sequence three times for a total of 300 reps. “It’s a perfect way to engage the triceps, fill them up with blood and nutrients, and stretch the muscle fascia to allow the muscle to expand and grow,” he says.
Roelly Winklaar
3 Mega-Gun Routines
2010
Biceps
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
3 sets - 8 reps standard form, 8 reps with elbows high
Hammer Dumbbell Curls
3 x 12
Barbell Curls (straight or EZ)
3 sets, 8 reps standard, 8 elbows high
Triceps
Dips (parallel bars or bench dips)
3 x 12-15
French Press/Skull-crushers
3 x 12-15
Dumbbell Kickbacks
3 x 12-15
(above may be done as all straight sets, or it could be done as three tri-sets, doing all three exercises in a row with no rest between)
2011
Triceps
Pushdowns
1 x 20 (warm-up)
4 x 12, 10, 8, 6 (increasing weight)
Decline EZ-bar Extensions 4 x 6-8
Dumbbell Kickbacks 4 x 12
Seated Machine Dips 4 x 8-10
Biceps
Barbell Curls (straight bar)
1 x 20 (warm-up)
4 x 12, 10, 8, 6 (increasing weight)
Incline Alternate Dumbbell Curls
4 x 8
EZ-bar Curls
4 x 6
Preacher Curls
4 x 8
2014
EZ-bar Curls
4 x 10-12
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
4 x 10-12
Dumbbell Preacher Curls
3 x 10-12, each arm
Hammer Dumbbell Curls
3 x 10-12
Triceps
Rope Pushdowns
4 x 10-12
Lying Triceps Extensions
4 x 10-12
Machine Dips
4 x 10-12
Single-arm Reverse-grip Pushdowns
3 x 10-12
Roelly Praises 2 of Hhis Favorite Arm Exercises
Dumbbell Kickbacks
"A lot of people think kickbacks are no good for building triceps size. Where do they get this idea? I think someone made it up a long time ago and it just kept getting passed on. It's a free weight extension movement that has always worked well for me. One key is making sure your elbows remain up high. I have seen a lot of people do kickbacks with their elbows pointing down at the ground, which means the triceps have almost no stress being put on them at all. Keep the elbows high and don't let them swing, and squeeze the weight up with pure triceps contractions. Again because I don't want to spend too much time on my triceps workout, I do these with both arms at the same time."
Incline Dumbbell Curls
"There is always some kind of dumbbell curl in my biceps routines, and usually more than one type. If I don't do alternate curls, I like to lie back on an incline bench. This is a really old-school exercise that guys with giant biceps like Arnold and Lou Ferrigno used to do all the time, but not too many guys do them these days. Too bad for them! You get a total stretch of the muscle at the start of the rep that you can't achieve when your torso is straight up and down as in any type of standing curl.”
212
Kamal Elgargni
Arm Routine
Preacher Curl Machine
4 x 12-15
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
4 x 12-15, each arm
Barbell Curls (straight bar)
4 x 12-15
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
4 x 12-15
Cable Pushdowns
4 x 12-15
Reverse Pushdowns With Cambered Bar
4 x 12-15
Lying EZ-bar Extensions
4 x 12-15
Rope Pushdowns (held together)
4 x 12-15
On Rep Ranges
“Most people would be better off using slightly higher rep ranges for arms. I never found low reps with super heavy weights did much for me. You want to get as much blood into the biceps and triceps as possible. I work mine in the 12-15 range and will often take a set to 20 reps. You will never see me doing less than 10 reps per set for arms. If you’ve been struggling to get your arms growing and your sets are all in the 6-10 rep range, try using a little less weight, upping the reps, and aiming for a crazy pump. You might be surprised at the results!”
Derek Lunsford
Arm Routine
Cable Pushdowns
Warm-up: 2 x 15-20
4 x 12-15
Close-grip Bench Press
Warm-up: 1 x 15
4 x 8-12
Overhead Cable or Dumbbell Extensions
4 x 12-15
One-arm Cable or Dumbbell Curls
4 x 12-15
Alternate Dumbbell or Preacher Curls
4 x 8-10
Machine Curls
4 x 12-15
2 Tips for Great Guns from Derek
1. Perfect Form Isn’t Always Ideal
“For a while I was training with people who stressed that you had to keep your form textbook perfect from the first rep of every set to the last. Eventually I came to the realization that even though perfect form is a good idea most of the time, if you never allow yourself to stray from it, you will be missing out on going a little heavier and getting a few more reps out of the muscle. It makes more sense to me to tax the muscle with perfect form until it can’t do any more, and then use a little bit of heave to force that muscle even deeper past its limits. That’s been working very well for me.”
2. Do exercises that are best for you
“You need to figure out which exercises are suited to your particular needs, instead of just doing what someone else is doing. For my biceps, that turned out to be dumbbell curls, hammer curls, preacher and EZ-bar curls, and concentration curls. The triceps movements I found worked best for me were rope pushdowns, overhead cable extensions, close-grip bench presses, and plate-loaded dip machines.”
George Peterson
Arm Routine
Rope Pushdowns
4 x 12-15
Barbell Preacher Curls
4 x 12-15
Close-grip Bench Press
4 x 10-12
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
4 x 10-12
Seated Overhead Triceps Extension Machine
4 x 12-15
Static Hold Rope Pushdowns Plus Reps*
3 sets
*George will set the pin at the bottom for the entire weight stack. He pushes it down into the bottom, fully contracted position and holds it for 45-60 seconds, or as long as he is able. Then, he reduces the weight and does a set of 12-15 reps.
Training the Whole Upper Arm at Once
“I used to do 3 biceps exercises, then 3 or 4 triceps exercise on arm day, and my results weren’t as good as I would have liked. A couple years ago, I started alternating biceps and triceps exercises instead. I found it gave me a much more complete arm pump, to the point where it felt like my arms were about to explode. More importantly, my biceps and triceps both grew for the first time in a while, so I knew I was on to something.”
George Peterson’s Redcon1 Stack
Upon Waking
Double Tap powder, 1 scoop
With Breakfast
GI Juice, 1 scoop
Pre-workout
Total War, Big Noise and MOAB all together, 1 scoop each
Post-workout
Breach
2 scoops
Middle of the Day
Double Tap caps, 3 capsules
Evening
Silencer, 3 capsules
Before Bed
Fade Out, 1 scoop
For more information, visit redcon1.com
Classic Physique
Chris Bumstead
Arm Routine
Smith Machine Incline Close-grip Press
4 x 8 (after warm-ups)
Skull-crushers
3 x 12-15
Superset with
Straight Bar Cable Pushdowns
3 x 12-15
V-bar Cable Pushdowns
3 x 20-25
EZ-bar Curls
4 x 8-12
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls
2 x 8-10 (alternating)
1 x 10-12 (both arms at once)
Dumbbell Hammer Curl Across Body
4 x 8
One-arm Rope Extension Across Body
3 x 12-15
Reverse-grip Barbell Curls
3 x 12-15
What Chris Has Learned About Arm Training
“What’s worked best for me has been to train them twice a week, but with two different types of workouts. I have an arm day, plus I will train biceps with back, and triceps with shoulders. When I train my biceps after back, the weights will be lighter, and the volume will be greater. When I work biceps on arm day, I will load up some weight on the bar and murder them with heavier weights and not quite as much volume. Another method I use to give my arms an advantage is to adjust my food intake. My legs grow very easily, so I eat less on leg day and give them more nutrients. My arms need more help, so I will bump up my carbs on arm day, specifically before and after training. In addition to my regular meal, I will add in a muffin or a donut. Finally, I have been getting myofascial release and Graston technique work done on my arms since early January of this year by Ian Casiple, RMT. Probably because I had been training my arms so frequently, they were getting tight and bound up to the point where I couldn’t even straighten them, and I was hardly getting pumps when I trained arms. It was inhibiting my progress. Once Ian started working on them, my pumps immediately improved.”
Breon Ansley
Biceps Routine
Machine Preacher Curls
Warm-ups: 2 x 15
Sets:
4 x 10-12
Incline Dumbbell Curls
4 x 10-12
EZ-bar Curls (wider grip)
4 x 10-12
Superset with
EZ-bar Curls (closer grip)
4 x 10-12
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
4 x 10-12
OR
Alternate Dumbbell Curls*
4 x 10-12
EZ-bar Reverse Curls
4 x 10-12
OR
Hammer Dumbbell Curls
4 x 10-12
*For alternate dumbbell curls, Breon often will do 3 reps with each arm, then 3 with the other, until each arm has done 12 reps.
Triceps Routine
Rope Pushdowns
Warm-ups: 2 x 15-20
Sets:
4 x 12-16
Dumbbell Skull-crushers
4 x 12-16
Superset with
Dumbbell Kickbacks
4 x 12-16
Close-grip Bench Press (barbell or Smith)
4 x 12-16
Single-arm Overhead Cable Extensions*
4 x 12-16
*Breon usually does these with minimal rest, just switching off arms until all 4 sets have been completed.
Breon on Rep Ranges for Arms
“I like a mix of heavier weight and lower reps along with getting higher rep totals and longer time under tension via techniques like drop sets and supersets. And occasionally I will just rep out without even counting. You need to use both types of rep ranges to get the best of both worlds. Some people do find that they respond very well to sets of as few as 5-6 reps, while others discover that it might take as many as 20 reps for them to get their best biceps gains. I think you often hear that 10 reps is best simply because it’s in the middle, but I wouldn’t always stay with it.”
On Strict vs. Loose Form
“I don’t think there’s ever a time or a place to let your form go. I don’t believe in sloppy form at any time, or any reason. Typically, loose form means you are engaging other muscle groups more so than your actual target. What’s the point? Is it just to use a heavier weight? Never lose your good form or your mind-muscle connection. Those are what’s going to make the muscle grow.”
Terrence Ruffin
Arm Routine
Preacher Curls
3 x 5-8, 8-12, 12-15
Barbell Triceps Extensions
3 x 5-8, 8-12, 12-15
Dumbbell Curls
3 x 5-8, 8-12, 12-15
Dips
3 x 5-8, 8-12, 12-15
Rope Hammer Curls
4 x 8-12
Overhead Triceps Extensions
4 x 8-12
Unilateral Training
Often, Terrence includes unilateral movements for arms such as one-arm dumbbell preacher curls and single-arm cable extensions. “If you’re having trouble getting your arms to grow, unilateral movements can be extremely beneficial,” he says. “Often if someone is having difficulty achieving proper mind-muscle connection with exercises that employ both limbs at once, training just one arm or leg at a time allows them to fully focus on the feeling of that muscle contracting.”
Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram
MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON: