Looking to boost your body whilst in lockdown? Or ease yourself into training at a gym once lockdown is lifted? If your answer is yes, then there’s no better place to start than the arms. With the arms being such a functional region of the body, choosing the right arm exercises is a must when setting out to sculpt a strong upper body. 

Let’s look at the different muscles that make up our arms and the exercises that target them. Get to know your guns

Arm workout = biceps training + triceps training? Wrong! 

If you’re a newbie to arm training then this may be a common misconception you once assumed. However, to build overall strength, fitness and symmetry, all parts of the arms must be considered, and this includes:

• Forearms
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Shoulder

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With this in mind, whether you’re looking to create a total arm workout at home, or planning your next arms workout at the gym. The best workout for arms for collectively targeting the whole body part is one which consists of a wide range of exercises targeting all areas. 

We use our arms every day to support “push” and “pull” movements, and this is also incorporated into arms training, with our forearms and biceps doing the pulling, and our triceps and shoulders doing the pushing.

So, now that we know the importance of complete and overall arm training, let’s now look at some of LBL’s favourite arm exercises.

LBL’s top arm sculpting exercises for beginners

Forearms:

Dumbbell wrist curl – a simple movement that directly targets the forearms. Sit on a flat bench, lean forward and hold a dumbbell of a comfortable weight with an underhand grip (palms up) in each hand. Resting your forearms on your knee, use only your wrist to curl the weight upwards and squeeze with each contraction.

(Top Fitness Home)

Biceps

Bicep curl – a staple and timeless action for building stronger biceps. This exercise can be done through using weights or through using a light resistance band, medium resistance band or heavy resistance band for home gymmers! Simply stand holding a weight/band with an underhand grip whilst keeping your elbows close to your torso! Bring the weight/band up to your shoulder as you exhale and sim to contract your biceps as you do this. Slowly bring the weight down in a controlled manner and repeat.

(Women’s Workout Daily)

Triceps

Like the biceps, the triceps can be trained through a wide range of exercises. One great exercise that requires nothing but a chair or any other elevated surface is the seated dip. Begin seated with your hands latched over the chair edge, then move forward until your hips come off the char. Form a 90 degrees angle with your knees and thighs and lower yourself towards the floor. With each repetition drive upwards with your triceps whilst exhaling. This exercise will have you on your way to achieving toned triceps!

(Deposit Photos)

Shoulder (Delts)

Now, with the shoulders, they actually consist of 3 heads. An effective exercise that targets all 3 heads is the overhead shoulder press. Using either weights (alternatively resistance bands can be used) which you’re comfortable with, hold the weights by your shoulders with your palms facing forwards and your elbows at a 90 degrees angle from the side. Drive upwards with your shoulders, then slowly lower the weights to the starting position.

(Women’s Health Mag)

Along with the above exercises, go check out the following to add more variation to your workouts:

Forearms; farmer’s walk, reverse wrist curl.

Biceps; preacher curl, pull ups, hammer curls.

Triceps; overhead extension, close-grip push-ups, cable push-downs.

Shoulders; side delt raise, front delt raise.

Adding variety is a great way to keep things interesting and to push yourself to meet new challenges! In turn, this will support better overall fitness progression.

Stronger arms mean a stronger and fitter overall body!

Arm training has countless benefits, from supporting a stronger upper body to building increased functional strength. Due to frequent use of arms when training other body parts such as you back and core, not only will you see better sculpted arms but also more progression when training other body parts! Below are some useful tips to support the points that have been covered! Feel free to drop us a comment and give us your feedback!