Top 12 Arm Workouts and Arm Workout Routine

Big arms don’t just happen by accident — they come from smart training and consistency. That’s why arm workouts and a well-structured arm workout routine play such a big role in building size, shape, and strength. Whether your goal is thicker biceps, fuller triceps, or stronger forearms, the right mix of exercises can completely change how your arms look and feel.

In this article, we’ll dive into some of the most effective movements—starting with the classic Barbell Curl—that not only add mass but also bring out balance and definition in your arms.

Barbell Curl

Target Muscle: Biceps brachii (both heads) with focus on overall mass and symmetry.

Barbell Curl has been a favorite of many since the beginning of bicep training. Because it can lift relatively heavy weights, and the tension on both biceps is equal, which helps to build muscle symmetry. But the easier it is, the more technical the exercise.

How to perform?

• Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent to maintain balance.
• Grab the underhand grip (palm up) with the hands slightly outside the waist.
• Lift your chest forward, keeping your back straight.
• Stick the elbows to the body – this is the key to maintaining tension in the biceps
• Slowly move the weight towards the shoulder – just lift the weight with the bicep
• Go up and hold the bicep tight for a second (this squeeze-tie high-tension moment)
• Then gradually, during the eccentric phase, more muscles are torn and new growth begins.
• The body cannot be swung throughout the entire set – Momentum means at bicep rest, the gain is zero!

Advanced Tips:

• Elbows should be stuck to the side of the body; going forward or out will reduce the pressure on the biceps
• Follow the tempo: Take 2 seconds → Hold for 1 second → Take 2 seconds.
• Don’t stop halfway down the bar – Muscle fiber isn’t fully activated unless it’s full range
• Take a weight that does not lose form – not a heavy weight, growth is hidden in the controlled weight.
• Keep the wrists straight – the pressure will go to the flexor muscle when bending, not the bicep

Spider Curl

Target Muscle: Biceps brachii (primarily long head), with direct vertical tension and zero momentum

When someone hears about the spider curl exercise, they think this might be something fancy. But in reality, those who perform at least once know about how brutally and deeply it puts pressure on their biceps muscle fibers. It’s an underrated but very effective exercise to grow your arm peak.

Because the body angle fits in such a way during this exercise that the gravitational pressure directly comes to the biceps. And it fixes your body in a position where you don’t get any chance for momentum. That’s why it’s called the killer isolation move for your biceps.

How to perform?

• First, fix an adjustable bench at 45 45-degree angle and sit on it with your chest on top of it.
• Hold an EZ bar dumbbell with an underhand grip (palm facing upward)
• Hang your hands straight down, but keep your elbows close to your body.
• Now slowly lift the barbell up towards your chin
• Squeeze at the top, hold for a second, and breathe out.  
• Slowly lower the bar in a controlled way and let the bicep feel the stretch and breathe in.
• Aim for 3 sets with 10-15 reps

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t straighten or extend your arms. Keep it slightly bent, or it will lose the tension.
• Tempo: ২ second for lift → ১ second hold and squeeze → ৩ seconds for down
• Don’t lift the bar too high
• When the weight is at the bottom, don’t use your shoulder to lift. Because it increases the risk of injury.

Concentration Curl

Target Muscle: Biceps brachii (both heads), with extreme isolation and maximum neuromuscular connection

Concentration Curl is an isolation exercise, where only your biceps work, and the rest of the body is a silent spectator. It’s because during this exercise, when you bend your body and keep the elbow on your thigh, it creates such an environment where no secondary muscle can interfere.

It was a secret weapon for old-school bodybuilders. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger used this as a finisher more. Moreover, research also found some interesting things about this.

In 2009, research was published in the American Council of Exercise (ACE), it found that the concentration curl is such a move that has the most muscle activation among all the famous biceps exercise.

How to perform?

• Sit on a lower bench, then place your feet on the floor
• Take a moderately weighted dumbbell – here, form first approach is a must.
• Now, place one of your elbows on your inner thigh. Place it tightly to make sure it doesn’t move
• Spread your legs so that you get enough space for curl.
• Now, slowly lift your arm towards your shoulder.
• At the top position, hold it for a second and squeeze tightly. This is the main point of this exercise. Then breathe out.
• Then slowly lower the weight back into the starting position. Now breathe in.
• When you finish with one arm, do exactly the same with the other hand.
• Aim for 3 sets with 12-15 reps

Advanced Tips:

• Try to keep the tension while lowering the weight. Because here your muscles are torn the most.
• Make sure to fix the elbow on your thigh.
• While lifting, you don’t need to touch the shoulder – if you can feel the contraction, that’s enough.
• With your last couple of reps, try to hold at the top for 2 seconds to maximize the pump.

Cross-Body Hammer Curl

Target Muscles: Brachialis, brachioradialis, with secondary activation on biceps (long head)

You have to perform this exercise with a neutral grip and while lifting the hand upward on the opposite side of the body. And this opposite direction directly targets the brachialis muscle. This muscle function is to increase the thickness and push your biceps muscle upward. This improves the volume and gives your biceps a 3D look.

How to Perform?

• Hold a pair of dumbbells with both hands. palm facing each other.
• Stand straight with your shoulders width apart.
• Now lift the right-side dumbbell towards your shoulder by crossing your body.
• Then, at the top position, hold for a second and squeeze to feel the tension on your brachialis muscle, not on your biceps.
• Now, slowly lower the dumbbell back into the starting position and do the same with the other one.
• Then do this with the other hand. Aim for 3 sets with 12-15 reps.

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t take any momentum to lift the weight. Because momentum reduces the tension.
• If you’re using lightweight weight, then slow the execution and increase the intensity.
• If possible, try to do this exercise in the middle or at the end of your arm workout.  
• Finally, your elbow should be fixed.

Zottman Curl

Target Muscles: Biceps brachii (up phase), brachioradialis & forearms (down phase)

Zottman Curl is a combination of the bicep and brachialis muscles exercises. Especially when you rotate the arm in a supinated grip while lowering the weight. This reverse tempo puts a lot of pressure on your bicep and brachialis, and also a little bit of your forearms, too. Which you won’t get from your regular curl

How to perform?

• First, choose a moderate weight that you think you can do at least 12 reps.
• Now stand straight by holding those dumbbells with a supinated grip.
• Tuck your elbows side of your body
• Lift the dumbbell towards your shoulder
• Then, at the top position, rotate your arm at a pronated position (Palm facing down).
• Now, slowly lower the dumbbell
• When you reach the bottom, again rotate your arm at a supinated position (palm facing upward) and lift the weight again.

 Advanced Tips:

• Control the eccentric. I mean, slowly lower the weight, at least take 2 seconds to go down.
• Fix your elbow and don’t use momentum while lifting.
• Don’t use heavyweight because with heavy, you won’t be able to control the negative.
• And try to master the rotation part, or with poor form, you may fall in injure.

One-Arm Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Target Muscle: Long head of triceps (primary), medial head (secondary)

This is a very powerful exercise to target the long head of your triceps muscle. The long head is the part that has more muscle, and it makes the triceps area more bulked and prominent.  The specialty of this exercise is when you lower the weight behind your head, your long head gets a big stretch. And the more your muscles get stretched, the more volume they can create after recovery.  

How to perform?

• Sit on a bench and place your feet on the floor
• Take a moderate-weight dumbbell that you can control
• Hold the dumbbell at the middle point and push your elbow upward and straighten your arm. From here you can start.
• Now, fix your elbow by the side of your head and slowly lower the weight by bending your elbow.
• Then push the weight with the help of your triceps muscle, and at the top, squeeze your triceps muscle
• Then continue the same process with the other hand.
• Aim for 8-12 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips:

• Control the negative part. Because here your long head gets the most stretch.
• Do perform this exercise more than once, or you may face an elbow injury.
• You can keep this at the very beginning because that’s the point when you’re fresh to connect this most.
• Use moderate otherwise the elbow will start paining after some sessions.

Rope Pushdown (Cable)

Target Muscles: Lateral head & medial head of triceps, with minor activation of the long head

Rope Pushdown is a cable machine-based classic exercise. Where you get the advantage of full contraction. Using a rope is slightly beneficial because you can spread your wrist outward a little bit more, which creates a huge tension on the lateral head. Moreover, here you can target your medial head as well, which makes this exercise a must for everyone.

How to perform?

• Go to the cable machine and set the pulley at the top, and attach the rope.
• Grasp the rope at the endpoint with a neutral grip (palms facing each other)
• Fix your elbow side of your body and bend your upper body a little bit forward.
• Now push the rope down and spread it at the bottom like a “V” shape.
• Squeeze your triceps at the bottom and hold for a second.
• Then slowly bring the rope back into the starting position and repeat
• Aim for 12-15 reps with 3 sets

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t move your shoulder, traps, or elbow. Otherwise, your lateral head won’t isolate the long head.
• Maintain the tempo: 1 sec squeeze → 3 sec release.
• Slightly bend your body forward from your pelvic bone. It increases the range of motion.
• You can use this as a finisher for better pump.

Triceps Pushdown

Target Muscles: Lateral head & medial head of triceps

It’s a basic fundamental exercise for triceps. It especially activates the lateral and medial heads. Since you have to perform this on a cable machine, it puts constant tension on your muscle fibers. Also, it increases the grip stability so that you can go heavier on this.

How to perform?

• Set the pulley at the top and attach a straight bar.
• Now hold the bar with a medium gap, not too narrow or too wide.
• Fix your elbow side of your body and bend your body forward a little bit.
• Then press the bar down until your hands become fully straight.
• At the bottom, squeeze your triceps tightly. Hold for a second and breathe out.
•  After that, slowly release the bar and bring it back into the starting position. But keep the tension.
• Aim for 15 repetitions with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips:

• Select a weight that you can control in the proper form with a full range of motion.
• Keep in mind, while lowering the weight, don’t curve your wrist. Keep it straight throughout the moment.
• You can start with a little heavy and use a drop set to maximize the muscle damage. Also great for volume and strength.

Triceps Overhead Extension

Target Muscle: Long head of triceps (primary)

Tricep Overhead Extension is a compound exercise for triceps growth. It targets your overall muscle mass and helps to increase volume.

How to perform?

• Hold an EZ bar with both your hands
• You can do this both standing and sitting on a bench.
• But keep your back straight and core tight. Then push the bar up.
• Now slowly lower the bar behind your head by bending your elbows.
• Feel the stretch at the bottom, then push it back into the starting position.
• When the bar is at the top, squeeze your muscle for better contraction.
• Aim for 12-15 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t press your head down while lowering the bar behind your head.
• If your form is not correct, then reduce the weight a little bit. Because injury comes faster than hypertrophy.
• Use tempo: 3 sec down, 1 sec squeeze, and 1.5 sec up
• Don’t move your elbow. It releases the tension.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Target Muscles: Triceps (especially Long & Lateral Head), Chest (secondary)

It’s a compound movement and a very effective exercise to tone your triceps. It’s similar to the basic bench press, but the magic is the grip variation. When you hold the bar a little inward, it directly shifts the pressure from your chest towards your triceps. And the most pressure comes on the long and lateral head, which makes this a big opportunity to hit those muscles more effectively.

How to perform?

• Lie down on the flat bench machine and place your feet firmly on the ground.
• Now hold the bar inward, which means a medium-narrow grip.
• Slowly down the bar towards your chest,
• Don’t flare your elbow and keep it close to your body throughout the movement.
• Then press the bar up with the help of your triceps.
• Keep the speed under control while performing the reps.
• Aim for 12-15 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t grip the bar too tightly, or it will put pressure on your wrist.
• And while performing the exercise, lower the bar close to your chest, but don’t touch it on your chest.
• Keep your legs, shoulders, and back relaxed, because they support the overall posture.
• You can include this as a heavy finisher.

Wrist Curl

Target Muscles: Forearm Flexors (Palmaris Longus, Flexor Carpi Radialis, Flexor Digitorum)

Wrist curl is the most basic but the most important exercise for the forearm. It helps to effectively train those small flexor muscles and not only tone the wrist but also increase the grip strength. And if your grip strength is weak, then you cannot be able to do heavy pulling compound movements like deadlift, pull-up. Moreover, if you think from an aesthetic angle, then from wrist to elbow means the bodybuilding trademark.

How to perform?

• Sit on a flat bench, and place your elbows on your knees.
• Hold the barbell with a supinated grip (palm facing upward).
• Now lower the bar with the help of your wrist power.
• If needed, open your finger a little bit to get the deep stretch.
• Then slowly roll the bar back into the starting position by your wrist strength.
• Contract at the top. That’s the main point, and do this with a full range of motion.
• Aim for 15-20 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips:

• Don’t move your hand or elbow. Here’s the only work for your wrist.
• Roll the barbell as low as you can. Because that’s the stretching point, and that point makes the most growth.
• Keep your tempo slow. It will help to pump more.
• Here, more reps work more. Which means perform the exercise with light weight, but more than 15 reps.
• At the last couple of reps, when you feel the burn, then the real growth happens.

Reverse Curl

Targeted Muscles: Forearms (brachioradialis), brachialis, and (short head of your bicep)

Reverse Curl is also basic and traditional, but totally opposite from wrist curl. Here’s the pronated grip that makes all the difference. This small grip shifts the focus from your flexor to the brachioradialis. If you continue this exercise, then you’ll notice that it increases your wrist stability multiple times and also helps to reduce wrist pain.

How to Perform?

• Hold an EZ bar with both hands, and the grip distance should be your shoulder width apart.
• Hold with a pronated grip, which means palm facing downward.
• Relax your shoulders and stand straight, and lock your elbow.
• Now slowly pull the bar towards your shoulder
• When the bar is at the top, squeeze your brachioradialis muscle.
• Then slowly lower the bar in a controlled way.
• Aim for 8-12 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips

• Don’t use extremely heavy-weight because it will put more pressure on your wrist.
• Fixing your elbow at a position creates a bicep forearm connection.
• Slow eccentric creates more tension
• Don’t use your body momentum to lift the bar.

Arm Workout Plan 1

Arm Workout Plan 2