How to Build Your Upper Arm Muscles

Co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Last Updated: January 20, 2023 References

Often called as "beach muscles" because they look great in a tank top or swimsuit, your upper arms are an essential part of any bodybuilding regime. There are three main muscle groups to focus on when building your upper arms: your biceps, triceps, and deltoids. Focusing on these areas is easy, as they are well defined and utilize very different motions.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Bicep Exercises

1
Do bicep curls. The most basic and powerful bicep workout, curls get the most "bang for your buck." Take a barbell in both hands and hold it by your thighs, both arms extended but bent slightly at the elbow. Curl the bar up to your chest, then slowly lower it back down. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. Proper form, however, is incredibly important:
- Keep your shoulders down.
- Your back should be straight, no bending or leaning to make the exercise easier.
- Be slow and in control -- using your momentum means you aren't using your muscles.^{[1]
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2
Do reverse grip bent rows. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend at the waist (not the back) so that you are at a roughly 45° angle. Grip a barbell underhanded, so that your palms face upwards and your arms are straight. Pull the bar up to your chest by pulling your elbows back and curling up at the same time. Do 3 sets of 3-5 reps.
- Think about contracting different muscles, such as your back or biceps, to change the focus of this exercise.^{[2]
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3
Do chin ups. Grab a pull-up bar with both hand so that your palms face you and both pinkies are on the inside of your grip. Your hands should be a little less than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees slightly and cross your ankles Pull your chin up above the bar, keeping your torso straight. Do as many reps as you can -- pull-ups are difficult without a lot of training.
- If you are struggling, try reverse chin-ups. Step on a box that allows you to start with your chin already above the bar and then pick your feet up. Slowly (over the course of 3-5 seconds), lower yourself back down to the box.^{[3]
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4
Do individual arm curls. There are many variations on this, but they all use the same idea. Grip a barbell in one hand and, without using any other muscles, curl the weight up to your shoulder. Your lower arm and elbow should be the only things that move, allowing your biceps to get a full workout.
- Try placing your elbow on your thigh while sitting. You can then use your other hand to hold it in place while you curl up.
- Standing curls can allow you to work out both arms at once, alternating as you curl. You can even change the angle of your wrist to get slightly different parts of the bicep. Rotating them so that your thumbs are on top works the biceps slightly differently-- these are called "Hammer Curls."^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Tricep Exercises

1
Do laying tricep presses. Aptly nicknamed "skullcrushers," these isolate your triceps perfectly. Lay on a bench with a barbell in both hands. Lay the barbell over your forehead with your elbows pointing down and your hands shoulder-width apart. Bending only from your elbows, push the weight up until your elbows are almost fully extended. Slowly return the bar to your forehead for one full rep. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- Your elbows may angle out a little bit, but you should try and keep them as parallel to your body as possible.
2
Do dips. Dips utilize the weight of your entire body, making them crucial tricep building exercises. Grab a hold of a set of parallel bars, lifting your body up with your arms extended. Slightly bend your knees back and cross your ankles. Slowly lower your body down until your elbows are bent 90°, then raise yourself back up. Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
- Keep your torso roughly perpendicular to the ground.
- Do not let your elbows butterfly outward.
3
Do rope or cable pull-downs. This only works at a gym, with a rope that pull down from above your head with adjustable weight. Stand facing the rope, feet a few inches apart. Grab the ends of the rope with your arms bent 90°, then bend at the elbow to pull the rope down to your thighs. Slowly return the rope to starting position. Keep your shoulders down as you exercise -- only your elbows and lower arms will move down.^{[5]
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- To make it even harder, curve your wrists slowly out from the bottom so that your palms face outward.
4
Do dumbbell extensions. Sit with a dumbbell in each hand. Push them up to the sky so that your elbows are by your ears and your palms face each other. Slowly lower the dumbbells back behind your head by bending at the elbows. Your shoulders should stay solid. Once the weight is behind your head, unbend your elbows and push your hands up to the sky. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- Be careful lowering the weight -- you don't want to feel your arms being pulled back behind you. Keep the weight in control.^{[6]
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- You can also use a cable for this exercise, pulling a low-hung cable from behind your back upwards towards the sky.
5
Move your hands closer together for close-grip push-ups or bench presses that target your triceps. Take your normal chest exercises and use them to target your triceps by simply placing your hands closer together, roughly 6-8" inches apart. You will likely need to lower the weight for a bench-pressing or lower the reps for your push-ups.^{[7]
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- Push-ups: Place your hands together in the under center of your chest, using your thumbs and pointer fingers to form a diamond under your breastbone. With body elongated and toes on the ground, lower yourself down so that your elbows flare out, then push back up to starting position.
- Bench-Press: Sit under the bar with your hands gripping roughly nipple width apart instead of your usual shoulder length. Lower the bar down to your chest, then use your triceps to push it back to starting position. Like usual, make sure you have a "spotter" behind you to catch any falling weight should it slip.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Deltoid Exercises

1
Do standing dumbbell presses. Stand with your feet shoulder length apart, with a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells so that your arms are bent 90° and the weight is near your ears. Your palms should face forward. In one fluid, smooth motion, push your hands up to the sky as if you were surrendering. Slowly return the weight to your ears to complete one rep. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.^{[8]
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- A good starting weight is 10-15lbs.
2
Do shoulder flies. Let your arms hang by your sides, with feet shoulder width apart. With a dumbbell in each arm, bend your arms 90° at the elbow so that the weights are out in front of your body at roughly waist height. Lift your elbows up and to the sides, as if they were wings. Once your elbow is even with your shoulder, slowly lower them back down. Focus on keeping your lower arm and wrists firm and even with your elbow -- do not let them drop and put stress on your elbow joints. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- You can also keep your arms straight and use kettle bells, which hang from a handle, instead of dumbbells.
- You can do these with resistance bands as well. Stand on the center of the band with each hand holding an end. With your arms extended at your sides, lift your arms out to the sides, as if they were wings, then return them with control to your sides.
3
Do upright rows. Grab a barbell with both hands shoulder width apart. Stand up straight, holding the bar with your hands extended. Pull the bar straight up, along your torso, to your chin. Both elbows should point outwards when the bar is at your chin. Remember to keep your back and torso straight as you lift. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.^{[9]
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- You can also do this with cable weights. Set the cable to start from the ground and pull it up just like a barbell.
4
Do front arm raises. Grab a dumbbell in one hand. With your back straight and your feet firmly planted. Your arm should be fully extended by your side. Raise the weight, arm extended, in front of your body until your elbow is at shoulder height in front of you. Slowly lower the weight back down. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps with each arm.
- Do not let the weight rotate to either side, as this can cause joint damage.
- Do not bend your back or lean to make the exercise easier.
5
Do neutral grip chin-ups. The neutral grip means that your palms are both facing inward, towards each other. Grab the pull-up bar along the perpendicular grips, so that your thumb faces you and your pinkies face away. Pull your chest up to the bar so that your chin is even with your hands -- you will be at a roughly 45° angle with the ground. Slowly lower yourself back down, straightening your torso. Start with 3-5 reps, for as many sets as you can muster.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Getting the Most of your Workouts

1
Stretch before lifting. Stretching will enable more flexibility during exercises. This also increases the amount of time you can exercise and decreases the chance of pulling a muscle. Perform each stretch for 12-15 seconds. Some good stretches include:
- With your arms extended at your sides, rotate them in small circles. Slowly increase the size of the circles until you are making large, windmill-like motions.
- Cross one arm over your chest at shoulder height. Take the other arm and pull the arm towards you by gripping on the tricep.
- Reach with one arm back towards the center of your back so that your elbow is pointing up. Grab the elbow with your other hand and gently push it down so that you feel the stretch on the back of your arm.
- Interlock your fingers, extend your arms, and lightly push from the center of your fingers out, all while keeping them interlocked.
2
Aim for 2-3 exercises for each muscle group, each workout. Trying to do all of these exercises on the same day, especially when you are just starting out, will be very difficult. Instead, do an upper arm day where you do 2-3 exercises for each muscle group. The next time you work out, do 2-3 different exercises for each muscle. This keeps you fresh and prevents your muscles from acclimating to the workout, which slows muscle building.^{[10]
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3
Take a rest day between workouts. Your muscles need time to grow, as muscle building involves ripping old fibers and replacing them with new ones. If you keep working out every day your body will never have the chance to build muscle and you risk injury. You can, however, work out other muscles during in-between days, like doing a leg workout.^{[11]
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4
Choose a weight that challenges you but doesn't hurt. Start on lower weights and work up as you get stronger. As you are starting out, look for weights that challenge you on the last 3 reps of the first 2-3 sets, then really challenge you on the last set. Challenge means that you should aim for a weight you can still lift, but have to work to do so. You should struggle a bit on the last few reps, but you can push through the effort it to finish the set.^{[12]
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- You should not be in pain -- this is the sign of potential injury. It should be hard because you are tired, not hurting.
5
Add weight slowly as you get stronger. If you are no longer tired after 10 reps, it's time to add weight. Most upper arm muscles can't handle a lot of weight, so start at 10-15 lbs and move up or down from there by 2.5-5lbs. Remember that you want good, controlled lifts and releases on each exercise -- not jerking up and down.^{[13]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do I get arm muscle fast?

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Julian Arana is a Personal Trainer and the Founder of B-Fit Training Studios, a personal training and wellness set of studios based in Miami, Florida. Julian has over 12 years of personal training and coaching experience. He is a certified personal trainer (CPT) by the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami.

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

You'll need to train all three parts of your triceps from multiple positions and angles to see the best results.
Question

I'm in need of exercise to get rid of some flab around my gut. What would you recommend, and could I do these in between my arm exercises?

Community Answer

Yes, you could incorporate exercises focusing on your abs and stomach between your arm exercises. wikiHow has some great articles on trimming the belly; check out Lose Belly Fat, Burn Belly Fat Fast, and Lose Belly Fat in 2 Weeks for some exercises and overall tips.
Question

Is these applicable for girl swimmers under the age of 16?

Community Answer

Yes, these exercises are great for working out your arms to enhance your swimming performance. Just be cautious with weights, don't try to lift more than you're capable of or do more reps than you can comfortably do. If you're very young, talk to a parent or doctor first.