Add size and strength to your biceps and triceps while also building a bigger and stronger chest with this four-week the best arms workout plan
There are many effective exercises that isolate the biceps or triceps muscles, but the truth is that if you want to build bigger, stronger arms, you can’t just train your arms. For one, just doing arm exercises every day is going to get boring very quickly, and you can’t train one part of the body that often anyway because you need to give the muscles time to recover and grow.
More importantly, to keep progressing with your arm exercises you have to build strength throughout your body, because the most effective lifts you can do in the gym are almost always compound moves enlisting multiple muscle joints and muscle groups. As a final incentive to train the whole body, it’s worth remembering that even the most muscular arms won’t look great if they’re hanging off a small torso.
A push-pull workout plan is one option, and another is this arms workout plan. Here you train the entire body over the course of a week but pay special attention to the biceps and triceps so you can be sure your upper arms are going to get stronger and bigger. the best arms workout
It’s a tough training schedule and not for beginners, but if you’re already an experienced lifter the progressive four-week plan will help you continue to challenge yourself in the weights room. You will need to hit a gym to tackle the plan unless your home gym is phenomenally well equipped, because the workouts involve using heavy free weights, cable stacks and weights machines. the best arms workout
HOW TO DO THESE WORKOUTS
Each week you’ll perform four workouts, ideally on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Rather than repeating the same workouts each week, the plan is divided into two-week blocks, and the weekly workouts in each block increase in intensity the second time round. the best arms workout
Each workout has six moves you’ll do as straight sets, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest detailed. Tempo is the speed at which you lift and lower the weight in seconds, and it’s written out as a sequence of four numbers. The first number is the time you should take to lower the weight (called the eccentric phase), the second is how long you should pause at the bottom of the rep, the third refers to the lifting portion (the concentric phase), while the fourth is how long to pause at the top of the rep.
A 3010 tempo means you take three seconds to lower it and one to raise it, with no pause at the top or bottom. It sounds straightforward, but some exercises like the biceps curl begin with the lifting movement (governed by the third number), so keep your wits about you. the best arms workout
HOW TO WARM UP
There’s no easing in with any of these workouts, because each of them starts with a big compound lift like the bench press or barbell back squat. This means that you need to prime your body for action with a thorough warm-up. This will help you perform better, especially in the early sets of your workout, and also make it less likely that you’ll injure yourself during your session.
The bulk of your warm-up needs to be specific to the workout you’re about to do, but it’s a good idea to begin with a series of dynamic stretches that hit muscles all over your body. You’ll find such a series with this pre-workout warm-up, with seven moves that prime all the key muscle groups.
After performing that routine, it’s time to get specific and the easiest way to do that is to perform some of the exercises you’re about to do in the workout. Using lighter weights that you would normally, or no weight at all if appropriate, perform sets of the first two moves of each workout. Begin by doing a high-rep, low-weight set to get your muscles moving, then increase the weight and decrease the reps as you move towards starting your workout proper.
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Below you’ll find the four weekly workouts, along with the sets, reps, tempo and rest information for the first and second week of each. In the second week, you’ll do an extra set of the first two moves of each circuit and an extra two reps of moves three to six to increase your training volume.
Monday Workout: Chest And Back
1 Bench press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on a bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.
2 Bent-over row
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Bend forwards, hinging from your hips, but keep your chest up and your core braced. Row the bar up to your body, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower.
3 Incline dumbbell flye
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Lie back on an incline bench, holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.
4 Lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
5 One-arm cable press
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Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 each side Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a D-handle in one hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press your hand forwards until your arm is straight. Reverse back to the start and repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.
6 Dumbbell pull-over
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 4010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 4010 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on a bench, holding a dumbbell in both hands above your chest with straight arms. Lower the weight behind your head in a slow and controlled movement, keeping your arms straight, then raise it back to the start position.
Wednesday Workout: Legs And Abs
1 Back squat
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and your whole body tight, bend your knees to squat down as low as you can but don’t let your knees roll inwards. Push through your heels to stand back up.
2 Romanian deadlift
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend forwards, hinging at the hips, to let the bar roll down the front of your legs until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Reverse the movement.
3 Leg extension
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the bottom of your shins. Keeping your upper body tight, raise your feet to straighten your legs. Pause at the top with your quads engaged, then lower back to the start.
4 Hamstring curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the backs of your lower legs. Keeping your upper body tight, push your feet down to bend your legs. Pause at the top with your hamstrings engaged, then lower back to the start.
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5 Crunch
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and hands by your temples or crossed over your chest. Engage your upper abs to raise your torso, then crunch your upper body up towards your knees. Lower slowly, keeping tension on your abs throughout.
6 Plank
Week 1: Sets 3 Time 30sec Tempo N/A Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Time 45sec Tempo N/A Rest 60sec
Get into position with your elbows under your shoulders, your feet together and your hips raised with abs and glutes engaged so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position without letting your hips drop.
Friday Workout: Biceps And Triceps
1 Underhand lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width underhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
2 Triceps dip
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 6-10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Grip parallel bars with straight arms and your legs crossed behind you. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90°. Press back up to return to the start.
3 Dumbbell biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.
4 Dumbbell triceps extension
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 each side Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell over your head with your arm straight. Keeping your elbow pointing to the ceiling, lower the weight behind your head, then straighten your arm to return to the start. Repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.
5 Cable biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the lower pulley with palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, curl your hands up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower.
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6 Cable triceps press-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing down. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.
Saturday Workout: Shoulders And Arms
1 Overhead press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the front of your chest with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, press the bar directly overhead so your arms are straight. Lower it under control to return to the start.
2 Chin-up
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Hold a bar with an underhand grip and hang with your body straight. Brace your abs and glutes and engage your lats, then pull up until your chin is above your hands. Pause at the top, then lower yourself back to the start under control.
3 EZ-bar upright row
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, row the bar up to chin height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower the bar back to the start under control.
4 Incline dumbbell biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Sit on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards and your elbows tight to your sides. Keeping your elbows there, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights.
5 Dumbbell lateral raise
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 30sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 30sec
Stand tall, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your chest up and core braced, raise the weights out to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, then return slowly to the start.
6 Cable triceps press-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing down. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.
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