No matter what your fitness level, you can get strong, lean arms ready to show off in your sleeveless tops when spring finally arrives. As well as visual appeal, toned arms give extra wow to your workouts, helping you pump, swim, throw, hit backhand and ellipticize with more power.
Here are the three best exercises to help you get strong, sculpted, simply incredible arms:
1. BENT OVER REVERSE FLY
This one targets the rear deltoids so you’ll feel it in your shoulders and upper back. To prepare, grasp dumbbells with feet shoulder-width apart, knees and hips flexed as you lean forward with a straight back. Hold the dumbbells beneath your chest with your arms flexed.
2. TRICEP DIP
This very effective exercise focuses on the triceps which is particularly helpful for those of us carrying around ‘batwings’. You can perform it at home on a chair, and also in a gym on a dip machine.
To start, stand with feet hip-width apart and back straight, hands grasping the bench, chair or step behind you. Stretch legs out in front of you with a slight bend in the knees.
3. BARBELL CURLS
The dumbbell curl is a go-to exercise for people looking to add bulk to their arms and for good reason: it’s one of the best bicep-builders you can do. The movement demands control and excellent technique throughout, forcing your biceps to add muscle fibres. You can vary the grip to change the muscles worked and substitute the barbell for dumbbells.
To start, hold a barbell with shoulder-width underhand grip and letting it hang with arms fully extended.
I'm a pretty strong guy but I find bench dips really tough. I end up bending my knees instead of having them straight out. I can't understand it really. Maybe i am just too heavy??
For some reason I really enjoy doing reverse flys. i think it's just feels refreshing to target the upper back for a change.
9 February 2016
Frank H.
I still remember my first ever attempt at tricep dips - they're a core part of my workouts these days but to begin with I thought I'd never get there. Craig - you won't be too heavy I guess you just have to keep going with them? It took me a long time to stop hating them!