Training the arms
Arms are often the first motivation in training, and paradoxically one of the most poorly trained groups. Two muscles share the work: the biceps at the front (elbow flexion) and the triceps at the back, larger (elbow extension). For impressive arms, you must care for both.
The muscles in this group
The biceps bends the elbow and rotates the forearm (supination). It works whenever you pull or lift something toward you and assists the back in pull-ups.
The triceps extends the elbow: it is the pusher. Present in every press and dip, it makes up the largest share of the arm's volume — more than the biceps.
The forearms control the wrist and fingers: this is grip strength. A strong grip limits fatigue on every pull and the deadlift, and shows whenever you carry heavy loads for long.
The triceps makes the size of the arm
Contrary to intuition, the triceps makes up about two-thirds of the arm's volume. Wanting big arms by only doing curls is the classic mistake. Prioritize extensions (cable, dumbbell, overhead) and dips, which build the back of the arm.
Heavy pressing movements (bench press, dips, overhead press) already work the triceps hard. Your isolation work complements them, it does not replace them.
The biceps loves volume and range
The biceps is a small muscle that recovers fast: it tolerates high volume well and a frequency of two to three times a week. Vary the grips (supinated, hammer) and angles (incline curl, preacher) to work it fully.
Full range beats load: lower with straight arms, raise by contracting, without swinging the body. Big pulling movements (pull-ups, rows) also contribute a lot to biceps development.
Exercises for this group
Frequently asked questions
Should you isolate arms or are big lifts enough?expand_more
Big movements (presses, pulls) build a base, but for truly developed arms, targeted isolation (curls and extensions) makes the difference. A few dedicated sets per week, at the end of a session, are enough to noticeably speed up progress.
How many sets for arms per week?expand_more
Since they are already worked by pushes and pulls, 6 to 12 direct sets per week for the biceps and the same for the triceps are enough for most. These small muscles recover fast: frequency (2-3 times/week) works well.
Why aren’t my arms growing?expand_more
Often because the triceps is neglected, because the load never increases (no progressive overload), or because nutrition does not support muscle gain. Check these three: biceps/triceps balance, logged progression, and enough calories.
Put it into practice
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