Stuck in a rut with your training plan? Go all-out for greater guns with this guide to the most effective bicep and tricep exercises
Go all-out for greater guns with this guide to the most effective arm builders
What are the best bicep and tricep exercises according to science? If you’re trying to build your arms up, you should probably start by prioritising compound exercises. Lifts such as pull-ups and barbell rows will build your biceps, and the bench press and dips will test your triceps.
However, you’ll still need a solid basis of other exercises to work from, including bodyweight and isolation movements. All exercises mentioned in this guide were proven by an EMG scan to recruit the most muscle.
EMG (electromyography) assesses how much electrical activity a muscle produces when placed under the stress of an exercise.
These are the best bicep and tricep exercises – as proven by science:
The tricep muscle is made up of three heads (hence ‘tri’) and actually makes up two-thirds of your upper arm. For that reason, tricep training should arguably take precedence.
Your biceps are comprised of two heads – hence ‘bi’ – the long and short heads. Beneath the bicep you will find the brachialis, a smaller muscle that adds to the width and thickness of the upper arm.
You’ll need to work from a variety of joint angles to get the most out of your bicep training.
Preacher Curls
These are most effective for stimulating the bicep muscle at the bottom part of the curl
With your arms planted firmly into the pad, curl the bar or attachment up towards your shoulders
Pause at the top for 1-2 seconds, squeezing the bicep muscle while doing so
Slowly lower to the beginning
Seated Incline Curls
Exercise physiologist Dr. Jim Stoppani demonstrates the incline curl above
This is best for your bis in the mid-range portion of the lift
Allow your arms to first hang down by your sides
Using an underhand grip on the dumbbells, curl up to form a 90 degree angle
Again, squeeze the bicep at the top and then lower
Standing Bicep Curl
With a slight bend in your knees, take a pair of dumbbells with an underhand grip
Curl the dumbbell up while keeping your arm pressed in to your side
Form a right angle and squeeze the bicep muscle at the top
This variation of the curl is best for the top portion of the bicep muscle
How often should you train biceps and triceps?
Allow your arms ample recovery time in between workouts. They are relatively small muscles when compared to your chest and back so you’ll need to programme these bicep and tricep exercises carefully.
Creating your own training plan is not too difficult a task. Read our guide on building your own workout routine here.
Porcari and his team reported that muscle activity was greatest while subjects performed the triangle push-ups, which made it the gold standard of triceps exercises.
This is one of the best bicep and tricep workouts to strengthen your arms. Lie on your back with your hands 18 inches apart on the barbell. Keep wrists straight and elbows by your side. Lower the barbell to only a couple of inches away from your chest before lifting again.
Walking and hiking: Walking is one of the best cardio exercises out there because it can be done almost anywhere and with little equipment. All you need is a pair of comfortable, sturdy shoes. If you're just starting out, walk 5-10 minutes per day and work your way up to 30 minutes or more per day.
Three exercises that hit all 3 heads of the triceps are: Cable Triceps Pushaway for long head. Diamond Cutter Pushup for lateral head. Close Grip Bench Press for medial head – try an underhand grip to see if you feel it more.
Yes, you can definitely work out biceps and triceps together in the same workout session. In fact, training both muscle groups together can be an effective way to maximize your time in the gym and achieve better overall upper body strength and muscle development.
Brace your core as you curl the bar up to your chest, keeping your elbows pinned to your waist. Return under control to the start position. Why: The barbell bicep curl is the king of arm exercises, and for good reason. You'll be able to load the bar with additional weight, but be sensible, and try to avoid momentum.
The best biceps exercise for hitting all three functions of the biceps with overload is the Weighted Chin Up. Put quite simply, we are taking one of the best body weight exercises and adding weight to it. We can also increase that weight over time as we build strength.
The triceps are one of those muscle groups that like to be stubborn. They require sweat, consistency and high-intensity exercise. It's not one of those workouts where you can turn on your tunes and put your brain on cruise control. You have to reach your limits and push.
The overhead tricep extension is mainly a long head tricep exercise, making it effective at building bigger triceps as it works the largest of the three tricep heads.
In general if you are new to training, you don't need as much volume to break down the muscle fibers for growth. 2 to 3 is all you need to get your muscles adapted and grow. If you are an advanced lifter, you may need 4 to 5 exercises for each muscle group and you may be following a 4/5 day split.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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