5 Arm-Blasting Workouts - A Beginner's Guide!

Growing your arms is a common goal for a wide variety of people in the gym. But do you know the location and function of the arm exercises you might be incorporating into your workout programme? Many of us can become frustrated by a lack of growth due to the fact that we aren’t using the most efficient exercises for our goals. Furthermore, on top of incorporating the wrong exercises, also not incorporating the correct volume of reps in your programme is a common mistake made that leads to inefficient or incorrect muscle growth.
In the article below we will identify some exercises for your forearms, biceps and triceps and the sort of rep ranges you need.

Biceps

Biceps Brachii

• Location: Front part of the upper arm between the elbow and the shoulder
• Function: Elbow Flexion, basically making the curling motion
• Exercises: Barbell and Dumbbell Curls

Brachialis

• Location: Small muscle over the lower portion of the upper arm that connects the bottom half of the bicep to the forearm
• Function: Elbow Flexion
• Exercise: Hammer Curls and Reverse Curls

Forearms

Pronator Teres

• Location: Underbelly of the forearm
• Function: Turning the hand so the palm is facing down
• Exercise: Palm Up Barbell Wrist Curls Over Bench 

Brachioradialis

• Location: Top and outer portion of the forearm
• Function: Flexes the arm at the elbow
• Exercise: Palm Down Barbell Wrist Curls Over Bench

Triceps

Triceps Brachii

• Location: Back portion of the upper arm between the elbow and the shoulder
• Function: Extension of the elbow
• Exercises: Lying Tricep Press and Close-Grip Bench Press

Rep Ranges

Biceps are the show muscle for your physique. When someone asks you to show your muscles, 9 times out of 10 you flex your biceps.

It is great to have well developed biceps, but make sure you don't forget to train the rest of your muscles in the upper and lower arm with the same volume and intensity as you do your biceps.

Many beginners fall into that trap and create terrible imbalances in their arms. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted he trained his biceps harder and more often than his triceps in the beginning. This built an imbalance that took him years to balance back out.

For training your upper arms (biceps and triceps) I like to use all kinds of rep ranges, high (15-20), moderate (8-12) and low (4-6). Each has its own purpose and will be critical to use all ranges in your pursuit of bigger arms, whatever rep range you choose it is important to remember to do equal reps on the opposing muscle group.
The exception to this rule however is the Forearms. You will have to endure some high rep muscle-burning sets to get these to grow. Reps can go as high as 50 to get these to burn like they are on fire, but it will be all worth it when you have thick forearms that are equal to your now ever growing biceps.

Correct Form
It is very important that all exercises are performed in perfect form because bad form or habits that you start now will follow you and will lead to lack of progress or injury. If any of the exercises listed above are new or unfamiliar to you, make sure you look up how to correctly perform them. We would recommend asking your trainer or coach, someone who works in the gym or a more experienced gym buddy. It’s better to be safe than sorry as an injured muscle won’t grow at all as you’ll have to stay out of the gym for a while. Nobody wants that!