The Best Workout for Biceps and Triceps

ByTony Hicks

Feeling self-conscious about your arms? You don’t have to. With the right workout, you can build strong and defined biceps and triceps. This article will show you the best exercises to do just that.

Quick facts: Best Workout For Biceps And Triceps

  • ✅ Biceps respond best to high-intensity, compound exercises such as barbell curls and chin-ups. (American Council on Exercise)
  • ✅ Triceps respond best to exercises involving multiple joint movements, such as dips and close grip bench press. (American Council on Exercise)
  • ✅ The average weight lifter can expect to increase their biceps size by up to 17 percent with three months of focused training. (Muscle & Strength)
  • ✅ The average weight lifter can expect to increase their triceps size by up to 15 percent with three months of focused training. (Muscle & Strength)
  • ✅ Isolation exercises such as hammer curls and overhead extensions involve fewer muscles and can be used to further target the biceps and triceps. (American Council on Exercise)

Warm-Up

Before you begin any workout, it is important to warm up your body in order to prevent any injuries. A warm-up can be as simple as a light jog or dynamic stretching. It is also beneficial to do some specific warm-up exercises that target the biceps and triceps muscles you will be working during your workout.

In this article, we will take a look at how to properly warm up for a workout focusing on the biceps and triceps:

Light Cardio

Light Cardio is an essential part of any warm-up routine prior to working out your biceps and triceps. Light cardio is important for several reasons.

  • Firstly, it helps to increase your heart rate gradually and prepares your muscles for the more strenuous exercises ahead.
  • Secondly, it increases circulation throughout the body which helps reduce fatigue and increase endurance during a workout. This can also improve recovery time post-workout, which is especially important if you are working multiple muscle groups back-to-back.
  • Finally, light cardio can help boost endorphins throughout your body making exercising more enjoyable!

Examples of light cardio include walking, jogging or slow cycling on a stationary bike or treadmill.

Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretching is an active form of stretching that warms up the body quickly and efficiently. During dynamic stretching, you move your body through its range of motion to warm and lengthen muscles. This can involve any combination of activities including walking, jogging, high knees, arm swings, shoulder rolls and trunk rotations.

Dynamic stretches are widely used by athletes before practice or competition as they help to prepare the body for physical activity by increasing oxygen flow and blood circulation. They also help to improve flexibility in muscles that may be especially tight from previous activities.

Dynamic stretches for biceps and triceps specifically could involve things such as arm circles and elbow circles where you rotate your arms back and round in large wide circles to increase range of motion in your shoulders.

Biceps Exercises

Exercises targeting your biceps are essential for building strength and definition in your arms. There are many different exercises that you can do to target your biceps and help build muscle. Let’s take a look at some of the best exercises that you can do to work your biceps:

Barbell Curls

Barbell Curls is an exercise used to work the biceps muscles, which are located on the front of the upper arms. The exercise is performed while seated by gripping a barbell in both hands, with palms facing up and elbows bent. From this starting position, the individual slowly raises the barbell upward towards shoulders until it’s nearly in line with the shoulder muscles. The movement should be controlled and steady, and not rushed.

The Barbell Curl targets several muscle groups in the arms including brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps. Adding resistance forces your body to work harder to lift heavier weights and can also help improve your grip strength. Common variations include using a reverse grip (palms facing down) or special curls bars that take tension off of your wrists and focus more on your biceps. It is important to maintain proper form when doing Barbell Curls as bad form can lead to injury.

Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Alternating Dumbbell Curls are excellent exercises for developing and strengthening your biceps. Primarily performed with a single dumbbell, you simply curl one dumbbell up to the shoulder in an alternating motion using both arms. This allows you to use your full range of motion and build strength in both arms simultaneously.

The key to performing Alternating Dumbbell Curls properly is proper form. Make sure to keep your back straight, core engaged and elbows close to your sides when curling the weight up. Additionally, control the weight as it comes down and avoid jerking or swinging the weight as this can lead to injury. Be mindful not to create momentum while performing these curls as this decreases the effectiveness of the exercise. Finally, be sure not lift too heavy at first; start off light and gradually increase your weights over time until you reach a comfortable level.

Hammer Curls

Hammer curls are an effective exercise for targeting both your biceps and triceps. This movement is performed by holding a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing in) and curling each weight up at the same time.

Exercising with weights is an excellent way to build strength and muscle mass in the arms, as well as adding definition and shape. Hammer curls are considered a compound movement because they target multiple joint movements simultaneously, including your wrists, elbows, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. By stimulating all of these different muscles groups in one exercise, you’re able to get more from your workout in less time.

Furthermore, the grip position used for hammer curls engages the inner head of your bicep muscles for better definition. Finally, hammer curls are a great isolation movement that can be done anywhere with minimal equipment required.

Triceps Exercises

The triceps are the muscles on the back of the upper arm, below the shoulder. It’s important to work these muscles in your workout to maintain balanced strength in your arms. Triceps exercises can help you build muscle mass, increase strength, and improve muscle definition.

Let’s take a look at some of the best triceps exercises you can do to target these muscles:

Tricep Pushdowns

Tricep pushdowns are a great exercise to target the muscles in the back of your upper arms. The movement is simple – you start by gripping a barbell or cable machine bar overhead, while keeping your elbows tucked into your sides. This will engage your triceps and keep them working throughout the exercise.

As you slowly lower the bar, extending your arms down and out, you will feel a slight stretch in your forearm muscles and triceps – and that’s when you know you’re working! Be sure to keep your elbows tucked for optimal results. Finally, hold for one second at the bottom before slowly raising the bar back up to its starting position.

Tricep pushdowns should be incorporated into any workout routine targeting biceps and triceps.

Overhead Tricep Extensions

The overhead tricep extension is an isolation exercise used to target the triceps brachii muscle, located in the back of the upper arm. This exercise is typically performed seated or standing with a cable pulley.

The exerciser begins by grasping a cable handle directly above their head and extending the elbow so that their arms are fully extended in front of them. They then slowly lower the cable handle behind their head until their elbows reach full flexion, before slowly returning to starting position. To increase difficulty, weight plates may be added to the handle to increase resistance.

The overhead tricep extension is an excellent exercise for targeting both heads of the triceps for increased strength and tone.

Tricep Dips

Tricep dips are an effective exercise for strengthening and toning your triceps muscles. This is a great workout to do at home with minimal equipment.

To do tricep dips, you will begin in a seated position on the edge of a sturdy chair or bench. Place your palms flat on the seat of the chair with your fingers facing towards you and your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. Slowly lower yourself down until your arms are bent at about a 45 degree angle, then push back up until you return to your starting position.

You can also add an extra challenge by lifting one leg off the ground while doing this exercise to increase intensity. Tricep dips are an excellent way to strengthen and tone your body without having to go to the gym or buy expensive equipment.

Cool Down

Cooling down after a workout is an important stage of any exercise routine. It helps your muscles to relax, minimises the risk of injury, and prepares your body for the next workout. In this article, we will discuss the best way to cool down after working out your biceps and triceps.

Static Stretches

Static stretches are simple and easy to do post-workout, as they require no equipment. The idea behind static stretching is to lengthen the targeted muscles while holding them in a specific position for an extended period of time. This helps to reduce muscular tension in the biceps and triceps, prevent soreness and increase overall flexibility. Therefore, after your workout, you should perform static stretches on each of the major muscle groups used in your routine such as the biceps and triceps. These stretches should be done slowly so that you can properly engage the muscles and hold them for at least 15 to 20 seconds.

Common stretches for the biceps include:

  • Arm cross overs
  • Wrist extensions
  • Shoulder pulls with arms extended sideways

Common tricep stretches include:

  • Arm extensions
  • Overhead shoulder press
  • Wall slides with elbows bent at 90 degrees

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is an effective way to cool down after a bicep or tricep workout. Foam rolling is a type of self-massage that can help break down muscle knots and increase flexibility, as well as reduce inflammation and speed up recovery time.

After working your arms, you can use the foam roller to massage your triceps and biceps, which will help reduce tightness in the muscles and help them become more flexible. Simply roll the foam roller back and forth across your arm muscles in small motions for 30 seconds or longer. You will want to keep the pressure firm, but not too hard so as to avoid any potential bruising or discomfort. Doing this routine following an arm workout can help prevent soreness the next day and ensure better results for future workouts.

FAQs about: Best Workout For Biceps And Triceps

Q1: What is the best exercise for building biceps?

A1: The best exercise for building biceps is the standing barbell curl. This exercise targets the biceps while also engaging the forearms and shoulders.

Q2: What is the best exercise for building triceps?

A2: The best exercise for building triceps is the lying triceps extension. This exercise targets the triceps while also engaging the chest and shoulders.

Q3: How often should I do exercises for biceps and triceps?

A3: You should do exercises for biceps and triceps 2-3 times per week. It is important to allow for rest and recovery in between workouts so that your muscles can grow and become stronger.

Similar Posts