Best Arm Exercises for Bigger Biceps and Triceps
The best biceps and triceps exercises ranked, with form cues, sets and reps and home swaps. Train the triceps hard — they're two-thirds of your arm.
- Big arms are mostly triceps — they're two-thirds of your upper arm, so train them at least as hard as biceps.
- The best mass-builders are the close-grip bench / dips (triceps) and barbell/dumbbell curls (biceps).
- If you train chest and back, your arms already get heavy indirect work twice a week.
- Add hammer curls for the brachialis and an overhead extension for the triceps long head to fill the arm out.
- Keep every rep strict — momentum is the number-one reason arms stall. Then apply progressive overload.
Big arms are mostly triceps, not biceps. The triceps — the three-headed muscle on the back of your upper arm — make up roughly two-thirds of arm size and straighten the elbow. The biceps on the front bend the elbow and supinate (rotate) the forearm; they get all the attention but are the smaller player. Below sit the forearms, which control grip and wrist movement. Want sleeve-filling arms? Train the triceps at least as hard as the biceps.
Here's the good news: if you already train chest and back, your arms are getting a lot of indirect work — pressing hits triceps, pulling hits biceps. Direct arm work then adds the finishing detail. Below are the best moves for each, split into biceps and triceps.
Best biceps exercises
1. Barbell / dumbbell curl
Hits: both heads of the biceps with the heaviest loadable curl — the foundation of biceps size.
Form cue: keep your elbows pinned to your sides and curl without swinging your torso. Lower under control; don't let the weight drop.
Sets × reps: 3–4 × 8–12.
No-gym swap: backpack or resistance-band curls.
2. Hammer curl
Hits: the brachialis (under the biceps) and forearms, adding thickness and width to the whole arm.
Form cue: hold the dumbbells with palms facing each other (neutral grip) and curl straight up. Keep the wrists neutral.
Sets × reps: 3 × 10–12.
No-gym swap: neutral-grip backpack or band curls.
3. Preacher or incline curl
Hits: the biceps in a fixed position (preacher) or a deep stretch (incline) — both grow the peak and remove cheating.
Form cue: on an incline bench, let your arms hang behind your body to stretch the biceps, then curl without swinging. Slow and strict.
Sets × reps: 3 × 10–15.
No-gym swap: seated concentration curls with a single dumbbell.
Best triceps exercises
4. Close-grip bench press
Hits: all three triceps heads with heavy, loadable compound work — the best triceps mass-builder.
Form cue: hands about shoulder-width (not super narrow), tuck your elbows, and press. Shares cues with the bench press.
Sets × reps: 3–4 × 6–10.
No-gym swap: diamond (close-hand) push-ups.
5. Dips (triceps-focused)
Hits: triceps and lower chest with a heavy bodyweight stretch.
Form cue: stay upright (torso vertical) to bias the triceps, lower to about 90° at the elbow, and press up powerfully. Stop if the front of the shoulder hurts.
Sets × reps: 3 × 8–12.
No-gym swap: bench dips between two chairs.
6. Triceps pushdown
Hits: the triceps with constant cable tension and a strong contraction — easy to feel and to progress.
Form cue: pin your elbows to your sides and extend fully, squeezing at the bottom; only your forearms move.
Sets × reps: 3 × 10–15.
No-gym swap: band pushdowns anchored overhead.
7. Overhead triceps extension
Hits: the long head of the triceps through a deep overhead stretch — the part that adds arm "thickness" from the side.
Form cue: keep your elbows pointing forward and close, lower the weight behind your head until you feel a stretch, then extend.
Sets × reps: 3 × 10–15.
No-gym swap: overhead dumbbell or band extensions.
8. Skull crusher
Hits: all three triceps heads lying down, with a strong stretch and isolation.
Form cue: lower the bar toward your forehead/just behind it with elbows fixed in place, then extend. Use an EZ-bar to spare the wrists.
Sets × reps: 3 × 10–12.
No-gym swap: floor skull crushers with dumbbells.
Quick-reference: arm exercises & home swaps
| Exercise | Primary target | Home / no-gym swap |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell / dumbbell curl | Biceps (both heads) | Backpack / band curls |
| Hammer curl | Brachialis + forearms | Neutral-grip band curls |
| Preacher / incline curl | Biceps (stretch & peak) | Concentration curls |
| Close-grip bench press | Triceps (mass) | Diamond push-ups |
| Dips | Triceps + lower chest | Bench dips between chairs |
| Triceps pushdown | Triceps (contraction) | Band pushdowns |
| Overhead extension | Triceps long head | Overhead band extension |
| Skull crusher | Triceps (isolation) | Floor dumbbell extensions |
A sample arm workout
Alternate triceps and biceps to keep the pump and save time. Rest 60–90 seconds. Triceps lead because they're the bigger muscle.
- Close-grip bench or dips — 3 × 8–10 (triceps mass)
- Barbell or dumbbell curl — 3 × 8–12 (biceps mass)
- Triceps pushdown — 3 × 10–15
- Hammer curl — 3 × 10–12
- Overhead extension — 3 × 12–15
- Incline or concentration curl — 3 × 12–15 (finisher)
If bigger arms are the goal, give the triceps the priority slot — they're two-thirds of your arm. Most people do the reverse and wonder why their arms stall.
Where arms fit in your week
In a push/pull/legs split, triceps get trained on push day (with chest and shoulders) and biceps on pull day (with back). That means your arms already get hit twice a week through the big compound lifts — a dedicated arm session is an optional bonus, not a requirement.
If you want a focused arm day, tack short biceps/triceps supersets onto the end of a session, or add them to a full-body routine. Arms recover quickly, so they tolerate higher frequency than legs. Only own dumbbells? The dumbbell-only workout covers curls and extensions completely.
Make it grow: progressive overload
Arms are small muscles, so the jumps are small too — but the principle is identical. Add a rep, then a little weight, whenever you hit the top of your range with strict form and no swinging.
The biggest mistake with arms is throwing the weight up with momentum, which shifts work off the muscle. Keep it strict and let the load climb gradually. See the progressive overload guide and, for the full size-building picture, how to build muscle.
Heavy skull crushers and overhead extensions can irritate the elbows. Warm up, use an EZ-bar or dumbbells if a straight bar bothers you, and back off if you feel joint (not muscle) pain. Persistent elbow pain is worth a professional check.
Sources & further reading
- NSCA — National Strength and Conditioning Association, exercise technique and programming resources.
- ACE (American Council on Exercise) — Exercise Library and technique guides.
- ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) — resistance-training and physical-activity guidelines.
- Boeckh-Behrens & Buskies. EMG analysis of biceps and triceps exercise variations — strength-training research (PubMed-indexed).
External links are provided for reference and do not imply endorsement. arsenal.fit is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with any cited organisation.