Arms Exercises - Bicep and Tricep Exercises

Arm muscles
The muscles that can be located at the front of the upper arm are called "Biceps". When the arm is flexed to show others the size of the muscles, biceps can be seen on the top. These are used to pick objects or when the arm is bent.

The muscles at the back of the upper arm are called "Triceps". These are on the opposite side of the biceps. They are used when the arm is straightened or to push objects. The biceps is smaller then than the triceps.

Bicep exercises
Perform the following bicep workout to develop the biceps.

Standing barbell curls

• stand in such a way that the distance between the feet is equal to the shoulder width
• use an underhand grip to hold a barbell at arms length
• during the entire exercise, the elbows must be close to the body
• move only the forearms and apply the strength of the biceps to lift the barbell upto shoulder height
• hold the barbell at the highest position for one second
• bring the barbell to the initial position at a slow pace
• repeat this procedure and increase the weights gradually
• take the assistance of momentum to lift the barbell upwards

Standing dumbbell curls

• stand in such a way that the distance between the feet is equal to the shoulder width
• hold a pair of dumbbells at arms length on either side of the body
• of all the fingers, the little finger must be closest to the body
• during the entire exercise, the elbows must be close to the body
• move only the forearms and apply the strength of the biceps to lift the dumbbells upto shoulder height
• move the hands only so that the palms face upwards and retain this state for one second ( this maximizes the contraction in the biceps )
• bring the dumbbells back to the initial position
• repeat this procedure and increase the weight of the dumbbell gradually
• take the assistance of momentum to lift the dumbbell upwards
• repeat this procedure and increase the weights gradually
• take the assistance of momentum to lift the barbell upwards
• the motion has to be slow and restrained
• initially, perform the exercise using one arm at a time

Tricep exercises
Perform the following tricep workout to develop the triceps.

Lying barbell extensions

• lie down with the back on a flat bench
• distance between the feet must be equal to the shoulder width
• request someone to give a barbell
• hold the barbell in such a way that the distance between the hands is just less than the shoulder width
• move the barbell upwards till it is at arms length
• use only the forearms to lower the barbell upto a height one inch above the forehead
• use the strength of the triceps to lift the barbell upto arms length
• the up and down movement must be in the form of an arc
• repeat this procedure and during the entire workout request a partner to stand at helping distance

Close grip bench press

• lie down with the back on a bench pressing bench
• place the feet flat on the floor and spaced by a distance equal to shoulder width
• lift the barbell from the rack with the palms facing the feet
• hold the bar at arms length above the lower chest
• move the barbell downwards till it reaches the lower chest
• as the barbell is being lowered, the upper arms must be close to the body
• push the bar upwards to the initial position
• repeat this procedure and it is compulsory to have a partner standing near you during the entire exercise, to lift the barbell in case you become unable