If you’re aiming to boost your upper body strength, don’t neglect your arms! Strengthening the arm muscles can go a long way when it comes to making it easier to tote around luggage, throw a football, or swing a tennis racket, as well as promoting long-term bone health.
Read on to learn more about your arms — and the best exercises to get them in shape.
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Which Muscles Make Up the Arms?
There are three main sections of the arms, namely the anterior (front), posterior (back), and shoulders, and you want to make sure you’re training all three sections, says Mecayla Froerer, an executive at the fitness technology company iFIT and a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)–certified personal trainer who is based in North Salt Lake, Utah.
In the front, you’ll find the biceps brachii (also known as the biceps), the brachialis muscle, and the coracobrachialis muscle, per StatPearls. The back of the arm contains the triceps brachii (or triceps).The deltoid muscle sits at the top of the shoulder. And the backside of the shoulder is where you’ll find the rotator cuff, which consists of four small muscles: the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis.
Each of these muscles plays its own unique and important role to help our arms move in all the various ways we use them throughout the day.
Any pushing, pulling, reaching, or swinging movement of the arms requires a different set of muscles, and training those muscles can help you do everything from carrying a bag of groceries and picking up your dog to holding a plank pose in yoga and opening a heavy door.
“By training all muscle groups of the upper body, you’ll find increased range of motion, which will aid in injury prevention,” Froerer says.
The muscles in your arm also help support your wrists and elbows. “Stronger arms help avoid increased stress and pressure put on the joints by daily tasks like scrolling on your cellphone or chopping vegetables,” says Samantha Parker, an integrative health specialist for the U.S. Air Force and an AFAA-certified personal trainer based in Pointville, New Jersey.
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How to Make the Most of Your Arm Strength Training
Guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend at least two to three nonconsecutive days a week of strength training for the entire body, which includes the arms.
You’ll also need to determine how many sets and reps to do. For general muscle strength, no matter what part of your body you’re training, the ACSM recommends 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per training session, but Parker notes that you can hone it further, depending on your goals.
For instance, using lighter weights and doing more reps and sets will help build muscular endurance — essentially how long you can work a muscle without fatiguing. On the flip side, if you want to build muscle strength, you’ll want to increase the weight and decrease the reps, she says.
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Here are some other points to keep in mind any time you do upper body exercises:
Avoid locking your elbows. Locking your elbows creates a chain reaction in your body, forcing other joints (namely the wrists and shoulders) to be locked too. “You could strain the surrounding ligament, tendons, and possibly even the cartilage in the joint,” Parker says. For any arm exercise, you want to use the fullest range of motion to work muscles to their fullest potential, she adds.
Check your posture. When you get tired, your posture can start to suffer. Slumping forward causes the shoulders to internally rotate, which could lead to rotator cuff issues. If you try to lift weights in that position, you could exacerbate those issues, Parker says.
Don’t be afraid to choose a lower weight. Don’t add too much weight too quickly, Parker says. One general rule of thumb when selecting a weight? “Choose a weight you can lift while maintaining proper form but [that’s] slightly heavy enough to challenge you,” Froerer says. (A good gauge: The last two repetitions should be difficult to complete with proper form.) If you’re arching your back to finish a curl, holding your breath, or having to inch up onto your tiptoes to complete the exercise, try switching to a lighter weight.
Don’t forget to breathe. Proper breathing is an important part of any workout, so for arm exercises, be sure to exhale as you lift the weight and inhale as you lower it.
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The Best Exercises for Strengthening the Arms
Ready to get those arms in shape? Here are nine exercises from Froerer, plus a sample workout that incorporates all of them.
Biceps Curl
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight in each hand. Starting with the weights by your thighs, palms facing forward, and elbows glued to hips, lift weights toward shoulders, keeping your shoulders stabilized. Release to start; that’s one rep. Lift and lower in a controlled manner — two seconds up, and two seconds down. Repeat.
Hammer Curl
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging down at your sides, holding a weight in each hand. Keeping your palms facing in toward your body and your elbows pressed to your body, lift the dumbbells to your shoulders. Release to start to complete one rep and repeat. Lift and lower with two-second counts each way.
Wide Curl
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging at your sides, holding a weight in each hand. Face your palms away from your body so they’re facing the corners of the room. Keeping your elbows pressed to your body, brace your core, and lift the dumbbells to your shoulders. Release to start to complete one rep and repeat.
Bent-Over Triceps Extension
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand and arms hanging at your sides. Palms should be facing in. Hinging from your hip with your knees slightly bent, lean your torso forward until your body is at a roughly 45-degree angle with the ground. Engage your core and keep your spine straight, and be sure your head is in line with your spine, with your chin tucked in slightly. Keeping your upper arms by your torso with your elbows at your sides, extend your forearms behind you until they are parallel to the floor, then release them to start for one rep. Repeat.
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Overhead Triceps Extension
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a soft bend in your knees and core engaged, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Lift the dumbbells above your head until your arms are straight, taking care not to lock your elbows. Palms should be facing each other. (If this is too difficult, use just one dumbbell, starting by holding the dumbbell in both hands in front of your body and lifting it overhead with both hands.) Keeping your elbows and upper arms in place, slowly lower your forearms so the weights drop slightly behind your head. Extend straight overhead to complete one rep and repeat. Be sure to keep your head aligned with your chest, and try to let your shoulders stay relaxed throughout the movement.
Triceps Dip
Sit on a stable chair or bench with your hands grasping the seat, positioned about shoulder-width apart and fingers facing forward. Extend your legs in front of you, placing feet flat on the floor so your knees form 90-degree angles (with knees over ankles). Slide your butt off the chair or bench so only your hands and feet are supporting you, and extend your arms almost straight. Bend your elbows and, while keeping your back close to the chair or bench, and slowly lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle. Press into the chair or bench and return to start to complete one rep and repeat. This exercise can be hard on the shoulders, so you may want to ease into it if you have shoulder issues.
Shoulder or Military Press
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, dumbbells in each hand, arms at your side. Lift the dumbbells just above your shoulders, with your palms facing forward and elbows bent at about 90-degree angles. From this starting position, fully extend through the elbows but without locking them, and press dumbbells above your head. Release to start to complete one rep and repeat.
Front to Lateral Raises
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with arms in front of your body at thigh level and your palms facing your body. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows and your palms down, lift the weights straight in front of your body to shoulder height. Hold for a second and then move your arms out to the sides so they’re slightly below your shoulders. Release your arms to side and repeat, this time reversing the move, so that you first lift arms straight out to the side, then draw them in so they are extended straight in front of you, and finally lowering them back down in front of thighs. That’s one rep.
Rear Delt Fly
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and hinge forward from your hips, extending your arms straight down, wrists below your shoulders with your hands facing each other. Keeping your back flat, head aligned with spine and core engaged, lift your arms to your sides while your hands face the floor. As you do this, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keeping your torso hinged, release your arms to the starting position to complete one rep and repeat.
A Customizable Arm-Strengthening Workout for Every Fitness Level
This workout consists of three different circuits targeting the arms. Each circuit will include the following: One exercise each for the biceps, triceps, and shoulder regions.
If you’re a workout beginner, start with the first circuit, completing just 1 set of the exercises per session. As you get stronger, add the second circuit and then the third.
If you’re at a more advanced level, complete each circuit two to three times before moving to the next one.
Circuit 1
Use a moderate weight for each of the following exercises. Repeat for 3 sets total, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
- Biceps curl: 12 reps
- Bent-over triceps extension:12 reps
- Shoulder press: 10 reps
Circuit 2
Use a moderate weight for each of the following exercises. You may want a slightly lighter weight for the front to lateral raises. Repeat for 3 sets total, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
- Hammer curl: 12 reps
- Overhead triceps extension: 12 reps
- Front to lateral raise: 10 reps
Circuit 3
Use a moderate weight for each of the following exercises. You may want a slightly lighter weight for the rear delt fly. Repeat for 3 sets total, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
- Wide curl: 12 reps
- Triceps dips: 20 reps
- Rear delt fly: 10 reps
- Forro SD, Munjal A, Lowe JB. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Arm Structure and Function. StatPearls. July 25, 2023.
- ACSM Guidelines for Strength Training. American College of Sports Medicine. July 31, 2019.
Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN
Medical Reviewer
Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.
She earned her master's in exercise and nutrition science at Lipscomb University.
Andrew has served as a president and board member of the Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was recently elected a co-chair of the fitness and medicine group in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Karen Asp
Author
Karen Asp is an award-winning journalist who covers fitness, health, nutrition, pets, and travel. A former contributing editor for Woman’s Day, she writes regularly for numerous publications, including Women's Health, Woman's Day, O: The Oprah Magazine, Prevention, Real Simple, Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Forks Over Knives, VegNews, Weight Watchers, Oxygen, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Sierra, USA Today and its magazines, Cosmopolitan, Delta Sky, Costco Connection, Eating Well, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Parade, Runner's World, SELF, Shape, WebMD, Allure, and Best Friends, to name a couple of dozen.
Karen is the author of Anti-Aging Hacks and coauthor of Understanding Your Food Allergies & Intolerances. She speaks frequently about healthy living on radio shows and podcasts, as well as on live TV. She is a certified personal trainer, a health educator certified in plant-based nutrition, and a plant-powered athlete who holds several world records in Nordic walking.