Best Exercise for Flabby Arms – We all have an image in our minds of bodybuilders with huge biceps lifting enormous barbells. However, the biceps are not the only muscles in the arms that need to be trained intensively. It is just as important not to neglect the others!
Biceps, triceps, forearms… The names of the arm muscles are well known, but it’s not always easy to target them correctly. Working hard on the biceps could even have the opposite effect to the desired result, as the triceps are larger. So how can you develop your arm muscles in a balanced way?
Best Exercise for Flabby Arms : What are the muscles of the arm?
In bodybuilding, effective training often begins with a good understanding of the muscles to be developed. The arm consists of three main groups: the biceps, triceps, and forearm.
Best Exercise for Flabby Arms : The biceps
Contrary to popular belief, the biceps are not just the peak that can be seen at the top of the arm. This muscle is actually composed of two bundles. The first is the biceps brachii, which has a short head and a long head. The second bundle is the brachialis, which is also part of the forearm muscles. The biceps flex the elbow, allowing us to bend and straighten it at will. See here for the top exercises for building biceps muscle.
The triceps
Often overlooked because they are located at the back of the arm, the triceps actually cover two-thirds of the arm! They are divided into three heads: a long portion called the long head, a lateral portion called the lateral head, and a medial portion called the medial head. The triceps have several functions. They are elbow extensor muscles, but they also enable shoulder retraction.
When weight training, it is always a good idea to strengthen the triceps first. They enable you to progress in all arm movements where you push weights!
Best Exercise for Flabby Arms : The forearms
The forearms are actually composed of 20 muscles divided into three compartments: the posterior compartment (with eight muscles), the anterior compartment, and the lateral compartment. They consist of a deep layer and a superficial layer.
The forearm muscles play an essential role in our daily lives. They enable us to grasp objects using the extensor muscles, including bars and dumbbells at the gym. Visually, developed forearms give the impression of large, strong, and muscular arms!
How can you incorporate arm training into your strength training program?
To incorporate arm-targeting exercises into your training program, you can add them to your back workouts. Many exercises that target the back muscles also work the arm muscles, especially the biceps. This method ensures that your arms are not overworked too many times a week.
The aim here is to train the agonist muscles (those that pull the load) in the back and biceps. If you want to add a session exclusively for the arms, you will need to take into account the exercises and metabolic stress they have already undergone during your back session.
What are the best exercises for building arm muscle?
There are many isolation exercises that target the arms. However, some of them are not suitable for all levels of experience and may pose a risk of injury. To start with, stick to a few basic exercises, performed perfectly, but without focusing on the biceps. To build massive arms, you need to include your forearms, triceps, and biceps in your workouts.
Best Exercise for Flabby Arms : Building forearm muscle: hammer curls
Hammer curls, or elbow flexions using a hammer grip, specifically target the muscles in the arms and forearms around the elbow. They work the brachialis, brachioradialis, and biceps brachii muscles. Hammer curls are considered one of the best exercises for building forearm muscle.
This exercise helps develop your forearms and increase your strength for other movements such as barbell lifts, presses, and pulls.
To perform the movement, stand with your feet hip-width apart and your chest out. Hold a dumbbell in each hand using a hammer grip (the weights will be above and below your hand when you lift the dumbbell). Place your arms alongside your body.
Then bend your forearm to bring the dumbbell toward you before bringing it back down alongside your body, controlling the descent. Use a medium weight, equivalent to what you would use for a classic curl.
Forearm curls with barbell
A classic forearm strength training exercise, this type of curl will help you gain muscle mass and strength in most of your dumbbell curls, barbell curls, and other pushing exercises (bench press, military press) or pulling exercises (barbell row, rowing, etc.) by giving you a better grip on the barbell or dumbbells.
The increase in forearm muscle strength will also make it easier to increase the weights for most of your exercises.
Start by taking a straight barbell loaded according to the strength of your forearms (between 15 and 40 kg on average). Place your hands in supination as close to the center of the bar as possible.
Place the bar on the edge of the back of a flat bench so that your forearms rest entirely on the back, with your wrists and hands hanging in the air so that you can contract your forearm muscles as you lift the bar. With your hands bent, the bar hangs in the air.
Contract your forearms by lifting the bar until you achieve maximum contraction. Then return to your starting position. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of the exercise for 3 to 4 sets per training session.
Building biceps: barbell and dumbbell curls
Using a barbell or dumbbells, bicep curls are ideal for stimulating the biceps. The biceps are heavily engaged when flexing the elbow, regardless of the grip you choose to use. This isolation exercise is a classic when it comes to strengthening the biceps.
The exercise can be performed with a barbell, dumbbells, a resistance band (elastic), or water bottles if you don’t have the equipment.
To do a curl, stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Hold a barbell in a supinated grip (palms facing up) and place it in front of you. To begin the movement, gradually lift the bar by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows fixed and close to your chest throughout the movement. Pause briefly when you reach maximum contraction before lowering the weight, holding the load.
On the way down, stop the movement before your arms are fully extended. It is essential to keep your chest upright throughout the exercise. You can also perform curls with dumbbells, either bilaterally (both dumbbells at the same time) or unilaterally (one dumbbell after the other, alternating).
When using dumbbells, you can also use an incline bench to perform curls by placing your elbows behind your shoulders, which isolates the biceps particularly effectively.
Best Exercise for Flabby Arms : Build triceps muscle with dips
Dips are a simple and effective exercise for working your triceps using only your body weight. You can do this exercise on a bench or chair, for example. Dips specifically target the front of the shoulders, upper pectorals, and triceps.
To do dips, sit in the middle of a flat bench with your hands on either side, about 20 cm from your hips. Your fingers should be holding the edge of the bench and your elbows pointing backward. With your legs stretched out in front of you, bend your elbows to lower your body a few inches from the floor.
Stop lowering when you feel the stretch in your triceps and shoulders. Then return to the starting position by contracting your triceps, with your arms fully extended. You can pause at the top of the movement or immediately continue with the next repetition. Do 6 to 10 repetitions per set, three to four sets per workout.
