Are you looking to tone and strengthen your arms? Then this arm workout is for you! Incorporating a variety of exercises that target the biceps, triceps, and shoulders, this workout will help you achieve defined and muscular arms. In this article, we are going to go over one of the best arm workouts to build muscle mass.

Before starting this or any other workout, it is important to warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio and dynamic stretching to prepare your muscles for exercise. Be sure to also properly cool down and stretch after your workout to prevent injury and promote recovery.

Giant Sets

For this workout, we are going to use the concept of Giant Sets.  Barbend.com does a great job of explaining what Giant Sets are, and why you should be doing them. Giant sets are used by general gymgoers and competitive strength athletes in very specific ways to get stronger, gain muscle, or improve athleticism. As the beefed-up cousin of supersets, giant sets are three or more exercises performed back to back without rest. Incorporating giant sets help you spend less time in the gym and improve your exercise technique all while boosting your strength, size, and work capacity.

What Are Giant Sets?

Giant sets are a bigger version of a superset, where you perform three or more exercises consecutively without any rest in between. Once one set of each exercise has been performed, you’ll get a rest period before you begin again.   Checkout this article for more information on Giant Sets, and why you should be doing them in some of your muscle building workouts.  We do an exhaustive review of giant sets in this article.

The Workout

For this workout, you should be targeting getting to hypertrophy of the muscles, which will significantly help with muscle growth.  You should be doing each exercise to failure, with failure occurring at between 15-20 reps.  As you get into the sets, feel free to drop the weight to ensure you are still achieving 15-20 reps each movement.  If you can only get 12, drop the weight and pickup light weights to get to 20 reps.

Giant Set 1:

Bicep Curls

Bicep curls are a classic exercise that targets the biceps muscles located on the front of the upper arm. To perform bicep curls, start standing with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing forward. Keeping your elbows close to your body, bend your arms and curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Be sure to keep your form strict and avoid swinging the weights to fully engage the biceps.

Tricep Dips

Tricep dips are a great exercise to target the triceps muscles located on the back of the upper arm. To perform tricep dips, start by sitting on the edge of a stable bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the bench and straighten your arms, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Bend your arms to lower your body towards the floor and straighten them to push back up to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

Incline dumbbell curls are a variation of bicep curls that targets the biceps muscles in a different way. To perform incline dumbbell curls, start seated on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing forward. Keeping your elbows close to your body, bend your arms and curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Be sure to keep your form strict and avoid swinging the weight to fully engage the biceps.

Tricep Pushdowns

Tricep pushdowns are a simple yet effective exercise to target the triceps muscles. To perform tricep pushdowns, stand in front of a cable machine with a straight bar attachment and your palms facing down. Keep your elbows close to your sides and push the bar down towards your hips, fully extending your elbows. Slowly release the bar back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Rest for 60 to 90 seconds.

Repeat this sequence 3 times, with 60-90 seconds rest between each giant set before repeating.

Giant Set 2:

Preacher Curls

Preacher curls are another exercise that targets the biceps muscles, particularly the lower biceps. To perform preacher curls, start seated on a preacher bench with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing forward. Rest your upper arms on the bench and bend your arms, curling the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Be sure to keep your form strict and avoid swinging the weight to fully engage the biceps.

Tricep Kickbacks

Tricep kickbacks are a simple yet effective exercise to target the triceps muscles. To perform tricep kickbacks, start standing with a dumbbell in one hand, elbow bent and hand at hip height. Keeping your elbow stationary, extend your arm back and straighten it, fully extending your elbow. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Be sure to keep your core engaged and avoid arching your back to maintain proper form.

Concentration Curls

Concentration curls are a great exercise to isolate and target the biceps muscles. To perform concentration curls, start seated on a bench with a dumbbell in one hand and elbow resting on the inside of your thigh. Bend your arm and curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulder, keeping your elbow stationary. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Be sure to keep your form strict and avoid swinging the weight to fully engage the biceps.

Tricep Pushups

Tricep pushups are a variation of the classic pushup exercise that targets the triceps muscles. To perform tricep pushups, start in a plank position with your hands slightly closer than shoulder-width apart and feet hip-width apart. Lower your body towards the floor, keeping your core engaged and elbows close to your body. Push back up to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. If tricep pushups are too challenging at first, you can start by doing them on your knees or against a wall.

Wrap Up

That’s it! This arm workout can be performed 1-2 times per week, with at least 3 days of rest in between, as you’re going to be significantly tearing up the muscles and tissues. As you progress, you can increase the number of reps and sets or add more weight to challenge yourself and continue to see progress.

Remember to listen to your body and never push yourself beyond your limits. If you experience any pain or discomfort during this or any other exercise