There are many effective arm exercises that isolate the biceps and triceps muscles, but when putting together the best arm workout plan you need to think about more than just your arms. The workouts below are designed to train the entire body over the course of a week, but pay special attention to the biceps and triceps so you can be sure your upper arms are going to get stronger and bigger.
It’s a tough training schedule and not for beginners, but if you’re already an experienced lifter, this progressive, four-week arm workout plan will help you continue to challenge yourself in the weights room. You will need to hit a gym to tackle the plan unless your home gym is phenomenally well equipped, because the workouts involve using heavy free-weights, cable stacks and weights machines. If you’re looking for another effective approach to training your arms, then a push-pull workout is a great option.
How To Do These Arm Workouts
Each week you’ll perform four arm workouts, ideally on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Rather than repeating the same workouts each week, the plan is divided into two-week blocks, and the weekly workouts in each block increase in intensity the second time round.
Each workout has six moves you’ll do as straight sets, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest detailed. Tempo is the speed at which you lift and lower the weight in seconds, and it’s written out as a sequence of four numbers. The first number is the time you should take to lower the weight (called the eccentric phase), the second is how long you should pause at the bottom of the rep, the third refers to the lifting portion (the concentric phase), while the fourth is how long to pause at the top of the rep.
A 3010 tempo means you take three seconds to lower it and one to raise it, with no pause at the top or bottom. It sounds straightforward, but some exercises like the biceps curl begin with the lifting movement (governed by the third number), so keep your wits about you.
How To Warm Up For Arm Workouts
There’s no easing in with any of these arm workouts, because each of them starts with a big compound lift like the bench press or barbell back squat. This means that you need to prime your body for action with a thorough warm-up. This will help you perform better, especially in the early sets of your workout, and also make it less likely that you’ll injure yourself during your session.
The bulk of your warm-up needs to be specific to the workout you’re about to do, but it’s a good idea to begin with a series of dynamic stretches that hit muscles all over your body. You’ll find such a series with this weights warm-up routine, with seven moves that prime all the key muscle groups.
After performing that routine, it’s time to get specific and the easiest way to do that is to perform some of the exercises you’re about to do in the workout. Using lighter weights that you would normally, or no weight at all if appropriate, perform sets of the first two moves of each workout. Begin by doing a high-rep, low-weight set to get your muscles moving, then increase the weight and decrease the reps as you move towards starting your workout proper.
Arm Workout Block 1
Below you’ll find the four weekly arm workouts, along with the sets, reps, tempo and rest information for the first and second week of each. In the second week, you’ll do an extra set of the first two moves of each circuit and an extra two reps of moves three to six to increase your training volume.
Monday Arm Workout: Chest And Back
1 Bench press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on a bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.
2 Bent-over row
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Bend forwards, hinging from your hips, but keep your chest up and your core braced. Row the bar up to your body, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower.
3 Incline dumbbell flye
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Lie back on an incline bench, holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.
4 Lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
5 One-arm cable press
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 each side Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a D-handle in one hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press your hand forwards until your arm is straight. Reverse back to the start and repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.
6 Dumbbell pull-over
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 4010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 4010 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on a bench, holding a dumbbell in both hands above your chest with straight arms. Lower the weight behind your head in a slow and controlled movement, keeping your arms straight, then raise it back to the start position.
Wednesday Workout: Legs And Abs
1 Back squat
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and your whole body tight, bend your knees to squat down as low as you can but don’t let your knees roll inwards. Push through your heels to stand back up.
2 Romanian deadlift
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend forwards, hinging at the hips, to let the bar roll down the front of your legs until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Reverse the movement.
3 Leg extension
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the bottom of your shins. Keeping your upper body tight, raise your feet to straighten your legs. Pause at the top with your quads engaged, then lower back to the start.
4 Hamstring curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the backs of your lower legs. Keeping your upper body tight, push your feet down to bend your legs. Pause at the top with your hamstrings engaged, then lower back to the start.
5 Crunch
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and hands by your temples or crossed over your chest. Engage your upper abs to raise your torso, then crunch your upper body up towards your knees. Lower slowly, keeping tension on your abs throughout.
6 Plank
Week 1: Sets 3 Time 30sec Tempo N/A Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Time 45sec Tempo N/A Rest 60sec
Get into position with your elbows under your shoulders, your feet together and your hips raised with abs and glutes engaged so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position without letting your hips drop.
Friday Workout: Biceps And Triceps
1 Underhand lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width underhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
2 Triceps dip
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 6-10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Grip parallel bars with straight arms and your legs crossed behind you. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90°. Press back up to return to the start.
3 Dumbbell biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.
4 Dumbbell triceps extension
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 each side Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell over your head with your arm straight. Keeping your elbow pointing to the ceiling, lower the weight behind your head, then straighten your arm to return to the start. Repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.
5 Cable biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the lower pulley with palms facing forwards. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, curl your hands up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower.
6 Cable triceps press-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing down. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.
Saturday Workout: Shoulders And Arms
1 Overhead press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the front of your chest with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, press the bar directly overhead so your arms are straight. Lower it under control to return to the start.
2 Chin-up
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Hold a bar with an underhand grip and hang with your body straight. Brace your abs and glutes and engage your lats, then pull up until your chin is above your hands. Pause at the top, then lower yourself back to the start under control.
3 EZ-bar upright row
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, row the bar up to chin height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower the bar back to the start under control.
4 Incline dumbbell biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Sit on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards and your elbows tight to your sides. Keeping your elbows there, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights.
5 Dumbbell lateral raise
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 30sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 30sec
Stand tall, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your chest up and core braced, raise the weights out to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, then return slowly to the start.
6 Cable triceps press-down
Week 1: Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing down. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.
Arm Workout Plan Block 2
For the second block of your four-week plan, the session structure has been changed to shift the high-volume emphasis from your arms to your chest. So in this block there are two chest workouts a week, but don’t worry about losing your newfound arm size and strength – there are still enough biceps exercises and triceps exercises to keep the gains coming.
As with the second week of the first block, you’ll add an extra set to the first two moves and an extra two reps to the remaining exercises.
Monday Workout: Chest And Back
1 Incline bench press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Lie back on an incline bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.
2 Wide lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a double shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
3 Dumbbell bench press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Press the weights straight up so your arms are straight, then lower them under control back to the start.
4 Seated row
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Sit on the machine, holding a double-grip cable attachment in both hands. Keeping your chest up, row your hands in towards your body, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top position, then return to the start.
5 One-arm cable press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 each side Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 each side Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a D-handle in one hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press your hand forwards until your arm is straight. Reverse back to the start and repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.
6 Straight-arm cable pull-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall facing a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle with both hands. Keeping your chest up, pull the bar down towards your thighs in a smooth arc. Pause at the bottom, then reverse the movement back to the start.
Wednesday Workout: Legs And Shoulders
1 Back squat
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and your whole body tight, bend your knees to squat down as low as you can but don’t let your knees roll inwards. Push through your heels to stand back up.
2 Overhead press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a bar across the front of your chest with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, press the bar directly overhead so your arms are straight. Lower it under control to return to the start.
3 Leg extension
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the bottom of your shins. Keeping your upper body tight, raise your feet to straighten your legs. Pause at the top with your quads engaged, then lower back to the start.
4 Seated dumbbell lateral raise
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Sit on an upright bench, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your chest up and core braced, raise the weights out to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, then return slowly to the start.
5 Hamstring curl
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the backs of your lower legs. Keeping your upper body tight, push your feet down to bend your legs. Pause at the top with your hamstrings engaged, then lower back to the start.
6 EZ-bar upright row
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, row the bar up to chin height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower the bar back to the start under control.
Friday Workout: Chest And Triceps
1 Bench press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Lie on a flat bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully to the start.
2 Incline dumbbell flye
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Lie back on an incline bench, holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.
3 Triceps dip
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 8-10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Grip parallel bars with straight arms and your legs crossed behind you. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90°. Press back up to return to the start.
4 Incline dumbbell shoulder press
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Lie flat on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Press the weights straight up so your arms are straight, then lower them under control.
5 Cable triceps press-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing down. Keeping your chest up and elbows fixed to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.
6 Press-up
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10-15 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12-15 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec
Start in the press-up position – hands on the floor, shoulders, elbows and wrists aligned, and feet together. Brace your core, then bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor. Press back up powerfully to return to the start.
Saturday Workout: Back And Biceps
1 Chin-up
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Hold a bar with an underhand grip and hang with your body straight. Brace your abs and glutes and engage your lats, then pull up until your chin is above your hands. Pause at the top, then lower yourself back to the start under control.
2 Lat pull-down
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 5 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.
3 Prone dumbbell row
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Lie chest-down on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest against the bench, row the weights up, leading with your elbows. Hold the top position, then lower the weights back to the start .
4 Prone dumbbell reverse flye
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Lie chest-down on an incline bench holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest against the bench, raise the weights to the sides, leading with your elbows. Hold the top position, then lower the weights back to the start.
5 Dumbbell biceps curl
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inwards. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.
6 Dumbbell hammer curl
Week 1: Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Week 2: Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec
Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.
How To Fuel This Arms Workout Plan
What you eat is as important as how you work out if you want a bigger and stronger body. You don’t need to start logging every macronutrient and counting every calorie, but following a few simple rules will help you to support your training and eat more healthily in general.
When you’re lifting weights regularly your protein intake becomes important, since this will help to build bigger and stronger muscles. Aim to consume 1.2g-2g of protein per kilo of bodyweight, which is the range recommended by dietitian Susan Short when we interviewed her about how much protein you need to build muscle. It’s advantageous to get your protein through food rather than supplements and it will be easier than you think. However, mixing protein powder into a protein shake after a workout is fine once in a while. Use our recommendations of the best protein powders to find a shake that suits your preferences.
You also need carbs to fuel your training. Aim to eat wholegrain varieties like brown rice and sweet potatoes on your rest days for their higher fibre content. You’ll also want to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. (You’re doing that already, right?) When you’re training hard it becomes even more important to provide your body with the right vitamins to build muscle, and ticking off your five-a-day every day goes a long way towards doing that.
If all the dietary advice above sounds like a lot of hard work, there is another option—healthy meal prep services. This is a more expensive option than meal planning and cooking for yourself, but getting meals tailored to your fitness goals and dietary preferences delivered to your door can make life a lot easier, especially if you’re short of time.
One last thing to consider is your alcohol intake. For some people cutting out booze is the simplest way to eliminate large numbers of calories from their daily intake. Alcohol in the evening can affect your sleep too, so taking a break from the sauce can boost your body’s ability to recover and respond to the training stimulus.
Arm Workout Plan FAQs
Why Does This Arm Workout Plan Train The Entire Body?
The best arm workout plan has to involve lifts that don’t just target your arms. For one thing, just doing arm exercises every day is going to get boring very quickly and besides, you can’t train one part of the body that often anyway because you need to give the muscles time to recover and grow.
More importantly, to keep progressing with your arm exercises you have to build strength throughout your body, because your body will always stay balanced, as Nick Mitchell, CEO and founder of Ultimate Performance, explained when we asked him for the best biceps workout.
“I was once asked by a client: ‘Nick, if I did 100 biceps curls on each arm every day, would I have massive biceps in about a month?’ Unfortunately, the human body just doesn’t work that way,” Mitchell says. “Your body will always fight to stay in balance, and it takes an extra 10-15lb of overall lean bodyweight to add an inch to the circumference of your arms.”
Adding bodyweight is one of your main goals with arm workouts then, which means bringing in a variety of compound exercises.
“One of the most common reasons people don’t gain size in their arms is because they are underweight. Have you ever seen a 60kg guy with 17-inch arms? Probably not,” says Mitchell. “A lack of arm size is just a lack of overall growth, and so getting strong on compound lifts like the bench press, the overhead press, deadlift, chin-up and the barbell squat will help contribute to more overall muscle mass, which will help drive overall bodyweight up and so make your arms bigger.”
As an added incentive to do the rounded workouts below rather than just doing isolation arm exercises, remember that even if you could build huge arms without training the rest of your body, those arms would look pretty ridiculous hanging off a skinny frame.
