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Arm workout: biceps and triceps

This arm routine has two sessions, A and B, for biceps and triceps, to do once or twice a week. Each session starts with a heavier curl and triceps exercise and finishes with two lighter ones.

Session A opens with the barbell and the skull crusher; session B, with dumbbells and dips. Every exercise links to its own page, with the technique and the most common mistakes.

Session A

  1. Barbell curl

    Sets 3 · Reps 8 to 10 · Rest 90 s

    Alternatives: Bicep curl

  2. Dumbbell skull crusher

    Sets 3 · Reps 8 to 10 · Rest 90 s

    Alternatives: Triceps pushdown

  3. Hammer curl

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min

  4. Triceps pushdown

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min

Session B

  1. Bicep curl

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 90 s

    Alternatives: Preacher curl

  2. Dips

    Sets 3 · Reps 6 to 10 · Rest 2 min

    Alternatives: Triceps pushdown

  3. Preacher curl

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min

  4. Triceps pushdown

    Sets 3 · Reps 12 to 15 · Rest 1 min

Biceps and triceps in the same session

The triceps is most of the muscle in the upper arm, between the shoulder and the elbow, so here it gets as many sets as the biceps (six per session) and also works in every press. The skull crusher, with the arm raised, works the long head; the cable pushdown, with the arm at your side, loads the other two heads more; dips add triceps alongside chest and shoulders. The hammer curl adds work for the brachioradialis, in the forearm.

How it fits your week

Your biceps already work in rows and pulldowns, and your triceps in presses. That's why this routine works best as an extra arm day, or split across the end of your pull and push days, rather than as a replacement for the big lifts.

How to progress

Add reps up to the top of the range before moving to the next weight. On curls, if you have to swing your body to finish the rep, the weight is too heavy.

If your elbows or wrists bother you

Swap the straight bar for dumbbells or an EZ bar, which let your wrist rotate. On the skull crusher, lower under control and only as far as is comfortable; on dips, don't go lower than your upper arm parallel to the floor. If the pain persists, see a doctor or physiotherapist.

Frequently asked questions

Are back and chest exercises enough for the arms?

They work them, but don't take them to their limit: in a press or a row, the chest, shoulders or back tire first. A few direct sets of curls and triceps cover the rest.

Should I train arms every day?

No: like any muscle, they grow with rest between sessions. One or two sessions a week, on top of what they already do in the big lifts, is enough.

Biceps or triceps first?

It makes little difference: in this routine they alternate, so one rests while the other works.

Gojan builds the routine and changes it when you tell it your week falls apart. Download Gojan