The 5 Best Arm Exercises for Men: Video Workout

Your triceps make up about two-thirds of your upper arm, so that's where I start. These are my five must-do arm moves: three for triceps and two for biceps. Each one adds a twist that makes a familiar exercise harder.

1. Overhead extension to skull crusher

This is two exercises in one. Start with 6 to 8 overhead extensions with your elbows back and core braced. Then lie back and go straight into 6 to 8 skull crushers. Angle your elbows back slightly and lower the weight over your forehead. Keeping the arms on that angle keeps tension on the muscle instead of the elbow joint. Go a little lighter than usual, since you're doing two moves in a row.

2. Kettlebell overhead extension

Elbows back, core braced, and fully extend to fire the triceps. Because the weight hangs below your hands, the kettlebell is harder to control and challenges your grip more than a dumbbell does.

3. Side-to-side dips

Lower straight down the middle, then press up shifting your weight toward one side, come back to the middle and switch. Shifting the load puts maximum stress on one arm at a time.

4. Kettlebell hammer curl

Swap dumbbells for kettlebells. They're harder to grip and harder to raise, so you have to stiffen your forearm and wrist. That works the forearms as well as the biceps and brachialis.

5. Zottman curl

Hold the dumbbells tight to your hips, curl up with your palms facing up, then turn your palms down at the top and lower slowly with your elbows tucked. You get a full biceps curl on the way up and a reverse curl on the way down, which works the forearms and brachialis.

How to program it

• Do 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps per exercise, 1 to 2 times a week.
• Do triceps first while you're fresh, since they drive most of your arm size.
• Arms grow from the pressing and pulling too. See the 5 best back exercises.

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