List of Arm Exercises

A variety of muscles surround the humerus bone of your upper arm and the radius and ulna bones of your forearm, acting to extend and flex your elbow and wrist joints. Performing resistance exercises that target these muscles can increase their size, make them stronger and potentially prevent musculoskeletal injuries. Consult an exercise professional to develop a personalized resistance-training program and visit your doctor if any exercise causes pain.

Bench Dip

The bench dip exercise targets the triceps brachii muscle, or just triceps for short, which is located behind the humerus bone and facilitates elbow extension. Sit on a bench with your knees flexed and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on top of the bench just outside your hips with your fingers gripping the front edge. Step forward about 12 inches, moving your buttocks in front of the bench. Flex your elbows to lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then extend them to return to the starting position and repeat multiple times.

Biceps Curl

Perform the biceps curl exercise to build the biceps brachii muscle, which is located in front of the humerus bone, and the other muscles that contribute to elbow flexion. One variation of the exercise requires a biceps curl machine, which you can find at some fitness facilities. Sit on the chair of the machine, press your chest into the pad and lay your arms over it, gripping the handles with your palms facing upward. Flex your elbows to arc the handles toward your shoulders, lifting the stack of weights to which the handles are attached, then reverse to the starting position slowly and repeat.

Forearm Pronation/Supination

The forearm pronation/supination exercise targets the muscles that twist your forearm toward the thumb-side of your hand -- pronation -- and the little-finger-side of your hand -- supination. Sit behind a flat bench on your knees and hold equally weighted dumbbells in your hands. Place your forearms over the bench, at least shoulder-width apart, so your hands and wrists extend over the opposite edge. Start with your palms facing downward, then alternately and repeatedly pronate and supinate your forearms, twisting the weights as far as possible in both directions.

Forearm Radial/Ulnar Deviation

Performing the forearm radial deviation and ulnar deviation exercises strengthens the muscles that move the thumb- and little-finger sides of your hand toward your forearm, respectively. Stand and hold unbalanced dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing inward. Start with the weighted ends in front of your hands and flex your wrists forward and backward to lift and lower the weights. Next, turn the dumbbells around so the weighted end is behind your hands and repeat the same movements. Perform multiple repetitions of each exercise.