Effectively develop strength in your upper arms by using a barbell and adjustable weight plates. By varying the movement pattern, you can target your triceps, biceps and shoulders to build and define them. After warming up with a set of light weight, use loads that allow you to complete no more than 10 to 12 repetitions at a time for two to three sets of these exercises.
Shoulder Press
Begin your upper-arm workout with compound exercises -- those that use more than one joint. The shoulder press involves active shoulder flexion and elbow extension. For this movement, press the barbell from your upper chest all the way overhead and slowly lower it to the start position. Focus on feeling the contraction in the front of the shoulder and on the back side of your upper arm.
Upright Row
The second multijoint exercise in your workout is the upright row. As with the shoulder press, the shoulder and elbow joints are involved. However, the upright row utilizes shoulder abduction and elbow flexion to train your shoulders and biceps.
To execute an upright row, hold the barbell in front of your hips, and pull it to your upper chest, keeping your elbows above the bar at all times. Then return the bar slowly to the start position. You should feel the contraction on the sides of your shoulders, front of your upper arms and your upper trapezius, which is also trained during the upright row.
Skull Crusher
After you have completed your compound exercises, proceed to isolation movements. In the shoulder press, the triceps assist the shoulders in pressing the barbell overhead. Conversely, they are the sole target of the skull crusher as the triceps work single-handedly to extend the elbow.
Lying on your back on a bench or the floor, extend your arms and hold the barbell at shoulder width centered right above your chest. Bend your elbows, allow the barbell to come right in front of your forehead, and then straighten your elbows to bring the arms back to the starting position. You should feel an intense contraction on the backs of your upper arms. Never do this exercise without a spotter.
Biceps Curl
The biceps are helpers in the pulling motion of the upright row. They can be isolated and trained independently in the biceps curl exercise. Holding a barbell at shoulder width in front of your thighs with your palms facing forward, hinge at your elbows to lift the barbell about as high as your chest. Stop lifting when your elbows are at the end of their range of motion, and return to the beginning. Focus on squeezing your biceps throughout the entire movement.
References
- National Strength & Conditioning Association: Performance Analysis Video: Standing Shoulder Press
- National Strength & Conditioning Association: Performance Analysis Video: Upright Row
- National Strength & Conditioning Association: Performance Analysis Video: EZ Bar Curl
- ExRx.net: Weight Exercises: Barbell Lying Triceps Extension "Skull Crusher
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