The military press is a weightlifting exercise that can be used to improve muscular tone, strength and stamina. Although the military press is an upper body exercise, you might not be sure which muscles it targets and if it would help you get big arms. If you truly wish to get big arms you will need to perform a variety of exercises that target the muscle groups located in your arms.
Form
The military press can be performed using free weights or on an exercise machine with built-in weights. You can use dumbbells, resistance bands or a barbell as your free weight. Exercise machines may use weighted plates, resistance cables or weighted cables. To use free weights, stand up with your back straight and your knees slightly bent. Hold the weight at your shoulders with your palms facing away from your body. Press the weight straight overhead until your arms are straight and then lower back down to the starting position. To use a weighted machine, sit in the designated area, place your hands on the grips and perform the exercise in the same manner as you would with free weights.
Potential
The military press targets your deltoid muscles, which are located in your shoulders. It also engages the muscles in your triceps, biceps, forearms, chest and back. These muscles are known as the stabilizers because they help perform the exercise but are not the target muscle group. Although it involves most of the muscles of your upper body, it is not an arm exercise and will not provide significant growth in your arm muscles.
Muscle Growth Facts
Your muscles will grow when they are challenged with weightlifting exercises. You need to use heavier weights and lower repetitions to build new muscle tissue. If you use moderate to light weights and perform high repetitions you will only improve your muscular tone and endurance. The weights you use should allow you to complete at least six repetitions per exercise, but no more than eight. The last two or three repetitions should feel almost impossible but you should still be able to complete them with proper form.
Alternative Exercises
To get big arms you will need to build muscle tissue in your biceps and triceps. Biceps curls, hammer curls, concentration curls and supination curls target the biceps muscles located on the inside of your upper arms. To perform a basic biceps curl, hold a weight in each hand with your arms at your sides. Slowly curl the weights upward until your hands almost touch your shoulders and then lower the weights back down. Triceps kickbacks, overhead triceps extensions and triceps dips will build muscle in the outer portion of your upper arm. To perform an overhead triceps extension, start by holding a dumbbell with both hands behind your head. Straighten your arms to lift the weight upward, slowly bend your arms to lower the weight behind your head and repeat.
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