By EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
You've done plenty of biceps curls and triceps pressdowns. But for some reason, your arms still aren't growing. I get it. And I've been there. For years, I did every dumbbell arm exercise I could think of – but I still struggled to get arms that busted out of my shirt sleeves.
The reason: Building arms is as much about technique as it is about weight. And that's part of why some very basic exercises (think: Dumbbell curls) just don't hit for some people. Often, there are little technique flaws. Over the years, though, after training plenty of clients and experimenting with all the moves in the book, I discovered a handful of exercises that teach you proper arm training technique, setting you up to blow up your arms. Here are my favorite four (bonus: They make for a great arm day workout when done in sequence. Do 3 sets of each).
PARALLEL PAUSE CURL
This move levels up the basic dumbbell curl to fix two things. First off, it forces you to lower the weight slowly every rep, which is key to muscle growth. The second thing it does is teach you to drive your pinkies toward the ceiling as you curl upward, training a secondary function of the biceps and setting you up for serious growth. Do 8 to 10 reps per set.
SPIDER CURL
One of the most common cheats on a biceps curl: rocking your elbows forward. This move cancels that out, forcing you to start with your elbows already shifted forward. The end result: You have to really squeeze your biceps at the top of each rep just to complete the rep. Do 8 to 10 reps per set.
PAUSED SKULLCRUSHER
The biggest mistake people make on the skullcrusher is this: They don't get anywhere near full range of motion when they bend their arms. Your goal is to almost touch the head of the dumbbell to your shoulder. The best way to keep yourself accountable: Pause at what you think is the bottom of the rep. You can see how close the dumbbell is to your shoulders (get them closer the more you do this), then drive up. Do 10 to 12 reps per set.
INCLINE LATERAL RAISE
We need a shoulder builder in here, and this one is your finest isolation option. By doing the lateral raise with your chest glued to an incline bench, you’ll also prevent yourself from rocking at the hips to do your reps. Even better, the angle will subtly bias the move to hit you rear delts, an underrated key to a well-developed physique. Do 8 reps per set; done correctly, trust me, it’ll be enough.