by Joshua Frost

Created on: October 28, 2009   Last Updated: November 03, 2009

The key to building bigger arms is to target the individual muscles in your daily workout routine. Your arm consists of the three muscles of the triceps group, two biceps, three deltoids, a major flexor and a major extender in the forearms, and various smaller muscles that control fluid movement and rotation. Here we will go over these muscle groups and workouts that target them to get maximum results in a shorter time. Remember also when choosing how much weight to use that more weight and less reps give better building results and less weight and more reps is for toning and will cut fat making your arms more chiseled.

Triceps:

This muscle group is the largest in the human arm and often one of the most neglected. The triceps control the extension of the elbow joint and represent the the entire backside of your arm. There are three muscles and each can be reached with three different workouts.

Skull Crushers:

This workout is performed while lying on a flat bench on your back and extending a barbell over your head from the ground.

Tricep Kickbacks:

While placing one knee and one hand on a bench from one side of your body. Take a dumbbell in the opposite hand, make your arm into a 90 degree angle with the dumbbell toward the ground. Then, while keeping your upper arm still extend the lower arm straight back.

Tricep Extensions:

Use a upright cable machine and push your arms from parallel to the body to fully extended downward.

Biceps:

Generally the most focused upon muscle, this rounded flexor pulls the forearm toward the chest or shoulders. There are two muscles in the biceps and both must be worked out to get full growth.

Curls:

A basic workout consisting of raising an EZ bar of a pair of dumbbells from a full extension into a full flex nearly touching the chest.

Hammer Curls:

This workout is regrettably missed in many routines, but it or one of its variants are necessary to get a full bicep workout. Start in the curl position. When lifting, don't twist your arm, but raise it straight up to a little distance above 90 degrees and hold for a few seconds.

Deltoids:

There are three muscles in the deltoid region. One for pushing forward, one for raising your arms and shrugging, and one for pulling your arms back.

Seated Shoulder Press:

This exercise is done with a barbell in the sitting position on a bench. Lift the barbell above your head to a full extension and lower behind your head until it is almost fully rested.

Bent Over Lateral Raise:

Take the same position as the tricep kickbacks but lift the dumbbell from the ground to your shoulder.

Bench Press:

Take a wider hold on the barbell and lower to your chest, hold slightly above push up and hold some more. This also gets chest and triceps.

Forearms:

This smaller muscle group can give major results when adequately worked. They are used in twisting the wrist and extending and flexing it.

Wrist Roller:

This exercise can be done to target both the the flexor and the extender in the forearms. Using a dowel joined to a five or ten pound weight by a rope about two to three feet long, first roll up the rope overhand until it is fully rolled. Then slowly unroll it. Then flip over to an underhand hold and repeat.

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