Site Icon How to Get Bigger Arms: Best Biceps and Triceps Exercises

14/04/2026

If you want to know how to get bigger arms, you’ve come to the right place. You may be cranking out rep after rep at the gym, but if your arms still aren’t growing proportionally to the rest of your body, that’s a sign you need to take arm training more seriously. The good news? It’s very doable. The trick here is to include the best arm-building exercises in your workout, establish a caloric surplus (eat more than you train), and sleep eight hours nightly.

In this article, I’ll share the best biceps and triceps exercises to help you build bigger arms. For exercises using barbells and dumbbells, choose a resistance that takes you to muscle failure in the 8–12 rep range. That’s where the real muscle growth happens.

Best Exercises to Get Bigger Arms: Biceps

If you want Popeye-sized biceps, try these exercises that have stood the test of time. I’ve seen many blokes grow huge biceps at the gym simply by doing these bicep blasters consistently.

Close-Grip Chin-Ups

Do you want to ramp up your bicep size? Try adding this compound bodyweight exercise to your workout arsenal. To do close-grip chin-ups properly, you must use a supinated grip (palms facing toward you) and place your hands closer together. These two steps put extra tension directly on your biceps.

When doing close-grip chin-ups, prioritise time under tension. I’m talking about the amount of time you keep your muscles loaded — it’s one of the most effective ways to make them grow. Your set should last anywhere between 45 to 70 seconds for optimum results.

Not only are close-grip chin-ups a terrific exercise for your biceps, but they’re also extremely convenient. You can do them in the comfort of your home gym, at the beach, or at the park. It just doesn’t get any better than that, does it?

Barbell Curls

A muscular person with tattoos lifts a heavily loaded barbell in a gym, wearing a DEFEND THE MEDIA shirt and a weightlifting belt, straining with effort.
Lee Priest Strict Curling 221 lbs

If you ask me, a great complement to close-grip chin-ups is barbell curls. Performing a barbell movement after a bodyweight exercise will work your biceps to exhaustion, stimulating muscle growth. In addition, doing exercises of a different nature keeps your muscles guessing — and that bodes well for increasing muscle mass.

Barbell curls also allow you to overload your biceps with heavy resistance. With that in mind, some blokes actually gain more strength doing barbell curls than the dumbbell version. Why? You can add plates to the bar as you please. I’m not putting off dumbbell curls — they’re a great option too. However, if I want bigger arms fast, I’d give barbell curls the edge every time.

Concentration Curls

Pining for killer biceps? If yes, concentration curls should be an essential part of your arm day. When you do this exercise sitting down, you limit your momentum during the movement. As a result, you place emphasis primarily on your biceps. Some studies reveal concentration curls yield as much as 97 percent biceps activity. That’s an insane amount, if you ask me!

Another great thing about concentration curls is you can see the veins in your biceps pop out whilst you’re doing the exercise in front of a mirror. When you take a nitric oxide booster such as 70 percent dark chocolate half an hour or so before an intense workout, you’ll feel the vasodilating effects kick in. Your biceps become engorged with blood. Trust me when I say that nothing — absolutely nothing — beats a fantastic muscle pump during your workouts!

Best Exercises to Get Bigger Arms: Triceps

Here’s something many blokes overlook: your triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm size. If you really want bigger arms, you cannot neglect your triceps. Bodybuilding is about symmetry — sure, bigger biceps are great and all, but more importantly, you want huge and proportional arms. You’d look like a freak if they weren’t!

Let’s check out some of the best triceps exercises for big muscle gains.

Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press

The traditional barbell bench press is a timeless exercise. Let’s keep it real: huge pecs, just like gargantuan arms, are a badge of honour. However, if you haven’t tried close-grip barbell bench presses for your triceps, you’re missing out!

You execute this movement as you would a regular barbell bench press. However, the gap between your hands is narrower: instead of placing them a few inches away from the barbell plates, you place them shoulder-width apart. You need to tuck your elbows close to your sides to reap its full benefits.

If you want to add more resistance, no worries: your deltoids, chest, and torso will support your triceps as they bear the brunt of the movement. Remember, more resistance plus a fuller range of motion equals huge gains, mate!

A person is performing a bench press in a gym. The barbell is loaded with large yellow and red weight plates labeled ATX. The individual is lying on a bench, focusing on lifting the weight. Boxes and shelving are visible in the background.
Close Grip Bench Press

Skullcrushers

I’ll be the first to admit: this exercise’s name sounds more like a finishing move in the wrestling ring than a killer triceps exercise! However, don’t let its name deceive you. Skullcrushers will blow your triceps gains out of the water!

For this exercise, you need to lie on a flat bench and place your feet firmly on the floor. Hold a preacher curl bar or EZ bar with your hands placed roughly shoulder-width apart just above your neck. Bend your elbows slightly when extending your arms. Slowly lower the bar until your hands are slightly above your head. Hold the position for a second or two before bringing the bar back up.

I’ll sum up the best thing about skullcrushers in two words: elbow extension. When your upper arms are perpendicular to your body, you target the two biggest lateral triceps heads. Train those hard, and you will see bigger triceps over time.

Triceps Bench Dips

Triceps bench dips are a great bodyweight exercise because they activate your triceps muscles more than other exercises targeting the same muscle group — that includes overhead triceps extensions, rope pulldowns, and bar pushdowns.

Here’s the other major upside of triceps bench dips: just like close-grip chin-ups, they’re extremely convenient. You can do them on a park bench or a flat bench in your home gym.

Simply sit along the length of the bench and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Place your hands on the bench by your hips. Whilst keeping your hands on the bench, lift your torso off it. Slide your feet forward so your shins form roughly a 60-degree angle. Ensure your glutes are within inches from the bench. Slowly lower your body to the ground whilst generating power from your triceps. Once your upper arms are parallel to the floor, hold for a second or two before returning to the starting position. Repeat to the desired number of repetitions.

Safety Tips

Now, you might be raring to include these biceps and triceps exercises in your next arm workout, but you need to hold your horses. You won’t get bigger arms through bodybuilding if you do it haphazardly — in fact, I can assure you you’ll end up in the therapist’s clinic if you do. Follow these safety tips so you can get bigger arms without suffering injuries:

  1. Warm up and cool down: Always start your workout with a warm-up. This could be light cardio work or dynamic stretching (active movements which go through a full range of motion to increase blood flow) for 5 to 10 minutes. Once you’ve cranked out your last rep, do static stretching (the type where you hold your muscles for several seconds). Doing these will go a long way in preventing injury.
  2. Never lift too heavy too soon: Refrain from having a big ego about it. Sure, it pays to be intense during your workout, but lifting too heavy right away can spell disaster, particularly for beginners. You may compromise your form which negates the benefits of the exercise — and worse, you can injure yourself. Always start off with a light weight you’re comfortable with. Once you’ve mastered the form, progress to a heavier weight a week or two afterward. Progressive resistance is the name of the game if you want to muscle up!
  3. Hire a personal trainer: When in doubt, seek professional advice. I’ve seen too many blokes go through the motions at the gym with no idea what they’re doing out there. Don’t be like them. Get a personal trainer who can give you the right advice and double as a spotter when the need arises.

Turning your stick-like arms into massive guns is possible through bodybuilding. Just make sure you pay attention to your form, as well as your nutrition and sleep. Above all, stay consistent and determined until you see results. Believe me, all your hard work at the gym will be worth it once you see your biceps and triceps popping out of your shirt!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get bigger arms?

It depends on where you’re starting from, but most blokes notice visible arm growth within 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training. That said, don’t expect overnight miracles — building bigger arms is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re training hard, eating in a caloric surplus, and sleeping eight hours a night, you’re doing everything right. Stay the course and the results will come.

How do you get bigger arms at home?

You don’t need a fully kitted gym to build bigger arms at home. Close-grip chin-ups and triceps bench dips are both bodyweight exercises you can do with nothing more than a pull-up bar and a flat bench. Add a pair of dumbbells into the mix and you can throw in barbell curls (or dumbbell curls), concentration curls, and skullcrushers. That’s a complete arm workout for bigger arms without ever leaving your house.

Are triceps or biceps more important for bigger arms?

Triceps, full stop. I know that sounds counterintuitive — everyone wants bigger biceps — but your triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm size. If you’re skipping tricep exercises for bigger arms, you’re leaving most of your arm growth on the table. Train both, but if you’re going to prioritise one muscle group, make it your triceps.

Do push-ups give you bigger arms?

Push-ups do work your triceps, so they’re not completely useless for arm size. However, they’re not the best exercises to get bigger arms because you can’t easily overload them with progressive resistance — which is the main driver of muscle growth. They’re better used as a warm-up or finisher rather than your primary arm builder. If you’re dead set on training at home, close-grip chin-ups and triceps bench dips will give you far better results.

What’s the best arm workout for bigger arms with dumbbells?

If dumbbells are all you’ve got, you can still build serious arm size. The best dumbbell exercises for bigger arms are dumbbell curls (a great substitute for barbell curls), concentration curls, and dumbbell skullcrushers. Hit these in the 8–12 rep range, push close to muscle failure on each set, and make sure you’re progressively adding weight over time. That’s the formula.

Sources

Young, S., Porcari, J.P., Camic, C., Kovacs, A., & Foster, C. (2014). ACE Study Reveals Best Biceps Exercises. ProSource™, August 2014. American Council on Exercise. https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/prosource/august-2014/4933/ace-study-reveals-best-biceps-exercises/