Hugh Jackman has been preparing to resume his role of clawed crusader Wolverine for Deadpool 3 and his gym sessions were no joke.

The Australian actor recently shared a snippet of his training, showing him tackling what looks like a biceps curl mechanical drop set, all while receiving barked orders from his trainer’s dog Andy.

In the clip, Jackman hits a set of standing EZ-bar curls before leaning over and immediately getting to work on a series of bent-over EZ-bar curls using the same weight. 

But what does this achieve? By getting him to switch his body position, Jackman’s trainer Beth Lewis changes the point of the movement at which his biceps are under the most load.

A standard biceps curl will feel most difficult as your forearms pass the point of being parallel with the ground, whereas a bent-over biceps curl is most challenging at the top of the rep. This shifts the stimulus of the move by hitting the biceps from a different angle, delivering a colossal pump.

And the results are on display for all to see: Jackman’s arms look huge. 

Deadpool 3 is released on July 26 this year and it will be Jackman’s first outing as Wolverine since 2017’s Logan. 

Fans are also excited to see him star alongside a similarly-jacked Ryan Reynolds, with the duo having stoked a fake feud for the last 15 years. 

Despite being friends, the pair have taken light-hearted pot-shots at one another since meeting on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. Now they’re set to reconvene in the MCU, audiences are expecting big things (and they’re not talking about Jackman’s biceps). 

If there’s one exercise that feels beyond most gym-goers, it’s the pull-up. It makes sense that they’re one of the toughest moves to do. After all, you’re lifting your entire body weight.

“Consistency, patience, and progressive overload are essential principles for mastering the pull-up,” says Ali Malik, a personal trainer and founder of Fit Labs Kensington.

Our four-week pull-up workout plan for beginners sticks to those principles, but if you’re keen to speed up your progress or lay strong foundations while you wait for a home pull-up bar to be delivered, Malik has recommended a few exercises that will help you strengthen the muscles you need to do a pull-up.

“Incorporate pull-up-specific exercises into your routine at least two to three times per week, gradually increasing intensity, volume, and resistance over time,” says Malik.

“While calisthenics exercises like pull-ups and bodyweight rows are excellent for building functional strength, incorporating weight training exercises like lat pull-downs, rows and deadlifts can provide additional muscle stimulation and variety to your training regimen,” says Malik.

Here, he shares a variation of bodyweight and weighted exercises to help you achieve your first pull-up or improve the number of reps you’re able to do.

1 Negative pull-up

Why “This eccentric phase of the movement helps build muscle strength and control, which are essential for performing full pull-ups,” says Malik.

How Use a box or a step to get into the top of a pull-up position, with your chin above the bar and your hands gripping the bar shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself as slowly as possible until your arms are fully extended.

2 Band pull-apart

Why “Strengthening the muscles responsible for scapular retraction, such as the rhomboids and lower trapezius, is crucial for pull-up success,” says Malik.

How Stand holding a resistance band in front of you around chest height with your arms extended and your hands shoulder-width apart. Move each hand out to either side as far as you can. Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades before returning to the start under control. 

3 Face pull

Why This is another exercise to strengthen scapular retraction.

How Set up a cable machine with a double rope attachment fixed at eye level. Face the anchor and hold the handles with an overhand grip, palms facing the floor, Step back until your arms are extended at chest height and the cable is taut. Pull the handles towards either side of your face, then rotate your forearms to vertical, your elbow should be at a 90° angle. Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Slowly return the handles to the start.

4 Lat pull-down

Why “Incorporating lat pull-downs and rowing exercises into your strength training routine can target the same muscle groups used in pull-ups, such as the latissimus dorsi, biceps and upper-back muscles,” says Malik. “Gradually increasing resistance and volume will contribute to overall pull-up strength.”

How Sit in a lat pull-down machine and hold the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your palms facing forward. Pull the bar down towards your chest. Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades. You can move backward slightly but don’t swing your torso to generate momentum to move the weight. Return the bar to the start under control.

So you want bigger biceps, but dumbbell curls alone aren’t delivering the results you desire? It’s a familiar story.

One possible solution is to add more variation into your biceps workout, something you can do with the help of certified strength coach Melissa Kendter.

She shared with me one of her training tricks for building bigger biceps, the four-in-one biceps curl, a tougher take on 21s.

How To Do The Four-In-One Curl

Pick a pair of fairly light dumbbells and perform 10 dumbbell curls, followed immediately by 10 partial curls from the bottom of the rep to your belly button, pausing at the top of each rep. Next complete 10 more partial reps, this time covering the top half of the rep from the belly button to your shoulders. Finish with 10 more full reps.

Benefits Of The Four-In-One Curl

Progressive overload, or gradually making an exercise more difficult over time, is a tried-and-tested technique for building strength and muscle. So surely you should work on using heavier dumbbells for your next set of curls? This can work, but adding weight to a lift isn’t the only way to make it more challenging—you can also increase the time the muscle is under tension for. 

“It keeps your biceps under tension for 40 reps, since it’s really four exercises in one,” says Kendter. 

She recommends starting with “a weight you know you can keep under tension for a prolonged period.” This will be relatively light, but you should still be prepared for your biceps to feel on fire during the final few reps. Play with a few different weights to find one that works for you, and gradually increase it as your strength increases.

Once you plateau with this routine, try one of these curls workouts, which includes the bodybuilding favorite run-the-rack workout, or graduate to this arm workout plan.

In the pursuit of bigger arms it’s tempting to dedicate more training time to your biceps at the expense of your triceps. But shifting the balance in favour of the back of your arms is smart since the triceps is the larger muscle.

If you’ve been smashing out arm workouts but still think there’s potential for greater strength and size gains, give this advanced six-move session a try. It combines two complementary triceps exercises into an agonist superset, a particularly challenging type of superset which aims to fully exhaust a specific muscle to force it to grow. And we’ve programmed not one but three of these supersets.

If this session looks too tricky, or the DOMS the day after is too intense, tackle this gym triceps workout instead, which combines the close-grip bench press with triceps dips and two cable machine exercises. It’s similar to this workout but with much less volume.

Or build up the strength in your upper arms with this home triceps workout, which is built on bodyweight exercises, but can be extended with resistance band or dumbbell exercises if you have that equipment available. 

How To Do This Triceps Workout

This is a six-move session divided into three supersets. Do a set of move 1A and go straight on to 1B, sticking to the sets, reps and rest shown until all sets are completed for both. Then follow this same superset pattern for moves 2A and 2B, then 3A and 3B.

To do this workout you will need a workout bench that can be set to a decline, an EZ-bar, a set of dip bars and a cable machine.

Triceps Workout Superset 1

Warm up thoroughly by doing three to four sets each of move 1A and 1B, starting with a low-weight, high-rep set. With each warm-up set increase the weight and reduce the reps until you get to your work-set weight.

1A Decline close-grip press

Sets 4 Reps 12 Rest 60sec

Why Having your elbows tight to your sides shifts the emphasis to your triceps.

How Lie on a decline bench holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width grip. Lower the bar to your stomach, keeping your elbows tight to your sides, then press back up.

1B Decline skullcrusher

Sets 4 Reps 12 Rest 60sec

Why It’s a great move to isolate your triceps and move them through a good range of motion.

How Lie on a decline bench holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width grip. Keeping your elbows pointing straight up, lower the bar down towards your forehead. Pause, then straighten your arms to return to the start.

Triceps Workout Superset 2

Triceps dips and diamond press-ups are two of the most challenging bodyweight moves you can do and they’re seriously effective for building bigger triceps. Focus on good form and keeping each rep slow and controlled to increase muscular workload and minimise any momentum that will cheat you of maximum gains.

2A Triceps dip

Sets 4 Reps 6-12 Rest 60sec

Why It’s the classic bodyweight triceps move because it’s so effective.

How Hold parallel bars with your chest up and abs and glutes engaged. Bend your elbows to lower yourself as far as possible, then press back up powerfully, without fully locking out your arms at the top.

2B Diamond press-up

Sets 4 Reps 6-12 Rest 60sec

Why It’s a tough variation of the press-up that taxes your triceps.

How Form a diamond with your thumbs and index fingers, then lower your chest to the floor. Press back up but don’t lock out your arms.

Triceps Workout Superset 3

These two cable moves will increase the workload on your triceps because they must control the weight on the way up as well as the way down. Keep the reps slow and focus on flexing your triceps as hard as possible as you straighten your arms to recruit even more triceps muscle fibres.

3A Cable overhead extension

Sets 4 Reps 15 Rest 60sec

Why Using a cable keeps tension on your triceps for both the lifting and lowering part of each rep.

How Stand tall, holding the double-rope handle behind your head. Press upwards to straighten your arms, then slowly return back to the start position.

3B Cable press-down

Sets 4 Reps 15 Rest 60sec

Why It’s an easy move but keeping your form strict will work your triceps to full fatigue.

How Stand tall, holding the double-rope handle in both hands. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, press down to straighten your arms fully. Return slowly to the start position, squeezing your biceps hard at the top.

Any arms workout that doesn’t spend at least as much time focusing on the triceps as the biceps is an arms workout that isn’t worthy of you and your (soon-to-be) mighty arms-enal. The triceps make up the majority of the muscle mass in your upper arms, which means if you’re chasing sleeve-busting muscles, you need to be doing triceps exercises regularly.

Training your triceps isn’t just about aesthetics either, as Olu Adepitan, head of fitness at BXR London, explains. “Not only do well developed triceps look good, but they can also enhance sporting performance, because of the association of triceps strength with punch power or throwing a ball at speed.”

Below, Annabelle Breakenridge, head trainer at F45 Peckham Rye, Carl Martin, personal training manager at Equinox, along with Adepitan and our good selves, guide you through a selection of triceps exercises. 

We’ve broken the exercises up into sections based on what equipment they require. First up we have exercises you can do at home using just your bodyweight, then we’ve picked out dumbbell exercises which work your triceps, and lastly there’s a selection of moves that you’ll probably need to do at the gym since they require a barbell, cable machine or other equipment you’re unlikely to have about the house.

But first, a science lesson.

Triceps Anatomy

The triceps—technically triceps brachii—makes up three-fifths of the upper arm musculature, versus the biceps brachii’s two-headed muscle. The triceps comprise three heads, each of which plays a different role in pressing movements and supporting the shoulders and elbows: 

The long head: Running from the shoulder blade down the length of the humerus, this is responsible for the majority of the size of the triceps. The best exercises to target this muscle are those involving a full range of contraction with the arms overhead, such as overhead extensions and skullcrushers. 

The lateral head: This makes up the outer side of the back of the arm, and is the most visible, providing the back of the upper arm with width. The best exercises to target this eye-catching body part are moves with your arms by your side and an overhand grip, such as bench dips and kick-backs. 

The medial head: Located on the inside of the arm, and covered by the other two, the medial head is responsible for providing stability to the elbow joint. The best exercises to target this head are moves with your arms by your side and an underhand grip, such as reverse-grip cable pull-downs. 

Best Triceps Exercises To Do At Home

Bench dip

“Place two flat benches parallel to one another, around 1-1.5m apart (adjust the width to suit your height),” says Adepitan. “Place your hands on the edge of the bench, around shoulder-width apart, and put your heels on the edge of the other bench.

“Keeping your body close to the bench, slowly lower in a dip until your elbows are at the same height as your shoulders. Slowly push back up, squeezing through the triceps. Do not lock out your elbows at the top of the exercise.”

Diamond press-up

“This is similar to the standard press-up, but you bring your hands together and form a diamond shape with your index fingers and thumbs, which puts more emphasis on the triceps as you perform the exercise,” says Breakenridge.

Make sure you keep your elbows close to your sides as you drop down and push back up – this will ensure you are hitting your triceps as hard as possible.

Press-up

The diamond press-up variation may put more focus on the triceps but the classic press-up is still great for your upper arms and you might find you can complete more reps by mixing up the variations you do.

Start on all fours, supporting yourself on your toes and palms with your arms extended and hands under your shoulders. Your body should form a straight line between your shoulders, hips and heels. Take approximately three seconds to lower your chest to the ground, keeping your elbows tight to your sides. Once your chest is roughly 5cm off the ground, press back up with force, taking one second to return to the top position.

Plyometric press-up

This variation is a great way to build explosive power in your triceps. If you love to prove the haters wrong, the sound of the solitary slow hand-clap you’re giving yourself may spur you on to go the extra mile.

Start in the standard top press-up position with your core braced. Lower your chest towards the ground, then push up explosively. As your body comes up, bring your hands off the ground and clap them together, then place them down again before your face hits the floor.

Best Dumbbell Triceps Exercises

Triceps kick-back

Kick-backs are often done with the cable machine, but you can also do them effectively using dumbbells. Doing so works each arm individually, helping to even out any strength imbalances in your triceps. 

“Position yourself on the left side of the bench with your right knee and right hand resting on it,” says Adepitan. “Using a neutral grip, pick up the dumbbell with your left hand. Keep your back straight and look forward. Tuck your left upper arm close to your torso and bend at the elbow, forming a 90° angle with your upper arm and forearm.

“Moving only below the elbow, raise the dumbbell behind you until your arm is fully extended. Pause, and then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat this movement for the desired number of reps and then switch to your right arm.”

Dumbbell overhead triceps extension

Using dumbbells rather than the cable machine works each arm individually, helping to even out any strength imbalances in your triceps. The move is done in the same way as with a cable machine. Start holding both dumbbells above your head with your arms extended.

“With your elbows tucked in close to your ears, hinge at the elbow to move the dumbbells behind your head and then extend back fully to the top,” says Breakenridge.

Lying dumbbell triceps extension

“Many gym-goers place an undue amount of stress on their elbow joints,” says Martin, “so if you’re going to do triceps extensions of any kind where you flex the elbow, dumbbells are preferable because they allow a greater range of movement. Lying on a flat bench, press two dumbbells above your head with your elbows facing forwards. Lower the dumbbells towards your shoulders by flexing at the elbow. Once there, return to the start by contracting your triceps and extending your elbows until the dumbbells are back overhead. Don’t fully lock the elbows at the top so that you maintain tension in the muscles.”

Skullcrusher

Hold a weight above your head, then bring it closer to your head. Yep, we’ll file this one under “advanced”. As simple as it sounds, it’s not for beginners.

Lie on your back on a flat bench holding two dumbbells with your arms extended straight up and palms facing. For (hopefully) obvious reasons, choose a light weight while you familiarise yourself with the form and demands of the move.

Keeping your upper arms stationary throughout, bend at your elbows to slowly lower the weights under control towards your forehead, then use your triceps to raise the dumbbells back to the start. You can use an EZ-bar or a barbell, but there’s a greater chance of losing control with these, so only consider them once you’ve truly mastered the dumbbell version.

Best Triceps Exercises For The Gym

Triceps press-down

“Attach a straight or angled bar to a high pulley,” says Adepitan, “and hold it with your palms facing down (overhand grip) and your hands shoulder-width apart. Standing upright with your torso straight, bring your upper arms close to your body and perpendicular to the floor. Your forearms should be pointing up towards the pulley.

“Using your triceps to move your forearms, bring the bar down until it touches the front of your thighs with your arms fully extended and perpendicular to the floor. Your upper arms should remain stationary next to your torso. After holding for one second at the contracted position, bring the bar slowly back up to the starting point. Exhale as you bring the bar down and breathe in as you return to the start position.”

Triceps reverse press-down

“Start by setting a bar attachment (straight or EZ-bar) on a high pulley of the cable machine,” says Adepitan. “Facing the bar attachment with feet shoulder-width apart, grab it with palms facing up (supinated grip) and hands shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar by using your lats until your arms are fully extended by your sides with elbows tucked in.

“Moving your forearms but keeping your elbows and upper arms stationary by your sides, slowly bring the bar attachment up, inhaling as you go, until it is at chest height. Lower the cable bar back to the starting position while exhaling and contracting the triceps.”

Cable overhead triceps extension

“Attach a rope to the bottom pulley of the cable machine,” says Adepitan. “Face away from the pulley and, holding the rope with both hands with palms facing each other (neutral grip), extend your arms until your hands are directly above your head. Your elbows should be in close to your head and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor with the knuckles pointing to the ceiling.

“Slowly lower the rope behind your head as you hold the upper arms stationary. Inhale as you perform this movement and pause when your triceps are fully stretched. Breathe out as you return to the starting position by flexing your triceps.”

Cable unilateral triceps extension

“Stand directly in front of the weight stack in a staggered stance,” says Adepitan. “With your right hand, grasp a single handle attached to the high pulley using an underhand grip so your palm faces up. Pull the handle down so that your upper arm and elbow are locked in to the side of your body. Your upper arm and forearm should form an acute angle (less than 90°).

“Contract your triceps and breathe out as you move your forearm to bring the attachment down to your side until your arm is straight. Squeeze your triceps and hold for a second in this contracted position. Slowly return the handle to the starting position. Complete all reps, then switch arms.”

Bars dip

“Position yourself in dip bars,” says Adepitan. “Bend your knees, slowly lower yourself, then press back up. Make sure to look up, keep your body straight and keep your elbows next to your body so they bend back behind you, rather than out to the sides.”

Close-grip bench 

“Lie with your back on a flat bench,” says Adepitan. “With hands around shoulder-width apart, lift the barbell from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked.

“Lower the bar slowly until the bar touches the middle of your chest, inhaling as you go. Make sure that, as opposed to a regular bench press, you keep the elbows close to your torso at all times in order to maximise the involvement of your triceps. Pause for a second, then press the bar back to the starting position using your triceps muscles, exhaling as you go. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.”

Barbell/EZ-bar French press

“The French press is an important exercise for the long head of the triceps,” says Martin, “but if done incorrectly it can place a huge amount of stress on the elbow joint.

“Set a bench on a high incline (90° or a notch shy of). Hold the bar overhead with a narrow grip and your elbows facing forwards. Bend at the elbows, then allow the weight of the bar to pull your arms back until your forearms are next to your head. Then drag your elbows forwards while pressing the bar back up to the start position. Use a controlled motion throughout and make sure your elbows don’t flare during the movement. To help keep tension in the muscles, don’t fully lock the elbows at the top.”

Try These Triceps Workouts Next 

• The gym workout to build bigger triceps
• Tri hard: a tough superset triceps workout
• Train your triceps in the sunshine with this outdoor triceps workout
• The toughest dumbbell triceps workout out there

While the arms are not an area of the body many of us neglect in the gym – who doesn’t want bigger arms? – all too often people’s repertoire of arm exercises doesn’t extend far beyond biceps curls.

That’s an issue if you want to add strength or size to your arms, if only because it’s the triceps that actually make up the bulk of your upper arms. To fill up your arm exercise playbook, we enlisted Mila Lazar, head of HIIT at boutique gym Another_Space, and Keith McNiven, founder of personal training company Right Path Fitness, for advice.

“Working your arms doesn’t have to involve a ton of equipment, or be a laborious task,” says Lazar. “Not only will the moves below give you more defined arms, but they also work various other muscle groups at the same time.”

Here, Lazar and McNiven detail their picks of the best arm exercises for beginner, intermediate and advanced gym-goers, and we throw in a few of our favourites, too.

Beginner Arm Exercises

Dumbbell overhead triceps extension

“This is a simple move that really isolates your triceps muscles,” says Lazar. “Hold a dumbbell in both hands and lift it above your head until your arms are fully extended. Lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending your elbows, and then return back to the fully extended position.”

Standing biceps curl

“Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keeping your elbows in line with your torso,” says Lazar. “Curl the weights up towards your shoulders, then back down towards your hips.”

Dumbbell overhead press

“I always include the overhead press in my training because it strengthens joints as well as improving your upper-body strength,” says Lazar. “Hold two dumbbells at head height with your elbows bent at a 90° angle. Press the dumbbells above your head, fully extending your arms.”

Kettlebell halo

The kettlebell halo is a great beginner exercise because it doesn’t matter who you are, you have to use a light weight – it’s murder on the arms. That means you won’t (hopefully) be tempted to overdo it when perusing the kettlebell rack.

Taking a firm grip on the handles of the light kettlebell you’ve chosen, raise it until it’s in front of your face with the handles pointing away from you. Slowly rotate the bell around your head. Change the angle of the kettlebell as you rotate but not your grip. Go at a slow pace and watch out for your head. One lap around the noggin is a rep. Aim for five rotations in one direction, then do the same number the other way.

Intermediate Arm Exercises

Triceps dip

“If you’re at the gym find a bench for this exercise,” says McNiven. “And if you’re at home or outdoors, a chair or park bench will work equally well.

“Grip the edge of the bench. Your legs should be out in front of you, with your knees bent at around 90°. Slowly lower yourself using your triceps muscles until your elbows are bent at around 90°, then come back up to full extension. As you progress, straighten the legs as this means more work for your triceps.”

Press-up

“The press-up might seem like a boring move, but it’s a great one for working multiple muscle groups at the same time, and it also builds core strength”, says Lazar. “Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and arms extended, and legs straight supporting your weight on your toes. Lower your chest to the ground, then push back up.”

Front raise to lateral raise

“Hold two dumbbells at your sides, palms facing you, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart,” says Lazar. “With your elbows slightly bent, raise the dumbbells to shoulder height in front of you and lower them again. Then raise them to shoulder height out to your sides. Continue to alternate between front and side (lateral) raises.”

Zottman curl

Another standing curl, but one that hits a wider range of muscles than the traditional biceps curl. Not only do you work the biceps from more angles with the Zottman variation, but you will also increase your forearm strength. That forearm strength will translate into a powerful grip, which aids in all manner of lifts as well as giving you a powerhouse of a handshake.

To perform the Zottman curl hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing. Curl the weights up to your shoulders slowly, twisting your wrists so your palms face you by the time you reach the top of the movement. Turn your wrists again so that your palms are facing down, then slowly lower the weights.

Chin-up

It’s hard to find a bodyweight exercise that works your biceps as well as the chin-up, and the improvements it’ll make to your grip strength will also help when it comes to free-weight work. Grasp a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, your palms facing you and arms fully extended. Pull yourself up until your chin is level with the bar. Pause and squeeze your biceps – the increased blood flow will improve growth – then lower under control. Aim for three sets of four, but make sure each rep is slow and controlled.

Concentration curl

Done correctly, the biceps curl is a brilliantly effective way to bulk up your upper arms, but it’s also a move where it’s very easy to cheat a little – a small sway during the exercise can go a long way in creating momentum, which reduces the load on your arms. The concentration curl is a variation that eliminates this possibility – the position and pace of the move ensure you keep the focus on your biceps throughout.

Sit on a bench set to a height where your knees are bent at 90° with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and lean forwards so your arm is hanging down and the back of your upper arm is against the inside of your right thigh. Slowly curl the weight up, moving only your forearm – the position of your arm against your thigh will help with this. Pause at the top and squeeze your biceps, then slowly lower back to the start. Do all your reps on one arm, then switch.

Battle rope wave

It’s a move that just looks good, which is lucky because that fact makes you temporarily forget how quickly battle rope waves become a battle just to keep going. Persevere, however, and they’ll contribute to outstanding biceps and get your heart rate rocketing. They’re mainly about pure intensity, which means they make for a great intermediate exercise.

Grab a rope in each hand and lower into a squat. Raise one arm fast and with force up to shoulder or head height. As you slam that rope down, bring the other up – neither arm should rest until the set is over. Keep alternating the slams as fast as you can, although you should pace yourself to whatever work period you’ve chosen.

Because of the seriously high rep counts, work in 30-second to one-minute bursts for a total time of five to ten minutes.

Spider curl

This biceps curl variation allows for a greater range of motion and keeps the muscles under tension for a longer period, making it an effective move for anyone seeking to add bulk to their upper arms. You’ll need a barbell or EZ-bar and a bench set at a 45° angle.

Lie face down on the bench with your feet on the floor, and hold the bar under you with your palms facing up. Slowly curl the bar up, pause for a second at the top of the move, then lower it under control. Having your arms hanging down is what gives you the larger range of motion, but it also makes it easy to cheat and use other muscles and momentum, so make sure you’re only moving your forearms and perform the move slowly and deliberately.

Zercher carry

The epitome of a functional exercise, the Zercher carry will make you good at carrying things in front of you, whether that’s inside or outside of the gym. It’s great for your core strength and also works the biceps, forearms and shoulders.

First you need to find an appropriate weight – a sandbag or log is ideal, or you can use a normal barbell with pads. Set up your weight off the ground in front of you so you can pick it up, just below elbow height. Bend your knees to lower into a squat and cradle the weight in your elbow crease. Drive up to standing and walk a set distance, ensuring that the weight is in your arms. Turn around, walk back and put the weight back down.

See related 

• The Biceps Exercises You Need To Get Bigger Biceps
• The Best Triceps Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• Fill Your Sleeves With This Tri-Set Arms Workout

Advanced Arm Exercises

Ring dip

“Start by adjusting the height of the rings so your feet won’t touch the ground between reps,” says McNiven. “Mount the rings and get in a support position – you should be above the rings with your arms straight and supporting your bodyweight. Lower your body in a controlled manner, keeping your arms close to your sides, then press back up to the support position.”

Close-grip triceps press-up

One of the most popular variations on the press-up, the close-grip or diamond press-up shifts the emphasis to the triceps, while still working the shoulders and chest. “I love the triceps press-up because it really challenges your arms to work a bit harder, while also engaging your core,” says Lazar. “Get into a press-up position but place your hands closer than shoulder-width apart under your chest. Lower yourself until your chest just touches the ground, then push back up.” This version is harder than the standard move, so don’t be surprised if you can’t do as many reps.

Handstand press-up

“The handstand press-up is another move that really pushes your arms a bit further than the traditional press-up,” says Lazar, “and it is also great for increasing stability and balance – plus it’s fun to do! Kick your feet up so you are in a handstand position against a wall and bend your arms to lower yourself as far as possible, then push back up.”

Barbell front raise

“Holding a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart, allow your arms to hang straight down to mid-thigh height,” says Lazar. “Raise the bar straight out in front of you with your arms extended until it reaches shoulder height, then slowly lower it back to the starting position.”

Close-grip chin-up

Move your hands close together for this chin-up variation, which places even more emphasis on the biceps than the standard chin-up. Focus on really squeezing the biceps at the top of the move, then lower slowly.

Bench press

The mighty bench press may be a chest-day staple, but as a compound exercise it also makes demands on your arms – mainly your triceps. Load up a barbell with a weight you can move for approximately three sets of eight reps, getting close to exhaustion for the last set (make sure you have a spotter for that final set). Lie on a bench and hold the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your palms facing away from you. Unrack the bar and slowly lower it – aim to take three seconds. When your elbows are bent at 90° and the bar is close to your chest, pause and then press the barbell up powerfully.

Round the world pull-up

This is a serious upper-body exercise that will heat your forearms up. Grasp a pull-up bar using an overhand grip with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. As you pull up, move your body to one side and then back to centre as you reach the top of the move. Move your body slowly and under control to the other side as you lower. Aim for one or two going clockwise and the same going anticlockwise. Your rep target should be low, especially when you’re just starting out, but remember to work both ways equally – the last thing you want is to build muscle imbalances.

You probably don’t need us to tell you that the pull-up is one of the toughest bodyweight exercises there is. If you’ve ever attempted to knock out a set in the gym, or just pull yourself up and over a wall out in the real world, you’ll know the demands it places on your back, shoulder and arm muscles.

Being able to perform a strict pull-up is a great goal to have and our comprehensive guide to the movement can help you achieve just that. We also have form tips to help you refine your technique, and variations and challenges you can try once you’ve nailed it. But first, a few frequently asked questions, answered.

Pull-Up Benefits

Aside from the sense of achievement that comes with mastering a feat of strength most people struggle with, what are the benefits of hoicking yourself above a bar? To find out, we spoke to Fiona Scott, head of physical performance at Performance Herts at the University of Hertfordshire.

“The pull-up is a compound exercise, meaning it involves more than one muscle group,” says Scott. “This is positive news for anyone wanting to get globally strong. It’s a good way to train if you’re short on time too.” 

By using the muscles in your back and arms, this exercise will help build transferable strength that can improve your performance in the barbell bent-over row, a fundamental strength training move. 

But there are more benefits to performing pull-ups than just building muscle. “They can do wonders for your shoulders,” says Scott. “You’re holding your own bodyweight and you’re also moving through a good range of motion. The shoulder can have a lot of problems associated with it because it has such a free range of movement—the more movement a joint has, the more issues can often affect it. 

“In the initial part of the pull-up movement, you should do something called scap-setting. This is bringing the scapula, or shoulder blade, into a favourable position to perform the rest of the movement.” 

Scott warns that many people miss out on this benefit because they don’t start and finish in a dead hang position, so skip the lower portion of the movement. 

“When you’re at a full hang you’re training the muscles around the scapula (which are often weaker due to our hunched posture in everyday life) like the lower traps and rhomboids. You’re also strengthening the rotator cuff muscles, which many people become familiar with through injuries.”

How To Do A Pull-Up

You probably think you know how to do a pull-up, but refining your technique makes it easier to do and helps you get more from it. Here’s Scott’s expert form guide. 

First, grasp the bar with an overhand grip, palms facing forwards, with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Depending on the height of the bar, you may need to jump up to grab the bar, or if you’re new to pull-ups, a box or step can help you get into position.

“Start in a dead hang, gripping the bar with your arms fully extended,”says Scott. “Then it’s time for scap-setting: pull your shoulder blades back towards each other and down.”

Brace your core and glutes to keep your legs and torso stable, then begin the movement. “Use your lats to pull yourself upwards—imagine you’re trying to pull your elbows into your jean pockets,” says Scott. “Your end point will depend on your shoulder mobility, but usually you should aim to bring your chin at least above the bar.”

Pull-Ups For Beginners

“It isn’t common for people to just walk up to a bar and do a pull-up straight away,” says Scott. “And, unlike other exercises like the back squat where you can start with bodyweight versions before progressing to a barbell, it’s a difficult movement from the off.”

Fortunately, there are techniques that will help beginners develop the strength required to do a pull-up—and develop quicker than they may expect.

“Most people will need to use regression options,” says Scott. The first thing to do is to learn to hang on to the bar. Build up to being able to do a dead hang for 30 seconds—that shows you can manage your own bodyweight. 

“Next up is practising scap-setting. This is where, in that hang position, you pull yourself up a couple of inches just using your shoulders (your arms should remain straight). The cue I use for that movement is to imagine squeezing a satsuma between your shoulder blades, then relax. If you struggle to do this with your bodyweight, you can also perform this exercise on a lat pull-down machine.”

After you feel comfortable with this, use banded pull-ups and eccentric pull-ups (explained in our sections on variations below) to build strength in your back and biceps. 

Our pull-up workout plan for beginners brings all this together in a four-week schedule. All you need is a pull-up bar, and our guide to the best pull-up bars helps you find one.

Pull-Up Assistance Lifts

Try these supportive machine moves to power up your pull-up prowess.

Lat pull-down

This machine move most closely replicates the muscle actions required to do pull-ups. The wider your hands on the bar, the more you isolate your lats, making each rep harder.

Cable face pull

This works wonders for your pull-up ability by not only improving your hunched-over posture from too much sitting but also making you learn how to retract your shoulder blades properly, which is key to perfect pull-up form. Do three light sets of 15 after your back or shoulders session.

Pull-Up Form Tips

For advice on how to perfect your pull-up technique, we spoke to Alasdair Nicoll, personal trainer and tutor at The Fitness Group, which provides personal training courses.

1. Face Your Chest Up

“Start off with your hands one-hand-width outside of shoulder-width apart,” says Nicoll. “Then extend your spine slightly and have your chest high, facing towards the ceiling, as if you’re looking almost directly up, so there’s a natural slight curve in the upper back.”

2. Don’t Think About Pulling Yourself Up

“Instead of thinking about pulling yourself up, I suggest people think about driving their elbows down into their hips,” says Nicoll. “What’s going to happen is your lat muscles and your upper-back muscles, like the rhomboids and traps, take over.

“Whereas when you think about pulling yourself up, often there’s going to be more strain and stress put through the biceps, which isn’t the goal of the pull-up.

“More engagement in the upper back means much more control of the movement.”

3. Use Tempo

“Be really explosive and powerful on that way up, then have a slight pause at the top position for one second, then on the way down it can be two or three, even four seconds,” says Nicoll. “That way you’re really going to be utilizing that eccentric portion of the exercise, making sure that the back is getting a good stretch all the way through.”

Different Pull-Up Grips

Overhand grip

An overhand grip pull-up is the hardest to do, because it places more of the workload on your lats. The wider your grip, the less help your lats get from other muscles, making a rep harder.

Underhand grip

This grip turns a pull-up into a chin-up, and places more emphasis on your biceps, which makes it more of an arms move than a back one. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart.

Neutral grip

A neutral or palms-facing grip is your strongest hand position because it distributes the workload between multiple muscles. Use it initially to start building strength, or even as your final grip for a drop set.

Pull-Up Challenges

When you become a relative pull-up pro, test your mettle with these challenges.

Russian Special Forces challenge

This test stems from the entrance exam undertaken by new recruits to the Russian Special Forces. It’s not for the faint-hearted. You’ll need to perform 18 complete pull-ups without sacrificing form or technique. If that doesn’t sound tough enough, you’ll have a 10kg weight attached to your body—either in the form of a kettlebell, plate or weighted vest.

Dead hang challenge

Select a weight with which you can perform 15 comfortable pull-ups. That may be your bodyweight alone, or you may be able to add 5-10kg via a weighted vest or dipping belt. Your challenge is to hang at the bottom portion of the lift for 1-2min (depending on fitness level). It’s not as easy as it sounds, and to make it tougher, retract your shoulder blades as if you were about to perform an actual pull-up—and hold that position. This is extremely useful for those looking to quickly gain strength on the pull-up.

The 10-set press-up/pull-up combo

Five pull-ups, straight into 10 press-ups. No rest in between. Ten sets. Ideally perform this at the end of your session for a strength and endurance test. It’s a favourite of Combined Strength coach Andy MacKenzie, and while appearing relatively simple at first glance, will lead to a lung-busting finish.

Pull-Up Variations

We’ve put together 13 variations—from the first-time negative pull-up to the ultra-difficult towel grip pull-up—to help progress your pull-up game. Once you can do a set of six to eight reps, move up the scale. Adding an extra pull-up each week is a good rule of thumb.

1. Banded pull-up

How to do it Loop a resistance band around the pull-up bar and place one foot in the loop. The greater the resistance of the band, the more assistance it will provide. 

Why? “This is a way to reduce the load of a pull-up on your muscles,” says Scott. “The band will help you more at the bottom of the movement and less at the top. This works well for most people because they’re weakest in the first phase of the exercise, pulling from a dead hang, and strongest at the top.”

2. Negative/eccentric pull-up

How to do it “Your starting position should be at the top of a pull-up with your chin above the bar,” says Scott. “To get there, you can jump up or use a box to give you a helping hand. Then, slowly lower yourself down to a dead hang, taking between five and ten seconds.”

Why? “We are stronger in the eccentric portion of the movement. So if we can’t do a pull-up, we can learn to control our body through this range of motion and build strength until we can eventually perform one.”

3. Kipping pull-up

How to do it Exactly the same as the classic move, except you swing your legs to generate the momentum to pull to the top of the move.

Why? Practising with this move will build power in all your major back muscles.

4. Close-grip chin-up

How to do it Take a narrow grip with your hands so that your palms are in front of your face.

Why? This variation increases the involvement of your biceps, reducing the load on your back muscles and making the move slightly easier.

5. Classic pull-up

How to do it Grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Let your body hang straight down with your arms fully extended. Pull up and squeeze your lats until your chin is over the bar, before lowering slowly to the start position without swinging.

Why? Because it's an old-school classic that will work your upper-body like few other exercises.

6. Tarzan pull-up

How to do it Grip the middle of the bar, with both hands almost touching. Pull yourself up and, as you reach the top, twist your body to go up and to the right before lowering and then repeating to the left side.

Why? This requires greater co-ordination during the 'up' move to raise your body to each side, while a strong core is developed to prevent your lower body from swinging.

7. Side-to-side pull-up

How to do it Grip the middle of the bar, with both hands almost touching, as with the Tarzan pull-up, but raise yourself higher, so that your head can clear the bar for each shoulder to touch it on alternate reps. Get good at this tricky move by first focusing on pulling yourself up as high as possible, ideally so that your chest touches the bar. As you get stronger move your head to one side of the bar to get even higher, and alternate sides with each rep.

Why? This variation requires a more explosive “pull” to get you, then keep you, moving to clear the bar. It also means you need greater core control and stability to manage your bodyweight when it’s moving quickly.

8. Pull-up with alternating knee twist

How to do it At the top of the move, draw your knees in to your chest before twisting to the left, then to the right, before lowering slowly to the start.

Why? Your entire core is engaged during the twists, working your abs and obliques, while forcing your muscles to hold you in the 'up' position while you twist.

9. Pull-up with leg raise

How to do it As you reach the top of the move, raise your legs out in front of you until they are parallel to the floor before lowering.

Why? This move will also work your abs and slow down each rep, forcing your back muscles to work harder.

10. Walking pull-up

How to do it With a standard shoulder-width grip, move your legs back and forth in a walking motion as you raise and lower yourself. To “walk” yourself up super-slowly you need to work on your strength. Start with straight pull-ups with knee raises, then fast walking, getting gradually slower.

Why? This is one tough variation, and the slower you raise and lower yourself, the tougher it is. It also requires your core to work harder to keep your leg movement stable.

11. Weighted pull-up

How to do it Secure a weight plate to a belt or place a dumbbell between your legs before performing the move.

Why? If you can do regular pull-ups without too much trouble, the additional weight will shock your muscles into growing bigger and stronger.

12. Round the world

How to do it Pull yourself to the top. As you approach the bar, lift up and to the left before moving across to the right and completing a semi-circle before lowering.

Why? This tough move requires huge strength to hold your body firm while moving sideways and downwards under control.

13. Towel grip pull-up

How to do it Wrap two towels over the bar and grip one with each hand shoulder-width apart. Gripping the towels, pull yourself up to the bar before lowering slowly.

Why? Using towels requires great grip strength and builds forearm muscle power, as well as taxing the whole upper back and biceps.

Generally, health and fitness is about taking the holistic approach of staying active and eating well in order to live a long and happy life. But sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s just about one thing: building massive, sleeve-splitting upper arms. And for that, you need the best triceps exercises – you need the triceps dip in your life.

That’s because while people tend to focus on their biceps, the triceps are actually a bigger muscle group than their glamorous, front-of-arm counterparts. So if you’re chasing size, neglecting the back of your arms is pure folly.

The triceps are made up of three heads, hence their name, and if you want to increase the strength and size of your upper arms you need to work all three. Fortunately, you can do just that with one exercise – the triceps dip.

Read on for everything you need to know about this fundamental bodyweight exercise, including a range of variations you can use to increase the difficulty involved once you’ve mastered the standard dip.

How To Do Triceps Dips

Wherever and however you dip, the key is arm position. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart on the surface you are dipping from, with your arms straight. Squeeze your core and glutes then raise your chin and chest to keep your body tight. From there, start the move by bending your elbows. Dip down until your arms are at a 90-degree angle.

Pause at the bottom for a one or two count, then press back up powerfully, ensuring you keep your core and glutes tight to prevent your legs swinging. Don’t fully lock out your arms at the top; keeping a slight bend in your elbows at the top forces your triceps to work far harder.

To expose your triceps to as much time under tension as possible – a key stimulus for adding new muscle tissue – lower your body as slowly as you can. Aim for two seconds at first, building up over time to four seconds. Get as low as you can without stressing your shoulders.

Three sets of eight to ten dips, perhaps pushing the third set until you physically can dip no more, should leave your upper arms in tatters for a day or two.

At the gym you can do dips that support your whole body on parallel bars, but you can also use a bench or chair to dip anywhere with your feet on the floor. Just make sure whatever surface is involved can take your body weight, and it’s probably wise not to opt for a chair on wheels…

Triceps Dips Form Tips

“The dip is one of the best exercises for building triceps size and strength for a number of important reasons,” says Viktor Genov (pictured), a personal trainer at Fitness First Tottenham Court Road. “First, they allow for a great range of motion, which is critical to working a muscle fully. As a compound lift that causes shoulder extension and elbow extension, the dip also recruits more muscle fibres, and the movement pattern allows a big stretch at the bottom position as well as a big contraction at the top.”

If you can’t do a full bodyweight dip, Genov advises starting with a band-assisted variation. “This will enable you to master the movement pattern and begin to build the strength needed to do the full move,” he says. “You can also make it easier by leaning your chest forwards and bringing your knees closer to your chest.”

Grip

Parallel bars are the best option for dips. “For the ideal hand placement the bars should be no wider than the length of your forearm,” says Genov. “If your hands are any wider apart then you will shift tension away from your triceps and towards your shoulders, so you risk placing too much stress on your shoulder joints.”

Abs

As with press-ups, it’s essential your abs are fully engaged from the moment before you start the set to the moment after it’s finished. “Bracing your abs effectively is so important to getting better at bodyweight moves,” says Genov. “You can improve your ability to engage your abs by doing more planks. If you want to master bodyweight exercises, planks will become your best friend.”

Shoulders

“Your shoulders must work very hard in the dip because they need to be fixed in position the whole time, pushed forwards and downwards,” says Genov. “Keep your head as far back as you can with your chin up, not pressed down towards your chest, and tense your neck muscles to keep your head still. Lower yourself until your shoulders are level with your elbows – don’t go any lower than this because it risks straining your shoulder joint and removes tension from the triceps.”

Elbows

“Keep your elbows tucked in to your torso as much as possible and don’t ever let them flare out to the sides,” Genov says. “By doing this you will place and keep more tension on the triceps and reduce the potential stress on your elbow and shoulder joints.”

Toes

“Pointing the toes straight down ensures complete tension throughout the entire body,” says Genov. “Most people always try to make a bodyweight move easier, but that makes it less effective. By making it harder and placing the maximum tension on the target muscle – in this case, the triceps – you are making these muscles work harder and that’s what gets the best results.”

Targets

• Beginner Up to 5 band-assisted reps at a 2131 tempo
• Intermediate Up to 5 reps at a 2131 tempo
• Advanced 10+ reps at a 1121 tempo
• Viktor Genov’s PB 15

Triceps Dips Variations

From beginner to expert, dips are versatile enough to include in anyone’s workout. One way to tweak the move is to lean forwards to increase the involvement of the pecs, instead of holding your torso upright which keeps the focus on the triceps.

To keep mixing things up, master each of these variations before moving on to the next.

1. Bench dip with knees bent

How Place your hands on a bench or box behind you with your feet together and flat on the floor with knees bent. Lower slowly as far as you can, then press back up powerfully.

Why This is a beginner-friendly move because the amount of your own bodyweight that you have to lift is reduced by the position of your legs.

2. Bench dip with legs straight

How Place your hands on a bench or box behind you with your feet together, legs straight and heels on the floor. Lower slowly as far as you can, then press back up powerfully.

Why While still a beginner-friendly move, this variation is slightly tougher because you have to lift and lower a higher proportion of your own bodyweight.

3. Bench dip with legs raised

How Place your hands on a bench or box behind you with your feet together on a slightly lower bench or box with knees bent. Lower slowly as far as you can, then press back up powerfully.

Why Having your feet elevated increases the amount of bodyweight you have to lift and lower, making this a more challenging variation.

4. Parallel bars dip

How Grasp parallel bars using an overhand grip and raise your body until your arms are straight. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, lower slowly as far as you can, then press back up powerfully.

Why This is the classic triceps dip and mastering it will help you add size and strength to the backs of your upper arms. Always warm up your triceps as well as your elbow and shoulder joints before doing this move.

5. Parallel bars dip with weights

How Attach weights to a weight belt and grasp parallel bars using an overhand grip, then raise your body until your arms are straight. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, lower slowly as far as you can then press back up powerfully.

Why Once you can comfortably manage three sets of ten parallel bars dips, sticking to a slow and controlled tempo, you may want to consider adding extra resistance to your reps in the form of a weight plate. This will challenge your muscles far more, but start out with a small plate – 2.5kg to 5kg – and build up the extra resistance slowly so your muscles and joints have time to adjust.

More Triceps Dips Variations

Band-assisted dip

If you’re using bars or a dipping station you can use a resistance band to make the move easier, as you can with pull-ups. Loop a long band between the bars and rest your knees on it. Lower as normal, then enjoy some assistance from the band as you push back up.

As you get more confident with the move you can sub in lighter bands, gradually reducing the assistance until you need no bands at all to perform a dip. Keep hold of those bands, though, because you can loop them over your shoulders to create resistance, making the exercise harder.

Dip with leg raise

Adding a core cruncher like a hanging leg raise at the end of your dip varies the benefits of the move, as well as making it a whole lot harder. Dip from a station or bars as normal, then push back up until your arms lock out. Hold your torso still as you lift your legs until they are extended in front of you, parallel to the ground. Hold the position for a second, then lower your legs slowly back to the start and go straight into your next dip.

While you might view resistance bands as a bit lightweight compared with free-weights, all that really means is you’re not using your bands right. With the right workout, you can use resistance bands to achieve most fitness goals, and that includes adding muscle to your upper arms.

This resistance band workout from Beachbody On Demand super trainer Joel Freeman focuses entirely on your biceps and triceps, so if you’re looking to build sleeve-busting upper arms, grab your bands and get going. No bands? Choose a set from our selection of the best resistance bands and open up a whole new world of home workouts. 

Resistance Band Workout For Your Arms

Using a resistance band with handles makes most of these exercises a little easier to perform, but you can adjust the instructions to work with a large looped band or a straight band without handles. You can make any move harder by standing on the band with both feet rather than just one, which shortens the band, or by switching your band for a heavier one.

1 Biceps curl

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Holding each handle, with your arms by your sides and palms facing forwards, place one foot on the middle of the band to secure it to the floor. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, bring your hands up towards your chest, stopping a few centimetres before you touch it or when your elbows start to leave your sides, whichever comes first. Bring your hands back down and repeat.

2 Wide curl

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Holding each handle, with your arms by your sides and palms facing forwards, place one foot on the middle of the band to secure it to the floor. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, bring your hands up and to the sides to create a W shape with your arms and upper body, then bring them up towards your armpits/chest, stopping before your elbows start to leave your sides. Bring your hands back down and repeat.

3 Hammer curl

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Adopt the same starting position as with both curls, but with your palms facing each other. Repeat the same movement as the biceps curl, keeping your palms facing. Bring back down and repeat.

4 Bottom half curl

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Start in the same position as the biceps curl. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, bring your hands up towards your chest, but stop at mid-torso level and come back down. Think of a full biceps curl, but you’re only doing the bottom half of the movement.

5 Top half curl

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Your starting position is halfway through a biceps curl, with your hands at mid-torso level holding the band with your elbows by your sides. Raise your hands until they’re a few centimetres from your chest or when your elbows start to leave your sides, whichever comes first. Think of a full biceps curl, but you’re only doing the top half.

6 Triceps kick-back

Sets 4 Reps 12-15 each side

Holding one handle with your right hand, place your right foot on the middle of the band to secure it to the floor, and take a small step back with your left foot to get into a split stance, with your left heel off the floor. Hinge at your hips and lower your torso so it’s at 45° to the floor. Place your left hand on your hip. Bring your right elbow up and pin it to your side with your forearm at a 90° angle to your upper arm. Keeping your elbow in position, move your hand behind you, extending the arm, to stretch out the band between your foot and hand. Shorten the length of the band between your foot and hand if there’s not enough resistance. Bring back down and repeat. Do all the reps on one side, then swap hands.

7 Triceps extension

Sets 4 Reps 12-15

Holding both handles, place one foot on the middle of the band to secure it to the floor. Bring your hands behind your head with your knuckles pointing towards the floor. Your elbows should be pointing forwards on either side of your head. Keeping your elbows as close to your head as possible, extend your arms to raise your hands, stopping just before your elbows lock out. Shorten the length of the band between your foot and hand if there’s not enough resistance. Bring back down and repeat.

8 Single-arm side extension

Sets 4 Reps 12-15 each side

Hold one handle and the middle of the band. Bring both hands up to head height, with the hand that’s holding the middle of the band behind your head. Keeping the middle of the band stable close to your head (but not pushing on your head), take the handle straight out to the side, stopping just before your elbow fully extends. Shorten the length of the band between your foot and hand if there’s not enough resistance. Bring back down and repeat. Do all the reps on one side, then swap.

9 Banded triceps press-up

Starting on your knees, bring the band around your mid-back and hold one end with each hand, leaving a little bit of slack. Place your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders and push up to create tension in the band. Keeping your elbows as close to your body as possible, hinge at the elbows and lower your chest to the floor, stopping right before it touches, and push back up while still keeping your elbows in. You can choose to keep your knees on the ground to make it easier or go up on your toes. Shorten the length of the band between your foot and hand if there’s not enough resistance.

Joel Freeman is the creator of online home fitness programmes 10 Rounds and LIIFT 4. To find out how you can access these workouts visit beachbodyondemand.com

More Resistance Band Routines

• The Upper-Body Resistance Band Workout That’s All About Those Gains
• The Best Resistance Band Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• The 20-Minute Resistance Band Workout For Women
• The Ultimate Resistance Band Glute Workout

Take a look around at your fellow gym-goers next time you visit the weights room and it’s almost certain that you’ll see one or two of them doing biceps curls or some other laser-focused biceps exercise. 

It’s far rarer that you’ll spot someone paying similar attention to their triceps. That is a darn shame, because if you’re chasing sleeve-bursting upper arms, you need titanic triceps just as much as—if not more than—bulging biceps.

Some of the best triceps exercises, such as the push-up and bench press, work the triceps as a secondary muscle, but the triceps extension puts these muscles squarely in the limelight. As a result of this extra focus, you should find that your triceps get stronger in rapid fashion.

Read on to find out how to nail the dumbbell overhead triceps extension, along with a few other effective triceps-targeting lifts, as recommended by strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horton of Horton Barbell. 

How To Do The Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

The overhead triceps extension can be performed standing, sitting on a bench set at an incline or decline or lying down. Each variation will allow you to make the exercise slightly easier or harder, depending on your range of movement around your shoulders and upper back. 

You can also perform this move with a barbell, EZ-bar, a single kettlebell or a single dumbbell. The advantage of doing it with a dumbbell in each hand is that you will be able to identify and address any strength imbalances on either side. 

And because it can ruthlessly expose any weaknesses, the overhead dumbbell extension should be considered a tough exercise to be performed carefully and with light weights to begin with to minimize the risk of injury. 

The Set-Up

If new to this exercise, Horton recommends starting out with the overhead dumbbell triceps extension performed in a seated position, either supported or unsupported. 

“Hold dumbbells and sit on the end of a bench,” says Horton. You can do this with a backrest too, just set the bench to just shy of a 90° angle. “Press the dumbbells up to full extension overhead. Try to keep your elbows pointed forwards as much as possible.” Once in position, aim to keep your elbows in the same place throughout. 

The Movement

“Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells behind your head, before pressing the weights back up to full extension,” says Horton.

Common Mistakes When Performing The Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

1. Poor Mobility

The overhead dumbbell triceps extension requires a surprising degree of shoulder mobility to do properly. “Most people are probably not going to have their elbows dead ahead when they do this,” says Horton, but that’s what you’re aiming for. 

“If poor shoulder mobility limits your range of motion, it’s going to put everything in a really awkward position and you won’t be able to execute the move properly.” 

To address this limitation, Horton suggests using resistance band shoulder dislocations and similar shoulder stretches to unlock greater flexibility in the pecs before returning to this exercise.

2. Performing Partial Reps 

The second most common mistake concerns range of motion, perhaps because of the aforementioned limitations in mobility, or because you’ve optimistically selected too heavy a pair of dumbbells. 

If you do this, you’ll only be able to perform a partial rep, meaning the muscles aren’t working to their full potential and range of motion is restricted further. 

If you want to shift more weight or struggle with the mobility element, Horton suggests using alternative triceps exercises such as the triceps push-down, dumbbell skullcrusher or diamond push-up.

Benefits Of The Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Unlike push-ups and overhead presses, which involve multiple muscle groups working in unison, the overhead dumbbell triceps extension is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the triceps. As such, it’s best served for building strength and size in the upper arms. 

Horton says this can transfer to other exercises too, giving your overall gym game a lift. “Strengthening your triceps will carry over to being able to do more push-ups, bench more weight, and even increase your Olympic weightlifting lifts like the jerk or split jerk,” he explains.

You can also perform this triceps exercise at home—all you need is a pair of light to medium heavy dumbbells. And if you only have one pair of weights, you can easily modify the exercise by slowing down the tempo to make each rep harder, or just use one dumbbell at a time, held in both hands, to make it easier. 

Drawbacks Of The Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Despite its many benefits, Horton says there are quite a few other triceps-targeted exercises he prefers to the overhead triceps extension, including dips and floor presses. 

“When you really drill down into it, you can simply move more weight with other triceps movements,” he says, and more weight equals greater strength gains. 

“The dip or close-grip floor press, which restricts range of motion to target the triceps and works the top half of the pressing movement, are fundamentally better triceps strength builders than a really isolated move like the overhead triceps extension.”

Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension Variations

One-arm overhead dumbbell triceps extension

By using dumbbells instead of a EZ-bar for the overhead extension you work each arm separately and ensure one stronger side isn’t carrying the weaker one, but it’s also worth doing the exercise with one arm at a time. This lets you focus on perfect form in that one arm, and also allows for a greater range of motion so you can be sure you’re working every part of the triceps with the move. As with all forms of the exercise, make sure you don’t overdo it with the weight you use and ideally you want to be able to rest the weight evenly in both palms. 

Overhead cable triceps extension

If you use a cable machine instead of dumbbells to perform the exercise, the main benefit is a consistent level of resistance throughout the movement. Attach a handle to the low pulley on the machine and hold it in both hands above your head with your arms fully extended. Lower the rope behind you, keeping your upper arms stationary, then flex your triceps to return to the starting position.

Lying triceps extension

If you fancy a lie-down during your workout, move your triceps extensions to a bench. This can help you focus on the movement of your arms better than the standing variation, and both exercises produce the same benefits – namely bulkier upper arms.

Lie on a flat bench, holding the dumbbells above you with your arms extended and your palms facing each other. Bend at your elbows to lower the weights on either side of your head, keeping your upper arms stationary and making sure you don’t flare your elbows out to the sides. Slowly take the dumbbells back up to the starting position.

The forearms are neither the easiest nor the most exciting part of your body to train. They don’t look good in beach photos and only impress in social situations when you get a chance to show off your awesome grip strength with a firm handshake.

That doesn’t mean you should neglect them, however, because a strong grip will be a major boon when you attempt all manner of other lifts, not to mention life-or-death situations. Should you ever find yourself hanging from a ledge, you’ll definitely regret spending all your time on squats when you could have been building stronger forearms.

If you’re still not convinced of the merits of forearm training, the Zottman curl might be a good way to ease yourself in, because the exercise also helps build bulging biceps while working your lower arms. In fact, because you rotate the dumbbell as you perform the curl you hit the entire biceps group of muscles. That’s greater functional strength and bigger mirror muscles courtesy of one simple arm exercise. Why isn’t everyone doing Zottman curls?

How To Do The Zottman Curl

Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing. Curl the weights up to your shoulders, keeping your upper arms still and turning your hands so your palms face up as you lift. Pause at the top of the movement and slowly rotate your grip so your palms are facing downwards. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position using this overhand grip, counting for three to five beats as you lower the weight to make sure you’re not moving it too quickly. When the dumbbells are close to your thighs again, turn your hands so your palms are in the starting position facing one another. You can perform Zottman curls with both arms at the same time, or alternate the arm you lift with.

Zottman Curl Benefits

Named after early-20th-century American strongman George Zottman, this curl variation offers a more comprehensive approach to building bigger arms than the standard biceps curl.

“I absolutely love Zottman curls and have been on a mission to get everyone to incorporate them into their routine,” says certified strength coach Melissa Kendter.

Zottman Curl Variations

Reverse curl

If you’re ready to go full forearm with your curl, then skip the rotation part of the Zottman and do a reverse curl. Holding dumbbells with your palms facing you means you target the brachioradialis (which links the biceps to the forearm) and the upper forearm muscles, with less focus on the biceps.

Hold dumbbells in a reverse grip with your hands hip-width apart. Slowly lift them to your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Pause at the top of the lift, then slowly lower.

Zottman preacher curl

Combine these two classic curls by resting your arms on a preacher bench during the exercise. In doing so you’ll be putting all the focus on your biceps, with the rotation during the movement ensuring you’re hitting them from different angles.

Set up on a preacher bench with your upper arms resting on it, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your shoulders with your palms facing away from you. Slowly lower the weights until your arms are fully extended, then turn your palms around so they are facing you and curl the weights back up to your shoulders.

Suspension press-up

Why Doing your press-ups holding suspension training handles allows your muscles to move through a greater range of motion to hit your chest, triceps and shoulders harder. It also forces your abs and lower back to work more to stabilise your torso.

How Hold a handle in each hand with your body in a straight line from head to heels. The more upright you are, the easier the move is, so lower your chest towards the floor to make it harder. Make sure your back is straight before starting a set, whether you are standing up straight or starting in more of a traditional press-up position with your chest closer to the floor. Keep your chest up and core engaged, then bend your elbows to lower your chest. Pause in the bottom position for a second, then press back up powerfully to the start.

It’s essential to keep your core braced for the duration of the set because it will improve the stability of your torso and so minimise the risk of stressing your elbow or shoulder joints.

Landmine press

Why Working each arm independently is a smart way to achieve balanced gains and works each limb harder than when using both arms at the same time. This move has the added benefit of also working your abs because they must keep your torso upright, and you turn it into a full-body move by squatting down and up before pressing the weight.

How Position one end of a barbell in a landmine barbell holder, or the corner of a room. Load a weight plate on the other end. Squat down to lift the bar up, then stand up tall holding the end of the bar at shoulder height. Keep your chest up and abs engaged, then press the bar up until your arm is straight. Lower it again and repeat. Do equal reps with both arms.

Eccentric chin-up

Why Doing eccentric weighted reps is one of the best ways to smash through a strength plateau, allowing you to do more reps and add muscular size across your entire back. They a because your muscles are stronger during the eccentric (lowering) part of each rep and by skipping the concentric (lifting)phase when you are weakest, you can fully fatigue your muscles safely.

How Do this move either after your last set of normal chin-ups or as a standalone set. Grip a dumbbell between your ankles, then jump to the top position and hold it for a second with your working muscles under tension. Slowly lower your body, ensuring your muscles are under tension throughout. Once your arms are straight, drop to the floor and then jump back to the top.

Suspension inverted row

Why Many people struggle with more traditional rowing moves, such as the barbell bent-over row, because of poor mobility or flexibility. This option allows you to hit the target muscles effectively without compromising the health of your joints.

How Hold a handle in each hand with your body in a straight line from head to knees. You can make the move harder by keeping your legs straight. Keeping your chest up and abs engaged, row your torso up towards your hands. Pause and squeeze your back and biceps at the top, then slowly lower yourself until your arms are fully straight.

See related

• The Best Upper-Body Workout
• The Best Upper Back Exercises

One-arm kettlebell floor press

Why Not many moves allow you to work each side of your chest independently, but this one does. The added benefit is that your body is completely supported by the ground, which isn’t the case on a bench.

How Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent, holding a kettlebell by the handle in one hand. The weight of the ball should be resting against your forearm. Press the weight directly up until your arm is straight, then lower it back to the start. Once you’ve done all the reps, switch arms and complete the same number of reps.

Resistance band press-up

Why Press-ups are among the best bodyweight moves anyway, but adding a resistance band makes it more difficult to press back up, which means you works your chest, shoulders, triceps and abs harder.

How Start in the press-up position but with a resistance band running over the middle of your back and secured in both hands. Ensure your wrist, elbow and shoulder joints are aligned, your abs are engaged, and your body is in a straight line from head to heels. Bend your elbows to lower your chest, then press back up to the start.

Even the most committed gym-goers will often neglect to work on their forearms. It’s a hard part of the body to target and, much like your calf muscles, one that requires a lot of training to add muscle mass to.

It’s worth putting in the time, though, because working on your forearms will improve your grip strength and also make your wrists more resistant to injury, both of which will pay dividends when tackling all manner of other lifts.

Add these three exercise to your training schedule and you’ll quickly reap the benefits in the form of stronger forearms and a powerful grip sure to impress every time you have cause to shake someone’s hand.

Zottman curl

Why If you only have time for one curl and want to beef up your biceps as well as strengthening your forearms, the Zottman curl will get the job done because you rotate your grip on the dumbbell halfway through the move.

How Hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing each other. Slowly curl the weights up to your shoulders, rotating them as you do so your palms end up facing you. At the top of the lift, pause and rotate your hands 180° so that your palms are facing away from you. Then lower the weights slowly – try counting to three or five as you lower to ensure you’re not rushing this stage of the exercise.

Thumbless overhand preacher curl

Why Removing your thumb from the equation means that the exercise becomes a great forearm-builder and grip strengthener. This exercise is Welsh bodybuilder Dan Yeomans’s top pick for increasing grip strength, and he is a man you would absolutely not want to get into a handshake squeeze-off with.

How The best way to do this exercise is with a preacher bench and an EZ-bar. You can also use dumbbells or a standard barbell in a pinch. Use a weight that you could do 15 standard preacher curls with and do make sure you’re well acquainted with the standard exercise before attempting the thumbless version.

Sit on the preacher bench and set it up so your armpits are in contact with the top of the sloped section. Hold the bar in a thumbless overhand grip and curl it up until your forearms are vertical. Pause at the top of the movement and squeeze the bar hard with your fingers, then slowly lower the weight back to the start.

Reverse-grip barbell curl

Why By turning your palm over, you deactivate the biceps and place the emphasis on the brachioradialis, which links the biceps to the forearm, and the upper forearm muscles such as the carpi radialis.

How Hold the bar with your hands hip-width apart. Keep your palms facing down throughout the lift. Curl the bar up slowly, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Pause at the top of the lift, then lower the bar slowly under control.

Dumbbell forearm rotation

Why This exercise strengthens the stabilising muscles in the wrist, making it vital for anyone keen on avoiding injury during weights workouts – so everyone.

How Holding a dumbbell in each hand, kneel down and rest your forearms on a bench. Relax your shoulders and rotate the dumbbell outwards, keeping your hands in line with your forearms. Then rotate the weight inwards.

Barbell wrist curl

Why This move targets the wrist flexors. You need these muscles to be strong in any move that involves holding a bar or dumbbell – in other words, a lot of what you do in the weights room.

How Holding a barbell, kneel down and rest your forearms on a bench. Curl the barbell towards you, moving only your wrists, and pause at the top of the curl for a beat or two. Lower the bar slowly and open your hands so that the bar rolls onto your fingers. Make sure you keep your shoulders back throughout the move so that your wrists stay in line with your forearms.

The push-up is often overlooked and considered unworthy of inclusion in many upper-body workouts. That’s a big mistake. Because when it comes to building a bigger and stronger chest, few moves are better than the classic bodyweight exercise that’s still used to separate the army men from the army boys.

This effective chest builder can be done anywhere, any time—and it works your shoulders, triceps and abs too. And there are a number of great variations that mean you’ll never run out of simple moves that sculpt impressive pecs. 

Former Royal Marine physical training instructor Sean Lerwill details—and demonstrates—his favourite push-up variations, as well as his performance and progress tips so you can build a bigger and stronger upper body.

We also have essential form tips from the PT who trains other PTs, Alasdair Nicoll.

How To Do The Push-Up

• Start with your hands underneath your shoulders and toes on the floor.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor. Don’t let your hips sag or rise during the set: if they sag, it puts pressure on your back; if they rise, it takes the tension off your chest.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, with your chest as close to the floor as possible without touching it.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start.

Tempo

“Far too many people think the push-up is an exercise that is beneath them—they favor barbell bench presses, dumbbell flyes, cable crossovers and other weighted moves to build up their chests instead,” says Lerwill. “But the push-up is a tried-and-tested upper-body muscle builder, and the beauty of it is it can be done any time. To get the gains you want, don’t rush your reps—taking your time to lower and lift your torso. Try a 4010 tempo—a four-second lowering phase, no pause at the bottom, a one-second pressing phase, then no pause at the top—to get your muscles better at controlling each movement. Or try a 3110 tempo that introduces a one-second pause at the bottom of each rep—all of a sudden this ‘easy’ and ‘boring’ bodyweight exercise is a legitimate muscle-building move.”

Push-Up Form Tips

For advice on how to nail a perfect press-up, we spoke to Alasdair Nicoll, personal trainer and tutor at The Fitness Group, which provides personal training courses.

1. Make Sure You Have A Stable Starting Position

“For most people, the hand position should be one-hand width outside of their shoulders,” says Nicoll. “Make sure that your wrist is directly underneath your elbow and your shoulder. The phrase we use is stacking joints. If you stack the shoulder and the elbow and the wrist on top of each other, it creates a really stable base from which to start the movement.

“Your feet should be pretty much in alignment with your shoulders, again to create as much stability as you can, because the more stability that you’ve got in any exercise, the more force production you can have and the greater level of muscle recruitment you can utilize in the exercise.”

2. Form An Arrow With Your Elbows

“You want to make sure that the direction in which the elbows are traveling is right,” says Nicoll. “You don't want them traveling out to the side because that’s going to put unnecessary stress through the shoulder.

“If we were to look over the top of the person, we’d want to see an arrow shape from the head down to both elbows. They should be angling back at pretty much a 45° angle. That would be optimal for prioritizing the chest, and will also help to get a full range of motion through the chest.”

3. Get The Tempo Right

“Make sure that when you go through the motion of the push-up that it's under full control,” says Nicoll. “Not just dropping into the movement, but doing it under control, potentially using a tempo. That could be two to three seconds on the way down, then a slight pause for a half second at the bottom. Then on the way up, making sure that that movement is really intentful. It should probably be close to a second for the powerful concentric part of the exercise.”

Push-Up Workouts

The classic push-up is a great exercise for improving muscular endurance in your pecs, front shoulders and triceps, as well as a fantastic way to work these muscles to full failure to encourage muscle size growth. To do this, perform a set of push-ups to failure after every set of bench presses. So once you finish your set of eight to 10 bench press reps, immediately move to the floor and do a set of push-ups to failure, which means you literally cannot do one more single rep with good form. This will work all those muscle fibers in your chest that don’t get worked by your heavy bench presses so you’ll build more muscle size, strength and endurance.

Push-Up Variations

Diamond Push-Up

Want bigger arms? The diamond push-up is the move for you, because this variation places far greater emphasis on your triceps than your chest to pack on size on your upper arms. To make the most of this move, focus on squeezing your triceps at the top of each rep, and think about how your triceps are contracting when you lower your torso towards the floor, using a good slow and controlled tempo. The more you can focus on a muscle moving during an exercise, the greater the rewards.

• Start in the push-up position but with your hands together so that your thumbs and index fingers form a diamond.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor. Make sure your elbows point back, rather than out to the sides, during the lowering phase of a rep to avoid over-stressing the joint.
• Pause briefly at the bottom.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start.

“This move is a lot harder than it looks, and that means a lot of people give up quickly because they can’t do many full-range reps,” says Lerwill. “To get stronger so you can do more reps, just do the lowering part of the move, keeping the tempo slow to make your muscles work harder, then kneel back up to return to the start. Alternatively lower yourself in the diamond position, then take your hands back to normal width to push back to the start.”

Wide-Arm Push-Up

Placing your hands wider apart increases the focus on your chest and lessens the involvement of the triceps and shoulders. It’s important to perform the move safely by lowering your torso to the ground slowly and under full control—doing so will both reduce the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of the move. You want to feel a good stretch across your chest as you move closer to the ground. The quality of the rep is always more important than the width of your arm position – don’t sacrifice form by placing your hands too far apart.

• Start in the push-up position but with your hands about double shoulder-width apart.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, with your chest as close to the floor as possible without touching it.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start.

“You need to ensure that your head and neck stay tight and in line,” says Lerwill. “Allowing your head to hang can cause your shoulders and upper back to round, which is poor form and makes the move less effective. This often happens as you get close to failure, so instead of going until you can’t do another single rep, stop once you notice your form suffering, rest on your knees for a count of 10, then do another set of reps. When you hit failure a second time, rest again, then do one final set to build chest strength without risking injury.”

Side-To-Side Push-Up

This variation is a great way of increasing the difficulty of the basic move to make the muscles of your chest, shoulders and triceps work hard to support, manage and move your bodyweight up and down and from left to right, while your core muscles need to be fully engaged to keep your torso level for the duration of each rep. The deeper you go each rep, the more effective it will be. That does make it harder so if you’re struggling, reduce the rep count and focus on quality of movement.

• Start with your hands underneath your shoulders and toes on the floor.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor.
• As you lower, move your torso left so your head is in front of your left hand.
• Keeping your chest as close to the floor as possible, move your torso across so your head is in front of your right hand.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start, moving your torso back to the middle as you do.

“This is a hard exercise, so it can be tempting to rush each rep to get the set finished quickly, but you need to resist that temptation if you want to work the target muscles effectively,” says Lerwill. “As with all exercises, it’s always better to focus on quality reps than quantity. Try to add an extra rep or two per set every time you do this move, but keeping reps slow and controlled is the first priority to increase muscular time under tension and minimize injury risk.”

Spider-Man Push-Up

This heroic variation is a move that’s not just about the chest, shoulders and triceps. Your upper and lower abs need to be fully engaged to draw one knee up to your elbow then back down again, and you’ll activate the deep stabilizing muscles of your core to keep your whole body stable throughout each rep. It’s a hard move, but mastering it will mean better performance and a better physique. Keeping your torso level with the floor, as opposed to rotating as you raise your knee, will keep the maximum amount of tension in your abs.

• Start with your hands underneath your shoulders and toes on the floor.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor.
• As you lower, draw one knee up towards your elbow.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, with your chest as close to the floor as possible without touching it.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start, straightening your leg as you do, then repeat with your other knee and alternate with each rep.

“The first thing to do to perform this move more efficiently and effectively is to engage your core before starting a set,” says Lerwill. “Do this by pulling in your bellybutton to tense your entire abs and deep core region. Bracing your midsection to keep it strong and stable—and focusing on keeping it tensed—will allow you to draw your knee all the way up while keeping your push-up form perfect to maximise your results.”

Dive-Bomb Push-Up

The very nature of this move means that for the duration of each rep there are a lot of different muscles fully engaged and under tension, which can only be a good thing when you want bigger, stronger and more defined muscles. The down-and-forwards then up-and-backwards movement also makes your chest, shoulders, triceps and core all work in different and more challenging ways from the standard push-up.

• Start with your hands and feet flat on the floor so that your body forms an inverted V-shape.
• Brace your core then lower your head and chest towards your hands, moving your torso and head forwards in a smooth arc as your head approaches the ground.
• Keep moving your upper body forward in a smooth arc until your eyes are looking forward and your chest is up.
• From there, raise your hips to return to the start position.
• Despite the aggressive-sounding name, the key to this exercise is maintaining a smooth movement path—the whole rep should be fluid and performed at an even tempo.

“Don’t worry about completing too many reps of this per set—instead, think about the muscles working at each point of the rep to build a stronger mind-to-muscle connection that will help you train more effectively in every session,” says Lerwill. “The nature of this movement means some areas will be far more difficult than others, with the most likely sticking points coming when your shoulders or triceps are fatigued but your chest is still strong. If that happens, do this variation to failure, then go straight into regular or wide-arm push-ups to keep working the chest muscles with a slow and controlled tempo for faster gains.”

Fingertip Push-Up

This variation is more about your finger and wrist strength than upper-body strength, so it’s best suited to people who want or need stronger fingers and wrists, such as MMA fighters, climbers and gymnasts. If that’s not you but you’re still up for a really big challenge, then give it a go—but don’t get disheartened when you fail! As with anything worthwhile, it takes time and effort to get good at this move, so add one or two reps per session over the weeks and months to build finger strength slowly without risking injury. If you’re unable to perform a rep on your fingertips, you can still develop finger and wrist strength by holding the top position for as long as possible.

• Start with your hands underneath your shoulders but with just your fingertips in contact with the floor.
• Brace your core and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your weight on your arms, bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, with your chest as close to the floor as possible without touching it.
• Press back up powerfully to return to the start.

“It’s worth experimenting with different finger positions,” said Lerwill. “We are all anatomically different, so some people find the exercise easier with fingers spread, others with fingers quite close, some somewhere in the middle. It all depends on finger length, size of hands, arm length and many other factors. If you’ve mastered one way, then try another—there are many ways to adapt and progress with an exercise, so don’t be afraid to use your imagination and experiment. Maybe one day you’ll be able to do a dive-bomb push-up on your fingertips!”

About Our Experts

When did you last do a biceps curl? If you’re a regular in the weights room, we’d wager it was in the last week. Indeed, we’d guess that even if you only worked out once in the last week then the classic dumbbell curl featured. But when did you last do a reverse biceps curl? That’s the variation in which, instead of curling a weight up with wrists turned so your palms face upwards and towards you, you perform it with your palms facing down and away from you.

We’d bet it wasn’t in the last week and almost certainly not in the last month—if ever. If that’s true, you’re missing out on a move that doesn’t just help you develop bigger biceps, but ultimately adds muscular size and strength all over your frame because of the improvement to forearm and grip strength, which in turn better equips you to lift heavier in almost every other gym-based move.

Weight training progress is always limited by the weakest point—which for most men is poor grip strength—so developing that area will help you to lift heavier and for longer on all the big compound lifts that should form the core of your training, such as deadlifts, chin-ups and pull-ups, and rows.

Read on to discover how and when to include more reverse curls in your training.

How To Perform A Reverse Curl

When performing a reverse curl you can either use dumbbells, or an EZ curl bar or a straight barbell like an Olympic bar. Don’t go in thinking that you can lift a similar weight to what you can with an underhand grip, the short answer is: you can’t. Start with around half of the weight that you’d usually use for a regular barbell curl for 8 reps. Of course, you can increase it after a set or two but it’s important to get your form right, so a lighter weight should suffice to begin with.

Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip with your hands on top of the bar (pronated grip), not underneath as they would be with a regular curl. If you are using an EZ curl bar grip it on the downward-sloping parts of the bar, found just outside the middle straight section.

For correct form ensure that your elbows are kept close to your sides with your knees slightly bent, and your hands gripped tightly to the bar, curl it up as you would with a regular curl. The pronated grip that you are using will engage the brachialis muscles in order for you to be able to move the weight. Feel the tension in your forearms as you come toward the top of the curl, hold for a second or two here at then lower slowly. You’ll feel the blood rush to different parts of your arm than you would with a regular curl, stimulating growth in new areas. 

Reverse Curl Form Tips

Try to bring your elbows slightly together as you perform the curl

This will help to increase the contraction of the brachialis at the very top of the movement. Imagine that you are rotating your arms inward as you are curling the bar upward.

Let your wrists flex back when you come to the top of the curl

Try to do this while raising your elbows until they are pointing directly forward. This will resemble the arm position taken up for a front squat. You’ll get a better contraction of the brachialis muscles this way.

If performing the move with the EZ bar, do not grip it with your thumbs against the top of the bars slope

Ensure that you grip the bar at the bottom of the slope. If you grip at the top you will be bracing your thumb against the centre section of the bar, which will decrease the work that your forearm and gripping muscles have to do. If you grip at the bottom of the slope you won’t get the bracing effect resulting in more tension on the targeted muscles.

Perform reverse curls at the end of a biceps workout

When your arms are nice and weak, shock them with a new move to stimulate growth.  Just two or three sets at the end of a biceps or arms workout should be enough. 

Sculpting your guns with arm curls to death? You'd be better off focusing on the larger muscles in your arms that will make a far greater sleeve-filling difference. Think triceps, not biceps to get ripped arms. Curls are fun and all, but your tris make up roughly two-thirds of the muscle in your arms, so by neglecting them you're short-changing your own gains.

The triceps, as the name suggests, are made up of three muscles compared with biceps two. You could join the hordes curling the night away in the gym, or you could put your time to better use with exercises that'll strengthen and expand all the muscles in your arms.

RECOMMENDED: Five Tips for Bigger Arms

Beautifully, you can grow your chest – the other mirror-friendly muscle group – in perfect harmony with your triceps. Their job is to straighten your elbow, so they come into play every time you push something away from your body, such as when you bust through a door, or, bench press a monumental weight off your chest. On the other hand, or arm, the biceps go well with exercising your back because they both involve pulling movements.

1 Lift big

Begin each arms workout with multi-joint exercises, called compound lifts. These target several muscle groups at once, causing your body to release lots of anabolic muscle-building hormones such as testosterone and human growth. These natural chemicals will prime your muscles to grow for the rest of the session. So before you run for the cable pulldown contraption to grow your triceps, make way for the bench press or dip station. Before hogging the preacher curl bar for your biceps, spend time under the chin-up bar or with under-arm bent-over rows instead. Target five sets of five reps with a reasonably heavy weight, resting 60-90 seconds between each, then you can turn the spotlight on the bis and tris directly.

2 Isolate to accumulate

Once your body is prepped to grow, you can focus on the arms muscles in isolation with dumbbell curls, triceps dips, seated hammer curls and overhead extensions. At this point you want to stop the bigger, stronger muscles in your back or chest taking over. Avoid using momentum to swing the weights. Lean back against a wall or back on a bench set to a 45˚ incline when doing curls will help. Using resistance bands or cable machines also helps keep tension on the specific muscles throughout the lifting and lowering part of each rep that will work the target muscle harder. At this point, high reps between 10-15 are challenging, but most effective.

3 Welcome failure

Easy is rarely effective in the muscle building stakes. If you want to stimulate arm muscle growth it’s important that you increase the intensity of your exercise. Rather than just lifting what you already know you can manage with ease, you need to aim to increase the weight or the number of reps that you’re performing on each workout. As long as your form is still good, you should be struggling to lift the final two reps when doing compound (such as the bench press) or isolation (arm curls) exercises. Following the isolation moves you can increase the workload on the muscle by reducing the weight you're lifting slightly and immediately repeating the number of reps you first did with the load. Expect this to burn a little. It will ease as soon as you put the weights back down.

4 Reach your full range

For maximum biceps and triceps development, and arms that look natural and strong, you need to lift through a full range of motion with each rep. To keep you honest, squeeze the muscle you're working at the top and bottom of the movement. So with arm curls, raise the weight towards your shoulder and tense your biceps hard for one second, then lower the weight until your arm is fully straight and tense your triceps hard for a second. It might feel slow. You might have to reduce the weight at first, but it'll grow every muscle fibre in your arm instead of letting some get lazy on the job.

5 Stretch your goals

Yes, you might be pushed for time at the gym but always try to make time to stretch. Doing this after you train your arms will help with recovery and there is ample evidence that stretching these muscles will also extend the fascia. Think of fascia like a white sock over your muscle that restricts their growth. The more that you open it up, the more space that you’ll have to build more muscle. This type of stretch is quite intense, not your usual light pre-workout moves, more weighted and lengthy stretches that really open your muscles up.

6 Hasten recovery

If you follow the above to the letter, and aren't used to this type of comprehensive arm training, it's likely your arms will feel especially sore the next day or two. Relax, this is normal, but it doesn't mean you just have to take it on the chin/elbow. You can help your muscles recover and the soreness subside by gently reworking the muscles through the same movements that put them in this condition. Using substantially lighter weights, a resistance band or even without weight at all, do a few reps to work your biceps and triceps. It'll get blood recirculating in the muscle fibres, helping remove toxins caused by the previous day's excesses and replenish oxygen and other nutrients to speed up their repair. Let your arms recover fully before returning back to the gym and picking up where you left off.

Target : biceps

Sets : 2

Reps : 8 each side

• Tuck the ball into your armpit to deactivate your shoulders.
• Don’t let the weight bounce back up off the ball.

 In This Series 

• Introduction
• Variation: Reverse wrist curl
• Variation: Forearm rotation
• Variation: Barbell collar grip

• Rest your forearms on a bench and let your hands hang over the edge of it.
• Roll the dumb-bells to the ends of your fingers, then curl up your wrists.
• Keep your forearms on the pad throughout the move.

 In This Series 

• Introduction
• Variation: Assisted dip
• Variation: Weighted dip
• Variation: Fold dip

If you find dips easy, hang a weight plate from your waist so that you hit failure within your chosen rep range.

Weighted dip

• Hang a weight plate from a belt.

 In This Series 

• Introduction
• Variation: Reverse wrist curl
• Variation: Forearm rotation
• Variation: Barbell collar grip

Hit your forearms from the opposite side. 

Reverse wrist curl: Step 1

• Use an overhand grip.
• Rest your inner forearms on a bench and let your hands hang over the edge of it.

Reverse wrist curl: Step 2

• Raise your hands so the backs of them are at a 45˚ angle to your forearms.
• Keep your forearms on the pad throughout the move.

The biggest muscles in your arms aren't your biceps. Your triceps makes up two-thirds of the muscle mass in each, so you need to target them if you want to improve your performance in other upper-body exercises, such as the bench press. If you play a sport then you’ll benefit from more power during throwing and pushing movements.

This six-move workout will help you get killer triceps. And here’s all the information you need about when and how to do it, and what weights to use.

Timing Allow 45 minutes, including the warm-up.

Days Add this workout to your weightlifting regime by doing it once a week for four weeks.

Weights Select a weight that allows you to complete all the reps with perfect form. You should not reach failure before the last set of the last exercise. If you’re having to move your upper arm around to control the weight, it’s too heavy.

Warm-up Spend five minutes on a piece of cardio equipment and then do four sets of bodyweight exercises such as burpees.

Tempo Allow one second to lift the weight, pause at the top for one second, then take two to three seconds to lower. Each set should take 40-60 seconds.

Rest Rest for one minute between sets and two minutes between exercises.

1 Diamond press-up

Sets 2 Reps 10

Targets Chest, triceps

Why Bringing the hands together shifts effort to the triceps

How Place your hands flat with forefingers and thumbs touching to form a diamond. Lower your chest as far as you can.

2 Seated EZ-bar overhead triceps extension

Sets 2 Reps 10

Targets Triceps

Why Target the triceps effectively with a heavy weight

How Keep your upper arms still as you lower and lift the weight. Brace your core to avoid arching backwards.

3 Medicine ball wall pass

Sets 2 Reps 10

Targets Chest, triceps

Why Work your chest and triceps explosively for a compound training effect

How Pass the ball away from you without leaning into the move. Keep your arms high on your chest and hands behind the ball for each pass.

4 Reverse grip press-down

Sets 2 Reps 10

Targets Triceps

Why This focuses the effort on the lateral head at the back of your arm

How Use an underhand grip. Keep your elbows by your sides as you press the bar down.

5 Two-arm dumbbell kick-back

Sets 2 Reps 10

Targets Triceps, core

Why Your core has to stabilise the move while your triceps provides the power

How Lean forward at the hips, keeping your back straight. Keep your upper arms in line with your torso.

6 One-arm press-down

Sets 2 Reps 8 each side

Targets Triceps

Why Finally, isolate each arm to maximise muscle exhaustion

How Keep your body upright to avoid using your bodyweight to initiate the move. Start with your weaker arm.