How to sculpt well-defined arms

Building strong, well-defined arms isn’t just about looks–it’s about improving your overall fitness and functionality.

Yet training arms often takes a back seat to other exercises in workouts due to time constraints or training preferences. However, with the right approach and knowledge, you don’t need to spend hours on your arms to see great results.

So, we’ve created this guide to help you understand the anatomy of your arms: which are the most effective exercises to train them and how to optimise your workouts for different goals.

Why should you train your arms?

Training arms not only enhances your look but also builds strength for everyday activities like carrying, lifting, and reaching. Just like building muscle on any part of the body, it’ll also boost overall metabolism by increasing lean muscle mass, which will help maintain a healthy weight.

Toned arms are a popular fitness goal for women, specifically losing the “bingo wings”, an increasingly outdated way to refer to the fat or loose skin under the upper arm. Like love handles, this is an area of the body women are commonly ashamed of and find difficult to budge, especially as we age. 

Men typically want to prioritise muscles that make them look great in t-shirts, and muscular arms certainly help with that! Powerful-looking biceps, triceps, and forearms are a visible marker of fitness, and many men wish to achieve the elusive bicep vein (the cephalic vein that runs through the upper arm) to look superhero-esque.

Understanding your arm muscles

But, before we learn how to train arms effectively, let’s take a look at the main muscle groups involved:

• Biceps: On the front of the upper arm, responsible for flexing the elbow and rotating the forearm.
• Brachialis: Lies beneath the biceps, adding thickness to the arm; contributes to flexing the forearm.
• Triceps: On the back of the upper arm, responsible for extending the elbow.
• Forearm flexors and extensors: Muscles that control wrist and finger movements and contribute to grip strength.

Effective dumbbell exercises

There are numerous ways to train the arm muscles, but dumbbells are a versatile and accessible option for training arms. Here are some of the most effective exercises for you to incorporate into your training.

Exercises for biceps

Dumbbell bicep curl

• How to do it: While standing or seated, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward. Curl the weights up toward your shoulders, then slowly lower them until your arms are fully extended.
• Primary targets: Biceps and brachialis.
• Pro tip: As the dumbbells reach your shoulders, rotate your palms outwards (supination) to better engage the biceps.

Dumbbell preacher curl

• How to do it: Using a Preacher bench or inclined bench (at 45–60 degrees) with arms supported, grip the dumbbells with palms facing forwards. Curl the weights up slowly keeping your upper arm in contact with the bench, then slowly lower them until your arms are fully extended. Maintain tension on the biceps at the bottom of the curl.
• Targets: Biceps and brachialis.

Exercises for triceps

Dumbbell lying tricep skullcrusher

• How to do it: Lie on your back, flat on a bench. Grip the dumbbells with palms facing inwards and both arms straight above your chest. Lower the weights by bending your elbows until they are just above or behind your forehead. Extend both arms back to full extension, maintaining control throughout the movement.
• Targets: Triceps.
• Pro tip: Squeeze your elbows in towards each other as you move the weights to better engage the triceps.

Dumbbell standing overhead tricep extension

• How to do it: Standing tall, hold a dumbbell with both hands, gripping it so your palms face upwards and slightly inwards. Raise the weight until your arms are fully extended above your head and then slowly lower it behind your head by bending your elbows. Then, extend your arms back to full extension.
• Targets: Triceps.

Exercises for forearms

Dumbbell seated wrist curl

• How to do it: Sit on a bench resting your forearms on your thighs. With palms facing upwards, curl the weights up towards your wrists and slowly lower them back to the starting position.
• Targets: Forearm flexors.

Dumbbell standing reverse curl

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• How to do it: Hold the dumbbells with palms facing downwards, and curl the weights up toward your shoulders by bending your elbows. Grip the weights firmly to engage the forearms throughout the movement.
• Targets: Forearm extensors and brachialis.
• Pro tip: You won’t need to use heavy weights to engage the muscles of the forearms, consider modifying volume (sets and reps) before weight.

Training for different goals

Once you’re training consistently, you may want to specify your training for different goals. For most individuals, that'll mean training for size and shape (aesthetics) or strength (performance).

Training for aesthetics

• Goal: Growing muscle size and achieving a more “toned” body shape.
• Volume: 3–4 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
• Approach: Focus on slow, controlled movements using moderately heavy weights. Incorporate a variety of exercises for each muscle group to sculpt muscles as desired. Progressively increase the weight or volume each week.

Training for performance

• Goal: Lift heavier weights to improve the performance of other exercises (typically compound movements).
• Volume: 2–4 sets of 4–8 reps for strength.
• Approach: Train arms as an accessory to compound movements. Prioritise exercises that incorporate arms while training larger muscle groups, such as close-grip presses or chin-ups. Prioritise progressive overload to enhance performance over time.

Need a hand?

By understanding the muscles involved in achieving well-defined arms, you’ve already won half the battle, it’s now down to choosing the right exercises and how you adjust and refine your training over time.

We can simplify the complexities of training arms to help achieve your goals efficiently. We do this through personalised programming that’s tailored to your goals, expert guidance from our experienced coaches, and progress tracking, to monitor and adjust your journey. With our expertise and personalised coaching, your journey to stronger, defined arms is in capable hands.