6 Easy Arm Exercises for Men

Arm exercises help you build bigger biceps, triceps, and forearms. There are many reasons to work out your arms and shoulders, like getting stronger, toning the muscles, and gaining lean muscle mass. These workouts can also help you stand up straighter, protect the bones, and keep the joints from moving around.

Strong, toned arms do more than just make you feel good about yourself and look good. Working out the arm muscles is also good for health in many ways.

Easy Arm Exercises for Men

Check out these six simple arm exercises that can help men get strong, muscular and ripped arms:

1) Push-Up

Push-ups are a simple and effective way to strengthen the upper body and core using only your bodyweight. This exercise works out both the pectoral and triceps muscles - the upper arm muscles in the back.

Here's how you can do this arm exercise:

Face down on the floor with your feet about 15-20 cm apart, put the palms of your hands flat on the floor, and hold them slightly farther apart than shoulder-width.
Move up onto your toes, and lift your body off the floor by fully extending your arms. Keep your body long and straight.
Slowly bend your elbows, and lower your chest back towards the ground.
Stop about 10-15 cm before your stomach touches the ground. Keep your back and legs straight as you do so.
Push yourself back up to where you started, and do it again.
If that's too hard to do at first, put your knees on the floor for an easier version.
Even easier: you can stand up. and do this exercise against a wall with your feet about 50 cm away from it.

2) Overhead Extension

The most important benefit of this exercise is that it makes the triceps bigger. It's different from other triceps workouts, as it works all three heads of the triceps. That means the whole muscle gets stronger when you do this exercise.

Here's how you do this this arm exercise:

Grab a dumbbell with both hands while standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
Reach your hands up, over, and behind your head. Keep your wrists straight, and hold the dumbbell vertically.
Lower the dumbbell further behind your head by bending your elbows. Make sure your elbows are pointing up, and upper arms are close to your head.
Straighten your arms up, and do it again.

3) Dumbbell Row

A strong back can be built with a good one-arm dumbbell row exercise. This workout makes the shoulders, upper arms, and core muscles stronger. That make it easier and less painful for you to do many everyday things, like bending, lifting, and carrying stuff.

Check out how you do this arm exercise:

Holding a dumbbell in one hand while resting your other hand and knee on a bench.
Keep your back straight and elbow slightly bent. keeping your palm facing inward.
Make sure your bent knee on the bench is in line with your hips, and your hand is in line with your shoulder.
Engage your core, and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you lift the dumbbell up till your upper arm is parallel to the ground, and your elbow is behind you.
Go back to the starting position, and do it again. Switch sides, and do another set.

4) Lateral Raise

The lateral raise or side lateral raise is a good shoulder-strengthening exercise that also helps tone some of the upper back muscles. It works the deltoid muscles and some of the trapezius muscles too.

Here's how you do this arm exercise:

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and hang your arms down by your sides while standing tall with your knees slightly bent.
Keeping your elbows slightly bent, raise your arms up and out to the sides till they are at the same level as your shoulders (make sure your palms are still facing down).
Slowly bring your arms back up, and do that 8–12 times.

5) Bicep Curl

Besides building muscle size, improving athletic performance, and making everyday tasks easier, bicep curls strengthen the upper arm, train the shoulder to be more stable, and help the core to engage.

Here's how this arm exercise is done:

Hold the dumbbell in your hand, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend your elbows, and bring the dumbbell up to your shoulder while keeping your palms facing forward.
Slowly move your arm back to where it started, and do it again.

6) Tricep Dip

Everyday movements that involve extending the elbow and forearm use the triceps. You can use them to lift things like grocery bags or to reach for things that are up high.

This muscle also helps keep the shoulder joint stable. Tricep dips are responsible for working out the triceps too.

Here's how you do this arm exercise:

Sit on the edge of a bench with your knees bent at 90 degrees and feet firmly on the ground.
With your hands on the bench either side of your hips, push your glutes up and off the bench.
Lower your body about 2-3 inches as you bend your elbows, and keep them close to your body.
Slowly move your body back to where you started, and do it again.