Building muscular, defined arms is one of the most common goals in strength training, yet many lifters hit plateaus or waste time with inefficient methods. This guide delivers seven evidence-based strategies to help you build bigger, stronger arms more efficiently, cutting through the myths and focusing on methods that are proven to work.
1. Prioritise Arm Training in Your Programme
If your arms are lagging behind other muscle groups, it’s likely that you’re not giving them enough focused attention. While compound lifts like bench press, pull-ups and rows do stimulate the biceps and triceps to some extent, research shows that isolation exercises are necessary for maximal hypertrophy of the arms. A study by Gentil et al. (2013) found that adding bicep curls to a standard back training programme led to significantly more biceps growth than back training alone.
Schedule arm training on a day when they are fresh, not fatigued from compound lifts. Alternatively, train arms in a separate session. Programmes such as push/pull/legs can be adjusted to include a dedicated arm day to increase training frequency and volume.
2. Increase Training Frequency
Muscles grow in response to training volume and frequency. A meta-analysis by Schoenfeld et al. (2016) concluded that training a muscle group twice per week leads to greater hypertrophy than once per week, assuming volume is equated. For arms, this means training them at least twice a week, ideally with both direct and indirect work.
This could be implemented by performing direct arm work (e.g., curls and extensions) on two separate days, combined with indirect stimulation from pushing and pulling movements throughout the week. Distributing volume across the week also improves recovery and performance during sessions.
3. Focus on Mechanical Tension and Full Range of Motion
Hypertrophy is primarily driven by mechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stress, with mechanical tension being the most significant factor (Schoenfeld, 2010). Exercises that maximise mechanical tension through a full range of motion (ROM) tend to produce the most growth.
Studies show that training through a full ROM leads to superior hypertrophy compared to partial ROM (Pinto et al., 2012). For example, incline dumbbell curls allow for a deep stretch of the biceps at the bottom and strong contraction at the top, creating high levels of tension across the entire ROM. Similarly, overhead triceps extensions stretch the long head of the triceps, which is often under-stimulated in standard pressdowns or dips.
Using a controlled tempo, avoiding momentum and focusing on muscle contraction further enhances mechanical tension. Avoid shortening ROM to lift heavier weights; instead, maintain strict form and full ROM for better hypertrophic results.
4. Use a Variety of Angles and Grips
Arm muscles are composed of multiple heads and function across different joints. To fully develop the biceps and triceps, you must train them from a variety of angles using different grips and positions.
The biceps brachii, for instance, includes a long head and a short head. The long head is more active when the arms are behind the torso, as in incline curls, while the short head is emphasised in preacher curls. The brachialis, a deeper muscle that contributes significantly to arm size, is more targeted with neutral-grip (hammer) curls (Oliveira et al., 2009).
For triceps, the long head crosses both the shoulder and elbow joints and is best targeted through overhead extensions or exercises where the arms are raised. The lateral and medial heads are activated through pressdowns and close-grip bench presses. Varying your grip (e.g., supinated, pronated, neutral) and using cables, dumbbells and barbells ensures more comprehensive arm development.
5. Use Moderate to High Repetitions with Sufficient Volume
While strength gains typically come from lower reps (1-6), hypertrophy is best achieved through moderate (8-12) to high (12-20) rep ranges with sufficient volume. A landmark study by Schoenfeld et al. (2014) found similar muscle growth between groups training with low (3-5) and moderate (8-12) reps, provided volume was equated. However, moderate reps are often better tolerated for small muscle groups like the arms, allowing more quality work and less joint stress.
Volume is a key driver of hypertrophy. Most research supports a range of 10-20 weekly sets per muscle group for optimal growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). For arms, this includes all direct and indirect work. Beginners may see progress with lower volumes, while advanced lifters often require more.
To manage fatigue and joint health, start with 10-12 weekly sets per arm muscle and progress to 16-20 over time. Ensure you recover adequately between sessions to avoid overtraining.
6. Train Close to Failure
Effort matters. A study by Morton et al. (2016) showed that training to failure with light or heavy loads produced similar hypertrophy, highlighting the importance of reaching sufficient muscular fatigue. Training close to failure ensures that motor units are fully recruited, which is essential for muscle growth.
While not every set needs to go to absolute failure, most working sets should be within 1-2 reps of failure to optimise hypertrophy. Use techniques like rest-pause, drop sets or supersets sparingly to increase intensity while managing fatigue.
Monitoring your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) or reps in reserve (RIR) is helpful. Aim for an RPE of 8-9 on most sets, where you feel like you could perform 1-2 more reps with good form.
7. Don’t Neglect Recovery and Nutrition
Muscle growth occurs outside the gym, during recovery. Without sufficient rest, sleep and nutrition, progress will stall regardless of training quality. Protein intake is especially important. A meta-analysis by Morton et al. (2018) concluded that consuming 1.6 to 2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is optimal for muscle growth.
Sleep quality also impacts recovery and performance. Research by Dattilo et al. (2011) found that sleep deprivation impairs muscle recovery and protein synthesis. Aim for 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep per night to support recovery.
Recovery strategies such as deload weeks, active recovery and massage can aid long-term progress. Avoid overtraining by monitoring signs like persistent fatigue, poor performance and disrupted sleep.
Bibliography
Dattilo, M., Antunes, H.K.M., Medeiros, A., Mônico-Neto, M., Souza, H.S., Tufik, S. and de Mello, M.T., 2011. Paradoxical sleep deprivation impairs muscle recovery in rats. Muscle & Nerve, 43(5), pp.812-820.
Gentil, P., Soares, S. and Bottaro, M., 2013. Resistance training with different number of sets: The effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(12), pp.3297-3302.
Morton, R.W., Oikawa, S.Y., Wavell, C.G., Mazara, N., McGlory, C., Quadrilatero, J., Baechle, D., Baker, S.K. and Phillips, S.M., 2016. Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 121(1), pp.129-138.
Morton, R.W., Murphy, K.T., McKellar, S.R., Schoenfeld, B.J., Henselmans, M., Helms, E., Aragon, A.A., Devries, M.C., Banfield, L., Krieger, J.W. and Phillips, S.M., 2018. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), pp.376-384.
Oliveira, L.F., Matta, T.T., Alves, D.S., Garcia, M.A. and Vieira, T.M., 2009. Effect of the elbow-joint angle on the biceps brachii EMG in different forearm positions. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 19(2), pp.e88-e93.
Pinto, R.S., Gomes, N., Radaelli, R., Botton, C.E., Brown, L.E. and Bottaro, M., 2012. Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), pp.2140-2145.
Schoenfeld, B.J., 2010. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), pp.2857-2872.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ratamess, N.A., Peterson, M.D., Contreras, B., Sonmez, G.T. and Alvar, B.A., 2014. Effects of different volume-equated resistance training loading strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(10), pp.2909-2918.
Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W., 2016. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 46, pp.1689-1697.
