When it comes to arm training for a ripped upper body, following a set workout can help to establish consistency for success. However, hitting the same routing day in and day out can lead to boredom and eventually a plateau.
Adding variety and changing the routine a bit can help to combat any plateau. The content ahead discusses the top 3 arm training hacks you haven’t tried before, how to incorporate them in your workout, along with the muscles to target. 
Arm Day Muscle Anatomy
To target the upper body and especially arms, having knowledge on the anatomy of the muscles is crucial. Here are some arm training day muscles to target for a ripped physique.
- Biceps Brachii. If you work anything upper body, your biceps are likely the headline. With two attachment heads at the shoulder joints, the biceps creates elbow flexion and is the main attraction to jacked arms.
- Triceps Brachii. The most important posterior arm muscle, the triceps work with the biceps to create big arms. With three attachment sites at the shoulder joints, the triceps performs elbow extension and opposes the movement of the biceps.
- Brachialis. This smaller arm muscle rests just under the biceps brachii and assists in elbow flexion with a neutral hand grip. While it is a smaller muscle, working the brachialis is essential if you want big arms.
- Brachioradialis. To grow jacked arms, you need to focus on the overall picture. The brachioradialis is the smaller muscle that runs on top of the forearm to the elbow. This muscle creates the “ball” look on top of the elbow and is often on display in public and adds needed bulk to the entire arm length.
- Wrist Flexors. Don’t leave out the wrist flexors as these muscles serve an aesthetic and functional purpose. These muscles do exactly as they are called and help to flex the wrist. Strong forearms are critical for feeling at your best when performing barbell exercises and can provide stability to the elbow and wrist areas.
3 Arm Day Hacks You Need to Start Trying
Adding in fun hacks to your workout can help to add a new dimension to your lifts that could build hypertrophy, variation, and combat plateaus. Consider these arm day hacks to boost your workout efficiency.
- Target the triceps to grow arm size. This hack is actually not utilized enough, as the triceps takes up a big majority of the upper arm. This thick muscle is imperative for growing arm size and some sources claim it takes up roughly 70 percent of upper arm mass. Target the triceps in the following way to help grow jacks arms.
- How to focus on the triceps: so there are triceps exercises of course, but the focus of this option is all posterior work. Go hard on your triceps workout to boost arm growth and considering this posterior muscle is so large, take the time to work concentric and eccentric actions.
- Example of how to incorporate: when performing biceps curls, you should lower slowly down on the eccentric phase to work the triceps and focus on straightening the arm (which is a concentric action for the triceps).
- Stick with high volume, but not too high. There is a common myth that higher volume of training equates to faster gains. However this may not be something that can lead to jacked arms. Studies show that increased frequency of training, particularly multiple bouts in a day, did not have any additional benefits on upper arm gains and strength.
- How to focus on optimal volume: a 2023 review found that there is only a weak association with upper body hypertrophy and overall training volume, meaning more is not always best to a certain point. Aim to train the arms on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays with ample rest in between for optimal recovery.
- Example of how to incorporate: getting jacked biceps is a goal for many guys. Adding a variation of biceps curls everyday would be a bit much for the arms. Rather, perform your variations on specific days and rest and recovery on the off days.
- Use all hand grip variations. One of the easiest ways to hit a plateau and get stuck in a rut is to stick to the same hand grip variety. Most arm day exercises can be performed in different configurations to allow for a slightly different feel.
- How to focus on different variations: the hands can move in a supinated, pronated, or neutral position. Not to mention, the shoulders rotate in a full circular pattern, which allows for endless options.
- Example of how to incorporate: for most of all your triceps and biceps exercises, consider all three hand grip variations. For the biceps, a supinated grip targets only the biceps, a neutral grip effectively works the brachialis and biceps, whereas a true pronated grip isolates the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles. For the triceps, consider each option, but consider the cable machine or dumbbells for variety.
Important Tips To Consider on Arm Day
Adding the top 3 hacks above can help to make your workout more efficient and help to prevent a plateau. Consider the following tips, in addition to the top hacks, for your arm day workout to help push you to that next level.
- Be mindful of your form. It cannot be overstated, but your form protects your body. Proper body mechanics can not only help to boost your strength training, it can help to prevent injury.
- Track your progress. Looking for arm gains? Track how much you’re doing, your training volume (sets, reps, and weight), and how long you’ve been doing that program. Ideally if you are consistent with your lifts, you should progress every two weeks by about 10-15 percent.
- Rotate Monthly. Swap out your selection of exercises each month to give your body a new stimulus. Try unusual lifts, new hand grip variations, or swap where they fall in your workout order to change how your body adjusts.
- Stretch often. Stretching is a necessary part of your fitness and it plays a physiologic role in your muscular health. Stretching can help to support optimal muscle length and may even help to enhance your overall physique.
Conclusion
The content above is aimed to guide you on your arm day workout with hacks you haven’t tried before. Consider the 3 arm training hacks above in your workout program to help send your gains to that next level.
Resources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33634677
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33634677
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37160161
image sources
- Chest pumped: Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
