- Personal trainer Chrissy Signore ranked 5 arm exercises based on how effectively they build strength.
- He said some arm exercises are less efficient and more prone to injury.
- Bicep curls are one of the least functional arm exercises because they only target one muscle, he said.
Arm exercises are an integral part of any training plan, but many people choose workouts that are inefficient and easy to perform incorrectly, according to personal trainer Chrissy Signore.
He said exercises that incorporate many different muscle groups, like pushups, can actually do a better job of building functional arm strength and preventing injury than those that only target a single muscle, like bicep curls.
Signore ranked bicep curls and double tricep extensions as two of the worst because they isolate a single muscle and are easy to perform incorrectly.
5. Bicep curls are not functional and easy to do incorrectly.
Signore, who is the founder of the fitness program. CorrelationHe said that the bicep curl is not a great exercise for the arms, because it is easy to do it wrong and it only targets the biceps.
She said men often lift weights that are too heavy, causing them to thrust their core forward, roll their shoulders inward, and swing their arms so the weights reach their shoulders. She said poor form like this can damage your core and worsen your posture by squeezing your shoulders.
In contrast, Signore said she sees women not using enough weight. She said that in a set of 10 to 12 reps, you should start to feel muscle fatigue by the eighth rep to get the most out of a strict form biceps curl.
He said the bicep curl isn’t very functional either, because you rarely use just your biceps when lifting or moving something in daily life. Exercises that engage more of your upper body are more functional and save you time by working multiple muscles at once, he said.
4. Double triceps extensions can cause injury
While Signore said the single triceps extension is a great exercise, performing the exercise with two dumbbells at once can cause injury.
To perform a single triceps extension, he said to follow this guide:
- Place one hand on a bench for support
- In the opposite hand, hold a dumbbell with your palm facing in.
- Raise the dumbbell so your elbow is glued to your side.
- Your arm should be at a 90-degree angle, he said, before you extend your arm back farther than you think it can go.
- Return to 90 degrees and repeat
With the double triceps extension, he said you tilt your body without support from a bench and perform the extension with both arms at the same time. Signore said people often round their backs and tense their necks instead of keeping their backs straight, which can hurt the neck and lower back.
Lastly, he said to also make sure you don’t swing the weights during the exercise.
3. The dumbbell curl and press is more functional than a biceps curl.
Signore said that the dumbbell curl and press is a modification of the biceps curl that makes it more functional.
In addition to bringing the dumbbell to your shoulder with your elbows at your sides like in a traditional biceps curl, press the dumbbells overhead as you rotate your hands so your palms face forward, he said.
The curl and dumbbell press engage a lot more of the upper body, he said, including the biceps, shoulders and triceps. He said that when you lift and move something in daily life, it’s much more common for all of these muscles to work in unison.
Signore said to be careful not to push too hard on the press and potentially hurt your shoulder.
2. Push-ups are versatile
Push-ups also work several muscles other than your arms, such as your core, triceps, chest, and outer shoulders. They also have many variations, he said, that make them harder or easier and can target different muscles.
Bring your elbows closer to your body to engage your triceps more, he said, or you can do a T-curl to work your biceps and shoulders.
For the T-bend, he said to reach one arm up and behind you as you came up from the bend. Make sure you switch between both sides, she said.
1. Wall balls engage your entire body
Wall balls are Signore’s favorite arm exercise, she said, because they engage nearly her entire body in the exercise.
This is how you do it:
- Stand about 2 feet away from a wall with a 10- to 20-pound medicine ball in your hands and a straight back
- With your feet shoulder-width apart and angled slightly outward, sink through your heels as if you were doing a squat, then explode up to launch the ball vertically toward the wall.
- Gently catch the ball and squat back down.
Wall balls engage the shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, back, abs, glutes, quads and hamstrings, he said, which is also great for cardio and calorie burning. She said to aim for 30 seconds at a time or 10 to 15 reps.
