Get Bigger Arms in 3 Months: The Only 6 Exercises You Need

Although arms are among the most popular muscle groups to train in gyms worldwide, only a few people have guns worth brandishing. Since you are reading this article, I assume you’re not satisfied with your arm development. Rest assured, this is a common struggle.

Remember, you don’t build jacked arms by accident. It is the result of meticulous planning and perfect execution.

As a veteran personal trainer, I have helped numerous people add serious size to their arms in 12 weeks. And no, there are no magic pills or needles involved. I use only the most effective science-backed workout plan built on six powerful exercises. In this article, I am sharing it with you. So sit tight and read on.

6 Best Exercises for Explosive Arm Growth

Here are the six most effective arm exercises you can do:

1. Close-Grip Bench Press (Triceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12 for hypertrophy, 1-5 for strength	Barbell, Bench	Triceps brachii (all heads), Pectoralis major (sternal), Anterior deltoid

An ideal arm workout should balance compound (multi-joint) and isolation (single-joint) exercises to ensure overall muscle tissue and strength development. The close-grip bench press is an incredibly effective exercise to build sleeve-busting triceps.

Think about bending the center of the bar toward you by externally rotating your shoulders and squeezing your triceps. This will increase tricep activation and protect your shoulders.

How To:

1. Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell with an overhand shoulder-width grip.
2. Unrack the bar and hold it over your chest with your elbows fully extended.
3. Flex your elbows to lower the bar to your nipples. Keep your upper arms tight to the sides to maximize tricep fiber stimulation.
4. Explode the bar back to a full lockout and contract your triceps.
5. Repeat for recommended reps.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Increase weight, Close-grip incline bench press	Barbell floor press, Close-grip dumbbell bench press

2. Dual Low Cable Curls (Biceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12	Cable machine	Biceps brachii, Brachialis

The problem with most biceps exercises is that there is no tension on the target muscles in the fully extended position. Constant tension can boost muscle and strength gains, as it forces the biceps to work harder throughout the range of motion, not just at the peak contraction.

Dual low cable curls are among the best exercises for loading the biceps in the fully stretched position, as your elbows are behind the midline. I recommend performing this exercise on a functional trainer instead of a conventional cable pulley machine.

“You don’t need to take a big step forward. Just a small step to create tension is enough,” said IFBB Pro bodybuilder Hunter Labrada.

How To:

1. Pin the cable pulleys to the lowest setting and add a D-handle to each end.
2. Grab the handles with a supinated grip and step forward while maintaining a natural lower back arch.
3. Position the elbows behind the midline.
4. Keeping your upper arms pinned, curl the handles until your forearms are parallel to the floor.
5. Pause at the top before slowly returning to the starting position.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Single-arm low cable curls	Dumbbell hammer curls, Seated concentration curls

3. Cable Tricep Pushdown (Triceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 10-15	Cable machine, Straight bar attachment	Triceps brachii (all heads)

The cable tricep pushdown is an incredibly effective exercise to carve the back of your arms. However, you must drop your ego and focus on performing this exercise with the perfect form to get the best bang for your buck.

The key here is to focus on the eccentrics as much as the lowering phase. Don’t lean over the bar during this exercise, as it leads to greater shoulder engagement.

How To:

1. Adjust the cable pulley to the highest setting and secure a straight bar.
2. Grab the handle with an overhand grip.
3. Keep your elbows tucked at your sides and pull your shoulders back and down to get into the starting position.
4. Extend your elbows to lower the bar until your arms are straight.
5. Slowly return to the starting position and maximize the tricep fiber stretch in the top position.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Overhead cable extensions, Vary grip attachments	Single-arm overhead extensions, Bench dips

4. Barbell Curls (Biceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12	Barbell	Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis

No bicep exercise list can be deemed complete with a mention of the barbell curls. This exercise is a staple in most arm workout regimes, as they can help sculpt those mountain-like peaks.

I always tell my personal training clients to curl the bar toward their foreheads instead of straight up. This small change in the line of pull effectively loads the long biceps head, improving peak development.

How To:

1. Load a barbell with an appropriate weight and grab it with a shoulder-wide underhand grip.
2. Stand in a hip-width stance, with your knees slightly bent and with a natural lower back arch.
3. Curl the bar toward your forehead while keeping your elbows pinned to the side.
4. Pause in the fully shortened position.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Drag curls, Preacher curls	EZ-bar curls, Dumbbell curls

5. Skull Crushers (Triceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 8-12	Barbell or EZ-bar, Bench	Triceps brachii (all heads)

Pressdown tricep exercises load the medial and lateral tricep heads, whereas overhead extensions bias the long head, which is usually the weakest of the three. Skullcrushers are a brutal exercise that can completely transform your triceps.

Take 2-3 seconds on the lowering phase. A study published in the Sports Medicine journal found that slower eccentrics increase the time under tension, which may help promote muscular hypertrophy. (1)

How To:

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip. Alternatively, you could use an EZ bar, which is kinder on your wrist joints.
2. Lie on a flat bench and extend your elbows so your arms are perpendicular to the floor.
3. Keeping your upper arms still, lower the bar toward your forehead.
4. Go as low as you comfortably can to achieve a deep tricep stretch.
5. Return to the starting position.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Close-grip skull crushers, Overhead extensions	Single-arm overhead extensions, Tricep kickbacks

6. Lying Dumbbell Curls (Biceps)

Sets & Reps	Equipment Needed	Target Muscles
3 x 10-12	Dumbbells, Bench	Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis

The lying dumbbell curls are one of my favorite bicep exercises as they load the target muscles in the fully stretched position. You must keep the shoulders pulled back and down to optimize the length-tension relationship of your biceps.

How To:

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie supine on a flat bench.
2. Your upper arms should point diagonally toward the floor, and your elbows fully extended.
3. Flex the elbows to curl the weight toward the ceiling.
4. Pause at the top before returning to the starting position.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Incline dumbbell curls, Concentration curls	Hammer curls, Seated dumbbell curls

Arm Workout To Build Bigger Guns in 12 Weeks

Here is a sample arm workout to grow your pythons in three months:

Beginner Arm Blast (Weeks 1-4)

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Close-Grip Bench Press	3	10-12	60 sec
Barbell Curls	3	10-12	60 sec
Cable Triceps Pushdown	3	12-15	60 sec
Lying Dumbbell Curls	3	10-12 each	60 sec

Intermediate Arm Assault (Weeks 5-8)

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Close-Grip Bench Press	4	8-10	60 sec
Barbell Curls	4	8-10	60 sec
Cable Triceps Pushdown	4	10-12	60 sec
Lying Dumbbell Curls	4	8-10 each	60 sec
Skull Crushers	3	10-12	60 sec

Advanced Arm Annihilation (Weeks 9-12)

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Close-Grip Bench Press	5	6-8	90 sec
Dual Low Cable Curls	4	10-12	60 sec
Cable Triceps Pushdown	4	8-10	60 sec
Barbell Curls	4	6-8	90 sec
Skull Crushers	4	8-10	60 sec
Lying Dumbbell Curls	4	8-10 each	60 sec

Creating Your 3-Month Arm Transformation Plan 

Now that you know the most effective bicep and tricep exercises, it is time to put this knowledge to work. Remember, your exact training frequency and volume will depend on your current experience level and objective.

Below are arm workout programming guidelines for beginners who want to prioritize bicep and tricep development.

Frequency

Train your arms two to three times weekly to ensure you’re giving your muscles enough stimulus for growth. I highly recommend beginners work with a personal trainer to determine the right training split and programming for their needs. You must also learn to listen to your body to lower the risk of injury and prevent overtraining.

Sample Training Split

• Day One: Arms (biceps)
• Day Two: Rest or other muscle groups
• Day Three: Arms (triceps)
• Day Four: Rest or other muscle groups
• …and so on

Alternating between biceps and triceps ensures that beginners get enough time to learn the correct movement mechanics, deepen their mind-muscle connection, and achieve balanced development.

Sets, Reps, and Progressive Overload

Here is the ideal volume to maximize arm hypertrophy:

• Sets: 3-4 sets per exercise
• Reps: These will vary depending on the exercise and the muscle groups:
  • 6-8 reps: Use Heavier weights to maximize strength development
  • 8-12 reps: Moderate weights to bias hypertrophy
  • 15+: Maximize blood flow and boost endurance (2)

Progressive overload involves gradually increasing the training volume to ensure consistent strength and muscle gains. You could make your workout more challenging by increasing the weights, reps, or sets.

Importance of Rest and Recovery

Here are the things you must consider while on a mission to build bigger and stronger guns:

Rest

Building jacked arms in 12 weeks can sound enticing. However, doing too much too soon can significantly increase injury risk. You must allow your body the time to repair and grow stronger between workouts. As a rule of thumb, you should never train the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

Beginners must wait for at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group again, whereas advanced exercises must double that waiting period.

Sleep

Aim to get seven to eight hours of quality eye-shut time each night to maximize recovery. Your body produces growth hormone and rebuilds muscle tissue while you’re sleeping. It doesn’t matter how hard you train; you won’t see the desired results until you allow enough time for your body to recuperate.

Nutrition

As they say in the bodybuilding world, you cannot outgrow a bad diet. You must eat a high-protein diet to support your muscle growth objectives. Determine your TDEE and use a balanced macro split to hit your daily goal.

Conclusion

Choosing the right exercises and using the right training form can supercharge your muscle gain journey. Now that you know the six most effective exercises for building bigger and stronger arms, what are you waiting for?

Use the workouts listed in this article to kickstart your transformation journey. Best of luck!

References

1. Wilk M, Zajac A, Tufano JJ. The Influence of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Responses: A Review. Sports Med. 2021;51(8):1629-1650. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01465-2
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021;9(2):32. Published 2021 Feb 22. doi:10.3390/sports9020032

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