Women also require curls! To confidently sport a tank top at the gym or go sleeveless in the summer, incorporating the top arm exercises for females is crucial. Obtain knowledge about arm training and experiment with three complete workouts to shape your arms!
Shoulder Workouts for Women | Back Workouts for Women | Leg Workouts for Women | Butt Workouts for Women | Arm Workouts for Women | Upper-Body Workouts for Women | Strength Workouts for Women.
Arm day at the gym is frequently considered the favorite day for men, often surpassed only by chest training. However, as a professional bodybuilder for a long time, I believe most men tend to overtrain their arms, leading to excessive volume that hinders growth. Similarly, many women tend to undertrain their arms, and focus more on losing arm fat rather than building the arms they desire through well-planned workouts.
This situation is regrettable! Women tend to be fixated on losing arm fat rather than strategically building their arm muscles with targeted exercises. Although Instagram may suggest that only lower body and abs need to be emphasized, overall muscle development is crucial. Additionally, if you've been struggling to do a pull-up for years, arm training can significantly aid in achieving that goal.
Has this caught your attention? If so, let's get serious about biceps and triceps workouts for women!
The upper arm's front part consists of two significant muscles, the biceps brachii, and the brachialis. The term "biceps" comes from the Latin word for "two heads," while "brachii" refers to the arm. The two heads are known as the long and short heads of the biceps.
The biceps brachii performs two functions. The first one is to flex or bend the elbow, as when you show off your biceps. The second function is to rotate the forearm, which is why coaches advise rotating a weight as you curl it.
The brachialis muscle is situated deep between the triceps and biceps and can be targeted through classic arm exercises like reverse curls and hammer curls. When developed, the brachialis can push the biceps and triceps apart, resulting in a larger-looking arm. As it pushes the biceps higher, it can also contribute to the peak of the muscle.
Are you training at home? Equipping your home gym with a complete set of dumbbells can help you reap daily benefits.
The triceps muscle has three heads, namely the long head, the lateral head, and the medial (deep) head. As women age, they tend to accumulate more body fat in this area, making triceps development more crucial as time passes.
The long head of the triceps is located in the problematic posterior part of the upper arm. While men may concentrate on developing the horseshoe shape and thickness of the lateral head, women may want to prioritize exercises that target the long head.
To achieve this, it's essential to focus on shoulder extension exercises for long head activation. This involves exercises where the arm goes behind the body, such as triceps kick-backs or single-arm cable push-downs. Additionally, maintaining proper form on any overhead extension or dip is crucial.
Do I Need An Arm Day?
As a rule, for the first year of serious lifting, it's great to partner arm exercises with a larger muscle group. This could mean full upper-body workouts, or classic pairings like back-and-biceps and chest-and-triceps or shoulders-and-triceps. These approaches are popular because they work! They give you enough stimulus to grow without overdoing it and risking a tendon injury—which takes a long time to heal and is a common curse of the newbie lifter.
Arm-Shaping Workouts:
"Beginner Arm Workout for Women"
Use this workout immediately after training a larger muscle group like back or chest. Keep your form strict!
/1/EZ-Bar Curl: Add weight for the first 2 sets. 4 sets:12,10,8,8 reps (rest 1 min)
/2/Dumbbell preacher curl: Add weight for the first 2 sets. 4 sets:12,10,8,8 reps (rest 1 min)
/3/EZ-bar Skull crusher: Add weight for each set. 4 sets:15,12,10,6 reps (rest 1 min)
/4/Low cable overhead triceps extension: Add weight for the first 2 sets. 4 sets:12,10,8,8 reps (rest 1 min)
/5/SINGLE-ARM CABLE TRICEPS KICK-BACK:
Perform all the reps on one side, then switch to the other. Don't rest between sides and rest 1 min. between sets.
Single-arm rope kickback:
Add weight for the first 2 sets.
4 sets:12,12,10,10 reps (left side,no rest)
Single-arm rope kickback:
Add weight for the first 2 sets.
4 sets:12,12,10,10 reps (right side,rest 1 min)
Advanced Arm Workout for Women
This one is all about volume! Because of the continual repetition of either the curling movement or extension movement, this workout is for lifters with at least a few years of experience in the gym, who are using a dedicated arm day to try to "bring up" this body part.
1-CIRCUIT: Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 1 min. between sets.
/1/Seated Band Incline Biceps Curl: 4 sets:15,12,10,8 reps (no rest)
/2/Drag curl: 4 sets:15,12,10,8 reps (no rest)
/3/Hammer Curl: 4 sets:10,10,8,8 reps (no rest)
/4-1/Single-arm dumbbell preacher curl: 4 sets:10,8,6,6 reps (left side, no rest) /4-2/Single-arm dumbbell preacher curl: 4 sets:10,8,6,6 reps
2-CIRCUIT:Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 1 min. between sets. /1/Standing barbell overhead triceps extension: Perform using an EZ-bar. 4 sets:15,12,10,10 reps (no rest)
/2/EZ-bar Skull crusher- 4 sets:15,12,10,10 reps (no rest) (right side, rest 1 min)
/3/Triceps dip: Use a band or machine assistance as needed. 4 sets:12 reps (no rest)
/4/Double-arm triceps kick-back: 4 sets:12 reps (rest 1 min.)
3-SUPERSET: Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and sets. /1/Barbell Curl: Perform as 21s: 7 reps at the bottom half of the movement, 7 reps at the top half of the movement, and 7 reps through the full range of motion. 3 sets:21 reps (no rest)
/2/Triceps Extension: Perform as 21s: 7 reps at the bottom half of the movement, 7 reps at the top half of the movement, and 7 reps through the full range of motion. 3 sets:21 reps (no rest)
Advanced Arm Workout for Women
This one is all about volume! Because of the continual repetition of either the curling movement or extension movement, this workout is for lifters with at least a few years of experience in the gym, who are using a dedicated arm day to try to "bring up" this body part.
1-CIRCUIT: Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 1 min. between sets. 
/2/EZ-bar Skull crusher- 4 sets:15,12,10,10 reps (no rest) (right side, rest 1 min)
3-SUPERSET: Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and sets. /1/Barbell Curl: Perform as 21s: 7 reps at the bottom half of the movement, 7 reps at the top half of the movement, and 7 reps through the full range of motion. 3 sets:21 reps (no rest)
