The 30 Best Arm Exercises to Target Your Biceps, Triceps and More

"Watch the positioning of your elbows on this one," Kory Flores, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Rumble Boxing in NYC, tells LIVESTRONG.com. You want to keep them glued to your sides, and avoid letting them flare out.

Flores also recommends doing these with a barbell if you can, as it's easier to stabilize compared to dumbbells. "If you plan to use dumbbells, I recommend starting with standard bicep curls, then Zottman curls, then going into these."

This Zottman curl variation combines a traditional biceps curl and a reverse curl, hitting your biceps and forearms. "Keep your shoulders back and your elbows close to your abdomen," Flores says.

You can do preacher curls with dumbbells, an EZ-bar, resistance band, cables or a machine.

If you spend most of your day sitting, this is a great exercise to add to your routine. "This exercise will stretch the tight muscles through the chest and front of shoulders as well as strengthen the muscles through the upper back, shoulders and triceps," Kristie Alicea CPT, a certified personal trainer and founder of ABC Fit Collective, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

The underhand grip of the chin-up (the opposite of a pull-up grip) puts more of a focus on the biceps and chest, Cameron Countryman, certified personal trainer at Onyx, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

The pull-up focuses on the upper back and arms. It's an advanced move that requires a lot of muscles working at once, making it a bucket-list exercise for many. If you can't do one, there are exercises to work toward mastering one.

It may primarily focus on the arms and back, but the bent-over row really is a full-body movement, Alicea says. "This multi-joint movement helps to strengthen shoulders, arms, lats and upper back muscles while using your legs and core to stabilize."

The one-arm bent-over row variation adds an extra stability challenge and will really engage your obliques, Countryman says.

This is a great exercise for the lats, lower back and triceps, Countryman says. "It can also be a very sneaky burn for the core." Make sure to breathe during this exercise and keep a slow and controlled tempo, he says.

You'll feel the face pull exercise in your upper back, shoulders and biceps. "Keep elbows high and drive the handles directly to your eyelids," Countryman says.

You can also position the cable directly in front of your face or several inches above your head to target different stabilizing muscles in your upper body.

This move hits on many of the major muscles in your arms and shoulders, including the deltoids, traps, biceps and even your forearms, Ali Johnson CPT, certified personal trainer at Rumble Boxing in Los Angeles, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

"This exercise is great for improving shoulder stability and helps draw back the shoulders for a more upright position." She recommends doing it seated so you can focus more on upper-body form rather than how you're standing. "Especially if you have lower back issues, sitting will do you best."

You can also do the triceps kickback using a resistance band. Hold one end at your chest, and keep it anchored there as you perform the kickback with the other arm.

You can also do the skull crusher with an EZ bar or barbell.

The triceps are the main focus here, but you'll also be hitting your abdominals, Countryman says. "Try not to let the cable return to its starting position too quickly. Control and full extension are the keys here."

This is another one with some sneaky core work baked in: While the focus is on the triceps, upper back and chest, the dumbbell pullover also strengthens your core and helps improve posture, Alicea says.

"The push-up is one of the best body-weight total-arm exercises you can do," says Sam Castro, CPT, trainer at Reload PT in NYC. "Besides being a challenge for the upper body, it also works your core and glutes because it is essentially a moving plank."

The bench press works the chest and shoulders, in addition to the triceps, Castro says. "I like to perform the dumbbell bench press with the elbows at a 45-degree angle at the bottom of the movement," she says.

"A tip on how to tell if your elbows are in a good place: You should look like an up arrow from the tips of the elbows to the top of the head."

It may be called a shoulder press, but the move also works the chest, triceps, and upper back.

Quick form tip: Engage your core and squeeze your glutes as you press the dumbbells overhead, Castro says. This will help keep your pelvis stable so that you don't arch and strain your lower back.

"The plank up-down works both muscular endurance and strength in the shoulders, triceps, core and glutes," Castro says.

Resist rushing through the movement. "The goal is to keep the hips from rocking side to side when moving from your forearms to your hands," Castro says. To test that hip stability, she suggests placing a yoga block or other light object on your lower back and focusing on making sure it doesn't fall off.

The halo is a great exercise for shoulder mobility and core stability — and it also works the triceps. "Keep your abs engaged as you move your weight around your head and try not to let your rib cage move away from your hips," Flores says.

One of the most functional exercises you can do, the farmer's carry challenges your back and arm muscles and is great for improving core strength and posture, Alicea says.

"These are a great way to boost grip strength," says Flores, crediting the shape of the plate and how you have to hold onto it. If you’re new to plate curls, she suggests starting with something you can carry comfortably, then progress to thicker and heavier plates.

Wrist curls are an easy way to train the oft-neglected forearms, Johnson says. The move also helps strengthen the wrists. "Strengthening the forearms and wrists in turn strengthens our grip, which helps our overall lifting strength."

"Get ready to feel the burn in the forearms," Countryman says. He suggests trying this move, often called the dead hang, toward the end of your workout to get a strong pump through your forearms and hands that won't interfere with your ability to finish the rest of your workout.

"The curl to press is a great combination total-arm exercise that works the biceps, shoulders and triceps all in one," Castro says. As you do them, focus on moving slowly and with control, engage the core throughout the movement and avoid swinging your arms, she says.

Performing a muscle-up on a pull-up bar — while still a challenge — is easier than doing one on rings. Grab the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you) and follow the steps above.