On today's lifting series . We are getting into the arms your biceps and triceps . Bys and tris are more than just a show muscle . They are crucial for strength and functionality and they're pretty important in almost every lift you do . Today we're breaking down my four favorite exercises for sculpting strong biceps and triceps . Get ready for some serious guns .
Philip PapeWelcome to the Whits and Weights podcast . I'm your host , phillip Pape , and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self mastery by getting stronger , optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition . We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement , metabolism , muscle and mindset , with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry , so you can look and feel your absolute best . Let's dive right in . This is the lifting for muscle series of Quick Whits , where we give you the fast track to fitness wisdom , and today we're zoning in on arm training Specifically , we're going to separate it into biceps and triceps and I'm going to give you five exercises today , just as a little extra bonus . To fit these in . Biceps is what we're going to start with . That's the muscles that everyone loves to flex , but , as you're going to find out soon , triceps are really where the size come in . But let's start with biceps . Chin ups . Yes , you might be surprised , but chin ups are usually seen as a back exercise . I mentioned them in the back episode , but they're fantastic for biceps too . When you are pulling yourself up , your biceps are definitely hard at work . Even though you're pulling with the back . The biceps have to get engaged and if you have that full range of motion and pull your chest all the way to the bar , where your chest touches the bar , with a controlled movement , you're going to get some maximum bicep engagement there . So chin ups is number one , and then number two is really all the forms of curls , and this could be 15 different exercises . Let's be honest Barbell curls with a straight bar , with an easy bar , dumbbell curls , hammer curls you could do them synchronized or alternating . You can sit on a bench , you can sit on a seat , you can stand . There are preacher curls with an easy bar . Preacher curls , independent , with dumbbells . There are spider curls I mean there's everything and they hit the bicep from all different angles . So it's really up to you . They're all going to pretty much hit your biceps and they're going to be effective as long as you train hard . If you want to specialize , include two different movements one at a lower rep with a heavier load and one with a higher rep , like something like drop sets , for example . So those are the curls . We've got chin ups and curls for biceps . That's going to pretty much cover the gamut for that .
Philip PapeNow let's switch to triceps , which make up two thirds of your arms muscle mass , and when you see someone that has kind of really big , broad , nicely defined arms , it's probably the triceps that's really getting them there . I've found that with personal experience , so I'm pretty proud of my arms development and a lot of that comes from the triceps . So the first on the list is , of course , going to be a barbell movement , the close grip bench press . It is not just for your chest when you're really close in with that grip , it heavily involves the triceps If you keep your arms close to your body and you can get a really good solid workout and lots of load that way .
Philip PapeNext up we have all the different types of extensions , and the two that I love are lying triceps , extensions with an easy curl bar , where you're lying on a bench and the bar's coming behind you as far back extended , rotating the shoulders as you can . Not just a skull crusher to the bench or to your head , take it way back and rotate that shoulder , you're going to be able to load a lot more on that bar and really hit the triceps through the range of motion . The other extensions I like are overhead and I've seen studies and even heard of the community that those tend to be the most effective versions of extensions . But again , you can't load them as much when you're using dumbbells overhead . So you can use either dumbbells or you can use an easy curl bar in what's called a French press . You could even do seated extensions .
Philip PapeThere's so many ways to do extensions and they all target slightly different heads of the tricep . So it's really just keeping your elbows steady , focus on full extension of your arms and rotating that shoulder through the range of motion . And , as a bonus , any press down movement , usually on a cable machine . I mean you could use bands as well , but we're talking rope press downs or just kind of a fixed bar type press downs . It's a nice finisher . I like that as a finisher in your arm workout to get that pump , get that burn in the tricep muscles and there you go .
Philip PapeSo we've got .
Philip PapeFor biceps we have chin-ups and curls .
Philip PapeFor triceps we have the close grip , bench press all forms of extensions and press downs . If you combine these in different combinations and progress them over time which is the key train really hard , train close to or pretty much at failure with these , it's easy to do for these they are definitely gonna enhance the size and the aesthetics of your arms , but also contribute to overall upper body strength that may then carry over into some of your other lifts . So remember , training arms is not just for looks , even though guys , I know a lot of us do it . For that reason , it also helps with your strength and stability . So until next time , I want you to keep lifting , keep learning and keep growing those guns . Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights . If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up there Wits or Weights , please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode . Until then , stay strong .