The best biceps and triceps routine should be simple and intense. Do you want some giant and pumped arms? The secret is that you don't need to do a lot of exercises or countless sets. A simple but well plated arm routine will give you the best results. Continue the training for several months to add several more inches to your arms.
At Depor Trainer , we advise you to train your biceps & triceps in a routine . We propose two workouts, one for beginners and one for more advanced users. In addition, the approach of each training is different:
- In the first routine, one muscle is worked first and then the other (first the biceps and then the triceps).
- In the second routine, alternate a biceps exercise with a triceps exercise.
Maximize muscle bulk and strength gains with our advanced user arm gym routine .
Biceps and triceps hypertrophy routine for beginners
Have you just started bodybuilding and are you looking for an arm routine in the gym for men ? Do you need an arms routine in the gym for women ? We have the training you are looking for to gain muscle volume. The following workout is intended for beginners. It is a routine of low repetitions to gain muscle and strength in the arms. 3 biceps exercises and 3 triceps exercises will be done; there will be 3 sets for each exercise in a range between 10 and 6 repetitions.
It is ideal to include this workout in a split body routine. You can leave the biceps and triceps exercises in the gym for Friday and dedicate an exclusive day to arm training.
Load : We will try to increase the working weight each week. For example, 1.25 kg per side in barbell exercises or one more weight plate in cable exercises.
Remember to warm up your arms, especially before starting the first exercise of the routine. Do not directly use the working weight without warming up the muscles.
• Reverse biceps curl with EZ bar
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
• Seated Scott Bench Bicep Curl (close grip)
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
• Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curl
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
• Pulley triceps extension
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
• Pulley overhead triceps extension
(You can do this exercise with the V-shaped handle or with the double rope, depending on what you are more comfortable with)
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
• Parallel bar dips for triceps
(you can use weights in this exercise when doing the repetitions with your body weight is very easy for you)
3 sets: 10 - 8 - 6 repetitions
This would be the biceps and triceps routine . Remember to rest and eat enough protein and calories to recover. Remember to gradually increase the weights as the workouts progress. When you're stuck with the weights you're moving, you can go back to the weights you started with and start the progression over with a different rep range. For example, 15 - 12 - 10 or 20 - 15 - 8. The question is to improve yourself and improve each training session compared to the previous ones. Save this biceps-triceps hypertrophy routine in PDF and consult it on your mobile phone.
Arm routine with weights and machines for advanced PDF
This is another routine with exercises for biceps and triceps in the gym . You can start this workout after you've been doing the beginner routine for a while. In this case, biceps and triceps will alternate. The idea is that you rest your biceps while doing a triceps exercise and vice versa. In this way, your muscles will be able to give their 100% in each effective sets.
In this training, we will use maximum explosiveness. You will do the repetitions as quickly as possible by applying a great acceleration to the weight.
Progression of loads and repetitions
The training works as follows. All exercises have at least 2 sets. The first set of each exercise requires a moderate to light load, allowing for 50 to 20 repetitions. The reps are performed as quickly and explosively as possible (without compromising proper technique). In the second set, we use a heavier load that allows for 15-5 reps.
How to proceed? The best way is to write down all the weights and repetitions that we do in each exercise. In each workout we try to put 2.5 kg more on the bar and 2 kg on the dumbbells. Give yourself a chance to improve! Don't always start a routine going to muscular failure. You have to stay 2-3 repetitions away from muscular failure.
- For light sets, start with a weight that will easily get you up to, say, 40 reps. Add 2.5 kg (or 2 kg) on each exercise until one day you reach a load that allows you only 15 repetitions.
- For heavy sets, start with a load that allows you to do about 15 repetitions. Add 2.5 kg (or 2 kg) per exercise until one day you reach a weight that allows you to do only about 5 repetitions.
What do you do when you hit 15 reps on the first set or 5 reps on the second set? Then, in the next workout, you go back to your starting weight and try to break your rep record.
Let's look at an example of a dumbbell exercise. Let's say you started with 40 reps with an 8kg dumbbell on a light set and 16 reps with a 12kg dumbbell on the heavy set.
| light load | repetitions | Heavy load | repetitions | |
| training 1 | 8 kg | 40 | 12 kg | 16 |
| training 2 | 10 kg | 24 | 14 kg | 10 |
| training 3 | 12 kg | 16 | 16 kg | 6 |
| training 4 | 14 kg | 10 | 18 kg | 3 |
We finished the first block of training with a light sets of 14 kg x 10 repetitions and a heavy sets of 18 kg x 3 repetitions. Now we go back to "training 1" and try to beat our personal records with the weights. An example could be:
| light load | repetitions | Heavy load | repetitions | |
| training 1 | 8 kg | 46 | 12 kg | 19 |
| training 2 | 10 kg | 29 | 14 kg | 15 |
| training 3 | 12 kg | 21 | 16 kg | 12 |
| training 4 | 14 kg | 17 | 18 kg | 8 |
| Training 5 | 16 kg | 14 | 20 kg | 6 |
| training 6 | 18 kg | 10 | 22 kg | 4 |
As you can see, the approach is to go further and further with the weights and achieve new repetition records. We apply a similar progression to all biceps and triceps exercises in the gym. Remember: there are two sets; the first is light and the second is heavy. Now let's see how the training goes.
The advanced biceps and triceps routine
Do the exercises in the order listed.
• EZ Bar Bicep Curl
We do a few warm-up and approach sets before starting on the working weight.
1 light set
1 heavy set
• French Press
We do a few warm-up and approach sets before starting on the working weight.
1 light set
1 heavy set
• Seated Scott Bench Bicep Curl (close grip)
1 light set
1 heavy set
• Pulley rope triceps extension
1 light set
1 heavy set
• Close-Grip Slight Incline Bench Press on Multipower
You will have seen that in this part of the biceps and triceps workout there are two triceps exercises in a row. The rope triceps extension will have served us to warm up the muscles for the next exercise, since the bench press is quite demanding.
Do not bring your hands too close together in this exercise. A shoulder-width grip will suffice to strengthen the triceps. The inclination of the bank will be about 15º; don't tilt it too much.
1 light set
1 heavy set
• Incline bench dumbbell curl
1 light set
1 heavy set
• Pulley triceps extension with straight handle
1 light set
1 heavy set
As you can see, there is one more exercise for the triceps, since this muscle is bigger and can withstand a little more work. There are a total of 7 biceps and triceps exercises with dumbbells, bars and machines and 14 training sets (not counting the warm-up sets you do). There are various exercises that guarantee total work on the triceps and biceps. Do this biceps and triceps routine in the gym one day a week following the training scheme that we have proposed. We recommend training triceps and biceps together on Friday. You will rest during the weekend.
Over time, you can switch up your workout and do the heavy set first and the light set later. This can be useful for you to get out of a deadlock. Let yourself be carried away by your sensations.
Is it advisable to do a routine for biceps and triceps in the gym?
First of all, everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to the gym. If you do push-ups, pull-ups, or full-body workouts every other day, stick with what works best for you. However, we would like to highlight a few points that can give you an idea of the arm routine .
Doing a triceps and biceps routine on the same day or training both muscles separately has advantages and disadvantages. It mostly depends on how you divide your body parts during the training week and what is most appropriate or how you do it.
Depending on how much time you have per workout and how many days a week you can go to the gym, you may only be able to train each body part once. But if you can balance the training, working each muscle group twice a week is ideal... Of course, keep the muscle groups far enough apart (at least 48 hours) so you don't overdo it.
The two main muscles that make up the arm routine in the gym should never be overworked, but you should also keep in mind that your arms should rest and recover enough to allow them to grow enough between workouts. So 6 to 9 sets for the biceps and the same number for the triceps is enough.
Let's look at some of the pros and cons of training with a triceps and biceps routine .
Advantages of training biceps and triceps together in the gym
1. The biceps is the "pull" part of the body, while the triceps is the "push" part of the body. Therefore, there is no need to worry about previously exhausting one muscle before beginning exercises for the next muscle.
2. It's always good to do the biceps triceps workout more than once a week, so if you did both muscles together, you can rest for a few days and hit them again.
3. They are a natural combination when you work several parts of the body in the same day.
4. Because both muscles are relatively small parts of the body, each is usually worked second after a larger muscle has been trained (for example, the chest first, then the biceps). If you are going to train biceps and triceps exercises together , this usually indicates that the arms will be the main focus rather than a larger muscle group. Therefore, you will be able to train your arms much stronger because they will not be pre-exhausted.
Disadvantages of doing the arm routine in the gym in a single day
1. If you follow a pull and push routine, you should train biceps and triceps on separate days.
2. You must choose which of the two muscles you will train first and alternate them from one workout to another so that you are not always giving priority to the same muscle.
3. This is usually an indication that you only have time to train one body part a day in the other workouts. It is common to work the biceps and triceps muscles with larger muscles and repeat the same workout a few days later.
Final tips
- Alternate the exercises you do for the biceps and triceps.
- Remember to be versatile and make movements sitting and standing.
- Be aware of the different "heads" that make up your muscles and do exercises that focus on each one.
Are you going to try our arm routines in the gym? Our boys and girls have worked very well! These arm routines are recommended for women and men. As you have seen, the workouts contain a good selection of exercises for biceps and triceps with dumbbells, bars and some pulleys .
Do our biceps and triceps routines once a week according to the weight and repetition scheme that we have explained. Remember that these muscles already work a lot in chest, shoulder and back exercises! Therefore, do not overtrain them! You can write to us to comment on your results with these workouts.
