10 Arms And Abs Workout Exercises From An Expert 2024

The arms and abdominal muscles are smaller muscle groups usually thought of in terms of appearance. However, they offer a host of functional and performance benefits. Therefore, they should be worked alongside the larger muscle groups.

We discuss the main arms and abs workouts below, detailing the correct form and exercise tips. After this, we discuss the anatomy of both muscle groups and the benefits of working them. We end by providing expert tips that help when performing arm and ab workouts at home or in the gym.

10 Arms And Abs Workout

The ten exercises below are the best ones to include when performing arms and abs workouts. They can be performed on their own or together depending on your workout goals.

Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

The barbell close-grip bench press is a compound pressing exercise. It uses the foundational bench press movement with a narrow hand position. This places more focus on the triceps, providing a good workout stimulus.

The triceps lateral heads function as the primary movers to extend the arms. The secondary movers include the other triceps heads, the front deltoids, the pectoralis major heads, and the serratus anterior.

How To Do

1. Set up a flat bench press with a suitable barbell. Secure the plates with barbell collars.
2. Sit on the end of the bench and lie back so that the barbell is directly over your eye line. Ensure your back is against the bench pad. Your feet should be firmly on the floor with your knees at 90-degree angles.
3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip. Your arms should be around chest-width apart so that your thumbs can nearly touch each other.
4. Inhale and engage your core. Unrack the barbell, keeping your arms extended so the barbell lines up with your nipples.
5. Exhale and slowly lower the barbell down to your chest.
6. Pause briefly as the barbell comes close to your chest. Inhale and press it back to the starting position.

Tips

• Keep your elbows tucked in during the pressing movement.
• Make sure the bar doesn’t touch your chest as you lower the barbell during the eccentric phase.

Optimal Sets & Reps

Pull-Up

The pull-up uses a foundational movement pattern that offers a host of useful benefits. The lats and traps work as the primary movers. When flexing the elbows, the biceps brachii work as the secondary movers to support the pull. Pull-ups strengthen the upper body and improve functional movement patterns and posture. 

How To Do

1. Stand directly in front of a sturdy pull-up bar. Ensure that it’s higher than your body so that you can freely dangle. 
2. Step up onto a raised platform. Grasp the bar using an overhand pronated grip, palms facing down. Ensure they are slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. With your chest up and head facing forward, inhale and engage your core. Come off the platform so you’re dangling freely.
4. Bring your shoulders back to open your chest. Exhale and vertically pull your body towards the bar. 
5. Pause briefly as your chin reaches the height of the bar. Inhale and lower your body back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Use a raised surface or box to adopt the starting position. This will help you keep balance as you pull.
• Bring your shoulder blades back before pulling. This ensures targeted muscle activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Plank

The plank involves holding your body in a prone position parallel to the floor. While it looks easy enough, it requires a large amount of core strength and endurance. It’s also easy to scale, requires no equipment, and improves posture when performed regularly. 

How To Do

1. Find a suitable padded area or gym mat away from obstruction or equipment.
2. Start on your hands and knees facing directly forward on the mat. Bring your hands so they’re directly under your shoulders.
3. Engage your core. Extend both legs so your knees are straight. Your knees should be off the ground with a straight line from your heels to your head.
4. Ensure your toes are forward so your weight is on your heels. Your head should be facing the floor.
5. Hold the body position for the stated time.

Tips 

• Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels throughout the movement.
• Use a controlled breathing pattern as you perform the isometric hold. This will ensure that you get enough oxygen to your brain and working muscles.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Triceps Dip

Triceps dips use a functional movement pattern that requires multiple muscle groups to work together. This makes them a great exercise for increasing upper-body strength and power with enough training. We’ve included them as an arm workout for these main reasons.

The triceps brachii function as the primary movers, with all three tricep heads extending the elbows. The secondary muscles include the abdominal heads of the pectoralis major, front deltoids, and upper trapezius. 

How To Do

1. Stand in front of a tricep dip station or a set of parallel bars. Step onto the raised platform or box in front of you. Grasp the parallel bars with a double overhand grip.
2. Inhale and engage your core. Extend your arms and step off the raised platform so you’re freely hanging. 
3. Exhale and lower your body down by flexing your elbows.
4. Pause at the bottom position when your arms are parallel to the floor. Inhale and extend your elbows to come back to the starting position.

Tips 

• Keep your chest up and your head facing forward throughout the movement. This ensures targeted muscle development. 
• Use an adjustable weight belt if you want to increase the exercise intensity. 

Optimal Sets And Reps

Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

The dumbbell bent-over row uses a functional rowing pattern that mimics many everyday movers. After performing a hip hinge, you flex your elbows while extending your shoulders to row the dumbbell backward. 

Your latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles function as the primary movers. Your biceps function as secondary movers, helping to flex the elbows as your lats and traps draw your shoulders back. Because of this, they provide a good exercise stimulus.

The benefits of the dumbbell bent-over row include enhanced muscle development, better functional strength, and improved spinal stability. They’re versatile bicep-building exercises that are great to include in any high-quality lifting program.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Your knees should be slightly bent. Hold a suitable pair of dumbbells by your sides.
2. Hinge at your hips, lowering your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Extend your arms down so the dumbbells are freely hanging directly beneath you.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Keep your chest up with your head facing down.
4. Exhale and extend your arms back while flexing your elbows, rowing the dumbbells towards your body. Bring your shoulder blades back and down as you row.
5. As the dumbbells reach your body, pause briefly at the top position.
6. Inhale and bring them back to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Keep your elbows tucked in as you row the dumbbells back.
• Maintain a neutral back position to reduce lower back stress and injury risk.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Russian Twist

The Russian twist uses a foundational twisting motion to rotate your torso while keeping your body stable. Your core muscles isometrically contract to maintain a stable torso as you rotate. 

The twisting motion mimics many common movement patterns. For example, when putting your seatbelt on. Performing Russian twists provides a great way to build core strength. They’re also easy to perfect, require little to no equipment, and can be done anywhere.

How To Do

1. Find a suitable padded area or gym mat and sit down with your knees bent. Engage your core.
2. Tilt your torso back as you lift your feet off the ground. Keep your core engaged to maintain a balanced body position.
3. Clasp your hands together and bring them in front of your chest. Twist to one side while maintaining the same body position. Your upper body should be the only mover while your torso stays still. 
4. As you get to the maximum range of motion, twist to the other side. Repeat for the stated number of repetitions. Maintain a controlled breathing pattern throughout. 

Tips

• Ensure controlled twisting motions to maintain balance and muscle activation.
• Perform ball slams at each side to increase exercise difficulty. This can be done as a progression if the normal twists are too easy.

Optimal Sets & Reps

Dumbbell Bicep Curl

The dumbbell bicep curl is a traditional bicep exercise that has been around since gyms were first opened. 

Your biceps short heads work as the primary movers to perform elbow flexion. Your biceps long heads assist while the wrist flexors and extensors keep a firm grip. 

All you need is a set of dumbbells and a suitable space. Include them alongside other arm workouts with dumbbells for targeted muscle engagement.

How To Do

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a suitable pair of dumbbells by your sides using a neutral grip. Ensure your torso and head are facing forward. 
2. Rotate your palms so they’re facing in front of you. This means that you’re using a supinated underhand grip.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and curl the dumbbells towards shoulder height.
4. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and lower the dumbbells to the starting position under control.

Tips

• Avoid moving your shoulders or rotating your hips when curling. Your forearms should be the only body parts that move.
• Keep your elbows tucked into your body when curling to ensure targeted muscle activation.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout

The kneeling ab wheel rollout uses a wheel with a handle going through the middle. Gripping both of the handles allows you to roll out in front of you using your core muscles. This provides a core strength challenge that can be carried out anywhere.

The primary movers are the upper rectus abdominis and lower rectus abdominis. They keep a stable body position as you perform the movement. Secondary movers include the obliques and latissimus dorsi muscles. 

Performing kneeling ab wheel rollouts gives you an advanced ab routine that builds core stability, improves posture, and can help reduce injury risk.

How To Do

1. Find a suitable gym mat or padded area and kneel with an ab roller wheel in front of you.
2. Ensure your feet are hip-width apart with a neutral back position. Grip the handles of the ab roller wheel firmly. Cross your heels while you continue to kneel on the floor.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Extend both arms in front of you and place the ab wheeler on the floor. Come forward slightly, allowing your heels to come off the ground and roller wheel to take your weight.
4. Exhale and roll forward until your body is parallel to the floor. Keep your core engaged to maintain a stable body position. Lower your body as far as possible while maintaining control.
5. Briefly hold the bottom position. Inhale and come back to the starting position. Use your core muscles to control the movement.

Tips

• Ensure you engage your core before performing the rollout. This helps to maintain a stable body position and stops your hips from sagging. 
• Find a flat surface without any obstructions to perform the rollout exercise.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Tricep Dumbbell Kickback

The tricep dumbbell kickback requires a flat bench and a weighted dumbbell. Using a prone body position and bench as support, you extend your elbow behind you to provide targeted tricep isolation. 

All three heads of the triceps brachii function as primary movers. The front deltoid plays a supporting role, while the wrist extensors and flexors keep a firm grip on the dumbbell. Performing tricep dumbbell kickbacks improves arm appearance and pressing strength in compound movements.

How To Do

1. Set up next to a flat bench. Place a suitable dumbbell on your left side. This will be your working arm. 
2. Bring your left leg forward so it’s approximately one-third of the way past the end of the bench. Kneel on the bench with your right leg, using your right arm to maintain balance. 
3. Inhale and engage your core. Pick the dumbbell up and hold it at the side of your body with your elbow flexed at a right angle.
4. Ensure your chest stays up and your head is neutral. Exhale and extend your arm to bring the dumbbell directly behind you. Keep your arm tucked into your side throughout.
5. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and bring the dumbbell back to the starting position under control. 

Tips

• Ensure your arms come straight back as you extend your elbows. This helps to keep targeted muscle activation.
• Keep the non-working hand on the bench to provide stability as your other arm performs the movement. 

Optimal Sets And Reps

Standing Banded Overhead Tricep Extension

The standing banded overhead tricep extension offers a resistance band tricep workout that requires a band and your body weight. This gives you an overhead tricep exercise that can easily be performed at home or in the gym. 

The standing banded overhead tricep extension has a small initial learning curve. Perform it as part of a beginner arm workout or superset with compound exercises. This means performing them one after another. 

How To Do

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Loop the resistance band over one foot and grip the handles with an underhand grip. 
2. Step forward, keeping your arms behind you while bringing your hands to shoulder height. Keep your elbows tucked in, taking the tension out of the band.
3. Inhale and engage your core. Exhale and extend both elbows above your head.
4. Pause briefly at the top position. Inhale and bring your hands down to the starting positions under control.

Tips

• Keep your back foot flat on the floor throughout the movement. This reduces the possibility of the resistance band moving and causing possible injury.
• Your chest should be up with your head facing forward. This ensures the correct lifting position.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Best Arms And Abs Workout Routine

We’ve picked the five best exercises from the list above and organized them into a workout routine. The sets and reps have been programmed to suit different workout goals.

Anatomy Of The Arms

The upper arms consist of two main muscle groups. These are the biceps brachii and triceps brachii.

The biceps brachii consist of two muscle heads — the biceps short head and the biceps long head. Both muscles originate from the humerus (upper arm) and insert into the ulna (forearm). Both heads function primarily to flex the elbows and play smaller roles in shoulder stabilization. 

The triceps brachii consist of three muscle heads. These are the triceps lateral head, triceps medial head, and triceps long head. 

Each of them performs the primary function of elbow extension. Alongside this, the long head plays a role in shoulder stabilization as it attaches to the shoulder blade.

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

Biceps Short Head

Most inside portion of the biceps. Located at the front of your upper arm closest to your chest.

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Anatomy Of The Abs

The abdomen, commonly known as the stomach, is the area between the chest and the pelvis. It is surrounded by abdominal muscles to the front and the sides. The back part consists of the spine. 

The abdominal muscles can be split into four main groups. These are the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal obliques, and external obliques. 

The abdominal muscles hold the organs in place, allow movement, support the torso, and adapt to breathing changes. 

The deep abdominal muscles form part of the core musculature. This helps to keep the body stable and balanced during movement and exercise. 

Upper Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located just below the lower chest and above the lower abdominals. Between your ribs and pubic bone.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located below your upper abs and above your public bone between your ribs.

Obliques

Muscles located on the sides of your rectus abdominals. Runs on the sides of your trunk.

Benefits Of Abs And Arms Workouts

Working the arms and abs together offers several useful benefits. We’ve discussed the main three below.

Improves Functional Strength 

Functional strength can be defined as training that mimics the movements and demands of real-world activities. For example, a squat is similar to sitting down on a chair. A deadlift is similar to picking your children up from the floor.

To develop functional strength, the training needs to develop muscles involved in functional movements. Alongside this, it needs to provide a suitable resistance training stimulus to progressively overload the muscles. 

Even though they contain smaller muscle groups, the arms are involved in most functional movements. You use your biceps to pull and your triceps to press. Even if they’re not the primary movers, they ensure that the primary muscle groups can function correctly.

The abs make up part of the core musculature. When performing functional movements, the core helps to provide stability and balance as the muscles and limbs move. 

The workouts below provide targeted isolation to the arms and abs. This gives you enough workout intensity for strength adaptations to take place.

Increases Core Stability 

Core stability can be defined as the ability of the torso muscles to maintain good posture and balance. We use core stability when we are still and during movement. This involves activities of daily living and sports performance.

A study looking at core weakness in young females found some interesting results. After a series of core stability tests, results showed that 65–86% had different forms of core weakness. This is just one study to show the importance of core stability even as we continue to grow.

For example, when we sit or stand, we need good posture to maintain an upright position. When we walk, our torso functions to allow our arms and legs to move in a straight line. When passing a rugby ball, our torso twists while controlling our upper body movement to ensure a stable body position.

Having good core stability offers several functional and performance benefits. These include reduced injury risk and better balance which may help with aspects of sports performance. However, direct links between these are still being researched.

The abdominal workouts above work many of the key core muscles. These include the rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae. Strengthening these muscle groups can therefore improve core stability.

Enhances Muscle Activation 

The mind-muscle connection refers to concentrating on a particular muscle group when working on it. Through intentional focus, it aims to boost activation and promote muscle growth. Studies have shown that when this is done correctly, it can benefit muscle growth.

The exercises above isolate the arms and abs. These are smaller muscle groups that often work alongside the larger primary movers in most compound exercises. Examples include the bench press and barbell row.

By isolating the arms and abs through targeted workouts, the exercises above can enhance muscle activation. This bigger exercise stimulus can promote muscle growth and muscle strength. As mentioned above, better functioning of these smaller muscle groups can promote better movement patterns in compound exercises.

Expert Training Tips

• Ensure you perform each of the movements above using a controlled movement pattern. This should be done for the concentric phases as the muscles shorten and the eccentric portion as they lengthen. A good movement tempo helps with targeted muscle activation and reduces injury risk.
• The exercises above can work well as part of a superset or drop set. This is where you perform one exercise after another or drop the weight and perform sets with no rest. Doing this can increase training volume, a key determinant of muscle growth.
• When working toward each of the goals listed above, follow the key loading recommendations using your one repetition maximum. These are different for each of the key training styles.
• Even when working small muscle groups, ensure enough rest between sets. For hypertrophy and endurance, 60–90 seconds of rest should be used. For strength and power, a longer rest period of 2–3 minutes is needed.
• As described above, both the arms and abs have different muscle groups. To stimulate each muscle group, ensure you perform a variety of exercises from different angles. For example, normal and overhead tricep exercises or pronated and neutral grip bicep curls.

Conclusion

The arms and abs workouts above are the best exercises for these smaller muscle groups. Performing them correctly is important to provide targeted muscle activation and reduce possible injury risk. Follow the guidance and tips below when adding them to your routine.

Alongside improving functional strength, they increase core stability and enhance muscle activation. Each of the exercises is worthwhile when building a well-rounded physique.