The Arm Muscles

• Biceps: The oblong muscle located in the front of your upper arms. The biceps help you bend your arms.
• Triceps: The muscle that stretches along the back of your upper arm. Contracting the triceps straightens your arm. The triceps and biceps work in tandem: when your biceps engage, your triceps relax, and vice versa.
• Forearm and wrist muscles: Your forearms and wrists contain a number of smaller muscles that control all your movements in those areas.

Benefits of Strengthening Your Arms

• Health: Working out your arms reduces the risk of elbow injury and allows you to carry heavy loads without straining your back. Having strong arms will also help you develop a stronger chest and back, since your arms play a role in nearly every chest and back exercise you do. Strengthening your wrists and forearms may also reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, the disorder that results from repetitive motions such as typing on a keyboard.
• Performance: Strong arms help improve your performance in athletics as well as everyday life, from throwing a football to carrying your groceries.
• Appearance: Many people associate strong arms with power and masculinity. And in recent years, society has begun to emphasize toned arms in women as well.

Myths About Strengthening Your Arms

• Only bicep strength really matters: In their zeal to develop big biceps, many people neglect the triceps, forearms, and wrists. Though the biceps are the showiest part of the arm, it’s still important to devote equal time to exercising all of the arm muscles. Bulging biceps amid other, nontoned muscles can make your appearance look unbalanced. More important, neglecting your triceps can result in elbow injury. Since the biceps and triceps work as a team, they must be developed evenly.