About this workout
Big arms are two-thirds triceps, and most people spend two-thirds of their arm day curling. That is why their sleeves never fill. This plan trains arms twice a week — one heavy day to build the strength that lets you curl and press real weight, one pump day to chase blood and detail — and it gives the triceps the priority they earn. Your chest and back still get worked so the rest of you keeps up while your arms catch fire.
Who This Program Is For
- You can already curl and press with control and you want your arms to be a focus for six weeks.
- Your arms lag behind your torso.
- You can train four days a week.
- You have a barbell, dumbbells and a cable station.
Who this is NOT for: beginners. New lifters grow their arms fastest from heavy rows, presses and chin-ups, not from isolation specialization. Build a base with a full-body or upper/lower plan first.
It is also not for anyone nursing elbow tendonitis. Direct arm volume on angry elbows makes them angrier. Calm the joint down before you specialize.
What You'll Need
- Barbell and an EZ or straight curl bar
- Dumbbells across a range of weights
- Cable station with a rope and bar
- A bench for skullcrushers and dips
- A notebook or app
The Program
Four days: a heavy arm day, a chest/back support day, a pump arm day, and a legs/shoulders day. Sample week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Keep the two arm days apart.
Elbows stay tucked and consistent on the pressing and extension work — flaring them out is how you turn a tricep exercise into a shoulder problem. Control every negative; arms grow on the way down as much as the way up.
| Day 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Arms (Heavy) | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Barbell Curl | 4 | 6-8 | 2 min |
| Skullcrusher | 4 | 6-8 | 2 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 8-10 | 90 sec |
| Cable Rope Overhead Tricep Extensions | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Hammer Curls | 3 | 10-12 | 60 sec |
| Tricep Pushdown | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Day 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest and Back | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 6-8 | 2-3 min |
| Bent Over Row | 4 | 6-8 | 2-3 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Day 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Arms (Pump and Detail) | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Preacher Curl | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Bench Dips | 4 | 10-12 | 90 sec |
| Standing Cable Curl | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdown | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Concentration Curls | 3 | 12-15 | 45 sec |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
| Day 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legs and Shoulders (Maintenance) | |||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
| Barbell Squat | 3 | 6-8 | 3 min |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-12 | 2 min |
| Military Press (Overhead Shoulder Press) | 3 | 8-10 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 15 | 45 sec |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 12-15 | 60 sec |
How to Progress
Six weeks, two short blocks.
Weeks 1-3 — build strength. On the heavy day, add reps within the range, then add weight when you top out all sets — small jumps, 2.5-5 lbs on curls and extensions. Strength on the heavy day is what makes the pump day productive.
Weeks 4-6 — chase the pump. Keep progressing the heavy day, and on the pump day push for a rep or two more each week and shorten rest slightly to drive blood into the muscle. After week 6, back off for a few days — elbows take the brunt of arm specialization and need the break.
Warm-Up and Recovery Notes
Warm the elbows and shoulders before the first heavy curl or extension: light pushdowns and light curls for high reps to get blood in before you load.
If your elbows ache, widen or narrow your grip until it is pain-free, and swap a straight bar for an EZ bar or dumbbells. Elbow pain is a form and volume signal, not a toughness test.
Arms are small and recover quickly, but they take a beating on this plan. Keep the two arm days as far apart as your week allows and don't add extra curls on your off days.
Nutrition and Supplementation
Arms are small muscles, so this is less about a big surplus and more about consistent protein and hard, progressive work. Eat at maintenance or slightly above with 0.8-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
The useful three for a plan like this: protein powder, creatine monohydrate at 5g a day for strength and fullness, and a pre-workout for the heavy day.
FAQ
Two arm days a week — isn't that too much? Not for six weeks with the rest of your volume kept in check. That is exactly why the chest/back and legs/shoulders days are trimmed to essentials.
My biceps grow but my triceps don't. Then you are still under-training triceps. The triceps are the bigger muscle — give them the heavy compound-style work (skullcrushers, dips, overhead extensions) their size demands.
Can I add forearm work? Sure, a couple of wrist curl sets at the end of either arm day is fine and won't interfere.