“Tighter” and “firmer” arms are a product of having a low body fat percentage. You could do arm exercises all day long, but if your body fat is still high, you will not have defined arms or any other body part for that matter. The best exercises for your arms are therefore large muscle group exercises that contribute to caloric expenditure and building lean muscle mass.

For example: when working on the bench press, the triceps (back of the upper arms) are working as well. A closer grip on the bar during the bench press recruits even more of the triceps while still hitting multiple muscle groups. Another great example is the seated row. A row is also a large muscle group exercise that targets the major muscle groups in the back. The biceps (front of the upper arm) are active as a helper during the seated row. Performing a row with an underhand, close grip helps to focus on the biceps.

In addition to performing large muscle group exercises, arms exercises must be strategically incorporated into the training program. When performing single-joint arm isolation exercises such as bicep curls and triceps extensions, they should be trained on a day along with the larger muscle groups. Performing a day of only arms does not stimulate much of the hormone release that helps with the building of lean muscle mass. This can make many arm training days less than productive. Mixing triceps and bicep exercises into your larger muscle group workouts will allow you to emphasize these muscles for maximal definition and reap the benefit of the work you are putting into your training. Training arms and legs on the same day can also be very effective for seeing results due to the increased physical demands of this style of workout.

Amanda Adams, fiitness model =)