Strength Training for Skinny Arms: Muscle Building Routines

Tired of skinny weak arms? Here are proven strength training routines that will put muscle on your skinny arms and make them a lot stronger. I'm a certified personal trainer.

Seated Dips. Seated dips will increase the size of your skinny arms by adding mass to the triceps muscle. When men struggle to build up thin arms, they often focus a lot on bench pressing, which primarily works the chest muscles.

Though the triceps get worked in the bench press, they don't get slammed like they do during intense sets of seated dips. Seated dips will directly target the triceps, which makes up most of your upper arm. If you have well-developed triceps muscles, your arms won't look skinny.

The caveat with seated dips is that a man with skinny weak arms will not be able to do a full seated dip with elevated feet. In fact, a man who doesn't work out and one day decides to try seated dips, even if he has more "meat" on his arms, will simply not be able to perform this exercise. It is inherently difficult, and not a natural movement.

Thus, you must work yourself up to performing dips, but the time it requires to build the strength to do these is well worth it! Once you're strong enough to do seated dips, with legs straight and feet propped up on a bench or stool, there is no limit to what you can do with this exercise. Read this article on how to get started with seated dips.

To make a long story short, make seated dips a regular part of your strength training, and keep pushing the envelope and dipping heavier and heavier (add weights to your lap for more resistance), and dang, your triceps will swell!

Narrow Hand Pushups. Another excellent exercise for building skinny arms is a pushup done with hands closer than shoulder width apart. Again, the caveat is that weak people won't be able to do a "real" pushup; they must build up to this, which is easily done by doing pushups off one's knees. When these become easy, try the standard pushup, with only toes on the floor, entire body in perfect alignment, no sagging.

Narrow hand pushups will target the biggest muscle in the arm: the triceps. When these get really easy, do them immediately after a set of seated dips for a double dose of muscle-building for your skinny arms.

Biceps Curls. The next biggest muscle of the arm is the biceps, so you'll want to target these. You've perhaps heard that "the biggest mass builders are compound movements."

The problem here is that the typical skinny, weak person cannot do chin-ups (which recruit the back and biceps), but even the weakest person can immediately do biceps curls for repetitions.

I recommend seated biceps curls with dumbbells, against a slightly tilted-back back support. This will minimize cheating.

Seated Rows. The forearms need work as well, and seated rows will recruit forearm activity, as well as biceps, but this compound movement primarily works middle back muscles. Use handles that enable you to position your palms towards the ceiling and also towards each other. Row also with palms facing towards the floor for more forearm recruitment (though this minimizes biceps recruitment). Do all three hand positions.

Again, I'm recommending seated rows over pull-ups and chin-ups because the weakest man with the skinniest arms can immediately do seated rows for repetitions, but will not be able to do a single chin-up or pull-up.

Do not confuse seated rows with the "rowing machine." The rowing machine is in the cardio section and is an endurance tool. Seated rows are best done with cable pulley equipment in the weight-lifting section.

How many repetitions for building muscle in skinny arms? Set the resistance so that 6-10 repetitions are barely possible. If you can do 11, then the resistance is too light. For pushups, position yourself for an 8-12 rep max.

Rest 90-120 seconds in between sets. Do 4-6 sets of each routine described here, twice a week. Eat high quality protein and complex carbohydrates within one hour of training. To build skinny arms, don't skip workouts, and don't skip breakfast.