The Ultimate Arm Blaster Workouts

Build your biceps like never before

When it comes to hitting your biceps, chances are you are going to do some bicep curls to really blast them. While there are compound movements such as deadlifts that can hit your biceps too, there is nothing like good old-fashioned bicep curls to really isolate the muscles. However, you may find yourself incorporating a little sway in your elbows when you are performing your curls, and that can get in the way of really maximizing your bicep gains. This is where things like arm blasters come in, to help stop the sway, but what are some good arm blaster workouts?

What is an Arm Blaster?

You may not have heard of an arm blaster before, they are not as common in gyms as they once were. An arm blaster is a piece of wearable fitness equipment, and they have been around for a long time, they were heavily utilized by bodybuilders in the Golden Era. Typically, it will consist of a strap, which is meant to be wrapped around the back of the neck, and then it will also have a curved metal board, which is meant to support the elbows and stop them from swaying as the wearer performs their bicep curls. Sometimes, an arm blaster can even have elbow pads on it for extra comfort.

Arm blasters force you to utilize good form and they really isolate the biceps like no other piece of equipment. However, due to the forced isolation and focus on form, you will need to drop the weight a bit to perform your curls. There is no shame in lighter weight when it means more quality repetitions. 

You can see some big names in the fitness industry utilizing an arm blaster in their workouts. To name a few, Bradley Martyn and Calum Von Moger have worn them during their bicep workouts, as well as 7x Mr. Olympia winner and bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Benefits of an Arm Blaster

A piece of equipment like this has been in the industry for so long for good reason. Arm blasters bring a load of benefits to the table. 

Better Form

For starters, incorporating an arm blaster into your workout forces you to maintain good form, and good form leads to better gains.

Isolation

Almost going hand in hand with the good form aspect, is isolation of the muscle. By using an arm blaster, you are eliminating elbow sway and the risk of incorporating different muscles into the movement. You can easily isolate your bicep muscles so that they can be hit more effectively.

Strength Gains

By isolating the muscle, you are breaking it down more than you normally would. The increased breakdown of the muscle combined with a proper recovery protocol, you’ll be holding heavier weights in no time.

How to Maximize Your Workout

While it may seem simple to use, there are actually two different approaches you can take when it comes to an arm blaster workout, the elbows-in method, and the elbows-out method. The method that you choose largely depends on what type of curl you are doing. 

The elbows-in approach means that your elbows are angled more towards your torso while you are performing your curls. If you are looking to achieve bigger arms and some better muscular definition, then the elbows-in approach is what you will want to go with.

The elbows-out approach has your elbows angled out slightly, and is more helpful with bringing more overall volume to the bicep.

Arm Blaster Exercises

So, with all this talk about arm blasters, what are the best arm blaster workouts? There are so many different variations of the bicep curl that you might not know what to choose. So, let’s dive in.

Hammer Curls

The first arm blaster exercise is none other than hammer curls. Hammer curls are great for improving the width and thickness of the biceps, rather than the peaks. Throw on your arm blaster and pick up your dumbbells, and rep out some hammer curls to really hit the forearms and add some size to your biceps.

Alternating Dumbbell Curls

When it comes to an arm blaster workout, you cannot leave out the classic alternating dumbbell curls. They will help build the peaks of your biceps.

Barbell Curls

Another classic exercise for the biceps, barbell curls. They are a staple for adding some size to your peaks, and with the arm blaster they are only going to yield better results.

Cable Curls

You can use just about any attachment here, ropes, a straight bar, d-handle, whatever you feel is right. But, the cable curls are great to pair with an arm blaster, as they keep constant tension on the biceps throughout the entire movement. 

Sample Arm Blaster Bicep Workout

While there are plenty of curl variations to choose from, narrowing down to a few exercises can help. Keep in mind that you do not need to do every type of bicep curl when you are in the gym. Just focus on getting in quality sets and reps, and of course avoid overtraining, that is the way to go. 

Here is a quick and easy arm blasting bicep workout:

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curls	4	10-12
Barbell Curls	4	8-10
Straight Bar Cable Curls	4	12

Arm Blaster for Triceps?

While it is not overly common, arm blasters can be used for triceps as well. Unfortunately, an arm blaster will not work for movements like overhead extensions or skull crushers, you can certainly incorporate an arm blaster into movements such as cable pushdowns. 

The arm blaster works for tricep movements in the same way as it would with bicep curls, where it prevents the elbows from swaying backwards during the pushdown movement.

Arm Blaster Workouts Wrap Up

Overall, when it comes to blowing up your biceps, you are probably going to be utilizing movements like bicep curls. The only issue with that is when you are performing movements like the bicep curl, many times you may find your elbows swaying a little bit which can take away from the biceps. Arm blasters come into play, and they make a world of a difference for isolating your arms. 

They force you to focus on form and really squeeze, maximizing your gains. But, they aren’t just for biceps, as you can utilize them for triceps to isolate them as well on movements like pushdowns. 

Will you be trying an arm blaster workout?

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Header image courtesy of Rogue Fitness