148 Arm Exercises - Bob Hoffman

One Hundred and One Dumbell Exercises

1. Regular two arm curl
2. Alternate curl – palms up.
3. Back hand curl.
4. Back hand curl – alternate.
5. Curl with thumbs up.
6. Right hand curl.
7. Left hand curl.
8. Front curl, leaning.
9. Back curl, leaning.
10. Alternate curl and press.
11. Upright rowing motion.
12. Leaning over rowing motion.
13. Alternate rowing motion, leaning.
14. Arms swing to side while leaning.
15. Arms held in front while leaning and rotating.
16. Swinging from overhead for to the left, down and up to the right. Then reverse.
17. Swinging from position at side of foot to overhead, down to side of other foot and continue.
18. Zottman or twisting curl.
19. Triceps exercise while straightening arms to back of body while leaning forward.
20. Press while squatting on toes.
21. Press while rising from squat.
22. Lateral raise.
23. Forward raise.
24. Alternate forward raise.
25. Wrestler’s bridge and press two dumbbells.
26. Flying exercise with dumbbells while lying on a bench, back down. Keeping arms bent at the elbows, draw the bells together over the body until they touch, extend as far to the side as possible while keeping the elbows bent. Then back to center, keep flying or flapping the arms like wings, varying the position of the hands from near the face to well down the thighs.
27. Lateral raise while lying.
28. Pull over lying.
29. Revolving dumbbells while lying. Starting with the bells on the thighs, knuckles up. start to bring the arms toward the face, keeping them close to body, crossing arms as face is reached and going back to the original position with a wide sweep of the arms away from the body.
30. Lying on back hold both arms straight overhead. Turn both hands far to the left, then back to center, then far to the right.
31. Lying on back, spread arms far to side in line with shoulders, cross them over chest and then back to position with arms extended.
32. Alternate curl and press to arm’s length of head while lying.
33. Two hands military press dumbbells.
34. One hand military press, left.
35. Military press with opposite arm.
36. Side press, right.
37. Side press, left.
38. Two hands press while lying.
39. Alternate press while lying.
40. Left hand swing.
41. Right hand swing.
42. Two hands swing.
43. Punching movements, straight right and left.
44. Punching movements, alternate upper cuts.
45. Punching movements, right and left hand swing.
46. Punching movements, right and left hook.
47. Forward press from shoulders and twist.
48. Hold arms out at sides, shoulder height, palms up. Curl to position beside head.
49. Hold arms at sides, shoulder height, palms down. Curl to position beside head.
50. Curl at shoulder height, to front, palms up.
51. Curl at shoulder height, to front, knuckles up.
52. Circular motion while standing. Start with bells across thighs, knuckles up. Raise the arms, keeping close to the body and knuckles front. Extend to arm’s length overhead and lower with arms held out from side – similar to the position while lying on a bench but it brings different muscles into play.
53. Alternate upright rowing motion.
54. Hold bells at shoulder height extended to the front. Keeping them at shoulder height, extend one out to the side.
55. A variation of the former exercise. Start by raising bells to the side at shoulder height, keeping arms straight. Draw them in to a position with bells touching at shoulder height in front of the body; raise to arm’s length overhead, lower to side, back to center and down. It’s a very good arm and Deltoid exercise.
56. Curl up under the armpits.
57. Alternate curl up under the armpits.
58. Left hand bent press.
59. Right hand bent press.
60. One arm press from position at front of hip.
61. One hand side press, body held erect throughout from position at side of hip.
62. One hand side press from position with elbow at back of hip.
63. Left hand snatch.
64. Right hand snatch.
65. Left hand clean.
66. Right hand clean.
67. Left hand jerk.
68. Right hand jerk.
69. Two hands clean with dumbbells.
70. Two hands jerk with dumbbells.
71. Two hands continental press or push.
72. Hold bell overhead, touch toes.
73. Straddle hop with dumbbells held in hands.
74. Carrying weights while running or climbing stairs.
75. Two hands snatch with dumbbells.
76. Dropping and catching bell from hand to hand.
77. Two hands curl while sitting on chair.
78. Two hands press while sitting on chair.
79. Holding elbow against side, grasping bell with right hand, twist as far as you can; grasp bar with left hand while right wrist is well turned back. Then twist bell again. Continue this movement as rapidly as possible.
80. Holding a bell in each hand, elbows at side of body, twist back and forth until tired.
81. Twist bell sharply around and up, releasing it and catching it. See how fast you can spin it.
82. Sit on the floor with dumbbell beside you. Holding it at arm’s length raise it over the leg and set it on the floor between your legs. Then raise it again, placing it past the opposite leg. Then raise and back to center, raise and back to the outside of the leg on the lifting side. To perform this movement right you must not touch the leg or swing the weight with the body in any way.
83. While sitting upon the floor, pull a single bell to the shoulder. Press it to arm’s length three times, changing to the right hand and press three times, keeping the bell above the head throughout the movement; continue until tired.
84. Stand with a single bell across the front of the thigh, knuckles front. Holding the elbow stationary, curl it to the shoulder, bending the wrist well down throughout the movement so that it is in the gooseneck position. Without moving the elbow or forearm, raise and lower the bell by wrist action alone.
85. In the same position, describe a circular motion with the power of the wrist.
86. Sit on a chair with the dumbbell, ring weight, block weight or other weight upon the floor beside you. Lift it up to table. Wait two seconds, lift it down again. Continue until tired.
87. Another exercise which will build endurance and arm strength, too, is to perform a similar exercise while standing. Lift the dumbbell from the floor to the table. Let it rest on the table for a moment, but do not let go with the hand; put it back on the floor, lift with the other hand. Continue this movement with moderate slowness until tired.
88. Holding the left arm at shoulder height and straight, curl the right into the shoulder, then extend the right, curling the left to the shoulder. Continue until you feel the movement.
89. Hold a pair of moderate dumbbells at arm’s length, shoulder height from the sides, twist the bells back and forth until you feel the movement.
90. Grasp the dumbbell by one of the weights. Extend it out at shoulder height. With a rotary motion of the hands and wrist turn the bells round and round until you feel the movement.
91. Hold the weights at arm’s length overhead, palms facing. Lower them to shoulder height. Hold two seconds, raise back overhead and repeat. This is the well-known Crucifix lift.
92. Hold the bells at shoulder height. Push them to arm’s length, shoulder height at side, and twist. Back to the original position and repeat.
93. Stand erect with the knees slightly bent. Bend down to touch the ankle with one bell, curl the other back under the armpit, back to the position of attention. Then touch the opposite hand to the opposite ankle, curling the other hand up into armpit.
94. Hold one arm in front of body, swing to the opposite side from the shoulder, which supports the weight. Have the other arm in back and opposite its shoulder, too. Reverse the position and continue until you feel the movement.
95. Hold the bells at shoulders, elbows front, knuckles up. Press them to arm’s length overhead, keeping the knuckles up. Lower to shoulders and continue the movement.
96. A somewhat similar movement with the elbows held out to the side. Press with knuckles up.
97. Hold the bells at chest and lean far back, then forward until you touch toes with dumbbells; back to first position and continue the movement.’
98. Sit upon the floor and go through rowing motions with the dumbbells in hand. Reach far out and touch toes, bring them to chest, leaning well back, then to toes and continue the movement.
99. Lying on your side, move the dumbbell to the back, to the front and then back.
100. Bending your knees, go into a full squat. Rise the bells to shoulder height. When you come erect, curl them under the armpits and continue the movement.
101. Take a pair of dumbells in your hands, a bit heavier than those used in the lateral raise. Stand about two feet from the wall. Keeping your back flat, support yourself with back of head touching the wall. Permit the bells to drop down and back until they touch behind your back. Raise them from this position until they touch overhead, then lower until the bells again touch behind the back.

Forty Seven Barbell Exercises

1. Front curl
2. Back curl
3. Curl with one arm front, the other back, reversing the position of the hands at times.
4. Upright rowing motion.
5. Leaning over rowing motion.
6. Continental press.
7. Military or regular press.
8. Press behind neck.
9. Clean.
10. Jerk.
11. Continental and jerk behind neck.
12. Two hands regular snatch.
13. Dead hang snatch. This movement can be practiced in a variety of forms: With legs straight and only the action of the back and arms. Bending the back and legs, permitting the bar to lower until it nearly touches the floor, then pulling it rather slowly to a height which permits getting under the bell. And with a lighter weight, the pulling up of the weight entirely with the arms and shoulders, back and legs straight and then splitting under the bar to fix it at arm’s length.
14. Right hand side press.
15. Left hand side press.
16. Left hand military press.
17. Right hand military press.
18. Right hand snatch.
19. Left hand snatch.
20. Right hand clean.
21. Left hand clean.
22. Left hand jerk.
23. Right hand jerk.
24. Floor press.
25. Press on box or bench.
26. Two arm pullover. Principally involves the Latissimus and the Pectorals but provides plenty of developmental value for the arms.
27. Dead lift, pulling weight as high as possible. The handling of really heavy poundages such as this movement permits will toughen, enlarge and strengthen all the muscles, tendons, ligaments and attachments of the arm.
28. Pressing in wrestler’s bridge position.
29. Starting the bar with weight overhead, lower it to near the floor and on up to overhead at the other side of the body with a swinging motion. As you get the rhythm of this particular movement you will find that the arms have plenty of work to do.
30. Holding the barbell behind back, leaning the trunk front, and developing the Triceps while straightening the arm.
31. Sitting upon a chair, elbows resting upon the thighs, raising and lowering the barbell with wrist action alone to develop the forearm.
32. Regular curl while leaning forward with the upper body parallel to floor. No supporting action of the elbows against the elbows is possible in this and the movement to follow; it is purely a muscle developing exercise and brings good results.
33. Back hand curl while leaning.
34. Holding the barbell behind back. Perform a motion similar to the upright rowing motion. This will involve the arms in a new and different manner.
35. Pressing the weight overhead while standing with the elbows front and high.
36. A somewhat similar movement, this time curling the weight to the shoulders, holding the knuckles up at shoulders, the elbows extended to the front, pressing the weight overhead solely by back hand arm action.
37. Regular curl and the opposite press without changing the position of the hands. Differs from No. 35 in that the fact that the elbows are not moved in No. 35 and No. 37 is performed as a regular press except that the knuckles are front instead of the palms.
38. An alternate movement of the arms, curling one arm as the other remains extended, then reversing. Can be done with the regular or back hand style. Imparts a somewhat different muscular effect.
39. Two hands press while sitting on a chair.
40. A motion somewhat similar to the upright rowing motion except that the weight is pulled to arm’s length overhead. Do not turn the wrists until you are forced to do so at the height of the pull.
41. A combination exercise. Front curl, regular press and regular rowing motion.
42. A directly opposite combination. Back curl, press behind neck and upright rowing motion.
43. A combination exercise. Start with the weight at arm’s length overhead. Lower the bell to the floor, skip the feet back into the floor dip position. Dip until chest touches the bar, then bring feet back to original position. Pull and press the weight to arm’s length overhead, and repeat until tired or the desired number of counts have been attained. Considerable strength is required to prevent the bar from rolling while dipping and of course this adds to the results obtained.
44. In the supine position upon box, extend the arms so that the barbell rests upon thighs. With a motion similar to the back hand curl bring the bar to the chest with as little elbow movement as possible, then press the weight to straight arm’s length back of head. You can continue the movement back to the thighs in the same manner, or vary it, returning as in the two hands pullover.
45. A twisting press. Pressing the weight overhead as the body is twisted first far to the left and then far to the right.
46. A somewhat different form of swing. Bend down, placing the bar against the floor to the left of the left hand foot. Raise the bar to arms’s length overhead and down to the right of the right foot – this with a semicircular motion. Continue this circular movement until the desired number of counts are reached.
47. With a barbell only moderate in length. Starting with the knuckles up – bar against the thighs – extend it to arm’s length in front of the body. Do not just swing it up. Rather draw it up nearly to shoulder height in somewhat similar fashion as in the rowing motion, then press it to arm’s length in front of the body. Return to the thigh position and continue the exercise in the same manner until the desired number of counts are attained.