Exercises for Long Arms: Build Your Biceps & Triceps

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Why it’s harder to grow muscle on long arms & how to overcome it

Co-authored by Monica Morris and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: February 26, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Is gaining muscle harder?
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• Best Exercises
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• How big should your arms be?
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• Do you have long arms?
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• Are long arms attractive?
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• Video
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• Tips

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If you’re super tall or just have long, lean arms, you might be frustrated with how your biceps and triceps are lagging behind other muscle groups. The truth is, it is harder for the long-armed to add muscle mass, but it’s not impossible! We consulted wikiHow’s personal trainer partners to explore why it’s harder to gain muscle in long arms and included the best exercises you can do to pack on muscle mass (including sample routines for your biceps and triceps). We’ll also take a look at how big your arms should be for your frame and how to tell if your arms are long compared to your height.

Gaining Muscle in Long Arms: Overview

For very tall people or those with long arms, it takes a larger lifting volume to add muscle mass and “look big.” Do up to 30-32 sets of compound and isolated moves for both the triceps and biceps to start seeing results. Some of the best movements include:

• Triceps: Straight-bar cable pushdown, close-grip bench press, barbell lying tricep extension, seated 2-arm overhead dumbbell extension.
• Biceps: Standing cable curl, barbell curl, seated incline dumbbell hammer curl, preacher curl.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Is it harder to gain muscle in long arms?

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1. 
   1
   Yes, it can be harder to build visibly large muscles in long arms. It's not impossible, though! Whether you’re super tall or just have disproportionately lengthy arms, having a few extra vertical inches means more muscle mass is required to aesthetically fill out your frame. Long arms are naturally a bit leaner, and their elongated range of motion (ROM) impacts the amount of weight you can handle (a larger ROM puts your muscles under tension for a longer distance and through more difficult angles).

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Jason Whalen is a certified personal trainer with over a decade of experience and the owner of JWWFitness in Scottsdale, Arizona.

   Pete Cerqua is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with over 20 years of experience.
2. 2
   People with long arms often need to increase their lifting volume to see results. It’s definitely possible to get big arms with basic free-weight moves when you’re very tall or have long limbs—you just have to increase your volume to achieve your maximum muscle pump. This doesn’t just mean adding extra sets of isolated movement like bicep curls, though. Instead, added volume from heavy compound movements helps add time under tension (an important factor for muscle growth).

   • Certified personal trainer Jason Whalen agrees: “If [you] want bigger biceps… focus on adding those compound movements more so than the isolation exercises. When you hit major muscle groups, that’s going to recruit more muscle fibers overall and [build] mass.”
   • “Go with higher volume. I'd be looking to get 30 to 32 sets per week on each of the muscles, biceps, and triceps,” adds certified personal trainer Pete Cerqua.
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Section 2 of 5:

Best Exercises for Growing Long Arms

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1. 1
   Tricep-building movements “If [you] want bigger arms, you actually need bigger triceps than biceps, because it's three muscles compared to two. Your triceps make your arms look bigger,” explains fitness expert Ian Heydecke. Here are some of the best tricep movements you can do to add muscle mass to lean arms:

   • Straight-bar cable pushdown: A good warmup move that targets the lateral (outside) head of the triceps.
   • Close-grip bench press: A multi-joint exercise that recruits all 3 heads of the tricep—lateral, long (upper inside), and medial (lower inside).
   • Barbell lying triceps extension (skullcrushers): A move that targets the lateral head and stretches the long head as you move the barbell backward toward your forehead.
   • Seated 2-arm overhead dumbbell extension: An isolation move that hits the long head for increased mass.
   • Reverse-grip cable pulldown: An exercise to target the medial head that can be done 2 ways: with 2 hands on a straight-bar attachment, or one arm at a time with a D-handle.
   • Seated machine dip: An effective move to grow the lateral and medial heads of the triceps.
2. 2
   Sample tricep routine This routine is effective for anyone who wants to build their triceps, but is tailored to those with long arms who want to fill out their frames:

   • Straight-bar cable pushdown: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
   • Close-grip bench press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Barbell lying triceps extension (skullcrushers): 3 sets of 8-12 reps
     • Tip: Superset your lying triceps extension with the overhead dumbbell extension to up the intensity, save time, and promote growth.
   • Seated 2-arm overhead dumbbell extension: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
     • Tip: Choose a weight that causes you to fail within 8-10 reps for the best results.
   • Reverse-grip cable pulldown: 3 sets of 12 reps
   • Seated machine dip: 7 sets of 10-12 reps
     • Tip: Choose a weight that’s challenging in the 10-12 rep range but won’t cause you to fail in your first few sets. It’s OK to fail on the last few sets as long as you’re pushing yourself.
   • Do you have to do all these exercises in one session? Not necessarily. “You could split that up any way you want,” Cerqua says. “I see people get the best results on a five-day split…That's a good amount of work, and that would bring a lagging body part up.”
3. 3
   Bicep-building movements Use these exercises to add muscle mass and get a nice bicep peak:

   • Standing cable curl: A good bicep warmup that can be done with a straight bar, cambered bar, or a rope.
   • Barbell or EZ-bar curl: A strength and power movement that hits the full length of the bicep through a large range of motion.
   • Reverse incline barbell curl: A lift that puts the bicep in a deep stretch and increases muscle mass, especially at the top of the forearm.
   • Seated incline dumbbell hammer curl: A popular move that targets the brachialis muscle (located under your bicep, responsible for flexing your elbow joint).
   • Preacher curl: An effective isolation exercise that targets the peak of the biceps.
4. 4
   Sample bicep routine Here’s how to put together a bicep workout that’s effective for your long and lean arms:

   • Standing cable curl: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
   • Barbell or EZ-bar curl: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
     • Tip: Gradually increase the weight for each set while reducing the number of reps. Your first set may be 12-15 reps, while your final set may only be 8, for example.
   • Reverse incline barbell curl: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
     • Tip: Make this a superset with the following seated incline DB hammer curls.
   • Seated incline dumbbell hammer curl: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
   • Preacher curl: 7 sets of 10-12 reps
     • Tip: For the best results, only take a rest of about 45 seconds max between sets.
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Section 3 of 5:

How big should your arms be?

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1. 
   There’s no “right” answer since it depends on your size, height, and goals. As ACE-certified personal trainer Monica Morris says, “It depends on the individual and what their physical goals are.” She explains that for an average-height male around 5’10”, a good size (AKA, noticeably muscular) bicep would be “somewhere in the range of 15-17.5 inches (38-45 cm).” However, if you’re very tall or have long arms compared to your frame, you may want to be closer to 17.5 inches (45 cm) or even larger, depending on your aesthetic preferences.

   • For females around 5’6”, Morris adds that “12.5 inch (32 cm) arms are a muscular size circumference, depending on your desired look.”
   • However, the exact measurement isn’t everything. “It’s important not to necessarily strive for the number, but fora size that looks muscular for the individual's shape and is both proportionate and attainable,” Morris explains.

Section 4 of 5:

How to Tell if You Have Long Arms for Your Height

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1. You have long arms if your arm span is greater than your height. On average and across a large age range, humans have an arm span that is roughly equal to their height (a 1:1 ratio). If your arm span is longer than you are tall, then your arms would be considered long. Here’s how to test it:

   • Measure and record your height (if you don’t know it off the top of your head).
   • Then, lie down with your arms outstretched and have a friend measure your arm span from middle fingertip to middle fingertip.
   • Compare the measurements to see if they’re about the same or if your arm span is longer.
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Section 5 of 5:

Are long arms attractive?

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1. 
   There’s no clear answer, but studies show long arms are neutral-to-attractive. In one study published in Royal Society Open Science, 800 women viewed computer-generated images of male models with varying limb lengths and proportions. Surprisingly, how long the men’s arms were relative to their height didn’t seem to make a huge impact; the study did show that women preferred legs that were about half of a man’s height, though.

   • But what about long-armed women? In a separate study in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, the opposite seemed to be true—women with longer arms were generally rated more attractive, whereas leg size did not make much of an impact.
   • All in all, body proportions do play a role in what people perceive as attractive, but let’s not forget that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

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Tips

• NASM-certified personal trainer Laura Flinn says, “There aren’t certain foods that will help gain muscle in your arms only. Foods that will help build muscle overall are lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, eggs, lean beef, fish, whey protein powder, Greek yogurt, etc.; complex carbs such as sweet potato, brown rice, vegetables, and fruits; and healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, olive oil, etc.”
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• Remember that consistency is key! It may take several months to see progress in your arms, so don’t get discouraged.
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