February 17, 2021

The Best Resistance Band Exercises for Arms

A woman performs a resistance band curl
Resistance Band Arm Workout

Throwing around heavy weights at the gym may feel impressive, but is it the most effective way to grow bigger arms? Let’s go ahead and assume the answer is no.

A quick word of warning: Just because you’re going from free weights to resistance bands doesn’t mean you won’t be lifting heavy loads. The X3 Bar will test your will and take your muscles to complete exhaustion. But you will be greatly rewarded for the effort.

Give these two moves a shot if you haven’t tried arm exercises with resistance bands. And see if you don’t wake up feeling bigger, stronger, and less sore.

You could go from Clark Kent to Superman without going through countless reps and sets.

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The Resistance Band Curl

A man shows an X3 user how to perform a resistance band curl
The X3 Resistance Band Curl

What’s the first muscle people tend to notice on guys? If you just whispered under your breath, “biceps,” you’d be right. What if I told you there’s a better, more effective way to grow your biceps into shock and awe-inspiring behemoths? Is that something you might be interested in?

Introducing the X3 bicep drag curl. What is a drag curl, you ask? First, let’s discuss the standard bicep curl.

As you know, a normal curl position involves bringing the bar up to around the bridge of your nose. in doing so, your lower arms move to a position where they are nearly perpendicular to the ground. And when this happens, your biceps are no longer engaged; essentially, your bicep muscles shut off.

A drag curl eliminates this problematic off-and-on phenomenon common with regular curls. Instead, it keeps your biceps in a constant state of tension, which is instrumental in growing your biceps faster and more effectively.

The X3 bicep drag curl, demonstrated in the link above, provides your biceps with the highest tension and hardest contraction. The trick is in the motion of dragging the bar up and along your body rather than lifting it away from your body.

Band Curls: A Multi-Joint Movement

That simple adjustment normally turns an isolation movement into a multi-joint movement that engages the posterior deltoids and the trapezius muscles. One remarkable aspect of multi-joint movements is that they stimulate more growth and create more lean muscle tissue than a single-joint movement. And they are more effective at burning fat and preventing injuries.

When performing this bicep resistance band workout, know that your head naturally wants to track forward a little. Not to worry, this is normal.

This X3 bicep curl also allows you to handle more weight and handle it more safely.

Lifting free weights underloads muscles and overloads your joints, especially in the weak ranges of movements, such as the bottom of a deadlift or bench press. And as you fatigue, it becomes difficult to maintain the proper form, putting you at even greater risk of spinal and joint injuries.

With resistance bands, the force is lowest in the weakest range of motion, where your joints are compromised. The force increases as you move to the strong range of an exercise, where you’re 7x stronger. For this reason and more, X3 is far safer and easier on joints.

If incredible bicep growth is what you’re after, that’s what the drag curl delivers.

And if you’re wondering if you can get a great arm workout with heavy resistance bands, the answer is an emphatic YES.

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The Resistance Band Tricep Press

A man shows a woman how to perform the band tricep press
The X3 Resistance Band Tricep Press

This tricep resistance band exercise won’t crush any skulls, in case the name makes you feel a bit apprehensive, but it will provide you with a powerful alternative to the old standard―the tricep pushdown.

When performing the X3 tricep press, you never actually push down; you’re pushing the bar more out, away from your body. If you try pushing down, perhaps out of habit, you’ll find that the resistance band will slip down as your arms move in that direction.

To begin the tricep press, run the resistance band across your back below the traps and over the deltoids. The band will be in a similar position to doing a chest press. And the bar position in front of you should be at clavicle level.

Keep your arms bent at a 90-degree angle in front of you. Then slowly straighten your arms, making sure to hinge only at the elbows, as demonstrated in the video link above.

Band Arm Workout: Quick Tips

There are some key points to remember when you’re performing this resistance band tricep exercise. Keep your elbows tucked in, as opposed to flailing out. The motion should be slow and controlled. And as mentioned above, you’re pushing out and just slightly down as you extend your arms in front of you.

Just like with the X3 bicep drag curl, the tricep press keeps constant tension on your triceps, and believe me, you’ll feel it. Towards the end of your set, as your muscles become more fatigued, try diminishing the range of motion during the last few reps to get every ounce of effort you can muster.

Let’s be honest; we all want arms that make average men weep with envy. The kind of bigger biceps and stronger triceps that leave bystanders breathless.

You know what?

These two simple but powerful resistance band exercises will achieve both objectives. And you don’t even need a cape, tights, or a big red S on your chest.

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