If you want to try bulking up your arms then you might want to try doing tricep curls. In general, curls are weight training exercises that focus on your tricep muscle for the purpose of developing attributes such as stamina, definition, size, strength and even self-esteem. Your triceps are your big muscles on the back side of your upper arms. Every time you are successful at extending your elbow, you can thank your tricep muscle for doing so. Tricep curls focus on not only building out your tricep muscles, but also on toning them, too. The good part about this exercise is that you can easily do it sitting or standing, whatever your preference is.

To do proper tricep curls, grasp a dumbbell in one hand and position your arm at a 45 degree angle. Extend the arm holding the dumbbell up over your head. From this position, extend your arm down so that it is being lowered behind your head. Follow that up by extending your arm back up, but not all the way, only about seven-eighths of the way. You can do as many of these repetitions as you feel comfortable doing without incurring any pain in your arm. Once you are happy with the amount of repetitions you have completed for one arm, then be sure to get a balanced workout by switching the dumbbell weight to your other hand and repeating the same process with that arm.

Doing a tricep curl properly requires that you are aware of how your body is feeling and responding to this workout, just so you know that you are actually doing it right. Your form, especially when you first begin the tricep curl when your arm is at a 45 degree angle, should be in such a way that both your back as well as abdominal muscles are tight. Another aspect of your arm to watch out for is if it remains in place: As you extend your arm up and down, you have to ensure that your shoulder stays in place and does not rotate down. Another material instruction to remember is that you must do these exercises slowly to really work your tricep muscle out; do not rush, as that defeats the entire purpose of this exercise.

As with all exercises, it is important to recognize warning signs of possible hazards so you know when you may be close to hurting yourself. One big thing to remember is to get a dumbbell that is of a weight that is appropriate for you. You know the weight is too great if you fail to keep your shoulder in place during this exercise, and it just keeps rotating down as you extend your arm. Another point to remember is that when you extend your arm up, you should never extend it all the way up because that will put undue pressure on your shoulder, heightening the risk of injury.