5 Intense Brachialis Exercises To Build Bigger Arms 

While many trainees spend countless hours building their biceps and triceps, they forget the crucial muscle engulfed between the two - the brachialis. It lies underneath the biceps and is responsible for elbow flexion.

Even though it is a fairly small muscle, increasing its size can make your arms look considerably bigger due to its location. Since it is responsible for sixty percent of the tension placed during flexion movements, strengthening this muscle is crucial for improving your overall arm strength.

It will also help improve performance in exercises such as chinups, pullups, and rows. Today, we will look at the five best exercises to build this muscle.

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5 Intense Brachialis Exercises To Build Bigger Arms

1) Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Hammer curls are an excellent option to build your bicep and forearm muscles. They are best done in a 8-12 rep range with a pause at the top for maximum benefits.

Instructions:

• Stand up straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
• Use a neutral grip with your palms facing inward.
• Flex your elbows and bring the dumbbells upward.
• Squeeze the upper arm at the top of the movement.
• Lower the weight with complete control. Repeat.
• Your wrists should not change position throughout the movement.

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2) Reverse Grip Barbell Curls

This exercise is excellent for building big forearms as well as targeting your brachialis.

Instructions:

• Stand upright and brace your core.
• Take a shoulder-width, palms-down grip on the barbell, and curl the weights upward.
• Squeeze the arm at the top of the exercise, and lower the weight slowly. Repeat.
• You can employ time-under-tension or partial reps to make it more intense.

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3) Preacher Curls With Pronated Grip

Preacher curls are a fantastic isolation exercise. When done with a pronated grip, it can help target the foreams and brachialis. It is best suited for lighter weights done for higher repetitions.

Instructions:

• Hold an EZ bar/barbell with a pronated grip over the preacher pad.
• Curl away!
• Focus on the eccentric, but do not load too heavily.

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4) Pullups

Pullups are often called the king of bodyweight movements due to their relative simplicity and ability to train virtually every muscle in the upper body. The pronated grip used in the pullup activates the brachialis to a great extent.

For better brachialis activation, you can employ the following tips:

• Use a narrower grip
• Slow down the movement, especially at the bottom.
• Overload the pullups with weighted vests or dumbbells.
• You can also add extra weight using a dip belt.

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5) Zottman Curls

Zottman curls are a brutal exercise that will target your biceps, brachialis, and forearms. The Zottman curl makes use of different hand positioning at various points in the lift to maximize arm growth.

Trainees can concentrate on developing their bicep strength during the initial curling part of the exercise. The lowering part is similar to a reverse curl, and will help overload the muscles to a greater extent.

Instructions:

• Start off with a lighter weight to learn proper form.
• Take a deep breath and curl the weights upwards while utilising a supinated grip.
• At the top of the movement, rotate the foreams to assume a pronated, pams-down position.
• Lower the weight slowly.
• Repeat.

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Takeaway

A well-developed brachialis can make your arms look significantly bigger. Use the aforementioned exercises to build a pair of guns that you can be proud to show off!