You may have seen or used an arm blaster in your gym – that over-the-shoulder bar that saddles the back of your arms in place for bicep curls and tricep pushdowns. But what does an arm blaster do? Is it a worthwhile tool for bicep and tricep work, and if so, how should you use it?
An arm blaster workout uses a tool to isolate the biceps and triceps by giving the back of your arms a stable surface to anchor against. By limiting the movement of your shoulders, you put more strain and emphasis on the biceps and triceps to get more targeted results.
That said, there are still questions about the arm blaster workout we need to answer, including:
- What is an arm blaster?
- What does an arm blaster do?
- How do you use an arm blaster?
- How do arm blaster exercises compare to other exercises?
- How do you fit an arm blaster workout into your program?
Let’s dive deeper.
Table of Contents
What Is an Arm Blaster?
The arm blaster is basically a wearable preacher bench designed to isolate your biceps for curls and triceps for press downs.
These two exercises call for you to keep your shoulders still and let either the bicep or the tricep do its job to flex or extend your arm at the elbow joint.
Some lifters will tell themselves to “lock their elbows” at their hips to prevent shoulder involvement in curl and press down variations. The arm blaster enforces that for you!
The arm blaster is usually made of steel or aluminum, sometimes with additional padding to make it more comfortable for the wearer. It goes over your shoulders like a front pack, and your arms sit in front of a horizontal bar that keeps your upper arm in the same spot the whole time.
Check out an arm blaster in action in this Instagram post from DMoose:
How To Use an Arm Blaster
To use an arm blaster, you put the strap around your neck, rest the backs of your upper arms against the crossbar/plate, and perform a curl or tricep press down without allowing your upper arms to change positions.
By limiting your upper arms’ ability to move forward and backward at the shoulder, you ensure only your bicep works during elbow flexion (curling a weight toward your body) and only your tricep works during elbow extension (straightening out your arm at the elbow).
Here are detailed steps on how to properly use one:
- Place the strap around your neck, so the crossbar is in front of you.
- Adjust any straps available to ensure your elbows and forearms can move freely as your upper arms rest against the crossbar.
- Grip dumbbells or a barbell in your hands and perform curls, with the crossbar preventing your shoulder from moving your upper arm forward or backward.
- Alternatively, you can grip a bar on a high pulley and do press downs with your arms pressed against the crossbar.
- When doing press downs, the arm blaster will only prevent your shoulders from moving your arm backward toward yourself. You’ll still need to ensure the pulley doesn’t pull the back of your arms off the crossbar on the way up with each rep.
Below you can find our favorite arm blaster products to consider adding them to your workout routine.
4 Arm Blaster Benefits
Whether you use an arm blaster sparingly or all the time, here are four main benefits you get from using it:
- Biceps isolation
- Triceps isolation
- Cost-effective and space-saving solution for home gyms
- Standing/sitting applications
1. Biceps Isolation
When performing arm blaster curls, either with cables, dumbbells, or barbells, the arm blaster helps isolate your biceps, so they are the only muscle doing the work of getting that weight up and controlling it back down.
When your arms are not stabilized, your shoulders can try to help by creating leverage in your upper arms. Allowing dumbbells in your hands to drift back to your butt or behind you means you can create momentum to help get the weight up. With the arm blaster in place, you can’t get that momentum, making the bicep do ALL the work.
Since you’re doing biceps curls, this is exactly what you want! You don’t want momentum, you don’t want help from the shoulders or other muscles – you want to make your biceps do all the work so that they grow and look awesome! And that’s exactly what the arm blaster offers.
2. Triceps Isolation
I also love that the benefits are not limited to just the biceps! You can also use an arm blaster for the triceps. It limits your shoulder rotation to ensure your triceps are isolated to extend your arms at the elbows or straighten them out.
This is your target motion in tricep press downs, like with a high pulley on a cable machine. With your arms free, your upper arms can move forward and backward at the shoulder joint to create momentum or use shoulder strength to move the load.
With the arm blaster in place, you have a rigid crossbar to keep your arms against the entire time, making your triceps the only muscle moving that load as you extend your arms at the elbow.
Again, as with biceps, this puts all the work on our triceps, giving them the stimulus required to grow most efficiently.
3. Cost-Effective and Space-Saving Solution for Home Gyms
One big benefit of the arm blaster is that it’s a cost-effective solution to isolate your biceps and triceps if you train in a home gym.
Sure, there are preacher benches that have a similar benefit. But those can be super expensive, depending on what you get. From static benches to full cable and plate-loaded preacher curl options, you can be looking at thousands of dollars just to isolate your biceps and triceps!
Plus, many people with home gyms simply don’t have the space for a preacher curl bench.
With the arm blaster, there are dozens of product options to give you all the benefits of forced muscular isolation without adding a large piece of equipment and clutter to your space.
Looking for other ways to train your biceps without a preacher curl bench? Check out these 9 Best Preacher Curl Alternatives.
4. Standing/Sitting Applications
I also love that you can use the arm blaster for both seated and standing variations of bicep and tricep work.
While you are most likely to perform tricep pushdowns standing, you can do bicep curls either way. Everyone has their preferences, but the arm blaster doesn’t make you choose!
Because the crossbar sits across your chest, you can sit down and use it without impairing your movements beyond what the arm blaster is designed to do. You can get further stability from sitting on a 90-degree bench with your back supported as you curl.
Or if you prefer standing, go for it! You might even try standing against a wall for your arm blaster workouts. It will inhibit your upper body from swaying or heaving the weight up as you try to lean back because the wall behind you will stop you.
Because the arm blaster works for seated and standing variations, it’s even more beneficial to you, no matter the biceps curl variations you’re doing that day.
We discuss the pros and cons of doing bicep curls sitting and standing in Is It Better To Do Bicep Curls Sitting or Standing?
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Arm Blaster Workout
When using an arm blaster, there are a few recommendations I can give to ensure you get the most benefit out of it as possible:
- Make sure the arm blaster fits properly
- Make it part of a larger program
- Avoid other hacks or cheats
Make Sure the Arm Blaster Fits Properly
Like many pieces of equipment in the gym, the arm blaster is adjustable to fit various lifters and body types. With most arm blasters, you can adjust the strap around your neck to alter how the cross plate sits on your chest and hits your arms.
The arm blaster should run just below your pecs across your chest and hit the back of your arms above the elbow. This allows your elbow joint to move freely while the cross plate limits your upper arm from swinging or getting added momentum.
If the crossbar is too high on your chest, your arms won’t hang down right and will end up more in front of you. While you can still fully extend your elbow, it’s not comfortable.
Take the time to experiment with the right arm blaster position for you and adjust it to your size before use to get the best results.
Make It Part of a Larger Program
The arm blaster itself is not magic in that it’ll suddenly blow your arms up 3x as big if you aren’t training them for that purpose.
The arm blaster is great, but it’s one tool in your entire toolkit. The arm blaster will do more for you if it’s part of a larger program.
So continue to do bicep and tricep work that doesn’t involve the arm blaster! Include shoulder and forearm work as well. Do everything you know is good for growing or strengthening your arms, and make the arm blaster just one piece of that.
These sound, proven methods working together will get you much further than only utilizing one alone.
Avoid Other Hacks or Cheats
Just because the arm blaster limits your upper arm movement at the shoulder doesn’t mean you can’t still cheat your curls or press downs when you use it.
Use the arm blaster as a reminder of good technique, and avoid using other hacks to move the weight. Avoid heaving or throwing your upper body forward and backward to move the weight. Avoid letting your arms come up off the crossbar when doing tricep pushdowns. Avoid bending really far forward with press downs to get better leverage.
The arm blaster will only limit your arm movements. Hold yourself accountable for ensuring your biceps and triceps do all the work and that you aren’t using other muscles or momentum to move the weight.
How Does the Arm Blaster Compare to Other Exercises?
The arm blaster really compares to 4 other exercises – free weight biceps curls, preacher curls, cable press downs, and tricep extension machines. Let’s look at the comparisons of each one.
Free Weight Bicep Curls
The classic gym bro exercise – no matter what you use for load, you probably think of the bicep curl when you think of lifting weights in the gym.
Everyone has seen them done poorly, where the lifter is either not getting a full range of motion (ROM), using weights they can barely move, using weights too light to make a difference, and/or swinging the weight or heaving their upper body to build momentum to get it up to the top.
Compared to the arm blaster, the free weight curl requires the lifter to be accountable to their technique from start to finish.
A knowledgeable, disciplined lifter will do their best to keep their upper arm in the same position as they curl the weight up. But a less experienced lifter will use whatever means necessary to get the weight up, even if it means not training their biceps as efficiently.
If you do it right, the free weight biceps curl is great. But the arm blaster enforces a better technique to isolate the bicep further.
Preacher Curl
The preacher curl requires a specific bench called the preacher bench to keep your upper arm in the right spot. This bench is typically angled, so the top of the pad rests under your armpits, and your arms sit at an angle outward in front of you.
Placing your arms against the preacher curl bench isolates them the same way as an arm blaster, forcing you to use only your biceps to move the weight.
The arm blaster, however, is a much smaller, more cost-effective piece of equipment. There’s also greater flexibility in the angle of your arms that you want them to sit at.
The preacher bench offers greater stability, as it is literally a weight bench, often mounted to the floor in public gyms. Your upper body is further limited from allowing you to heave or use other means to get the weight moving.
By comparison, these two exercises target the same goal – limiting your arm movement to isolate your biceps. Which one you choose is a matter of preference and equipment availability.
Cable Press Downs
If triceps exercises are your focus, you can always do cable press downs without using an arm blaster.
As stated previously, the risk in technique here is heaving your upper body downward to get the cable moving and allowing your upper arms to change position and get involved in the arm extension.
The arm blaster variation gives you a physical reminder and limits how your upper arm can move during the extension. While it’s still possible to let the cable pull your arms up and off the arm blaster at the top of the rep, having the crossbar as a reminder to keep your arms pressed against it is a nice way to ensure that doesn't happen.
It’s worth noting that you could theoretically move a preacher bench near a high pulley and use it for press downs, but it’s unlikely you’d want to move such a large bench for such a specific need.
By comparison, if you are disciplined in your technique, the cable press down is great. But the addition of an arm blaster is an excellent guide for lifters who currently allow more movement in the lift than is ideal.
Tricep Extension Machine
In some gyms, you’ll see a tricep extension machine. It’s a preacher bench with a lever attached to handles, allowing you to extend your triceps against the load. It’s the reverse of a curl. Instead of pulling the weight up to your body, the handles start at your shoulders. With your arms against the pad, you extend your arms away from yourself against the load.
This is our goal when we do a cable press down with the arm blaster. If you have access to a machine like this in your gym, it offers the same benefits as the arm blaster cable press down.
You can confidently use either one to get similar benefits. It’s really a matter of preference.
How To Train Your Biceps With an Arm Blaster
The great thing about an arm blaster is the variety of biceps work you can do with it. Just look at this list of exercises you can do with an arm blaster:
- Standing barbell curls
- Seated barbell curls
- Standing dumbbell curls
- Seated dumbbell curls
- Single-arm dumbbell curls
- Alternating arm dumbbell curls
- Hammer dumbbell curls
- Cable curls
- Single-arm cable curls
It’s possible to do each of these exercises with or without an arm blaster. But by introducing the arm blaster to them, you simply add the rigid assurance that your arms will stay put, so you can ensure your biceps do all the work and get all the benefits of that work.
Programming Recommendations
The arm blaster really doesn’t change the stated benefit of the lift so much as it ensures you do the lift and hit the biceps as exclusively as possible. It’s there to make sure you do it right.
However you write your program, remember these three things:
- Progress it over time
- Use a variety of exercise selections
- Use a variety of equipment
Progress It Over Time
As you program arm blaster work into your program, treat it the same way you would program the lift without the arm blaster. Start with 3-5 sets of a weight you can do for 8-16 reps per set. Once you can complete those in your workout, increase the reps, sets, and/or weight so it continues to be challenging.
Your muscles can only grow and adapt as the stimulus stays, well, stimulating. This means you’ve gotta keep the exercises challenging as you get stronger and adapt.
Use a Variety of Exercise Selections
There’s no single perfect exercise, so use a few! You can pick 3-4 that you do for a month before changing them, or pick 3-4 new ones each week and rotate through them.
As long as you consistently train your biceps to make them grow and adapt, the individual exercise selection won’t matter so much.
As with any muscle group, use a variety of exercises to train it. You can do the same with the arm blaster variations, including single-arm and double-arm options, barbell and dumbbell options, and using the preacher bench and free weight versions of each.
Use a Variety of Equipment
The arm blaster is great, and I love it. But it’s not the only thing you should use to isolate your arms. Use a mix of free weight training, machines, preacher benches, and the arm blaster.
Each of these accessories and pieces of equipment offers unique benefits and trade-offs. The best part is that you don’t have to choose which ones you benefit from if you regularly rotate through them and make them all part of your larger program and strategy.
How To Train Your Triceps With an Arm Blaster
The arm blaster is most commonly used for bicep exercises, so you may wonder how to use an arm blaster for triceps movements.
Triceps applications are a little more limited with the arm blaster. But as discussed, there are a few exercises you can enhance with the arm blaster added in:
- Cable tricep press downs
- Reverse grip tricep press downs
- Single arm tricep press downs
In each exercise, you simply add the arm blaster to ensure your upper arms stay in position as you extend at the elbow. The benefits of the exercise remain the same. The arm blaster is just there to ensure you do it as best you can.
To confidently program arm blaster work into your triceps programming, follow the same steps I shared in the previous section – progress the exercises over time, use a variety of exercise selections, and use a variety of equipment along with the arm blaster to isolate and train your triceps.
Sample Tricep and Bicep Blaster Workout
Using the recommendations above, I’ve put together a sample arm-blasting workout for you.
Note that it’s possible to do a gimmick “arm blaster only” workout if you want to, which I’m sure would be trendy on social media. But I’ve taken a more balanced approach to show you how to use an arm blaster as part of a larger arm day program.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Standing Barbell Curls | 5 | 8 |
| Seated Overhead Tricep Extension | 4 | 10 |
| Arm Blaster Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls | 4 | 10 |
| Arm Blaster Standing Cable Press Downs | 4 | 8 |
| Arm Blaster Single-Arm Alternating Cable Curls | 4 | 10 |
| Arm Blaster Single-Arm Reverse Grip Tricep Press Downs | 4 | 10 |
This sample arm blast workout alternates a bicep exercise with a tricep exercise throughout, giving one muscle group a chance to recover while you work on the counter muscle on the opposite side of your arm.
Alternatively, you may prefer to stack the muscle focus together like this:
Arm Blaster Workout for Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Standing Barbell Curls | 5 | 8 |
| Arm Blaster Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls | 4 | 10 |
| Arm Blaster Single-Arm Alternating Cable Curls | 4 | 10 |
Arm Blaster Workout for Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Overhead Tricep Extension | 4 | 10 |
| Arm Blaster Standing Cable Press Downs | 4 | 8 |
| Arm Blaster Single-Arm Reverse Grip Tricep Press Downs | 4 | 10 |
Arm Blaster Product Recommendation
If you’re in the market for an arm blaster, we’ve done a lot of the work for you by comparing the 7 best arm blasters on the market. Of those options, here are the two I like best:
Hawk Arm Blaster
We previously ranked this arm blaster as the best option for lifters on a budget, and we still stand by it! The Hawk Arm blaster offers an attractive price point while compromising on very little in the details compared to other options we reviewed.
The only downside we found is that the aluminum is slightly thinner than other options, but it didn’t sacrifice anything in terms of performance and regular use.
Rogue Arm Blaster
This arm blaster came in as our most durable option, but I also love its customizability. Rogue lets you choose a leather or nylon strap and even lets you pick between an etched logo or a die-cut sticker logo across the cross plate.
It’s hard to go wrong with the Rogue brand, and due to this arm blaster’s durability, it will be part of your collection for years to come.
DMoose Arm Blaster
The DMoose Arm Blaster is made of durable steel and features comfortable neoprene padding. It's a product you can toss around a bit and not worry it'll break. It is also adjustable, so you can get a snug fit that won't slip or move around during your workout.
I have been using this in combination with the cable for my triceps and have been impressed with the results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Use an Arm Blaster?
Yes, there are documented photos and videos of Arnold Schwarzenegger using an arm blaster for biceps work. It has been and continues to be used by bodybuilders around the world.
Can You Use An Arm Blaster for Triceps?
Yes, you can use an arm blaster for a few triceps variations, including cable tricep pushdowns (double-hand and single-hand variations). The arm blaster provides a steady surface to keep your arms against as you extend the arm at the elbow, preventing unnecessary upper arm movement in the shoulder during the exercise.
Is an Arm Blaster the Same as a Preacher Curl?
An arm blaster is not the same as a preacher curl bench. An arm blaster is a tool you wear around your neck with a crossbar that goes across your chest. A preacher curl bench is an angled bench that you rest your arms against when doing curls.
Final Thoughts
An arm blaster is a great tool for beginners and advanced lifters to ensure they fully emphasize the biceps and triceps when doing isolation exercises.
While an exercise’s benefits don’t change when doing an arm blaster workout, the arm blaster ensures those benefits are met and delivered to you as you perform each movement. By removing your ability to change your shoulder angle and upper arm position, you can focus on moving the weight and not worry about added variables confounding your results.
You can achieve these same benefits utilizing preacher benches and other ways of stabilizing the arm, but the arm blaster is a convenient and proven means to do just that when other options aren’t available.
About The Author
Adam Gardner is a proud resident of Utah, where he lives with his wife and two kids. He has been competing in powerlifting since 2016 in both the USPA and the APF. For the past three years, he and his wife, Merrili, have coached beginning lifters to learn the fundamentals of powerlifting and compete in their first powerlifting competitions.
