12 Best Crossfit Arm Wods For (Size & Strength)

CrossFit activities offer you the best exercises for all muscles of the body without exception, and in this exact post we will focus on the best CrossFit arms workouts, which primarily targets the arms.

Whatever your fitness level is, you can rely on these exercises to build strength, hypertrophy and endurance, and these exercises are provided by the most powerful trainers in CrossFit centers.

Whether your level is beginner, intermediate, or advanced, this post will cover training programs for each level and will contain exercises dedicated to isolate the muscles of the arms and work to strengthen and increase its size.

Let’s continue together!

Are crossfit arms workouts worth it?

Well, we must all agree on this, CrossFit activities provide the best exercises for the muscles of the arms and make them have strength, intense muscles and endurance, and this is due to their unique style and the way the muscles are targeted during this activity.

CrossFit is good at creating inflation and can often outperform traditional exercises in the gym, because it depends on speed and a lot of repetitions, and it is also effective in expelling fat and building strong and well-sculpted muscles on the body.

Crossfit arm workouts also help improve performance with other activities such as gymnastics, improve their ability to carry weights and integrate with more challenging exercises.

12 Crossfit arms workouts + targeted muscles

These exercises may be of high intensity for some, as well as require some fitness, although they are directed at beginners, intermediate and advanced, but they require some experience in dealing with weights and performing the movements in a safe and secure manner.

So if you are a complete beginner I advise you to learn some skills and gain some experience and also get used to doing some moderate intensity exercises, then you can go with this types of workouts.

1. Arm Workout- Bad Karma

Bad Karma focuses on working your arms well and depends on the speed and time to finish the repetitions required of you, it is a good exercise for the arm muscles, as it is good in increasing strength and stamina as well as building muscle.

Exercise methodology:

• Barbell Curls : 50-40-30-20-10 (Reps) / (45/35 lb)

• Kettlebell Swings : 10-20-30-40-50 (Reps) / (1.5/1 pood)

For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Reps: 30-20-10 / 10-20-30

Weights: 35 / 25 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

Reps: 40-30-20-10 / 10-20-30-40

Weights: 40 /30 lb

Target muscles:

• Biceps brachii

• Rhomboids

• Traps

• Deltoids

• Forearms

2- ‘190215’

This is another CrossFit exercise that is very good at keeping the arms muscles under stress throughout the exercise. It also serves to target other muscles secondarily which is good, it even helps you build up your cardio endurance.

Exercise methodology:

• 15 Body-weight bench presses

• 40 Arms row, / 20 each arm – (40 / 35 lb)

• 1000 Meter row

3 Rounds for time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

For a bench press, you need to use almost your entire body weight, but for beginners you can only lift 40-60% of your body weight, and also do not exceed 3-5 repetitions.

Weights: 35 / 25 lb for dumbbells exercise

Intermediate adjustment:

For a bench press, you need to use almost your entire body weight, but for beginners you can only lift 40-60% of your body weight, and also do not exceed 3-5 repetitions.

Weights: 40 / 30 lb for dumbbells exercise

Muscle worked:

• Triceps brachii

• Biceps brachii

• Anterior deltoids

• Serratus

• Hips

• Pectoralis major

3- ARNIE

ARNIE is a great CrossFit workout that relies solely on a single kettlebell. It really tests the strength of your arms and puts them in front of a huge challenge. This is what makes it a great exercise for increasing strength and endurance. It also targets your arms in the first place, and the good thing about it is that it doesn’t require Equipment or space, only a kettlebell and you will be ready at home only.

Exercise methodology:

Use only a single 2-pood kettlebell

2 POOD KETTLEBELL = 32.7 KG / 72.22 POUNDS

• 21 Turkish get-ups, left arm

• 50 KB swings

• 21 Overhead squats, right arm

• 50 KB swings

• 21 Overhead squats, left arm

• 50 KB swings

• 21 Turkish get-ups, right arm

For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Weights: 0.80 – 1 pood

Reps: 35 for swings / 14 for overhead squats

Intermediate adjustment:

Weights: 1.5 pood

Reps: 38 for swings / 18 for overhead squats

Muscle worked:

• Deltoids

• Forearms

• Rhomboids

• Biceps

• Triceps

• Leg muscles (hamstrings)

• Back muscles

Know more about the 30 best CrossFit Wods using Kettlebells only

4. Arm Workouts- Hulk Smash

This is also another killer exercise for the arms, and it will also strengthen your fist well, and as we all know that the stronger the two fists, this will improve our performance in the fitness hall or in pull-up exercises, the most important thing is that it works to strengthen the various muscles of the arms and increase strength and ability to endurance.

Exercise methodology:

• Start with dynamic warm up first

Main Wod

• 5 Burpees

• 10 Dumbbell hammer curls

• 15 One arm kettlebell row (each arm)

• 20 Kettlebell standing curls

• 15 Dumbbell side raises

• 10 Dumbbell front raises

• 5 Burpees

• Max kipping pull-up

• 500-700 Meter rowing machine (or 50 Mountain climbers)

Cool down: Stretch and slow walk for 2-5 min

5 Rounds/ For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Sets: 3 

Weights: 35 / 25 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

Sets: 4

Weights: 40 / 30 lb

Muscle worked:

• Biceps brachii

• Brachioradialis

• Middle/Anterior deltoids

• Brachialis

5- Arm Burner

One of the best exercises that strain the muscles of the arms well, although it may seem simple, but if you occupy your muscles for a long time with this exercise, you will feel the muscles of the hands tearing and this feeling is good, as you will get used to this type of exercise and it will help you build speed and endurance As well as building muscle.

Exercise methodology:

• 10 Kettlebell swings (1.5-2 pood)

• 8 Push ups

• 6 Burpees

AMRAP in 18 min : You have 18 minutes, and you are required to complete as many rounds as possible within this time, including rest periods.

Beginner adjustment:

Weights: 0.80-1 pood

AMRAP in 12 min

Intermediate adjustment:

Weights: 1-1.5 pood

AMRAP in 15 min

Muscle worked:

• Triceps

• Shoulders

• Pectoralis

• Glutes

6- Arm-blaster 2000

CrossFit athletes rely mainly on this type of wods, and it is provided by people with experience, this exercise will definitely help you build the strength of the arms as well as increase muscle mass and density, it is a good exercise and keeps the muscles of the arms under stress throughout the exercise, you can Rely on heavily to target the muscles of the arms.

Exercise methodology:

• 12 Ring dips (or bar dips)

• 10 Strict presses (45 / 30 lb)

• 8 Thrusters (45 / 30 lb)

• 6 Push ups

• 4 Kettlebell sumo deadlifts ( 50 / 40 lb)

AMRAP in 8 min : You have 18 minutes, and you are required to complete as many rounds as possible within this time, including rest periods.

Beginner adjustment:

Weights: 30 / 20 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

Weights: 40 / 30 lb

Muscle worked:

• Triceps

• Deltoids

• Pectorals

7- Arm Killer

This exercise is the kind that tests the endurance of your arms, it keeps the muscles engaged throughout the exercise and puts pressure on them so hard that you may not feel your arms when placing the dumbbells on the floor (joking), it is really a reliable exercise to build and strengthen the muscles of the arms.

Exercise methodology:

Dumbbells : 25 / 15 lb

• 60 sec plank

• 60 sec Alternating in & out curls

• 60 sec Double hammer curls

• 60 sec Alternating single arm twist

• 60 Hold elbows at 90 degrees

• 60 sec plank

2 Rounds For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

30 sec instead on 60

Weights: 20 / 12 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

45 sec instead of 60 

Muscle worked:

• Biceps brachii

• Brachialis

• Brachioradialis

• Forearms

8. Arm Workout – Arm Killer 2

This wod is also designed to target the arm muscles to a greater extent because it depends entirely on the effort of the muscles of the arms and keeping them under pressure throughout the exercise, also as a kind of test of the endurance of the arm and its fatigue throughout the exercise.

Exercise methodology:

Dumbbells : 35 / 25 lb

• 15 Biceps curls (35 / 25 lb)

• 15 Hammer curls (35 / 25 lb)

• 15 Isolated curls (35 / 25 lb)

• 15 Skull crushers (35 / 25 lb)

• 15 Bar dips (chair dips)

• 15 Tricep kickbacks

3 Rounds For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Weights: 25 / 15 lb

Reps : 10

Rounds: 2

Intermediate adjustment:

Weights: 35 / 25 lb

Rounds: 2

Muscle worked:

• Biceps brachii

• Brachialis

• Brachioradialis

• Forearms

• Triceps

9- Arm Smoker

This is another good exercise to strengthen the arms and sculpt them well. It is not only limited to this, but also includes running exercises, and this keeps your heart working throughout the exercise, so this exercise helps you build arms muscles and also increases heart endurance and builds an athletic body.

Exercise methodology:

• 30 Kettlebell swings (2 pood)

• 200 Meter run

• 30 Push ups

• 200 Meter run

• 30 Shoulder to overhead (DB : 35 / 20 lb)

• 200 Meter run

• 30 Push ups

• 200 Meter run

• 30 Kettlebell swings (2 pood)

For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Reps : 15 / 100 Meter run

Weights : 0.80-1 pood

Intermediate adjustment:

Reps: 20 / 150 Meter run

Weights: 1.5 pood

Muscle worked:

• Triceps

• Deltoids

• Pectorals

• Leg muscles

10- Crossfit Arms Workout 1

This is an exercise circuit consisting of 3 exercises that engage the muscles of the arms and also includes cardio exercises. This exercise focuses on speed and doing the most that you can tolerate in order to benefit from this exercise well, and it is also effective in building arms muscles as well as endurance.

Exercise methodology:

Dumbbells: 40 / 30 lb

• 100 Meter speed

• 15 Bicep curls

• 5 Burpees

• 15 Kickbacks

• 5 Burpees

• 15 Tricep extensions

• 100 Meter speed

3 Rounds For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Reps : 10

Weights : 30 / 20 lb

Sets : 2

Intermediate adjustment:

Weights: 35 / 25

Reps : 12

Muscle worked:

• Triceps

• Biceps

• Forearms

• Leg muscles

11- Arm Pump 300

This is another CrossFit wod that focuses on keeping your heart engaged all the time. It is also good at building and strengthening arm muscles and also increasing their endurance. This exercise can be relied on during your training to get strong and very sculpted arms.

Exercise methodology:

• Dumbbells: 40 / 30 lb

• 20 Biceps curls

• 20 In & outs curls

• 15 Push ups

• 20 Reverse butterfly kicks

• 20 Triceps dips

• 15 Push ups

• 20 Russian twists

• 20 Shoulder presses

2 Rounds For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Reps: 10 / 8 Push ups

Weights: 25 / 15 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

Reps 15 / 12 Push ups

Weights: 35 / 25 lb

Muscle worked:

• Biceps brachii

• Triceps

• Abs

• Deltoids

12- Arm Crusher

The Hand Crusher is a tremendous exercise that puts the muscles of the arms in front of a difficult challenge and requires a great muscular effort. This is what makes it effective in building the strength and endurance of the arms. It is also a good and reliable exercise to put the muscles of the arms in front of greater challenges.

Exercise methodology:

• 10 Handstand push ups

• 15 Triceps dips

• 10 Pull ups

• 15 Wall ball (20 / 14 lb)

• 10 Burpees

• 15 in & outs curls (dumbbell 40 / 25 lb)

• 10 Push ups

3 Rounds For time: For time, it means that you should finish the repetitions as quickly as possible depending on your fitness capabilities.

Beginner adjustment:

Reps: instead of 10 do 5 / instead of 15 do 7

Rounds : 2

Weights: 25 / 15 lb

Intermediate adjustment:

Reps: instead of 10 do 7 / instead of 15 do 12

Weights: 35 / 20 lb

Muscle worked:

• Lower body muscles

• Triceps

• Biceps brachii

• Shoulders

• Chest muscles

Are crossfit arms workouts safe for beginners?

All sports activities may not be safe for beginners if you do not do the right things, CrossFit activities record many injuries among beginners during the first 6 months, and this is primarily due to the intensity of exercises and muscle fatigue, so we reduced the intensity of all arm exercises in This post.

Other than that, CrossFit is safe if you train with specialized trainers in the field and follow a program that suits your current fitness level.

You can find out more about CrossFit’s activities and view what the specialists say here.

How do you progress?

If you are a beginner, I advise you to start slowly, focus on low-intensity exercises as well. Do not do a lot of repetitions and sets. You can be satisfied with only a few in your first days.

After the muscles get used to this type of training, you can increase the intensity of the exercises gradually, that is, increase the repetitions and sets. Also, if you train twice, you can practice 3 or 4 times, and so on.

Dorian’s advice about building big arms safely

Dorian is a former bodybuilder with a long experience in lifting weights and training people to do it. 

Dorian advises against going with heavy weights because he has done it before but it has effects later on the muscles.

Also he advises to focus more on isolation exercises and training the muscles with several alternatives such as the cable machine. He also advises to train the biceps twice a week and the triceps three times at the maximum. Either dumbbells or barbells.

Dorian also emphasizes respect for rest periods, meaning that you should allow your muscles to recover more and not stress them too much.

4 Isolation Arm Exercises for Bigger Biceps and Triceps

Isolation exercises are exercises that target only specific muscles such as triceps and biceps, so that the exercise focuses on it 100%, it is not like CrossFit exercises because CrossFit combines many muscles in one exercise, and in isolation exercises, it is necessary to focus well on the target muscles And press it well.

That’s why Mitchell Spadafore gave us 4 isolation exercises for the triceps and biceps and they are very good.

Alternating Hammer Curl: Isolation Arm Exercise 1

On home chores, Mitchell focuses on alternating and integrating the biceps and triceps, so the movement focuses the muscles together and keeps them under intense stress throughout the exercise.

How to do it correctly:

• Choose dumbbells at a weight that you can easily tolerate or that matches your fitness level.

• Hold the dumbbells, stand up straight.

• You will be training the muscles as well as your hands in turns, so engage the arm you want to start with, bend slightly and squeeze your triceps.

• Keeping your hands roughly straight, spread your elbow to the side of your body with a fist and a half about.

• Lift half of your hand up, extend your hand again, raise to your  shoulder and hold for 2 seconds and extend your hands again, this is one repetition.

• Do the same with the other arm.

Pro tip:

It is important to move the elbow a little to the side, and to have a connection between the triceps muscles and the biceps during the exercise, it is also important to feel the triceps muscles and press them well because this exercise primarily targets the biceps muscles, but if you focus on the triceps muscles as well it will get her share of exercise, too.

Plates Curl : Isolation Arm Exercise 2

This exercise focuses on the muscles of the biceps and forearms, it is one of the most exercises that will strengthen your arm and forearm because the grip on the plates is different from the grip of the dumbbell or barbell, and this makes the muscles of the forearm make a greater effort that leads to stretching the muscles well and keeping them tense throughout the exercise.

How to do it correctly:

• Choose a couple of plates with a weight that matches your level of fitness, it is better if the plates have grips because this makes it easy.

• Hold the plates, stand up straight.

• Start by raising the plates to the sides of your body, that is, keep the arm a little closer to the body and raise your elbow outward until it is at an angle of 90 degrees or more if you have the ability to do so.

• Repeat the process alternately between your arms.

Pro tip:

Try to curl outward in order to target your biceps well, also keep pressing and keep your muscles engaged throughout the exercise.

Rope tricep Kickbacks : Isolation Arm Exercise 3

The kickback rope is also one of the exercises that bodybuilders rely on to build the triceps muscles because it is effective in targeting them and allows the muscle to be stretched over a large range and keeps it under stress throughout the exercise.

How to do it correctly:

• Adjust the rope low (slightly below the knees).

• Stand two steps away from the rope machine.

• Keep your feet close together and bend them slightly, bend your back straight as if you were to

• pick up something off the ground.

• Pull the rope grip to the side of your waist. (the elbow behind your back)

• Pull your forearm back (your fist should go behind your back).

Pro tip:

This exercise, like other triceps exercises, focuses on the triceps muscle throughout the exercise, and this is done by keeping the elbow fixed all the time, only the elbow from going back with the fist.

Crossbody Tricep Extension : Isolation Arm Exercise 4

Also, this is another triceps muscle exercise that is very effective and can be relied upon in the fitness hall to train your muscles. It stretches the triceps muscles well and works to strengthen them, build their mass and increase their endurance.

How to do it correctly:

• Choose a dumbbell with a weight that you can handle easily.

• Lie on the bench, hold the dumbbell in the hand that you will start training first.

• Lift the dumbbells straight up straight first.

• Press the fist of the other hand on the side of your other elbow.

• Lean it slightly straight, always pressing the side of your elbow to support the arm.

• Let the dumbbells fall slowly toward your chest, slowly raise your forearm again until your hand is straight.

Pro tip:

Focus on stretching the triceps muscle well, for this you should pull your hands straight inward before extending the muscle, as for the pressure of your grip on the elbow, this is only a secondary support for the arm so do not try to push it only provide support for it, but what you should focus on is your contact with the triceps and Elbow and forearm movement and slow movement.

Yes I want to know the best triceps and biceps workouts

Best Triceps workouts (No Equipment Required)

Train your arms smartly

I advise you to rely on a qualified coach if you are a complete beginner, because a good coach gives you good guidance and helps you achieve your goals.

The coach can also protect you from some injuries that you may easily suffer while training alone.

Stick to training your biceps and triceps regularly and be slow in your movements, don’t try to keep up with those gym fanatics, they took years to get to where they are now, so be smart and train slowly.

Also watch your diet and make sure you are getting enough macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats).

FAQ

Useful links

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