[Video] How to Build Classic Arms | 4 Arm Exercises You Should Do

Robert Timms is a Classic Physique competitor with massive arms.

And as a team Gaspari athlete, he’s worked hands on with bodybuilding legend – Rich Gaspari.

So, when we met up with Robert earlier in the year, we wanted to make sure to grab some helpful training tips to share with our audience.

In this video, he shares some of his arm training tips that he’s used over the years to build massive guns straight out of the golden age of bodybuilding.

1. Tricep Rope Pressdown

The rope tricep pressdown is one of Robert’s favorite exercise to do. However, he sees a lot of people doing it the wrong way, or in a way that doesn’t truly maximize tension on the triceps.

So, he recommends standing a pretty decent distance away from the machine when setting up for the exercise. While performing the exercise, you should keep your elbows up slightly. And when you press the weight, it’s important to keep your elbows straight to help avoid using your shoulders to perform the exercise.

Lastly, don’t break your wrists apart at the bottom of the movement. Doing so will change the emphasized muscle at the bottom, and we want to keep tension on the triceps throughout the exercise.

2. Cable Rope Curls

The next exercise Robert likes to use to build his big biceps is the cable rope curl. He opts for this exercise, because he enjoys the consistency of resistance the cables provide.

You want to keep the rope out in front of you when performing this exercise. As you curl, you’ll rotate the wrists slightly to make the biceps peak at the top.

When it comes to classic physique, every rep counts as you try to build detailed muscle to show off on stage.

3. Nose Breaker

The third exercise shown in the video, and second for triceps, is called a nose breaker. It’s a variation of the skullcrusher that brings the weight down towards your nose instead of toward the forehead.

Another key difference between the skullcrusher and the nose breaker is, on the way up, you press the weight with your triceps instead of extending it.

4. Seated Dumbbell Curls

The final exercise Timms shows us is the seated dumbbell curl.

However, instead of performing basic curls where you rotate the arm during the concentric portion of the lift, Robert keeps his arms supinated the whole time. This allows constant tension to be placed solely on the biceps during the exercise.