UrbanUpdate

To take on the role of real-life wrestler Kevin von Erich in The Iron Claw, Zac Efron bulked up. A lot. It's not like he wasn't ripped before, but he and the rest of the main cast—including GQ Men of the Year cover star Jeremy Allen White—became the swolest of swole.

Even White was impressed by Efron's transformation, telling Variety, “he's so annoying. I had been training for months, I'd been lifting, doing this, doing that, eating more, and I showed up, saw him, and I'm like, what am I… what is this even for? Why do I even try?”

So yeah, the whole main cast is majorly yolked, and one of the most immediate signs of this is their impressive arms, seen flexed on the reg by JAW across dedicated Instagram accounts. But why—from Brad Pitt in Fight Club to Michael B Jordan in anything—are we so obsessed with big arms? “Arms are an easy body part for everyone to see,” suggests Anthony Maritato, a licensed physical therapist and personal trainer at choosept1st.com. “They are a sign of strength. Strong, muscular arms have been an element of strength, power, and beauty as far back as Michelangelo's statue of David.”

It’s only natural, then, that you might want to jump on the bandwagon. Grab some dumbbells and your tightest t-shirt, and let’s begin.

How do big arms benefit me?

Apart from looking like a modern-day Renaissance sculpture, big arms bestow physiological benefits.

“Strong arms are a huge benefit to performing exercises like pull-ups, rows, bench presses, and more. Arms are the connectors between your hands and your body, without strong arms other more complex exercises become impossible to perform,” explains Maritato.

That said, it's important to note the difference between strong arms and big arms. “Hypertrophy is an increase in muscle size but may not be accompanied by muscle strength,” says Maritato. “Big arms are not always strong arms, and strong arms are not always big arms.”

Zack George, one of the world’s leading CrossFit athletes and owner of CrossFit BFG, agrees. “Strong and muscly arms can still be lean, the actual muscles themselves may just be bigger. Smaller arms can be a benefit for gymnastic or calisthenic movements: this is why gymnasts have smaller frames but are still incredibly strong!”

Luke GilfordAre weighted exercises better than bodyweight exercises?

There’s a lot to be said for calisthenics, but without adding in extra weight, you can only progress so far. According to Maritato, “bodyweight exercises are amazing for improving function and building muscular endurance, but at some point, muscles need greater levels of resistance than bodyweight exercises may provide.”

As a CrossFitter, George knows a thing or two about this, too. “Although bodyweight movements are very effective at building strength, such as pull-ups, push-ups, as well as more advanced movements such as muscle-ups and handstand push-ups, you will only ever be able to use a certain amount of weight,” he explains. “By adding barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells to your workout routine, you can progressively overload your body by increasing the weight on exercises such as shoulder press, bench press, and bent over rows and are not limited to just moving your bodyweight.”

According to a study review from Harvard Health, adding weights to your training can “improve glucose metabolism, enhance maintenance of healthy body weight, and help improve cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure.” In other words, it won’t just be your arms that benefit from investing in some kettlebells, but your whole body, with your risk of developing fatal diseases lowering and your lifespan increasing. A great incentive to pick up the weights.

Most Popular

StyleLewis Hamilton Is Your 2024 GQ Style ChampionBy The Editors of GQ

GQ RecommendsThese Gym Equipment Sales Will Help Your Crush Your ResolutionsBy Tyler Chin

CultureThe 2025 Movies We're Already Way Too Excited AboutBy Killian Faith-Kelly

THE IRON CLAW From left: Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron, Stanley Simons and Jeremy Allen White.Eric ChakeenThe best arm workouts with weights

Because we like you, we’re including two gruesome, arm-busting workouts for the price of one.

The first, from Maritato will hit your whole body and, in the Turkish Get Up, includes one of the most difficult exercises of all time. The second, from George, uses CrossFit principles to get your arms burning.

We aren’t expecting you to thank us, but maybe remember us when you catch sight of your yolked biceps in the mirror, yes?

Workout 1

“A program that will build the most well-rounded arm is one that includes force production, power production, and stability. This program provides all three,” says Maritato.

Complete four sets of 10 reps of the following:

Standing dumbbell military press

“A standing dumbbell military press is an amazing arm exercise because the stability required to perform this exercise works all of the muscles of the upper arm and shoulder. The deltoid, triceps brachii, and upper trapezius are just three of the primary muscles involved in this exercise.”

Weighted pull-ups

“Weighted pull-ups may be performed using a dip belt or pull-up belt with a kettlebell attached. This exercise is the perfect complement to the standing dumbbell military press in that it develops the latissimus dorsi, biceps, and forearms.”

Kettlebell Turkish get-up

“A Turkish get-up using a kettlebell produces an isometric muscle contraction throughout the arm and shoulder complex. Since the kettlebell loads the lateral arm more than the medial arm, it requires an element of stability and major muscular endurance.”

Double kettlebell clean and press

“The double kettlebell clean and press is a power exercise. The dumbbell military press and the weighted pull-up are great for stretch and force production, but this exercise is about power. Muscular strength is the ability to generate maximal force; power is the ability to generate that force quickly.”

Most Popular

StyleLewis Hamilton Is Your 2024 GQ Style ChampionBy The Editors of GQ

GQ RecommendsThese Gym Equipment Sales Will Help Your Crush Your ResolutionsBy Tyler Chin

CultureThe 2025 Movies We're Already Way Too Excited AboutBy Killian Faith-Kelly

RB/Bauer-GriffinWorkout 2

“This is a typical CrossFit style workout that works as aerobic conditioning as well as strength training,” George explains. “Perform the three movements in an ascending rep ladder. For example, round one is five snatches, five push-ups, five cal row; round two is 10 snatches, 10 push-ups, 10 cal row and carry on adding five reps each round until 12 minutes is up.”

Perform sets of the following until you reach 12 minutes:

Dumbbell SnatchPush UpsCalorie Row

Then immediately look for an arm-hugging merino wool jumper.

Tom Ward is a UK-based journalist and author. He has reported on spelunking microbiologists, the quest to dive to the bottom of the Arctic ocean, torturous ultramarathons in the Mojave desert and Tennessee backwoods, Brexit preppers, Edmund Hillary’s search for the Yeti, and one company’s international quest for quiet. ‘The... Read moreXDavid Taylor is a freelance writer, editor and broadcaster whose work has appeared in GQ, Esquire, the Independent, the Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the BBC, among others. He's covered travel, culture, tech, sport and fitness for a variety of publications, with a current interest in the wider culture of... Read moreInstagram