All men admire well-developed arms, whether their egos allow them to admit it or not. Women love feeling the power in their partner’s strong arms. And children feel safe when held by a father with strong arms. Let’s face it, we love our strong, muscular arms!
Arms are not that difficult to build, yet there are many frustrated trainees out there that can’t seem to get it right. It seems that no matter what they try, they can’t get those arms to budge the tape measure. If you belong to this frustrated multitude, fret no longer. Once you understand the concepts behind building a great pair of arms, and have the right tools, it’s only a matter of time before wearing a tight polo shirt puts a smile on your face.
I am going to share my best arm training routine with you. You may be surprised to learn how simple it is, but it’s not unusual for even advanced trainees to put two or more inches on their arms with this powerful program. Sound interesting? Read on…
The Basics of Arm Training
Training the arms can be broken primarily into triceps training, followed by biceps training. We’ll start with the triceps. That’s because the triceps are the larger of the two muscle groups. Finding someone with great development in the triceps muscle group is more difficult than finding someone with great biceps. Why?
Well for one thing, it takes focused concentration and near-perfect form to build truly powerful and massive triceps. And let's be honest, many people neglect their triceps in favor of the more "glamorous" biceps. And that's a big mistake. You see, the three muscles that make up your triceps compose a whopping two-thirds of the bulk of your upper arm. So if you really want to build impressive "guns," your best bet is to take your triceps training very seriously.
Now before I unveil my routine, let’s look at the “big picture.” My entire workout schedule looks like this:
Workout frequency: 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off
This means I workout two days in a row, followed by one day of rest. Then, I workout another day, followed by another day off. Then I repeat this sequence. I never train with weights more than two days in a row because I find that I build muscle faster if I allow one day in between in order to provide enough time to recuperate. On the day off, I will hit the cardio exercises to stimulate circulation, which in turn speeds up recuperation and growth. By the way, if you're not making steady gains with your current program, try adding a few extra rest days each week. You may actually gain more by training less!
Okay, Here's how my typical workout schedule looks:
Day 1: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 2: Back/Biceps/Abs
Day 3: Rest Day
Day 4: Quads/Hamstrings/Calves
Day 5: Rest Day Walk into any busy gym across America and you'll find dozens of bodybuilding trainees fervently performing their arm bodybuilding workouts in order to further develop the arm muscles. There they are, pumping out set after set of barbell curls. Why does it seem that in bodybuilding the arms are the most desirable muscle group to develop? It could be because a set of well-developed, muscular arms is arguably the most visible sign that you are strong and fit. It tells the world that you work out. And since you can’t go out and buy a great set of arms, it also tells people that you’ve worked hard to get those arms. There’s a lot of personal satisfaction in that.
lease note that by training the triceps with these exercises, you effectively hit the triceps from three different angles. In the first exercise, the triceps pushdown, your upper arm points down, parallel to the line of your torso. In the second exercise, close grip bench presses, your upper arm is at a ninety-degree angle to your torso. In the last exercise, overhead triceps extension, your upper arm is once again parallel to the line of your torso, except that this time, it is 180 degrees opposite the angle formed by the first exercise.
On to Biceps…
Because the biceps are a small muscle group relative to other muscles of the torso, I prefer to train them immediately following my back routine. The back training will not only warm the biceps up, but will also “pre-fatigue” them, making it easier for you to drive them into the “growth threshold.”
Biceps Exercises:
• As you curl, turn your wrists (supinate) inward. Look at your right hand. Make a fist. Now turn that fist clockwise. That’s supination. Ass for the left hand, you turn it counter-clockwise to supinate. Supinating makes for a harder contraction on your biceps!
• Work through the full range of motion. Never sacrifice range of motion to use heavier weights.
• Lower the weight slowly (eccentric phase) to keep stress on the biceps.
Exercise #1: Concentration Curls
No, this isn't a typo. I've found that starting my biceps routine with a one-arm-at-a-time isolation exercise really helps me stimulate this muscle because this strict movement forces the biceps to work with little assistance from any other muscle group.
• After warming up, perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.
Tips: Place your elbow against the inside of the corresponding thigh. Keep your arm against your thigh throughout the movement. Curl the weight towards your shoulder in an arcing motion and squeeze at the top of the movement. Supinate your wrist to get a fuller contraction.
Avoid: Cheating or swinging throughout the movement or not working throughout the entire range of motion (especially the lower half).
Exercise 2: EZ-Bar Biceps Curl
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.
Tips: Use a grip that's wide enough so that your hands are on the outsides of your thighs. Bend slightly forward at the waist. Curl the weight in an arcing motion while keeping your elbows fixed to your sides.
Avoid: Stopping the movement at the top or bottom of the exercise. Keep a steady motion.
Exercise 3: Preacher Curls
Because this exercise restricts movement of the upper arm at the bottom of the exercise, it's a great "thickening" movement for the lower biceps. Use this exercise in lieu of barbell curls, alternating every other workout. (In other words, barbell curls or preacher curls, but not both in the same workout.
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and perform another 4 reps without rest.
Tips: Keep your armpits against the pad and focus on pulling with your biceps and not your deltoid or back muscles.
Avoid: Rocking excessively or leaning forward during the movement. Also, don't hyperextend your elbows at the bottom of the exercise; stop just short of locking out. Lower slowly! To do otherwise is to risk a severe injury.
Exercise 4: Hammer Curls
Many body builders mistakenly overlook this exercise. "Hammers" really help to build the thickness of the biceps muscle group and top of the forearm by working the brachialis and brachio-radialus muscles.
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and perform another 4 reps without rest.
Tips: Perform in an alternate fashion while keeping the face of the dumbbell forward (upwards) at all times. Raise and lower slowly, using constant tension.
Avoid: Swaying or rocking during this movement. So there it is! Rip this article out take it with you to the gym next time you're training arms! I'm confident that you will start seeing nice gains in your arm development! Leave the “spaghetti arms” at home once and for all.
This arm workout is guaranteed to pump you up and make your arms explode with growth. If it doesn't sound like much, then it's because it truly isn't! By now you might be thinking, “Great Lee, you’ve told us the program, but why does it work?” Here’s why it works:
Over the years, I have observed that the number one problem facing trainees with a seeming inability to develop their arms is over-training. Too much stimulation can be just as bad as too little. This particular arm workout is just the right amount. Try it and you'll see. Follow this program along with my quality nutrition and supplementation program and you'll be well on your way to building thick and powerful arms!
On to Biceps…
Because the biceps are a small muscle group relative to other muscles of the torso, I prefer to train them immediately following my back routine. The back training will not only warm the biceps up, but will also “pre-fatigue” them, making it easier for you to drive them into the “growth threshold.”
Biceps Exercises:
• As you curl, turn your wrists (supinate) inward. Look at your right hand. Make a fist. Now turn that fist clockwise. That’s supination. Ass for the left hand, you turn it counter-clockwise to supinate. Supinating makes for a harder contraction on your biceps!
• Work through the full range of motion. Never sacrifice range of motion to use heavier weights.
• Lower the weight slowly (eccentric phase) to keep stress on the biceps.
Exercise #1: Concentration Curls
No, this isn't a typo. I've found that starting my biceps routine with a one-arm-at-a-time isolation exercise really helps me stimulate this muscle because this strict movement forces the biceps to work with little assistance from any other muscle group.
• After warming up, perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.
Tips: Place your elbow against the inside of the corresponding thigh. Keep your arm against your thigh throughout the movement. Curl the weight towards your shoulder in an arcing motion and squeeze at the top of the movement. Supinate your wrist to get a fuller contraction.
Avoid: Cheating or swinging throughout the movement or not working throughout the entire range of motion (especially the lower half).
Exercise 2: EZ-Bar Biceps Curl
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.
Tips: Use a grip that's wide enough so that your hands are on the outsides of your thighs. Bend slightly forward at the waist. Curl the weight in an arcing motion while keeping your elbows fixed to your sides.
Avoid: Stopping the movement at the top or bottom of the exercise. Keep a steady motion.
Exercise 3: Preacher Curls
Because this exercise restricts movement of the upper arm at the bottom of the exercise, it's a great "thickening" movement for the lower biceps. Use this exercise in lieu of barbell curls, alternating every other workout. (In other words, barbell curls or preacher curls, but not both in the same workout.
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and perform another 4 reps without rest.
Tips: Keep your armpits against the pad and focus on pulling with your biceps and not your deltoid or back muscles.
Avoid: Rocking excessively or leaning forward during the movement. Also, don't hyperextend your elbows at the bottom of the exercise; stop just short of locking out. Lower slowly! To do otherwise is to risk a severe injury.
Exercise 4: Hammer Curls
Many body builders mistakenly overlook this exercise. "Hammers" really help to build the thickness of the biceps muscle group and top of the forearm by working the brachialis and brachio-radialus muscles.
• Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• On the last set, drop the weight and perform another 4 reps without rest.
Tips: Perform in an alternate fashion while keeping the face of the dumbbell forward (upwards) at all times. Raise and lower slowly, using constant tension.
Avoid: Swaying or rocking during this movement. So there it is! Rip this article out take it with you to the gym next time you're training arms! I'm confident that you will start seeing nice gains in your arm development! Leave the “spaghetti arms” at home once and for all.
This arm workout is guaranteed to pump you up and make your arms explode with growth. If it doesn't sound like much, then it's because it truly isn't! By now you might be thinking, “Great Lee, you’ve told us the program, but why does it work?” Here’s why it works:
Over the years, I have observed that the number one problem facing trainees with a seeming inability to develop their arms is over-training. Too much stimulation can be just as bad as too little. This particular arm workout is just the right amount. Try it and you'll see. Follow this program along with my quality nutrition and supplementation program and you'll be well on your way to building thick and powerful arms!
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