Tired of puny arms?
Arms are the body part which is either most loved or most neglected in training. One side of spectrum says “Just get strong in compound movements Swole Bro and arms with grow”, while the other side says “Everyday is arm day”.
Both parties are not entirely wrong. There will definitely be some growth if you get strong in compound movements and arms get recovered so easily that every day could be arm day. But as everything in this world, balance is key.
Our arms consist of multiple muscles:
What do arm muscles do?
Arm muscles help with small, precise movements, such as wiggling your fingers, tying a tie or performing an complex medical operation.
They also allow you to do big movements, like straightening your elbow, raising your arms above your head or doing push-ups.
In general, they help with:
- Arm flexion – Bringing forearm and upper arm close together
- Arm extension – Pulling forearm and upper arm appart
- Arm abduction – Lifting arm out and away from the body
- Arm adduction – Bringing arm back to body
Why are strong arms important?
In day-to-day life tasks, whether you need to lift or carry something heavy, arms play a major role.
They ensure you have full range of motion, improve your ability to push, pull and press
Bigger arms make you look more muscular, improve your posture, athletic performance and appearance of your physique, especially if the rest of your upper body is big and strong.
But big arms can be tricky to obtain so let’s not waste any more time!
Ok, let’s talk how!
If you want bigger arms, you should forget “Get strong in compound movements Swole Bro” motion and introduce direct arm work.
As the name suggests, biceps is two-headed muscle and triceps are three-headed muscles, which means they should be hit from multiple angles.
Arms recover easily so you should hit them at least 2 times a week with bigger intensity in a range of 10-20 repetitions.
Let’s talk exercises!
Exercises
Barbell curls
Barbell curl is the hardcore old-school exercise popularized by golden era icons, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.
Very simple to overload, this is one of the best curling exercises for arm size, strength and definition.
Start with low weight and slowly build up as you become stronger and accustomed to the movement and do not shy of experimenting with different barbells and grip widths, especially if you experience signs of discomfort in your wrist.
Focus more on eccentric part of the movement and get those reps of 10.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Incline Dumbbell Curls are great exercise for biceps since it provides peak biceps tension and fully stretched position which is perfect for hypertrophy!
Try to get as much reps as you can with this one and go slow on the way down!
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension
This exercise is a lot more elbow friendly dumbbell version of Skull Crusher. Long head of triceps is primary target of this exercise, but all heads are being stimulated.
Triceps Pushdown
Triceps pushdown is a great exercise which targets the medial and lateral heads of the triceps. It is a great move for strengthening the arms and translates very well to other upper body lifts.
Rope Pushdown
Rope pushdown provides bigger range of motion and puts bigger stimulus to long head in contrast to the bar.
Conclusion
Here is enough information to get you started and now it is up to you how big your arms will be.
You got it Swole Bro!