Posted on January 31, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

A 6 Week Programme to How To Build Bigger Arms

To build and sculpt, bigger and stronger arms it helps if you have a bit of knowledge about your arm muscles. There are three main muscle groups in the arm:

• The biceps which run along the front of the arm
• The triceps which run from the elbow to the shoulder
• The brachialis, a muscle that runs directly under the biceps

Unfortunately many individuals only train one of the three muscle groups and therefore limit the potential size their arms can grow to. Here are some top tips to help you build bigger arms.

• Train your arms no more than twice a week– The arms are used practically in every session where your pushing or pulling some weight, remember muscles only grow during rest periods not during you workout. If you’re hitting your arms 4 or 5 times a week you’re limiting their potential to grow. Stick to a maximum of two dedicated arm workouts per week and reap the rewards of longer rest periods.
• Train fast and aggressive– No this doesn’t mean start-punching dumbbells, but rather train with intensity. To build bigger arms you need to overload the muscles so that they are stimulated to change, for this to work you need to record your workouts, so you know how many reps to beat your last session, or to move the weight up.
• Technique is key- I’ve seen so many individuals turn standing EZ bicep curls into some sort of hang clean Olympic lifting movement, if the weights you are using are too heavy the only thing your working on is your ego! Partial repetitions neglect key parts of the muscles development and inevitably hinder your progress not to mention elevate the chances of injury. Train with a weight that you can control with good form yet challenges the body towards the end of the set.
• Get your nutrition correct– Here is probably the most important tip, if you train correctly and have the best workout of your life in the gym, then go home and drink 4 pints of wine and eat your body weight in sugar… guess what, your arms are going to develop as quickly as a promise made by a politician.  For more information on pre and post workout nutrition check out  ‘What should I eat after a workout?’ – http://www.m8north.co.uk/blog/eat-workout-2/

Below is the 6 week workout of ‘How To Build Bigger Arms’. You must complete 2x sessions per week (Session 1 + Session 2), aim to increase the resistance you use by 3-5% each session and train with intensity following the prescribed tempo and rest periods.

Session   1
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1- Seated 30 degree dumbbell incline bicep   curl	5	6-8	3010
A2- Close grip tricep bench press	5	6-8	3010	70s
B1- Standing EZ Bar bicep curl (medium   supinated grip)	4	6-8	3010
B2- 45 degree incline EZ bar skull crushers   (medium supinated grip)	4	6-8	3010	70s
C1- One arm DB. Preacher curls, external   rotation through the concentric phase	6	4-6	5010
C2- Supinated one arm cable tricep extension	6	4-6	5010	50s

 

Session   2
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1- Close Grip 30 degree incline bench press	4	8-12	3010
A2- Standing DB hammer curls	4	8-12	3010	60s
B1- 45 degree cable T- Bar push downs using a   narrow pronated grip	4	12-15	3010
B2- EZ    bar drag bicep curls using a supinated wide grip	4	12-15	3010	60s
C1- Standing cable triceps extension above   head, elbows internally rotated	6	4-6	5010
C2- standing pronated grip DB bicep curls	6	4-6	5010	50s

Good luck with your training, if you have any questions about the exercises or program please feel free to contact a member of the motive8 team. Get building the guns!

Chris