While developing muscular arms is usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains. In order to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:
1) Relatively speaking, the triceps and biceps are small muscle groups.
2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pulling movements for the back.
3) The triceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest and shoulders.
What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training? The most important thing for you to realize is this:
For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the triceps and biceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!
Why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?
If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. If you are able to accept this basic truth and place the majority of your focus on building up the muscle size and strength in your major muscle groups, you will prevent yourself from overtraining your arms and will therefore yield greater overall gains in bicep and tricep size.
It’s very important to understand that the triceps and biceps receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your chest and back training. A lot of the time when you reach muscular failure on a chest or back movement, it is actually your biceps or triceps that give out! Couple this with the fact that your triceps and biceps are already small muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that direct arm training is of minor importance.
The work that you accomplish as you train with weights is merely the “spark” that sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The real magic takes place out of the gym while you are eating and resting, as this is the time when your body will actually be synthesizing new muscle tissue. Overtraining can actually make your muscles smaller and weaker.
This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary, just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can use as a part of your program:
Close-Grip Bench Press– 2 sets of 5-7 reps.
Standing Cable Pushdowns– 1 set of 5-7 reps.
Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on progressing each week by using slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or 2.
Barbell Curls– 2 sets of 5-7 reps.
Standing Dumbbell Curls– 1 set of 5-7 reps.
You will achieve arm size beyond anything you previously thought possible if you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm training!
If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy chest and back training. If you are able to accept this basic truth and place the majority of your focus on building up the muscle size and strength in your major muscle groups, you will prevent yourself from overtraining your arms and will therefore yield greater overall gains in bicep and tricep size.
While developing muscular arms is usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains. Couple this with the fact that your triceps and biceps are already small muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that direct arm training is of minor importance.
