Basic Training For Big, Muscular Arms
There’s a lot of hype on the web promising quick and easy paths to arm training glory. Most of this hype promises fantastic arm growth in a matter of days and comes from self-proclaimed “bodybuilding experts” who claim you can build big, muscular arms with trendy gimmicks and minimal training effort.
Instead of bashing the “experts” who spout such nonsense, I’ll give you the basics of how to build big, muscular arms naturally with patient and dedicated training. And by the way, if you’re wondering whether you should take any of my advice, note that I’ve used the arm training fundamentals discussed in this article to build my own set of 20-inch GUNS. In other words, my advice is based on tried and true experience so you can rest assured that this training method works.
Warming Up
One of the most important elements of any training activity is preparing your body for the work ahead. Before starting your arm training workouts you should make sure that you warm up properly. Warming up stretches and flexes your muscles gently to heighten your cardiovascular activity and send blood and oxygen to the muscles that you intend to train.
I recommend that you warm up with 1 or 2 sets of standing EZ bar curls for your biceps, 1 or 2 sets of lying extensions or “Skull Crushers” for your triceps, and 1 set of reverse grip EZ bar curls for your forearms prior to each arm training session. For each exercise, the weight should be extremely light so as to provide only minimal resistance. A good rule of thumb for your warm up exercises is to use weight that allows you to complete 15 or 20 repetitions with minimal effort.
Even if you’re starting your arm training after you’ve trained other parts, don’t be fooled into thinking that you’re already “warmed up” and that your arms are ready for your mass building workout. Also, make sure that you warm up with the same attention to proper training technique that you’ll use in your work sets. Remember, a few minutes devoted to warming up is time well spent as this preliminary exercise can prevent muscle soreness or injury.
The Pyramid or Overload Principle
As you train your arms you’ll discover how much weight you must lift in order to shock your biceps, triceps and forearms into growth. The absolute amount of weight will vary with each exercise according to your strength and endurance levels.
However, as a guideline to the relative amount of weight that you should use to stimulate muscle growth, I’ve found that 70-85 percent of my “one-rep” maximum with proper technique is best for these purposes. In other words, if your one-rep maximum for standing EZ bar curls is 100 pounds, you should initially complete your work sets with weight ranging from 70 to 85 pounds.
During the mass building phase of your arm training program, the “pyramid principle” requires you to progressively increase the amount of weight lifted during your work sets. As you increase the amount of weight, you decrease the number of repetitions performed in each set. A sample pyramid set for doing standing EZ bar curls with a one-rep maximum of 100 pounds would be the following:
Set #1 – 10 reps x 70 pounds
Set #2 – 8 reps x 75-80 pounds
Set #3 – 6 reps x 80-85 pounds
One-rep maximum – 100 pounds
The progressive overloading of your arms that results from “pyramiding” causes the breakdown and re-manufacture of proteins and other substances essential to muscle growth. As you continue to overload your arms to stimulate this process, also known as protein synthesis, your muscle fibers will grow and increase the size of your arms.
If you can’t work with 70-85 percent of your one-rep maximum at the beginning of your mass building program, don’t worry about it. Just find an amount of weight that challenges you to complete a series of 10, 8 and 6 repetitions and gradually increase the resistance from that point. Although you shouldn’t attempt a one-rep maximum in every workout, this power-check can periodically serve as a benchmark for tracking strength increases and to ensure that you’re using sufficient weight during your work sets.
When your one-rep maximum increases or you find that you can do more than 10, 8 or 6 reps as you pyramid through your work sets, then it’s time to increase the amount of weight for each of these sets to continue stimulating muscle growth. The pyramid principle is essential to building Big, Muscular Arms and you should apply it throughout the mass building phase of your arm training program.
Isolation vs. Compound Exercises
Compound exercises require certain muscle groups to work simultaneously and in coordination. While these movements can place significant stress on a particular muscle area, in most instances compound exercises do not sufficiently isolate the targeted muscle to stimulate maximum growth. Conversely, isolation exercises are specifically intended to put maximum resistance on the targeted muscle area and force it to provide the power needed to lift the weight. This does not mean that compound movements such as standing barbell curls or upright rows are totally useless for building up your arms. But it does mean that your arm training program should consist primarily of isolation movements.
The following is short list of some of the isolation exercises that I’ve found effective for building big, muscular arms:
BICEPS – EZ bar preacher curls; dumbbell preacher curls; concentration curls; piston curls; Winston hammer curls and alternating dumbbell curls.
TRICEPS – Lying EZ bar extensions [“Skull Crushers”]; lying alternating dumbbell extensions; triceps pressdowns and seated triceps dips.
FOREARMS – Concentration hammer curls; reverse grip EZ bar curls and dumbbell wrist curls.
Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line – and focusing your arm training efforts on isolation movements will put you on a straight line to superior biceps, triceps and forearm development.
Workout Planning
If you’re going to combine isolation exercises with compound movements during your arm training workouts, you should start with isolation training and finish with compound exercises. I recommend this sequence for the following reasons.
First, since isolation training puts maximum stress on the target muscle area, you should do these exercises before you become fatigued. Isolation training demands maximum effort during each repetition, and to maximize your training efficiency you must work hardest on the exercises that work best. In return, these exercises offer you the quickest results in your quest for Big, Muscular Arms.
Second, in most compound movements, your shoulders, chest and back assist your arms as they complete each repetition. Don’t allow such assistance to cheat your biceps, triceps and forearms as the start of your workouts. Instead, take advantage of this help when you’ll really need it which is after you’ve exhausted your arms with isolation work. This approach allows your compound exercises to supplement your isolation training rather than detracting from it. Your shoulder, chest and back will help your arms continue working despite the onset of fatigue. This way, your arms train harder and longer than they would if fatigue forced you to stop after the isolation phase.
Third, isolation training requires intense mental concentration. I’ve found that my motivation level and mental focus are highest at the beginning of my workouts. As fatigue sets in and rest intervals increase it’s to become distracted from the task at hand. To avoid this problem – especially on arm-training day – I make sure that my isolation training gets done while my mind and body are at their strongest.
You too may discover that the mental aspects of isolation training require you to perform these exercises at the beginning of your workouts. That way you’ll ensure making the mind-body connection essential to successful isolation training.
Remember, the basics are still best when it comes to building big, muscular arms. Pyramid sets with a focus on isolation training and proper technique are the keys to building massive biceps, triceps and forearms. That’s it, plain and simple.
Mark G. Winston, “The Master Gunslinger,” is author of the ground-breaking training manual, “GO For Your GUNS – 7 Simple Secrets to AWESOME ARMS.” He has also created GOforyourGUNS.com, the internet’s first website dedicated entirely to helping you build big, muscular arms. The book
Tags: arms, big, muscular, training
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