WEEK EIGHTY-ONE :: How Can You Develop Solid Arms?

[the_fake_webmaster]

* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of each TOTW article) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: How Can You Develop Solid Arms?

For the week of: June 14th - June 20th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Nobody is going to ask you to flex your quads, lats, or pecs. People are going to want you to flex your guns. Whenever you walk down the street in a tight t-shirt, the arms are the first to hit the eye.

How can you develop solid arms?

What are some key principles to building great arms?

What are some tricks to make your arms appear bigger?

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* New Rule (beginning: June 1st, 2006): Any exercise not listed on our exercise listing (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm) must be accompanied by a full and complete description and pictures (or a link to the exercise(s) where pictures and description are given).

Thanks.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[RippedJordanian]

this is the exact same thing as WOTW 36. cmon man

[ravadongon]

I think this is a sign that topic of the week is nearing an end :(. There's only so many topics you can make before you hit a wall...

[RippedJordanian]

no actually there are great ideas on the thread i forgot what its called. I even posted one idea i want will to include. Its about bodybuilding myths and who creates them and stuff.

[strongman13]

imo the best way to build solid arms is first have a solid diet then a solid routine... a diet that should be high in protien (obviously) but ya and as for a routine i work my biceps twice a week, tuesday and friday. and my triceps twice a week on monday and friday


for bi's
i start off with barbell curls for a warmup set then 4 working sets of 8-10
next i do standing dumbell curls for 3 sets of 8-10
then preacher curls for 4 sets of 6-8
then standing hammer curls for 2 sets of 8-10
i then do my back routine.


for tri's
i start with my chest workout then i do close grip bench for 4 sets of 8-10
then i push downs on a cable machine using the rope handle for 3 sets of 8-10
then i do four sets of skullcrushers for 8-10
and finish off with a 3 sets of bodyweight dips for 6-8

[sweat]

The 4 Keys to Knockout Arms


When it comes to showing off those muscles, the best way to do so without ripping off that shirt and exposing a rugged 6 pack, is through our arms! It is very basic what you must do to get your arms into shape. But when it comes to gaining muscle and size around the arms, DO NOT forget to workout other body parts such as your shoulders, chests and even legs! The last thing you want is for people to see you as an amateur weight lifter who solely works on the arms and neglects the rest of his body, and also because it just creates imbalance amongst your body. So without further ado there are 5 keys to remember and initiate if you want to turn those gardersnakes into pythons!

1. Concentrate on your TRICEPS before your BICEPS!
By no means am I telling anyone not to work their biceps often, but the majority of people who work on their arms, concentrate on their biceps, when really their tricep muscles are about two-thirds of your upper arm mass. So it would only make sense to work the msucle that is naturally more visible and larger in it's original "unflexed" state.
KEY EXERCISE: My most highly recommended exercise to target the triceps are dips. Simple put, if you don't dothem correctly, you'll collapse. So really, if your able to do this exercise, you know your doing it well 'cause your arms haven't buckled on you yet. They can be assisted dips or they can be done by using just body weight to weigh you down. Many people on this site will already be able to do 25 repititions of dips solely relying on their body weight, so my recommendation is just to weigh yourself down with weight plates attached to a workout belt. Do 4 - 8 repititions on whatever weight level, and ensure that by the end of your set, that you cannot do anymore than 8 and no less than. Doing this routine 5 times (5 sets) in a workout, 3 days a week should be a great start.

2. Have your bicep emulate a giant, symmetrical rock.
Like most of you probably know, the bicep is one of the most popular muscles that are worked. When I myself started to bodybuild at the age of 14, I thought if I had huge biceps, then in no time I'd be a real huge BODYBUILDER! I wasn't exactly right, but I also wasn't all that wrong. The tricep is what makes your arms look big from afar, but upclose and physically, chicks wanna squeeze your biceps! Curls are the way to go. I recommend anyone who wants to enlarge their biceps, do roughly 4- 8 repititions of a weight. It is also important to choose a weight taht is ncie adn ehavy, and by the 8th or 4th rep, your arms MUST have a sensation where they can no longer push any further in that set. Five sets of the 4 - 8 rep routine 3 times a week would be ideal!

3. Don’t forget your forearms!
When you're wearing a t shirt, sometimes your upper arms won't be as exposed and therefore, you have less to "show off". Anytime you see someone with built forearms, you KNOW they have even bigger biceps and triceps. You can grow your forearms by simply curling more weight (bicep curl), but in order for really thick arms, you should really put in a little extra. I recommend you either use forearm curls, which are basically curls using your wrist's as a fulcrum point of your arms lever. What also work wonders for the forearms are wrist rollers! These are often overlooked, but they work even more effectively than wrist curls with dumbells. Wrist rollers can usually be found at your local gym, and they are those rods that have a string and a weight plates attached at the end. With these you as slowly as possible, roll the string with the weight attached up and around the rod, until the weight touches the rod. Once it touches the roller rod, you want to just as slowly, let the rope down. When using wrist rollers, it is key to keep your arms perpendicular to your body and maintain a steady pace. You DO NOT want to over work your forearms, as your arms may cramp up the next day. THe forearms are very small muscles and should be worked at most 4 times a week.

4. That "big and muscular" look comes from your deltoids!
With developed deltoids, you arms will look HUGE and cut as they stick out of your t shirt sleeve. With your deltoids, do several workouts for them, because you want well rounded delts, not delts that are thicker around in one area as compared to another. Arm raises (both lateral and front raises) and dumbell presses are the easiest method of gaining nice big shoulders. Do roughly 4 - 8 reps of each exercise and doing 3 - 5 sets of these exercises is more than enough for cut arms.

Following these 4 keys will not just have you walking around with bigger arms, but a stronger upper body as well. With stronger arms, you can do bench presses or trapezius pull downs using more weight, because your arms are that much stronger and this can lead to faster upper body results.

- AM

[sweat]

If you're unfamiliar with wrist rollers, they can be made from wood or heavy duty metal. Whatever the quality, they prove the same function. For thsoe who do not know waht they might look like, here are a few links to pictures of wrist rollers.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=311309&stc=1&d=1150582903

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=311311&stc=1&d=1150583079

[BIG-D 15]

Before You Start To Build Up The Arms You Must Know What You Are Actually Building. A Common Mistake Is To Focus All Your Effort On The Biceps. If People Focused On The Larger And More Powerful Triceps We Might Not Need This Topic. An Other Mistake People Make Is To Train The Same Part Of Any Given Arm Muscle.(mainly The Biceps.) For Example,doing Medium Grip Barbell Curls Then Dumb Bell Curls Followed By Seated 1 Arm Alt. Curls Only Realy Focuses On Hitting Both Bicep Heads Equaly. (i Will List A Sample Routine Later That I Believe Will Hit All Parts Of Those Upper And Lower Arms.) You Should Hit The Desired Muscle At Different Angles For Great Results But For Optimum Results That Will Let You Reach Your Genetic Potential You Not Only Need To Hit Each Part Of The Muscle But Also Use The Right Rep Range To Hit All The Different Types Of Fibers.The 2 Main Fiber Types Are Fast And Slow Twitch,also Known As White And Red Fibers. The Fast Twitch Are Very Strong But Lack Endurance. The Slow Twitch Are Not That Strong But Are High In Endurance. Seeing How The Arms Are Mainly Fast Twitch You Should Use High Amounts Of Weight With Proper Form. Do Not Neglect The Slow Twitch Fibers.A Good Way To Hit Them Is To Use A Lighter Weight And Do A Set Of 15 Reps Or Till Failure. Try To Fail Around The 15th Rep. Immediatly Pick a Lighter Weight And Crank Out As Many Reps. Do This 1 More Time And Thats 1 Set. This Is Called A Triple Drop Set. Go Slower Than Usual For The Slow Twitch Fibers. A Good Way To Hit The Fast Twitch Fibers Is To Use The Heviest Weight That Only Lets You Get A Single Rep. Rest For 10-15 Seconds Then Try An Other Rep. Do this Till You Can Not Get an other Rep. Then Pick Up Your Usual 6-rep Weight But Use An Explosive Style. Lift It Under Control But Still Fast(about 1 Second) And Lower It Still In Control But A Bit Faster Then Usual(about 2 Seconds).

Now You Now How To Attack the Muscles So Know I Will Tell You What Your Going To Be Attacking.
The First Muscle Is The Bicep. It Consists Of To Heads,the Long And The Short Head. Or The Inner And Outer Head. There Is Also The Brachialis Muscle Located Under Bicep And It Creeps To The Outside Which Gives You An Egg Like Shape On The outer Arm. To Hit The Inner Head Use A Wider Grip On The Barbell Or Turn Your Arms To The Outside For Curls. For The Outer Head Take A Narrow Grip On A Barbell For Your Curls. Concentration Curls And Curling To The Chest Also Will create More Outer Head Development.
For The Brachialis,hammer And Revearse Curls Are The Best.

Now Triceps. Triceps Consist Of 3 Heads The Long,medial And The Lateral Heads. To Hit The Inner Part, Try Pressdowns With A Wide Grip,palms Down.For Outer Tricep Development Try Rope Presdowns Or Any Exercise With The Palms Facing Each Other,add A Close Grip To That Exercise And The Outer Head Will Be Hit Super Hard. For Medial Head Development Try Kickbacks,holding The Top Contraction For A Count Of 4. The Mass Building Moves Hit This Head The Hardest So Try Some Dips And Close Grip Bench Presses.

Last But Definatley Not Least The Forearms. I Will Split Them In 2 Categories. The Flexors And Extensors. For The Forearm Flexors Wrist Curls And Wrist Curls Behind The Back Are Great. For The Extensor Muscles Do Revearse Wristcurls, And Revearse Curls For The Brachio Radialis. For Some Mass Try Holding A Very Heavy Dumbbell In Each Hand And Hold On For As Long As Possible

Time To Throw It All Together. I Will List The Routine That I Have Used And Added 1.2 Inches To My Arms In a Month. Here It Is.(note,warm Up Not Included,rest Between Sets is 45-70seconds.)

Biceps
Wide Grip Barbell Curls 3 Sets 1x4-6,1x8-10,1x10-12
Concentration Curls 3 Sets 1x4-6,1x6-10,1x10-12
Hammer Curls 3 Sets 1x4-6,1x6-10,1x10-12

Triceps
Dips Between Benches 3 Sets 1x4-6,1x6-10,1x10-12
Wide Grip Pressdown 3 Sets 1x4-6,1x6-10,1x10-12
Close Grip Db Press Palms Facing Each Other4 Sets 2x6,1x8,1x15

Forarms
Dumbell Wrist Curls 3 Sets 1x20,1x10,1x5
Wrist Curls Behind The Back 3 Sets 1x10,1x5,1x2
Revearse Curls 3 Sets 1x4,1x8,1x12
Revearse Wrist Curls 3sets 1x20,1x10,1x5
And to Finish Them Off, Hold the Heviest Weight Possible For As Long As Possible. Do 3 Sets Of These And Your Done. Take No Longer Than 50 Minutes To Complete This For Optimum Hormone Levels.
You Can Do Forearms 2 Hours After Your Post Workout Meal. Give Arms 4 Days To Rest And Remember They Get Trained When You Do Back,chest And Some Shoulder Moves like military presses or upright rows.

Nutrition
Eat Evey 2-3 Hours.1-2 Grams Of Protein Per Pound,3-4 Grams Of Carbs Per Pound And Some Healthy Fats. Have 18 Cals. Per Pound If Your Body Tends To Carry Extra Fat,20 If Your An Average Build And 22 If Your A Person With A Fast Metabolism.

A Trick To Make Your Arms Appear Bigger Is To have Giant Triceps. They Make Up 2/3's Of Your Upper Arm And Look Great When Fully Developed. When someone say "wow look at that guys arms"the triceps usealy are giving the effect. Also Try Doing 3 Sets (not To Failure But Still Intense)of a bicep exercise and 3 sets of a tricep exercise every hour for For Nine Hours. You can gain an extra inch in 24 hours! be sure to eat and rest apropriotly to reap in the gains. I Hope You Enjoyed My Article And Hope You Will Benefit From It.

[Aussie LTD]

I think this is a sign that topic of the week is nearing an end :(. There's only so many topics you can make before you hit a wall...

Actually the opposite in my opinion; lasts weeks responses was so good it gave him ideas.

Last weeks was all about developing complete arms, this week is more like the underground exercises one imo.

Anyway i'll be putting in an article later on.

good luck.

[RippedJordanian]

lol i disagree there was a topic of the week a few months back about how to get the biggest arms too. Its all basically the same subject:
Eat right
Form not weight
Use intense techniques
get adequate rest
Dont forget the triceps
dont overtrain biceps

[G-Rex]

lol i disagree there was a topic of the week a few months back about how to get the biggest arms too. Its all basically the same subject:
Eat right
Form not weight
Use intense techniques
get adequate rest
Dont forget the triceps
dont overtrain biceps

Shot, you're in the running for first place :P

[Aussie LTD]

lol i disagree there was a topic of the week a few months back about how to get the biggest arms too. Its all basically the same subject:
Eat right
Form not weight
Use intense techniques
get adequate rest
Dont forget the triceps
dont overtrain biceps

how to make the arms appear wider

how to make them appear longer

how do you hit each head of the tricep

[RippedJordanian]

Shot, you're in the running for first place :P
ya i am running lol. SOMEBODY STOP ME! :D

Aussie always has amazing articles sot there's gonna be some fierce competition right aussie haha?

Good luck man and good luck to everyone

[Ward17]

Its my first time in a competition like this and it took me almost 2 hours to type this out so i better win.

[Aussie LTD]

Aussie always has amazing articles sot there's gonna be some fierce competition right aussie haha?

thats right ;)

[Vigor]

Almost done mine :)

[RippedJordanian]

I put so much work into this and i learned so much! Seriously though aussie, your articles are amazing! i liked the approach on the 12 week one where you do so many exercises but 1 or 2 sets on each. I know thats how you train its a great perspective. Seriously though are you rich? you've been winning for the past month in both TOTW and WOTW.
reps

[LJ57]

WEEK EIGHTY-ONE :: How Can You Develop Solid Arms?

From the beginning, I’ve had a difficult time getting my arms to grow. The strange thing is I can make practically any other bodypart grow rather easily. Legs, for instance, require only a minimal amount of effort from me to initiate growth.

Arms are an entirely different story. Going from a little less than 14” as an absolute beginner to their current 16.25” has been a lesson in trial and error. However, I found one arm workout plan that helped me to accelerate my gains and keep gains going steadily for almost two months. In that time and using the following program I was able to add about 1.5 inches to my arms without hitting any plateau whatsoever.

If you are dieting then you should not bother with trying to increase arm size at this time. Your nutrition will need to be meticulous at this time and consuming excess calories is extremely beneficial in increasing your chances of success with this program. You should make sure you are getting not only adequate calories but also protein, carbs, and fat. Aim for at least 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight, 300-400g of carbs, and 75-100g of fat. Be sure to include healthy fats such as fish oil, flaxseed oil, and olive oil. These are not only beneficial for muscle building but also improve overall health.

Another important aspect of this program that should never be neglected is post-workout nutrition. Fail to feed your muscles after a workout and you will fail to make the tape measure budge a centimeter. Post-workout nutrition should consist of a sufficient amount of fast-digesting protein and high glycemic carbs. Once you finish a workout you should immediately consume 40-50g of protein (preferably from a fast-digesting source such as whey protein isolate) and 75-100g of refined carbohydrates. I used a combination of dextrose and table sugar added to my protein shake to supply my body with the quick acting carbs it needed to assist with recovery. If you prefer to avoid sugar and dextrose for health reasons you can opt for a good food source such as mashed potatoes or white rice.

There are several supplements that will be beneficial in putting the maximum amount of muscle on your arms in the minimum amount of time. A potent multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement (such as Animal Pack) and whey protein are two supplements that should be considered mandatory on this program. Next, creatine is probably the most important supplement you can use for packing muscle on your arms. In fact, a 2004 study showed that “supplementing with creatine after training of the arms resulted in greater increase in muscle thickness of the arms.” Unless you are a non-responder, I would highly recommend using creatine on this program. Nitric Oxide (NO) products can also be extremely beneficial in feeding your muscles on this program. Universal Storm and Shock Therapy are two high quality NO products that I have used with good results. These products can get the blood flowing to the muscles and improve the delivery of nutrients and oxygen.

This workout involves training both biceps and triceps once per week and on the same day. Some people prefer to train biceps with back and triceps with chest. My greatest success in getting my arms to grow occurred when I started training triceps and biceps together. After several weeks, however, you may want to switch to a back/biceps and chest/triceps split for a few weeks just to change things up a bit and prevent yourself from hitting a plateau. When I did make the switch I was still making good gains but since my philosophy is, “if it ain’t broke, break it” I changed my workout nonetheless. After 4 weeks I returned to doing biceps and triceps on the same day. My arms grew approximately 1.5 inches over a two month period.

Avoid taking arms to absolute failure on this program. In fact, you should avoid taking any bodypart to failure on this program. Doing so will increase the likelihood of overtraining and can lead to diminishing gains and the many dreaded symptoms of overtraining. The goal here is to “stimulate not annihilate”. You can push yourself to the point where your last rep takes a lot of mental and physical effort but avoid completely exhausting the muscle.

Arms need to be trained only once per week. I learned the hard way that, regardless of training experience, more frequency rarely results in greater gains. Arms are no exception. If you work them properly once per week there will be no need for additional arm work. Resist the temptation to train them again even if there is little or no soreness present in your arms. Use the time to let them fully recover for the next workout.

Just as important as warming up with a couple of light sets is stretching. Stretching for 5-10 minutes before and after the workout is a great way to reduce the risk of injury and also to lengthen the muscle. Stretching is also believed to be capable of increasing range of motion, reducing soreness, and improving recovery.
The following exercises are the ones I used to get my arms growing. There is no specific order that these exercises should be performed in. In fact, I switch the order around every week as well as the order in which I work each muscle group. For example, one week I might start off with barbell curls and then the next week start off with concentration curls. The general consensus is that concentration curls should be used as a “finishing off” movement at the end of the workout. However, I found that occasionally putting them first seemed to help in shocking the muscle with change. As far as the muscle groups themselves, one week I would begin with triceps first and then start with triceps the next week. This kept my body guessing what I would be doing next. The unpredictability helped me avoid hitting a plateau.

The Biceps Exercises :

Barbell Curls – after properly warming up you should begin your arm workout by performing 3 sets in the 10-12 rep range. Don’t worry about how much weight you can use on this or any other arm exercises. The important point is to control the weight and focus on keeping constant tension on the muscle. Always use a weight that you can control for every rep. If you start getting sloppy and slinging the weight up then you need to strip some weight from the bar.

Alternating Hammer curls – this exercise is great for developing the thickness of the bicep. Many people regard this exercise as optional or never bother incorporating it into their routine, but I found that making it a mainstay of my biceps training led to an increase in thickness. Do three sets of 10-12 reps for each arm.

Concentration Curls – like barbell curls, you will perform 3 sets in the 10-12 rep range. It is especially important to focus on slow and controlled movement for this exercise. Unlike the barbell curl which should give you continuous tension, the concentration curl should involve a squeezing at the top of the movement before moving into the controlled negative.

The Triceps Exercises :

Dips (behind the back) – this is perhaps the best triceps mass builder there is and can be done practically anywhere. If I could do only one exercise for triceps this would be the one. I place my hands on a bench about shoulder-width apart and prop my feet up on another bench. Do three sets of 10-12 reps. If this is too easy for you try having someone put a weight plate across your legs.

Skull Crushers (Lying Triceps Extension) – this exercise is great for working the triceps as a whole, but especially the outer head. Do three sets of 10-12 reps.

Cable pressdowns – while many people like to finish off a triceps routine with an isolation exercise such as kickbacks, it is better to forego them in favor of another good mass-building exercise. Cable pressdowns, in my opinion, are a good intermediate between an isolation exercise and a mass-building exercise. I prefer to use a v-handle bar but you can also use a lat bar attachment or rope if you prefer. Again, perform three sets of 10-12 reps.

When you finish an arm workout you will most likely have a pump that may result in your arms being bigger than they are when cold. I have taken a Myo-tape and measured my arms before and after a an arm workout and have found that they may be half an inch bigger than normal. The question is how canone sustain this kind of pump for an extended period of time. The only real solution to this is the use of nitric oxide products which may extend the amount of time you maintain this pump.

For a more long-term method of making your arms bigger there is one commonsense yet oft overlooked answer. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that the arms are just the biceps. How many times has someone said, “how big are your biceps?” As soon as I figure out a way to measure my biceps I’ll get back to them on that. Arms are both biceps and triceps and as soon as people realize this they will understand how to get them bigger. Stop neglecting triceps which provide most of the size of the arms and start hitting them just as hard as your biceps. If you're guilty of the above reasoning then simply putting some effort into working the triceps will do wonders for getting those arms bigger.

[KING_OF_SQUAT]

Got Solid Arms?

The arms: a powerful asset to any bodybuilder and a great feature for any average Joe. Women, as well as people in general, love to see a guy with big arms. It makes you appear stronger and more attractive. Most of us, as a weightlifting community, look down upon those who solely train their arms. But perhaps those few are on to something. After all, they train their most noticeable body part. Sure, you may have a good chest, tree trunk legs, and a back wide enough to put a solar eclipse into effect, but the arms are still the things that make you a “solid” guy. A “ripped” guy. A “manly man.” So let’s say your arms haven’t quite solidified, torn or become manly just yet. Well, Squishy, let’s turn you into a real man!

Before anybody says anything, reads anything, or tries anything, I will say this:

You must work hard to get big. This is a fact.

How can I get my Arms Solid?

In my very honest opinion, the best way to get solid arms is to train the rest of your body hard, and then throw in a bit of effort on the guns. Compound exercises build more mass overall, arms included!

Which compound exercises, you ask? Since we’re opting for big arms here, let’s try to stress the pythons just a tad more in our selection. Let’s say were doing an “upper body” day. A good selection would be:

1. Bench press, using a grip about 2-5 inches closer than normal.

2. Incline bench press, with a grip similarly closer than normal to flat bench.

3. Bent over barbell rows, but with an underhand grip to stress our biceps a bit more.

4. Pull-ups, but this time with an underhand grip as well, to nail those biceps hard.

5. Barbell curls, done extremely strict. These work those forearms hard as well.

6. Seated military press, done normal grip. This will hit the shoulders hard, and provide some tri work as well.

7. V-bar Triceps pushdowns. Once again, performed strict. Form over weight on these!


There you have it. Do a few sets of each, hard and heavy, and you’ve got yourself a quick workout that will build some big guns and a big upper body, too. Simplicity is not only key, it is perfection. Let’s use that key to unlock the big guns!

I usually include 1-2 forearm and grip movements because I’m a big fan of BIG forearms. Wrist rolling, and various wrist curls/reverse wrist curls are the best.


Key Points for developing Big Arms:

-Diet-
To develop some thick arms, you’re going to need to eat. A lot. Diet is important in the science of weightlifting, maybe even more so than the training itself. So, in this important balance, these are my diet suggestions:

-Eat every 2.5 - 3.5 hours. This should keep your metabolism up, and keep your body from going into a catabolic state, which would strip precious muscle and strength off those big arms of yours.

-Eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of body weight that you have. Adjust often, as you gain weight and muscle, since you will need more protein. This helps build those muscles you so diligently seek..

-Eat at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. These should be complex carbs (i.e. oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads, etc.) These have proven essential to gaining mass in my lifting career. The less carbohydrates you eat, the less you grow. This has always been my experience.

-Fat. HEALTHY fat. Fat isn’t your enemy, it is very much your friend. Saturated fats help produce testosterone, and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats help with keeping you full, and keeping you in an anabolic (muscle gaining) state. Eat about .8 grams of fat for every lb you weigh.

-Weight Gain-
You will not gain size without gaining weight. As a rough average, I have gained about 10lb of muscle for every 1 inch I’ve gained on each of my arms. This rule has been true for me ever since I weighed in at a whopping 165, standing 6’ tall. Now sitting at a comfortable 205, and 4 inches on the arms later, I can credibly say that this should work as a general rule.

Also, having trained 4 others on a consistent basis for 2 years, I can say that out of 5 test subjects, this rule should apply to most people. Keep in mind that all of us are training full body, and that’s just the rate at which we seem to gain muscle in the arms along with the rest of our bodies.

By no means am I saying that this will be fat weight, you will probably gain some fat, that’s all a part of adding muscle. This can be stripped off later,

-Rest-
Yes, rest. Rest is extremely important because it is the time when you are truly growing. Try to rest your arms by sleeping at least 8 hours a night, and give them a few days to recover (at least 2 unless you want them to start to shrink) if you’re going to hammer them again that week. Try not to overwork them outside the gym either, unless you are going to give them extra rest time..

-Training Movement Selection-
There are an incredible selection of schools of thought for this subject, so let me give you mine:

I believe isolation movements bring up the rear of the pack. Heavy compounds with very few isolation movements seem to bring up those biceps, triceps, and forearms the most. I’ve tried pretty much all there is to try to get my arms up, and this is what worked best for me. I hope it produces the same results for you!

It is also my belief that until you get to the point of being “huge” you shouldn’t worry much about shape. Once you do, feel free to include all sorts of isolation. Isolation is more in the “shaping” department. Compounds hit the muscles hard, and lead your muscles secreting a beautiful amount of growth hormones.

Isolation movements I like:
Barbell curl
Dumbbell Hammer curl
Preacher curl
Cable triceps extension
Various triceps machines

I think that movements should be switched every 3 weeks, because after 3 weeks of training, in any exercise, growth hormone secretion stops! Testosterone then has to pick up the slack, and we may as well have both work together instead of one at a time, right? [1]

Three Tricks to Make those Newfound Guns Look Bigger!

Some tricks to make your guns look bigger than they already ARE? Is that even humanly POSSIBLE? Yes, Sasquatch. It is. Now crack open a can of tuna and let me tell you a thing or two!


Trick one:
Plain and simple, NOS. Nitric oxide, L-arginine will make you look bigger. They all are basically the same product, and will pump you up slightly to make you appear bigger. Guns included. Follow the directions on your bottle!! Granted, they ARE NOT the same, but they have close effects if you are taking them outside the weight room

Link to product info- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/no2.html

Trick two:
Banded t-shirts! The kind that have that slightly elasticized band around your arm, in my opinion, make our arms look bigger. Keep in mind your arms will have to be somewhat large to stretch the band enough for the desired effect. If your arms aren’t big, PLEASE don’t buy a shirt that is way too small. Do us all a favor and wait until next year to rock the banded tee.

It is my personal opinion that if you’re big, you look big all the time. No need for super tight clothes or body suits. I’ll get right to the point and illegalize spandex for anyone reading this. (Gross.)

Trick three:
HARD WORK. This is most worthwhile trick of the three, also the most honorable. There are very few legal shortcuts, and even less illegal ones that lead you down a desirable path. Put in the work now, and in a few years, you won’t have to put any tricks in your bag to look big. You’ll look big no matter what you wear.

In conclusion, my adoring fans, there are many ways to get to a big, strong, balanced physique. I have included in this article what has been getting me there; you may take the advice given that pertains usefully to YOU. Everyone is different, and everyone will need slight alterations in their own training to attain the extra level of strength and size. Be persistent, and better arms and big glory is waiting for you on the other side of some hard work and a plate with lean beef ‘n sweet potatoes on it.


God speed,

Paul

References-
[1] http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls20.htm

[RC26]

Good luck!

[bitterplacebo]

Kind of rushed to get this one done. Hopefully it's still enjoyable and informative.

[SmallKid11]

Got Solid Arms?

The arms: a powerful asset to any bodybuilder and a great feature for any average Joe. Women, as well as people in general, love to see a guy with big arms. It makes you appear stronger and more attractive. Most of us, as a weightlifting community, look down upon those who solely train their arms. But perhaps those few are on to something. After all, they train their most noticeable body part. Sure, you may have a good chest, tree trunk legs, and a back wide enough to put a solar eclipse into effect, but the arms are still the things that make you a “solid” guy. A “ripped” guy. A “manly man.” So let’s say your arms haven’t quite solidified, torn or become manly just yet. Well, Squishy, let’s turn you into a real man!

Before anybody says anything, reads anything, or tries anything, I will say this:

You must work hard to get big. This is a fact.

How can I get my Arms Solid?

In my very honest opinion, the best way to get solid arms is to train the rest of your body hard, and then throw in a bit of effort on the guns. Compound exercises build more mass overall, arms included!

Which compound exercises, you ask? Since we’re opting for big arms here, let’s try to stress the pythons just a tad more in our selection. Let’s say were doing an “upper body” day. A good selection would be:

1. Bench press, using a grip about 2-5 inches closer than normal.

2. Incline bench press, with a grip similarly closer than normal to flat bench.

3. Bent over barbell rows, but with an underhand grip to stress our biceps a bit more.

4. Pull-ups, but this time with an underhand grip as well, to nail those biceps hard.

5. Barbell curls, done extremely strict. These work those forearms hard as well.

6. Seated military press, done normal grip. This will hit the shoulders hard, and provide some tri work as well.

7. V-bar Triceps pushdowns. Once again, performed strict. Form over weight on these!


There you have it. Do a few sets of each, hard and heavy, and you’ve got yourself a quick workout that will build some big guns and a big upper body, too. Simplicity is not only key, it is perfection. Let’s use that key to unlock the big guns!

I usually include 1-2 forearm and grip movements because I’m a big fan of BIG forearms. Wrist rolling, and various wrist curls/reverse wrist curls are the best.


Key Points for developing Big Arms:

-Diet-
To develop some thick arms, you’re going to need to eat. A lot. Diet is important in the science of weightlifting, maybe even more so than the training itself. So, in this important balance, these are my diet suggestions:

-Eat every 2.5 - 3.5 hours. This should keep your metabolism up, and keep your body from going into a catabolic state, which would strip precious muscle and strength off those big arms of yours.

-Eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of body weight that you have. Adjust often, as you gain weight and muscle, since you will need more protein. This helps build those muscles you so diligently seek..

-Eat at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. These should be complex carbs (i.e. oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads, etc.) These have proven essential to gaining mass in my lifting career. The less carbohydrates you eat, the less you grow. This has always been my experience.

-Fat. HEALTHY fat. Fat isn’t your enemy, it is very much your friend. Saturated fats help produce testosterone, and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats help with keeping you full, and keeping you in an anabolic (muscle gaining) state. Eat about .8 grams of fat for every lb you weigh.

-Weight Gain-
You will not gain size without gaining weight. As a rough average, I have gained about 10lb of muscle for every 1 inch I’ve gained on each of my arms. This rule has been true for me ever since I weighed in at a whopping 165, standing 6’ tall. Now sitting at a comfortable 205, and 4 inches on the arms later, I can credibly say that this should work as a general rule.

Also, having trained 4 others on a consistent basis for 2 years, I can say that out of 5 test subjects, this rule should apply to most people. Keep in mind that all of us are training full body, and that’s just the rate at which we seem to gain muscle in the arms along with the rest of our bodies.

By no means am I saying that this will be fat weight, you will probably gain some fat, that’s all a part of adding muscle. This can be stripped off later,

-Rest-
Yes, rest. Rest is extremely important because it is the time when you are truly growing. Try to rest your arms by sleeping at least 8 hours a night, and give them a few days to recover (at least 2 unless you want them to start to shrink) if you’re going to hammer them again that week. Try not to overwork them outside the gym either, unless you are going to give them extra rest time..

-Training Movement Selection-
There are an incredible selection of schools of thought for this subject, so let me give you mine:

I believe isolation movements bring up the rear of the pack. Heavy compounds with very few isolation movements seem to bring up those biceps, triceps, and forearms the most. I’ve tried pretty much all there is to try to get my arms up, and this is what worked best for me. I hope it produces the same results for you!

It is also my belief that until you get to the point of being “huge” you shouldn’t worry much about shape. Once you do, feel free to include all sorts of isolation. Isolation is more in the “shaping” department. Compounds hit the muscles hard, and lead your muscles secreting a beautiful amount of growth hormones.

Isolation movements I like:
Barbell curl
Dumbbell Hammer curl
Preacher curl
Cable triceps extension
Various triceps machines

I think that movements should be switched every 3 weeks, because after 3 weeks of training, in any exercise, growth hormone secretion stops! Testosterone then has to pick up the slack, and we may as well have both work together instead of one at a time, right? [1]

Three Tricks to Make those Newfound Guns Look Bigger!

Some tricks to make your guns look bigger than they already ARE? Is that even humanly POSSIBLE? Yes, Sasquatch. It is. Now crack open a can of tuna and let me tell you a thing or two!


Trick one:
Plain and simple, NOS. Nitric oxide, L-arginine will make you look bigger. They all are basically the same product, and will pump you up slightly to make you appear bigger. Guns included. Follow the directions on your bottle!! Granted, they ARE NOT the same, but they have close effects if you are taking them outside the weight room

Link to product info- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/no2.html

Trick two:
Banded t-shirts! The kind that have that slightly elasticized band around your arm, in my opinion, make our arms look bigger. Keep in mind your arms will have to be somewhat large to stretch the band enough for the desired effect. If your arms aren’t big, PLEASE don’t buy a shirt that is way too small. Do us all a favor and wait until next year to rock the banded tee.

It is my personal opinion that if you’re big, you look big all the time. No need for super tight clothes or body suits. I’ll get right to the point and illegalize spandex for anyone reading this. (Gross.)

Trick three:
HARD WORK. This is most worthwhile trick of the three, also the most honorable. There are very few legal shortcuts, and even less illegal ones that lead you down a desirable path. Put in the work now, and in a few years, you won’t have to put any tricks in your bag to look big. You’ll look big no matter what you wear.

In conclusion, my adoring fans, there are many ways to get to a big, strong, balanced physique. I have included in this article what has been getting me there; you may take the advice given that pertains usefully to YOU. Everyone is different, and everyone will need slight alterations in their own training to attain the extra level of strength and size. Be persistent, and better arms and big glory is waiting for you on the other side of some hard work and a plate with lean beef ‘n sweet potatoes on it.


God speed,

Paul

References-
[1] http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls20.htm
Great article, Paul!

Very informative.

[P0W3RLIFT3R87]

Got Solid Arms?

The arms: a powerful asset to any bodybuilder and a great feature for any average Joe. Women, as well as people in general, love to see a guy with big arms. It makes you appear stronger and more attractive. Most of us, as a weightlifting community, look down upon those who solely train their arms. But perhaps those few are on to something. After all, they train their most noticeable body part. Sure, you may have a good chest, tree trunk legs, and a back wide enough to put a solar eclipse into effect, but the arms are still the things that make you a “solid” guy. A “ripped” guy. A “manly man.” So let’s say your arms haven’t quite solidified, torn or become manly just yet. Well, Squishy, let’s turn you into a real man!

Before anybody says anything, reads anything, or tries anything, I will say this:

You must work hard to get big. This is a fact.

How can I get my Arms Solid?

In my very honest opinion, the best way to get solid arms is to train the rest of your body hard, and then throw in a bit of effort on the guns. Compound exercises build more mass overall, arms included!

Which compound exercises, you ask? Since we’re opting for big arms here, let’s try to stress the pythons just a tad more in our selection. Let’s say were doing an “upper body” day. A good selection would be:

1. Bench press, using a grip about 2-5 inches closer than normal.

2. Incline bench press, with a grip similarly closer than normal to flat bench.

3. Bent over barbell rows, but with an underhand grip to stress our biceps a bit more.

4. Pull-ups, but this time with an underhand grip as well, to nail those biceps hard.

5. Barbell curls, done extremely strict. These work those forearms hard as well.

6. Seated military press, done normal grip. This will hit the shoulders hard, and provide some tri work as well.

7. V-bar Triceps pushdowns. Once again, performed strict. Form over weight on these!


There you have it. Do a few sets of each, hard and heavy, and you’ve got yourself a quick workout that will build some big guns and a big upper body, too. Simplicity is not only key, it is perfection. Let’s use that key to unlock the big guns!

I usually include 1-2 forearm and grip movements because I’m a big fan of BIG forearms. Wrist rolling, and various wrist curls/reverse wrist curls are the best.


Key Points for developing Big Arms:

-Diet-
To develop some thick arms, you’re going to need to eat. A lot. Diet is important in the science of weightlifting, maybe even more so than the training itself. So, in this important balance, these are my diet suggestions:

-Eat every 2.5 - 3.5 hours. This should keep your metabolism up, and keep your body from going into a catabolic state, which would strip precious muscle and strength off those big arms of yours.

-Eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of body weight that you have. Adjust often, as you gain weight and muscle, since you will need more protein. This helps build those muscles you so diligently seek..

-Eat at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. These should be complex carbs (i.e. oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads, etc.) These have proven essential to gaining mass in my lifting career. The less carbohydrates you eat, the less you grow. This has always been my experience.

-Fat. HEALTHY fat. Fat isn’t your enemy, it is very much your friend. Saturated fats help produce testosterone, and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats help with keeping you full, and keeping you in an anabolic (muscle gaining) state. Eat about .8 grams of fat for every lb you weigh.

-Weight Gain-
You will not gain size without gaining weight. As a rough average, I have gained about 10lb of muscle for every 1 inch I’ve gained on each of my arms. This rule has been true for me ever since I weighed in at a whopping 165, standing 6’ tall. Now sitting at a comfortable 205, and 4 inches on the arms later, I can credibly say that this should work as a general rule.

Also, having trained 4 others on a consistent basis for 2 years, I can say that out of 5 test subjects, this rule should apply to most people. Keep in mind that all of us are training full body, and that’s just the rate at which we seem to gain muscle in the arms along with the rest of our bodies.

By no means am I saying that this will be fat weight, you will probably gain some fat, that’s all a part of adding muscle. This can be stripped off later,

-Rest-
Yes, rest. Rest is extremely important because it is the time when you are truly growing. Try to rest your arms by sleeping at least 8 hours a night, and give them a few days to recover (at least 2 unless you want them to start to shrink) if you’re going to hammer them again that week. Try not to overwork them outside the gym either, unless you are going to give them extra rest time..

-Training Movement Selection-
There are an incredible selection of schools of thought for this subject, so let me give you mine:

I believe isolation movements bring up the rear of the pack. Heavy compounds with very few isolation movements seem to bring up those biceps, triceps, and forearms the most. I’ve tried pretty much all there is to try to get my arms up, and this is what worked best for me. I hope it produces the same results for you!

It is also my belief that until you get to the point of being “huge” you shouldn’t worry much about shape. Once you do, feel free to include all sorts of isolation. Isolation is more in the “shaping” department. Compounds hit the muscles hard, and lead your muscles secreting a beautiful amount of growth hormones.

Isolation movements I like:
Barbell curl
Dumbbell Hammer curl
Preacher curl
Cable triceps extension
Various triceps machines

I think that movements should be switched every 3 weeks, because after 3 weeks of training, in any exercise, growth hormone secretion stops! Testosterone then has to pick up the slack, and we may as well have both work together instead of one at a time, right? [1]

Three Tricks to Make those Newfound Guns Look Bigger!

Some tricks to make your guns look bigger than they already ARE? Is that even humanly POSSIBLE? Yes, Sasquatch. It is. Now crack open a can of tuna and let me tell you a thing or two!


Trick one:
Plain and simple, NOS. Nitric oxide, L-arginine will make you look bigger. They all are basically the same product, and will pump you up slightly to make you appear bigger. Guns included. Follow the directions on your bottle!! Granted, they ARE NOT the same, but they have close effects if you are taking them outside the weight room

Link to product info- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/no2.html

Trick two:
Banded t-shirts! The kind that have that slightly elasticized band around your arm, in my opinion, make our arms look bigger. Keep in mind your arms will have to be somewhat large to stretch the band enough for the desired effect. If your arms aren’t big, PLEASE don’t buy a shirt that is way too small. Do us all a favor and wait until next year to rock the banded tee.

It is my personal opinion that if you’re big, you look big all the time. No need for super tight clothes or body suits. I’ll get right to the point and illegalize spandex for anyone reading this. (Gross.)

Trick three:
HARD WORK. This is most worthwhile trick of the three, also the most honorable. There are very few legal shortcuts, and even less illegal ones that lead you down a desirable path. Put in the work now, and in a few years, you won’t have to put any tricks in your bag to look big. You’ll look big no matter what you wear.

In conclusion, my adoring fans, there are many ways to get to a big, strong, balanced physique. I have included in this article what has been getting me there; you may take the advice given that pertains usefully to YOU. Everyone is different, and everyone will need slight alterations in their own training to attain the extra level of strength and size. Be persistent, and better arms and big glory is waiting for you on the other side of some hard work and a plate with lean beef ‘n sweet potatoes on it.


God speed,

Paul

References-
[1] http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls20.htm

Great article. Very informative and easy to understand. You definitely did your research on this.

[Aussie LTD]

Edited: Solid arms

[ho_124]

Solid Arms:

[Aussie LTD]

I put so much work into this and i learned so much! Seriously though aussie, your articles are amazing! i liked the approach on the 12 week one where you do so many exercises but 1 or 2 sets on each. I know thats how you train its a great perspective. Seriously though are you rich? you've been winning for the past month in both TOTW and WOTW.
reps

Great article man. Thanks for the compliement.

Yea, i like the 2 sets theory providing you still choose the exercises wisely.

Am i rich lol? No haha... actually, i enter every week so thats probably why it looks like that. I'm still waitin in anticipation for the underground exercise article - my guess is u have me on that one

[RippedJordanian]

its weird the underground exercises hasn't come out yet but the 12 week mass one was out like 2 days later for WOTW. WILL PAYS NO MORE ATTENTION TO US!!!!!:'(

[BIG-D 15]

does anyone know when we will find out who won this weeks Topic of the Week? it sayes deadline tuesday at mid night

[KING_OF_SQUAT]

we might find out tommorow. maybe the next day. you never know.


-paul

[the_fake_webmaster]

its weird the underground exercises hasn't come out yet but the 12 week mass one was out like 2 days later for WOTW. WILL PAYS NO MORE ATTENTION TO US!!!!!:'(

Im still here, the underground WOTW article has quite a few new exercises to shot, edit, add to the page and upload.

Each week we spend between 3-10 hours on each one. That is not including what our video guys have to do... Add another 10 hours.

If you have any ideas for the WOTW or TOTW send them over.

Also, the reason for the arm of the week articles is because we are making a Arms Super Feature this month which we are almost done with and will start promoting soon.

In order to keep the website up to date, we have over 10 people working on programming, designing, it, etc...

Thanks for all your hard work!

Will

[RippedJordanian]

hey will you know i was just kidding lol, we all know you and your team work very hard. Thanks for your hard work. My idea is to have a TOTW about myth busting, like what myths there are out there about supplementation, training, and nutrition and who creates them, and what we can do to stop them.

[Aussie LTD]

hey will you know i was just kidding lol, we all know you and your team work very hard. Thanks for your hard work. My idea is to have a TOTW about myth busting, like what myths there are out there about supplementation, training, and nutrition and who creates them, and what we can do to stop them.

good idea

[Squats]

good idea
There has been a 400+ page book written about them by Mel Siff.

[RippedJordanian]

there have been hundreds of books written on how to develop arms, that doesn't stop anyone

[Squats]

there have been hundreds of books written on how to develop arms, that doesn't stop anyoneI know, but there are soooo many fallacies of fitness.