Bigger Arms

[superstarrky]

I've worked out off and on since High School and one thing i have never been able to good results on is my arms. I normally do heavy weights to with less reps to try and build bulk but to no success. Maybe I'm not eating enough. Any suggestions

[LaNeR88]

Take a look at this Superset routine for arms:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/make...-training.html

I've been doing this arms routine for the last 4 weeks and have gotten great growth from it. Give it a shot.

[Sundev14]

Well what do you do for arms

[superstarrky]

Well what do you do for arms

In the past i have done this particular routine

Biceps:
4 sets of: barbell curls, DB hammer curls, preacher curl, cable bar curl between 6-10 reps each.


Triceps:
4 sets of: dips until failure,
4 sets of: Rope Pushdowns, Skull Crushers, 2 Hand Extensions between 6-10 reps each.

[superstarrky]

Take a look at this Superset routine for arms:

I've been doing this arms routine for the last 4 weeks and have gotten great growth from it. Give it a shot.

How many times a week do you normally perform this routine?

[simodasink]

dude I found Zaltman curls were really good for arms. Get them in there!

[xStevenx]

In the past i have done this particular routine

Biceps:
4 sets of: barbell curls, DB hammer curls, preacher curl, cable bar curl between 6-10 reps each.


Triceps:
4 sets of: dips until failure,
4 sets of: Rope Pushdowns, Skull Crushers, 2 Hand Extensions between 6-10 reps each.

16 sets for biceps? 14 for triceps?

Your arms get hammered when training back and chest. They are also small muscle groups so they do not need much more stimulation, you are likely over training them.

Here is what I would do.

take 2 weeks of from training arms, measure them each week, i bet they will be bigger by the end of 2 weeks.

Then add arms back in. Just 3 sets of barbell curls OR DB Curls OR Chins. Then 3 sets of Weighted Dip OR close grip bench

[ThickAsABrick]

16 sets for biceps? 14 for triceps?

Your arms get hammered when training back and chest. They are also small muscle groups so they do not need much more stimulation, you are likely over training them.

Here is what I would do.

take 2 weeks of from training arms, measure them each week, i bet they will be bigger by the end of 2 weeks.

Then add arms back in. Just 3 sets of barbell curls OR DB Curls OR Chins. Then 3 sets of Weighted Dip OR close grip bench

body parts cannot be overtrained. overtraining is a systemic condition related to the nervous system. you can argue that he might be getting diminishing returns or no return at all past a certain point (and I do agree with you that he likely does not need that much volume), but stopping direct work entirely is never the answer. the idea that his arms will magically grow in two weeks with no work on them is silly.

in my time here, i've noticed that usually the people asking these questions have unrealistic expectations about arm size. they typically compare themselves to those with great arm genetics when they have avg or below avg themselves. consistent, hard work over time with a focus on basic massbuilding exercises supplemented with some direct work is almost always the prescription for better, bigger arms. start with a moderate amount relative to the volume for other bodyparts and slowly add over time as needed.

all of this being said, based upon the OP's stats listed in his profile, it appears that while his arms are undersized relative to trained individuals at his weight, most of his other bodyparts are as well. I suspect that either his overall routine needs work, he has poor exercise selection for other bodyparts, or he is not consistently working hard on basic massbuilding exercises.

[xStevenx]

Only stopping for a few weeks to allow his arms to recover fully before hitting them again

we seem to but heads on a lot of things. I respect your views on training, we all just are work differently. Just giving advice of what has worked for me and others in the past

[LaNeR88]

How many times a week do you normally perform this routine?

Only once, usually on Friday's.

Here's my split:

Mon: Chest
Tues: Back/ Shoulders
Wed:Legs
Thurs:Cardio & Abs
Fri: Arms w/ this routine


Your arms will have all weekend to recover so you can hit chest again hard on Monday. Sometimes my tri's are still a little sore tho come monday, definetely a bad ass arms routine.

[BulkingGorrilla]

you want bigger arms? well then train your arms. If you want to be better at having sex, then you are probaly going to have to get a girlfriend and practice on her, instead of practing on the vacuum cleaner.

[cparrott133]

seperate shoulders and chest further apart in your routine because i would suspect your deltoids are also sufferent if they're right after a chest workout. Arms are generally pretty small on the body, proportionately they're supposed to be just a little bigger than your calves for a bb physique. Triceps are also 2/3rds of your arm mass, so when you train arms, put more emphasis on training the triceps rather than the biceps, do 12 sets of biceps total and something like 14-16 sets for triceps in a 45-50 minute workout. Also if you're training your chest and back properly then your arms won't get "hammered" if your arms are getting "hammered" in the workout of another muscle group then you're training that group improperly. i've known guys with some wicked looking biceps, but no triceps, and their arms look very small because of the lack of triceps. If you put some proper work into you're shoulders it goes a long way towards the overal look of your arms. if you look at BB's, their huge delts make their arms look great because of that seperation from bicep to delt and the way the tricep comes into the rear delt.

[cparrott133]

also, contrary to popular belief, the arms aren't very strong relative to other body parts. Using heavy weights in arm excercises causes your delts to come into play too much. Use weight that you can perform a full range of motion properly and keep strict form. I find lowering my delts on alot of arm excercises keeps them out of the equation. It's not impressive to see a guy use his whole body to hurl up 135lb barbell curl.

[ironwill2008]

Old School tenet on arm size:

To add an inch to your arms, you're going to have to work to add 10 pounds to your entire body. IOW, continue to train on a balanced routine, including some direct arm work, but train for overall size increase.

[kaelyrion]

1) Apply full range of motion for maximum time under tension
2) Keep reps low (6-8), weight high
3) For biceps, do 3-4 seconds for the negative. If you don't focus on the negative it's like missing half your bicep workout
4) For triceps, squeeze at the end of your extension movement

[Xndndn]

Only work out arms directly ones a fortnight checking in, they just over power everything. Just lol

I find working triceps more makes your arms look bigger. What your workout 4 arms like?

Change your arm workout for awhile then repeat.

[5087]

I've worked out off and on since High School and one thing i have never been able to good results on is my arms. I normally do heavy weights to with less reps to try and build bulk but to no success. Maybe I'm not eating enough. Any suggestions

i was the same way for years bro , i feel ya. i just started a workout routine that has benefited me in a great way within the last 2 years that has worked significantly !

[5087]

bro i was in the same situation for years , being tall and skinny was my problem . i just recently figured out a method that has increased huge gains to my arms in about 3 months

[TheShadowMan]

bro i was in the same situation for years , being tall and skinny was my problem . i just recently figured out a method that has increased huge gains to my arms in about 3 months

What is it? Personally I never expect much before a year has passed.

[BrennanMWhite]

i was the same way for years bro , i feel ya. i just started a workout routine that has benefited me in a great way within the last 2 years that has worked significantly !

What is it? Personally I never expect much before a year has passed.

In for update. It's been almost 6 years. Maybe Opie has arms now.

[5087]

What is it? Personally I never expect much before a year has passed.

what kind of workouts are you implementing in your training?

[TheShadowMan]

what kind of workouts are you implementing in your training?

My point was in reference to the speed that muscle growth takes. Mostly I use a push/pull/leg routine, 2 compounds 2 isolations per body part, periodic rep range alternation.

[HowsUrDaySir]

To grow you need TIME UNDER TENSION. Lets say curls (doesnt really matter which type of curls). Try going up fast, and controlling the weight on the way down. Then drop the weight and keep going like this. When you can no longer do anymore, cheat-curl the weight up (yes, swing it up to the top!) and then as it drops, muster all your might and control it on the way down.
Also, since triceps by volume make up more of your arms (than biceps) commit to training those triceps.
Good luck.

[5087]

My point was in reference to the speed that muscle growth takes. Mostly I use a push/pull/leg routine, 2 compounds 2 isolations per body part, periodic rep range alternation.

i would recommend adding more volume to your workouts , more supersets , dropsets , focus more on eccentric overloading , and recruit more muscle fibers by doing exercises that targets on your fast twitch muscles . try finding isolation exercises with a weight for biceps that is around 70-80 percent of your one rep max you can do 6-8 reps of to build more mass and strength. triceps are also a major component to putting on extra size to your arms . compound exercises like close grip bench , supersetting with dips will add a ****load of volume and mass . superset multiple heavy compound workouts is a must on arm day for the best results! i would try doing this at least 3 times a week for rapid growth . always remember to supinate and you need to also be adding progressive overloading to your workouts !

[TheShadowMan]

i would recommend adding more volume to your workouts , more supersets , dropsets , focus more on eccentric overloading , and recruit more muscle fibers by doing exercises that targets on your fast twitch muscles . try finding isolation exercises with a weight for biceps that is around 70-80 percent of your one rep max you can do 6-8 reps of to build more mass and strength. triceps are also a major component to putting on extra size to your arms . compound exercises like close grip bench , supersetting with dips will add a ****load of volume and mass . superset multiple heavy compound workouts is a must on arm day for the best results! i would try doing this at least 3 times a week for rapid growth . always remember to supinate and you need to also be adding progressive overloading to your workouts !

Haha I didn't mention my volume though.. Currently doing 36-60 sets a day.

[5087]

Haha I didn't mention my volume though.. Currently doing 36-60 sets a day.

haha well i would really focus more on eccentric training , basically the " time under tension " method for about a month . this is going to really recruit muscle fibers you need to grow. Really try and target 2 minute rest intervals in between sets for muscle hypertrophy .