Everyone has a body part that stands out. Whether it be killer quads or a massive chest, anyone who works out has that one piece that looks like it sneaks off at night and works out by itself! My part happens to be arms.
A lot of that part with most people is genetics but, after training with many people and helping them see results, there are some factors that, in my opinion, can really help turn those pea shooters into guns and those guns into cannons!
First, most people think that to build bigger arms you have to go heavy. This is partially true. You want to go as heavy as you can with good form. Cheating is actually an advanced technique and should only be used sparingly. I see so many guys using heavy weight on arm exercises and they never realize the fatal flaw: your major muscles are doing majority of the work. Take for instance the guys you see leaning forward with the whole stack doing triceps pressdowns. Sure, it looks great to watch the whole stack go up and down but the chest and shoulders are doing majority of the work. Now some of you may think that you have seen bodybuilders lean on the stack and they have amazing triceps. True, however, they are on another level. Their mass and body control and way past the average guy trying to get some good beach arms.
So, what to do? Try tightening your form on majority of your arm exercises for a couple months and see what happens. Keep your shoulders back and out of the movements, try to keep your elbows between straight down and maybe 10 degrees forward at most. I actually like to do my triceps extensions at 10 degrees and push away from my body!
Second, people rarely prioritize their arms. Everyone has seen the good old Chest/Tri, Back/Bi work out plan. Now, if your arms are lagging, why would you get them tired before you really target them? Your triceps work extremely hard when you work chest and the same can be said for your biceps when you work back. There have been many a time I have had a little bicep soreness after working only back!
To correct this use the priority principle. I really wouldn't recommend doing them before the major body part but you can do them on their own day! If your arms are really lagging and you hit everything once a week you could try something like this:
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Bis/Tris
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Rest
Note the rest day before you do your weakest part! That is something I have incorporated for whatever part I am really focusing on. I always try to do that part after a day off. If you really want to go hard core you can still do the basic Chest/Tri, Back/Bi routine and THEN do them again on day 5!
The third and final tip I have is to make sure you vary your exercises! This can prove difficult for most people as they often select exercises that overlap in purpose and don't get a complete arm workout. Because of this, when people do get a good arm workout and then just continue to do the same exercises repeatedly. It is important to incorporate various exercises into your routine to build quality arms. This will also help keep your arms in shock and, therefore, constantly adapting and growing.
Well, that's it! Try to incorporate these principles into building those arms up and let us know if it works for you! Need a workout or two to try? Let's us know!
DO YOU
-SideMeat
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