Before you ask your question, just read this article below. What
question am I referring to, you might ask? Well, I am referring to the
question I get hundreds of times a week from beginners all over this
great world of ours. How can I get my arms bigger?
I don't mind answering these questions at all but I decided it was time
for me to put all my knowledge on this subject into one of my articles
for Bodybuilding.com. This way anyone can have a detailed blueprint of
how to start the process of building HUGE arms.
In the article below we will discuss the anatomy of the forearms, biceps and triceps,
their function, location in the body and some exercises for each muscle
group. To give you what you are really looking for I will also include 5
of my favorite workout programs to help increase those guns of yours.
Biceps
Biceps Brachii:
- Location: Front part of the upper arm between the elbow and the shoulder
- Function: Elbow Flexion, basically making the curling motion
- Exercises: Barbell and Dumbbell Curls
Brachialis:
- Location: Small muscle over the lower portion of the upper arm that connects the bottom half of the bicep to the forearm
- Function: Elbow Flexion
- Exercise: Hammer Curls and Reverse Curls
Forearms
Pronator Teres:
- Location: Underbelly of the forearm
- Function: Turning the hand so the palm is facing down
- Exercise: Palm Up Barbell Wrist Curls Over Bench
Brachioradialis:
- Location: Top and outer portion of the forearm
- Function: Flexes the arm at the elbow
- Exercise: Palm Down Barbell Wrist Curls Over Bench
Triceps
Triceps Brachii:
- Location: Back portion of the upper arm between the elbow and the shoulder
- Function: Extension of the elbow
- Exercises: Lying Tricep Press and Close Grip Bench Press
Rep Ranges
First and foremost let's get something straight. We all know that the
biceps are the show muscle for your physique. When someone asks you to
show your muscles, 9 times out of 10 you flex your biceps.
It is great to have well developed biceps, but make sure you don't
forget to train the rest of your muscles in the upper and lower arm with
the same volume and intensity as you do your biceps.
Many beginners fall into that trap and create terrible imbalances in their arms. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger
admits he trained his biceps harder and more often than his triceps in
the beginning. This built an imbalance that took him years to balance
back out.
For training your upper arms (biceps and triceps) I like to use all
kinds of rep ranges, high (15-20), moderate (8-12) and low (4-6). Each
has its own purpose and will be critical to use all ranges in your
pursuit of bigger arms.
Forearms on the other hand are what I like to call the "burning
buggers." You will have to endure some high rep muscle-burning sets to
get these babies to grow. Reps can go as high as 50 to get these to burn
like they are on fire, but it will be all worth it when you have thick
meaty forearms like Popeye.
Now that you understand which muscles make up your arms, their function,
location and the rep range needed to stimulate them, let's give you
some workouts to help you build your arms.
All exercises should be performed in perfect form because bad form or
habits that you start now will follow you and will lead to lack of
progress or worse, injury in the future. Many if not all the exercises will be new to you. So make sure you use the Exercise Guide on Bodybuilding.com to help you with your form.
