Increase your arms
how to increase arms are one of the most common questions every fitness addicted ask and are the two most "desired" muscle groups aesthetically speaking. But with your arm you do not have to fool around yourself because nothing will help you get 3 centimeters in 2 weeks. However, this does not mean that there are not optimal ways to train them obtaining great results as fast as you can.
Arm: biceps, triceps and forearm
You will never be able to increase your arms without training the 3 parts that compose it. Training only biceps your arm will never have a thickness according to and your arms will always seem thin no matter how much "ball" you can or want to take out. Although shoulders are included inside the arm, but we will go through them in this article.
The biceps surely are worked in those exercises that involve a contraction of the arm. This not only includes the so-called biceps "curls" and all their variants, but also back exercises. During these, both contractions and isometric contractions occur. Wkeep in mind that the muscle activation of the biceps is greater by performing some back exercises.
The triceps got a part in those exercises that involve an extension of the arm. The best known exercises are extensions, either in pulleys or with dumbbells, however, in tune with the case of the biceps, chest exercises also activate them.
For its part, the forearm is worked with practically all the exercises that involve the biceps. Even so, there are specific exercises such as forearm curls.
How to train your arms for results
In many of my other articles (and I assure you that in those that are to come as well) I defend that the best way to grow a muscle is with compound exercises. They will always be the ones that will give you the best results, both at the volume level and at the strength level. Why wasn't this going to be fulfilled with your arms?
yes it is the best way to train them depends on how your routine is composed. Your routine can be divided from low frequency,that is, you train once a week each muscle group and each day consists of training 1 or 2 muscle groups; torso-leg, where the week is divided into days of training the upper body (torso) and days of training lower train (legs); or full-bodand, where all muscle groups are trained daily. While there are more cases, these are the ones I will deal with.
All of them will have something in common when training the arms: they must include at least one compound exercise.
Compound exercises for the arms
Before explaining how to train them, we should know which compound exercises each part of the arm. Here I will put a list of those that I consider most important, although there are more exercises.
Compounds for biceps
- Pronate, supine, neutral grip or behind the nape of the neck.
- Inclined oar with bar.
- Rowing with T bar.
Compounds for triceps
- Bench press, bench press with narrow grip.
- Funds in parallel or between banks.
- Pushups.
- To the exercises with body weight such as pull-ups, bottoms and push-ups must be added the ballast (extra weight) enough to perform the exercises in the desired range of repetitions.
How to train your arms in split routines
Train one day chest + triceps and another back + biceps. Whenever numbers such as 4 x 8 appear, it will mean series x repetitions.
- We will always train the large muscle group first, either chest or back.
- The chest or back routine will be made up of a compound exercise. Bench press and its variants for chest and oars with bar or pull-ups for back. And two isolation exercises. Openings, crosses in pulley or peck-deck for chest and pulls or oars in pulley for back
- The routine for biceps or triceps will be composed of: 1 compound exercise 4 x 6-8 and 1 isolation exercise for biceps or triceps 3 x 10-12.
This would be a practical example, in which, we are applying the basic principles of progression.
Train one day biceps + triceps. This model is widely used by people who train with split routines of 3 days.
- We will start with a biceps compound exercise and a 5 x 6-8 triceps compound exercise. They are not superseries, first the 4 sets of the biceps exercise are done and then the 4 of the triceps exercise.
- We continue with two exercises that, although isolation, are not monoarticular. We will do it in ranges of 4 x 8-10 in superseries,that is, as soon as we finish a series of biceps exercise, without rest, we will start the series of triceps exercise and then rest. Examples of non-monoarticular exercises are and the curl with foot bar for biceps.
- This last exercise would be replaced by an isolation exercise (any extension on pulleys or with dumbbells for triceps and any curl with dumbbells or seated bar for biceps) for 2 weeks and then resume the previous one. It would be in ranges of 4 x 10-12
- This work, well done,is enough to stimulate the growth of the arms.
How to train the arms in torso-leg routines
The distributions of the torso-leg type are usually divided into two groups: frequency 4 (4 days of training, 2 days of leg and 2 of torso) or frequency 3 (3 days of training, 1 of leg, 1 of torso and one of full body).
In the case of using frequency 4,I personally prefer to divide the work of isolation of biceps and triceps on different days. And I say isolation because this type of routine always performs at the beginning of the session rowing work with bar and bench press. So, we will follow these guidelines:
- Suppose Tuesday will be our torso day with biceps work and Friday will be our torso day with triceps work.
- First we will always perform the chest and back compound exercises (oars and presses) in ranges of 5×5. After this, on Tuesday we will add any of the variants of pull-ups in ranges of 2-3 x 6-8 followed by a shoulder exercise (preferably any variant of the shoulder press).
- As a last exercise we will add isolation work for biceps, any type of curl with bar or dumbbells in the range 3 x 10-12.
- On Friday, instead of adding any of the pull-up variants, we'll add tight-grip backgrounds or presses in 2-3 x 6-8 ranges, followed by a shoulder exercise. And finally, we will add the insulation work for triceps in the range 3 x 10-12
How to train arms in full-body routines
Full-body (or full-body) distributions are more associated with strength routines or initiation routines in the gym. In the event that your routine is similar to stronglifts 5×5 I will be blunt: you do not need extra insulation work. Point. You are working multi-joint exercises in the range of 5×5, the stimulation that your arms receive is already brutal, in addition to adding multi-articular exercises for triceps as backgrounds.
In any other case (or you really think I'm lying to you when I say you don't need extra isolation work) add a biceps isolation exercise and another triceps exercise, without doing them in superseries. These will be performed in the range 2-3 x 10-12.
Final note
And you'll ask,"Where is the forearm work?" The continuous work of pull-ups with different grips will not only serve to increase the thickness and width of your back and the volume of your biceps, but it will also give a great stimulation to your forearms.
And most important of all,no matter what kind of routine you do, no matter how good it is. If you don't eat and rest enough you will NEVER grow.