The Best Way To Get Big Arms
The way you’re training your arms right now isn’t the best way to get big arms.
Sure, your arms are hugging your sleeves, but that’s not hard to do when you’re squeezing every fiber of your being into a kid’s size XS t-shirt before hitting the club to make it look like you’re working with something.
The thing is that you’re not — you’re NOT working with anything!
That’s why you should continue reading to learn how to get big arms.1Either that, or continue standing around looking like an idiot and being unable to breathe because your shirt is so fucking tight! B-R-E-A-T-H-E, motherfucker!!!
Going to the gym and performing a bunch of curls with no particular rhyme or reason isn’t the way to make your arms grow. Not even close. That’s nothing more than exercising. Do that if you please, but don’t act surprised by the lack of results. Nope, don’t fucking stand in wonder where your huge motherfucking arms are!
Instead, because what we’re interested in is a certain adaptation taking place, we have to train. In this case, what we’re interested in is arm growth. Training for that comes down to four things, or areas of focus:
• the inner biceps (biceps brachii short head), which you work when you use a wide grip or perform curls by keeping your pinkies even with or higher than the rest of your fingers (e.g. turning the wrist in toward your body at the top of the movement);
• the outer biceps (biceps brachii long head), which you work when you use a cambered (E-Z) bar, a neutral grip (i.e. palms facing each other), or narrow grip;
• the peak (the sloping shape of the biceps), which is created by developing the outer biceps and fully stretching the long head;
• the forearm (brachioradialis), which you work when using a neutral or reverse grip.
These are the areas of the arm that you should concentrate on, and a movement targeting each of them should make up any arm program. Because I’m a simple man, I generally recommend a simple arm routine for beginners, and it covers all the points above and consists of only three movements: the (1) straight bar curl, (2) preacher curl, and (3) hammer curl.
STRAIGHT BAR CURL
Why you want to do this movement is because curling a straight bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip nails the inner biceps.
When performing the exercise, your arms should stay glued to your sides as the biceps contract to lift the barbell upwards from your thighs to your chest.
Pause at the top of the movement and flex the biceps to keep tension on the muscle instead of allowing it to rest. Proceed to lower the barbell in a controlled manner until it returns to touching your thighs, an action that stretches out the muscle.
Repeat.
The only movement throughout the lift should take place at the elbow joint itself. If the elbows are not stationary and are instead moving away from the body, then you’re using too much weight. The same goes for any action occurring in your shoulders, lower back, or knees!
PREACHER CURL
Why you want to do this movement is because curling on the preacher bench with an E-Z bar nails the outer biceps and helps create the much coveted peak.2The same effect can be had by using a narrow grip with a straight bar.
To perform it, sit with your chest high against the flat side of the bench and your armpits over the top of the pad so your toothpicks for arms can extend down the angled side. Grab the E-Z bar with an underhand grip at shoulder-width. Curl the weight up and squeeze the biceps at the top.
Lower the weight.
Repeat.
Sounds simple, huh?
Well, by the looks of it, it’s apparently not!
Like the barbell curl, this is a movement that’s butchered in every gym on the planet. Too many people involve the shoulders by rounding them over too much. Or they lean back and raise their shoulders as they lift the bar. Or they perform half-reps. People do all of these things to make the movement easier. Don’t be like those cheating ass cheaters!!!
Movement should only occur at the elbows while you go through the complete range of motion by fully extending your arms at the bottom of the lift!3Remember, folks, a stronger contraction occurs when the muscle is fully stretched first!
HAMMER CURL
Why you want to do this movement is because hammer curls with dumbbells in a neutral grip, whether seated or standing, target the brachioradialis, as well as the outer biceps.
Beginning with the arms fully extended to your side, your elbows should remain glued to the torso as you lift your arms so they come up to a 90-degree angle.
Lower the dumbbells.
Repeat.
It may be beneficial to recall geometry and know what a 90-degree angle is because its creation here helps keep constant tension on the forearms.4NOTE: The muscle has an opportunity to rest when you flex the arms beyond that point, which is muy mal…no bueno…a motherfucking major problemo!!!
Variety is the spice of life, so every once in a while you want to switch things up and use cables, machines, or do different biceps movements with the dumbbells and barbell.
How many reps?
There is no magical rep number.
Of course, you want to stay in the range for hypertrophy which is 8-12 reps, but you should also train in ALL the rep ranges. So occasionally, for example, load a heavier weight and perform 6-8 reps or use slightly less weight than usual and crank out 15-20. But regardless of what rep range you decide to train in, you should perform 12-20 total sets with textbook lifting form in order to reduce the risk of injury and maximize muscle hypertrophy.
That’s the best way to get big arms, but not really.
I know when you say “arms” that you mean the biceps, so I just showed you how to develop the biceps.
But if what you really want are big arms, then the secret to big arms is to hit your triceps.
Nah, I’m not shitting you!
Taking into account that the triceps make up about 60 percent of the arms, it kinda sorta makes sense to devote the bulk of your time and energy towards their development. But who really wants to do that? I mean, cable push-downs aren’t as badass as loading up a bar with all the weight in the gym and curling it in the squat rack to the joy of people who actually want to squat!
If you’re going to take the common approach of centering your arm development around your biceps, then focus on getting a complete biceps workout.
That entails nothing more than
• hitting all the areas of the biceps;
• telling your ego to STFU and reducing the weight if you have to;
• going through the entire range of motion;
• and concentrating on really squeezing the biceps.
I know, earth-shattering information!
That should be more than enough to arm yourself.5See what I did there with arm yourself? *sigh*
Oh, the info was a little too basic for you because you’re past the beginner stage or just like going against sound advice because you think you’re special enough that your body defies convention?
Well, I have a more advanced biceps program available that’ll help you build bigger guns than a defense contractor.
If all of this is a little too much work for ya, just be a lazy fuck and shoot synthol into your muscles.6Synthol is site enhancement oil, which should tell you what it does.
Hey, it’s your life!
[That’s your cue to Google “Greg Valentino” or just click HERE]
Glossary: arms, biceps, barbell, , chest, dumbbell, exercise, gym, hypertrophy, lifting form, muscle, squat, squat rack, workout