Big arms and bodybuilding go together like Coffee and Coffee-mate, don’t you think? In fact, I think alot of us (especially men) would have first grabbed a weight or walked into a gym dreaming of massive python-like arms!
However, the problem is that many think that they will be able to build great arms by performing endless bicep curls till the cows come home. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but doing so will not create large arms. In fact, you’ll be on your way to the point of diminishing returns in no time.
Here’s why – Your upper arm is made up of two major muscle groups — the biceps and the triceps, and many lifters make the mistake of only training the biceps, failing to realise that the triceps only make up two-thirds of the upper arm mass. The triceps are a beautifully-shaped muscle when well developed. Surprised?
I’ve had friends who want bigger arms but only ask me what the best biceps exercises are. I normally end up giving them my favourite triceps exercises instead. :)
For good arm development, allocate a few more sets for your triceps rather than biceps. If you always start your arm training with your biceps first (almost everyone I see in the gym does this), try switching the order. Train your triceps first before you train your biceps.
Though you should always strive for a balance of all muscle groups, trust me when I say that if your biceps development are weaker but if you possess well developed triceps – your arms would still look spectacular! The same can’t be said for the reverse.
The bottomline? If you want big arms, get big triceps!
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
awesome..
My fav. exercise for triceps is dips! Second is the tricep press with a barbell while lying down with arms at 45 degrees.
What are your fav exercises for each muscle group..?
aw: my favourites,
Back: Chin-ups
Chest: Dumbbell Incline Presses (http://tinyurl.com/493fa)
Shoulders: Arnold presses (http://tinyurl.com/8797n)
Traps: Barbell shrugs (http://tinyurl.com/fckxh)
Biceps: Barbell Curls
Triceps: Barbell Close-grip presses (http://tinyurl.com/faprj)
Legs: I don’t have a favourite for this one
I think I will pass on the big arms thanks :D
scorkes: Are you sure? Well developed arms, in the case of a woman doesnt mean it has to be ‘ugly’. Take a look at this and tell me what you think.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/?v=J3ZScPftbgY
Ugly or nice?
I would like to seek your advice on any useful websites for first-time gym-goer. I have absolutely no ideas where/how to start, some pointers would be very much appreciated. I think I would be working out in the resistence training area rather than weight area.
U-Win:
Thanks for dropping by. Try this:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/manny2.htm
It’s a good write-up that gives you the basics and makes you understand certain things about bodybuilding/weights before it gets you started. Also includes a sample program that you can easily follow.
With all this in place, ensure you get adequate nutrition, and know that your journey to a better, fitter lifestyle has only just begun.
how’d i prevent my arms from gettin bigger? i think i’ve got enuf mass but if i dun do any exercise, it looks flabby. can i make my arm smaller?
hey ummmm could u possibly give me some tricep and bicep work outs please siome that i could do round the house not at the gym jst so im getting something everday…if you can thnx:D
Alex: Now that’s a unique problem. Are you sure its ‘bigger’ due to muscle mass? Anyway, some cardio and dieting can always make you a little smaller and better looking.
G Dog: There’s only so much progress you’d be able to make from home exercises, mainly because a gym would have heavier/various machines that allow you to workout your arms from many different angles. Anyway, since you asked, check these out:
Exercise At Home – The Bicep Curl
A similar exercise to the Tricep Curl, the Bicep Curl can help you strengthen and tone your arms. Normally you would use some free weights while doing this exercise, but there is no reason why you can’t use items that are around the house, such as a tin of food or a bag of flour. For this exercise it is ok to either be sitting or standing. Remember, always stay in your own comfort zone during the exercise and keep good form, move slowly and with smooth movements.
• Stand upright, or sit on a chair (whichever you find most comfortable while exercising) with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Hold your weights down by your sides with your palms facing forward.
• Slowly and without moving the upper part of your arms, bend your arm and bring the weights up to your shoulders
• Return the weight back to the starting position, keeping the movement nice and slow.
• Repeat this exercise for a further 3-5 repetitions, or more if you feel comfortable.
• Depending on your personal preference you can do the Bicep Curls at the same time with both arms, or alternatively lifting first with one arm and then the other.
As you become stronger in your arms your ability to do more repetitions will increase. Try increasing the weight that you are lifting to get better results. You may wish to try using a resistance strap to add to the exercise.
Exercise At Home – The Tricep Curl
A similar exercise to the Bicep Curl, the Tricep Curl is an exercise that will help strengthen and tone the upper arms. It is an effective exercise at targeting and reducing underarm fat. With this exercise you will be required to use weights. You can either use weights that you have handy round the house, such as canned food, or think about purchasing some free weights or a resistance strap to help you with your workout. Remember, always stay in your own comfort zone during the exercise and keep good form, move slowly and with smooth movements.
• Stand next to a table with one foot slightly in front of the other
• With your weight in one hand and arm by your side, lean forward and rest your elbow on the table. Make sure your knees are slightly bent.
• Keeping your upper arm in line with your body, bend your weight arm 90 degrees. This is the starting position.
• Straighten your weight arm out behind you, keeping your arm by your side. Hold the weight in this position for 2-3 seconds.
• Slowly bend your arm until it is back to the starting position.
• Repeat the exercise for a further five repetitions using the same arm, then repeat the whole exercise with the other arm.
To increase the challenge, straighten and bend your arm really slowly, and when your strength has increased, up the amount of weight that you are using. The good thing about using free weights is that you can add the next weight up onto your bar, not have to go searching around the house for a bigger can to use as the new weight.
thnaks again u really do help… when i sent this message i did mean using free weights around the house so if im bored i can do these… so thanks a lot :D :D
awesome….DM knows what he’s talking about..i kinda agree with him about the tricep-bicep theory becos both muscle are inter related/ agonist-antogonist.. but dont forget the bicep brichii@forearms ya..and deltoids@shoulder as well.. both of that muscle acts a a synergist@focus point when u do ur bicep-tricep exercise…basically u need ur forearm flexors and shoulder@rotator cuff to be strong in order to stabilise ur arms while working out.. and stop swingin ur lower back when u do ur standing barbell curl..u dont get all on the bicep..instead tighten ur abs, straight lower back, knee’s soft (slightly bend) and pahleezz …reduce the weight ur carryin or get a partnet to support..
wouldnt u agree DM?
healthfreak: Agree totally. And ensure that the partner supports.. and not perform 90% of the lift for you.
This may be an old article but if you want bigger arms, increase overall lean body mass. There’s a general rule that for every inch of arm size you want, you need 10lbs of lean body mass, this rule will vary from individual to individual. You need both compound (rows, chins, CGBP, dips, etc) and isolation (direct arm work) exercises for optimal arm development, that includes deadlifts and squats because they both develop your posterior chain and strengthen you lower back. Your body’s biomechanics is built in such a way that you simply cannot curl a poundage more than your lower back can handle, hence a lot of cheating movements in the gym when it comes to the conventional standing barbell curl exercise.
Chris: Agreed. Its pretty much why we can’t exercise ONLY our arms and hope to have BIG WELL DEVELOPED arms, and nothing else. Our bodies are smarter than we think. It just wont allow you to get into unrealistic proportions NATURALLY.
Personally, I owe my arm size to an overall balanced and developed physique, and heavy compound movements which recruits the arms as well (barbell rows, heavy presses, etc). I wouldnt give much of the credit to the direct isolation movements I do. Well said Chris.
Hey, ive been working out for a few months now and im having some problems. I do a split workout with chest and back on mondays and fridays, and biceps, triceps, and shoulders on wednesdays and sundays. On chest days, i do bench press first, and after that my triceps are shot. I try and do incline press, my triceps limit me. My triceps even feel like they limit me on seated row, which makes no sense. On my arm days, I do military press first, then close grip bench press. This kills my triceps, and then i can hardly do skull crushers. I assume my triceps are just weak, but it seems like they just dont last long. Also, how do you make your arms thicker. From the side, my arms are fine, but from the front they are really thin. Are there excersizes (reverse curls maybe?) that help this?
For beginners who had just begin working out a couple of months, I would recommend training one part of the body per day… Starting with large body parts (legs, chest, back) to smaller body parts (arms, shoulders etc.)
Here’s an example:
Monday – Legs
Tuesday – Chest
Wed – REST
Thurs – Back
Fri – Shoulders
Sat – Arms
Sun – REST
You may variate the rest days if you want… The reason why your triceps are tired after your training your chest is because YOU HAVE TRAINED YOUR TRICEPS when you train chest! So you’ll have a limit of the weight and reps you can do!
Same thing as back and biceps! When you train your back, you’ll train your biceps!
It’s not a matter of the type of exercise (thought they somehow has a little factor but not significant), it’s how much stimulation you give your muscles :)
You should focus one bodypart at a time as you are just beginning…
It’s more than enough to stimulate your muscles if you do train hard…
After maybe a couple of months, you can try the split training method…
Anyway, an example of a split workout should be like this (not like what you had mentioned):
Monday – Chest, triceps
Tuesday – Legs, shoulders
Wed – Back, biceps
Thurs – REST
Fri – Chest, triceps
Sat – Legs, shoulders
Sun – Back, biceps
Not really recommended for you though :P
Just stick with the one muscle group per day and you’ll grow, trust me!
Chris : Are you serious? Have you looked into the training history of very strong bodybuilders eg. Ronnie Coleman, Dexter Jackson, etc.?
They got strong doing the basics first. Quite a lot of them had a powerlifting background, that means they focused on basics, basics, basics such as the squat, the bench press, the deadlift. I feel beginners should not do a typical bodybuilding specialization routine in their first few months of training. They need to develop a very strong core foundation first.
Common sense dicatates this, the more you can lift with good form (and i don’t mean cheating), the bigger your muscles will get. Let’s put the debate of specific optimal rep ranges aside first, increased poundages = more stimuli.
I made a post earlier here above about the body’s biomechanics built in such a way that a person’s biceps cannot curl more than his lower back can handle. Let me put it another way, have you ever seen 17 inch arms on a skinny 70kg guy? Of course not. The more overall muscle mass a person has, the larger the potential of building bigger arms. Beginners need focus on the basics to build up a good strength foundation, then they should branch into a bodybuilding specialization routine. Spending 1-2 hours dedicated just to training arms in a day is a waste imo IF the person is a beginner who’s just starting out. He would benefit a lot more from compounds which work many muscles at the same time. Years ago, i would never have dreamt of curling 50kgs easily for reps (your friend Ernie has seen me do this in Celeb Fitness), but focusing on compounds gave me the strength foundation and i now benefit a lot from arm specialization routines.
Chris: Yeah… I’m serious… The training routine I suggested to john was this:
Monday – Legs
Tuesday – Chest
Wed – REST
Thurs – Back
Fri – Shoulders
Sat – Arms
Sun – REST
As you can see, I have emphasised on training major bodyparts first which are the legs, chest and back…
And what you had just mentioned earlier about the importance of squats, deadlifts and bench press should definitely apply in the routine… What I’m trying to say is major muscles should always be worked out first before the smaller muscle groups…
Heck, you can even throw the shoulders and arms workout away and replace them with chest and back again for a split routine though I doubt that an average beginner’s muscle would heal that fast…
And yes, I believe the importance of squat, deadlifts and bench presses to the max!
But as you can see in John’s case, he thought that his tricep was weak after training his chest as he couldn’t perform skull-crushers after a few sets of closed grip bench press and military press… But what I’m trying to tell him is that he HAD ALREADY TRAINED his triceps when he trains his chest although not directly!
All I’m asking him to do is to focus on the bigger muscles first which simultaneously trains the smaller muscles too…
Oh darn…. NOW I REALISE MY MISTAKE! I’VE THOUGHT JOHN HAD TRAINED HIS TRICEPS AFTER HIS CHEST! SORRY!
OK… I’LL CUT IT SHORT…
YOU WANNA GET BIG? DO SQUATS, DEAD-LIFTS AND BENCH-PRESSES!
PUSSIES CAN STAY AWAY… SIMPLE AS THAT…
hey im 16 and ive been lifting for about 6 months on a regular basis 3 times a week
i read alot about fitness and know not to overtrain myself and to listen to my body, unlike all of my friend who think 500000 sets of crunches will get you an 8 pack
what do you do when you plateau on your biceps
i havent gotten them sore in a few days
wat are some good things to switch up on my biceps exercises
normally i do barbell/dumbell/cable curls at 8-15 reps good form almost at failure
thanks
longorialuver:
I’ve got a pretty good bicep / tricep routine for you that I think you’ll like.
Perform Superset 1 before moving on to Superset 2. Then go from 2 to 3.
Also, make sure you go back and forth within the superset (chinup to close-grip bench, back to chinup, back to etc….)
SUPERSET 1:
Chinups: 8 reps / 4 sets (use a weighted belt if it’s too easy)
90 secs rest
Close-Grip Bench Press: 8 reps / 4 sets
90 secs rest
SUPERSET 2:
Dumbbell Tricep Extension: 10 reps / 3 sets
60 secs rest
Preacher Cable Curl: 10 reps / 3 sets
60 secs rest
SUPERSET 3:
Cable Incline-Bench Tricep Extension: 15 reps / 2 sets
30 secs rest
Cable Single-Arm Curl: 15 reps / 2 sets
30 secs rest
I usually finish off with an extra cable tricep extension and a bicep curl just to “add some icing to the cake”. But you’re right. Listen to your body. If you are done, you’re done. Simple as that.
If you need an explanation of any exercise, let me know. Hope this helps.
Anthony Z:
thanks alot man its nice of you do type that all out
im going to gym wednesday so ill tell you how it is
longorialuver:
Glad to help. But don’t gauge your gains on how sore you are. As DM states, “For good arm development, allocate a few more sets for your triceps rather than biceps … the triceps only make up two-thirds of the upper arm mass.”
With that said, your biceps shouldn’t get that sore because most of your arm is the tricep. In fact, mine usually don’t get sore at all, but I know I’ve worked them. It’s usually my triceps that are always “beat up”.
But you seem like a smart guy and probably knew all that already. Good luck.
longoria: That’s an excellent routine that Anthony has suggested. What I sometimes do to shock a bodypart using the ROB (rest-only-briefly) method. Here’s how it works:
The basic elements of the ROB approach:
(1) For all exercises, lift as heavy a weight as you can for 5-8 reps.
(2) Rest only 20 seconds between sets. For some people, I suggest resting 50-60 seconds for quads (squats, leg presses).
(3) Do 8-20 sets per muscle group, depending on your goals, level of experience, and frequency of training (how many times you hit each muscle group per week).
(4) Try to hit each muscle group at least 2 times per week.
So for example, you could do your 8 sets of biceps curls, resting only 20 seconds between sets. You may need to drop your weights to maintain the 5 – 8 rep range.
Give it a shot..
hey, my arm looks pretty good from the side but from the front and back my forearm looks bigger than the biceps part, does anyone know any exercises i could do to change this, it makes me look weak and skinny otherwise..
>
Callum: Genetics play a big role in what you will look like – some people have massive forearms naturally. But there are times that you can train and ‘mould’ a certain bodypart to a certain extent. I’m guessing that what you wish to do in this case is to even out the muscle development in your arms, in this case to bump up the size of your biceps. What always worked for me, and for many others, and is pretty much the staple of arm workouts are standing barbell curls. (note I said barbell.. and not dumbbells). These are powerful mass builders that add overall mass and strength to your arms. Don’t overdo it – more is not better. Let this be the backbone of your arms workout for the next couple of months (go heavy, with an 8 to 12 rep range), eat well, rest well, and hope for the best.
Hey thanks for that:), ill keep all that in mind and hopefully start seeing results, thanks
Callum: All the best! And keep us updated alright? Thanks.
im 17 and trying to get big muscles..i dont no what to do..i work out alot..and have tried supplement shakes and it seems that no matter how hard or long i work out..i dont get bigger..i see kids shorter than me who have muscles bigger than my head and i wonder..How they do they do it? i really need some help..i want to get bigger as fast as i can..
hey ..furion again..forgot to add..i dont go to a gym..i dont have money for a gym or anything..all i have is dumbells with 50 lbs and thats it..i do push ups..bicep curls and thats mostly it..once in a while i do tricep press and stuff like that..if you can help me thatd be great..
thank you..
I agree with this 100% specially the last part. My bicep isn’t exactly my best part but because of my tricep being huge (needed to grow them back in high school for football) my arms look great.
furion: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Building a better physique takes time.
You can do pretty okay with a pair of dumbbells at first, but it will come to a point where you MUST increase the weight of the dumbbells in order for you to CONTINUE to stimulate new growth. If the dumbbells are too light for you, there is NO WAY you can continue to grow. Performing endless repetitions will not help. You need to give your body/muscles a reason to get bigger and stronger, and the only way to do it, is by increasing the weights you carry.
Generally, focus on compound exercises such as the Bench Press, Squats, Shoulder Presses, and Barbell rows. These should form the ‘backbone’ of your workout routine. Then again, if your weights are too light.. it is not going to help. All the protein shakes in the world too, wont help.
Miguel: Yes, the triceps are the key to getting bigger arms!
furion:
here’s a site for you to consider:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?MainMuscle=Biceps
look through some of the exercises as well as workout routines for arms. bicep curls and pushups just won’t do if you’re trying to get a better physique. if you don’t have access to weights or a gym, be a little more creative – ex. fill up some gallon jugs with water and do curls with them. but if you’re serious about weight lifting and “getting bigger” then you’ll need to get serious about going to a gym, even if it’s a school gym or an activity center.
whatever you do, be safe, be careful, and be smart. as DM said, nothing good comes over night. and whatever you do, never EVER look for the fast and easy way out (steriods, etc).
good luck.
Thanks Anthony, well said.
Don’t think you can get steriods in Malaysia rite?
my triceps seems much bigger than my biceps
is that normal?
Shaun: Actually, yes, you can.
TheGargantuan: It’s not surprising, as our upper arm is only one-third biceps, and the other TWO-THIRDS triceps. So yes, it’s normal. Your arm would look pretty weird if they were equally sized.
Perform different tricep exercises so your body won’t get used to it. Keep shocking it when its least expecting. Load your weight. And then drop the weight.
Try this, for those of you who haven’t tried.
The Barbell Tricep Kickback.
Why use barbell instead of dumbell? Cause you can load more weight. Tricep needs heavy load to increase mass.
Get a friend or spotter to help you get a grip of the barbell (use heavy manageable weights if you’re not used to it) and hold it behind your knee. Start doing kickbacks.
I know it look weirds, but it’ll schok ur tris to stimulate growth. It worked for me.
I’m no pro, but just thought of sharing ;-)
The Menace: The triceps kickback is a one-arm exercise…. how do you hold a barbell effectively with one arm? Also.. at my gym, they’ve got 100lb dumbbells… are you saying that is not enough for a one-arm triceps kickback? If you could perform a kickback on that, I would worship the ground you walk on.
dailumuscle: haha, of course not. I experiment to find new ways to add some stuffs into my exercise routine. The Barbell Tricep kickback is actually not for one arm, but for both arms.
Bend your body so it’s parallel to the floor. Hold the barbell behind your knees (with both arms), and locking your elbows, push the barbell up like a kickback motion.
Yes, I know it looks weird, and people laughed at me for doing it, but we need to keep our minds open for new ways. Try doing it, and let me know how it feels :-)
daily muscle- i need to find a fast way to get my triceps and pecs bigger, without going to a gym. (not much money for a membership) anyway, if you have any techniques advice, or videos stuff, please send to farve68@aim.com thanks
DM im currently on a 4 day split routine (monday-chest & triceps; tuesday-legs; wednesday-Off; thursday-back & biceps; friday-shoulders) but have heard its better to hit each muscles 2 times a week. How do i do that? please advice..this is a great blog…!
Stavvie: Your triceps and your pecs? What about the other bodyparts? Anyway, I’ve always directed people to the ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net, which has a comprehensive directory of all the exercises you can imagine, and also with diagrams to show you how it’s done. Check it out here: http://www.exrx.net/
joe77: I like your EXISTING routine. I’ve always preferred to hit one muscle group once a week. If you do want to hit a muscle group twice – do it for the smaller groups such as your biceps/triceps/calfs/abs, etc. The rest of your body needs time to rest and recover and grow. If you do wish to hit your muscle groups twice, you’d only end up being less intense and spending more unnecessary time at the gym.
thanx DM coz everytime i finish my 1 hour or so workout im totally beat then i finish it off with some cardio like u suggested in many of your posts here. Altho my pecs are less developed than others is it becoz i dont hit it hard enough? Since the gym in my condo is limited i only use heaviest dumbbells for my bench press( 45 lbs each) is this enough? Can u suggest any other varieties of workouts? and can i hit my pecs again 4 days after together with my shoulders workout? Sorry if i ask too much but since i dont know anybody else who knows best..
Besides doing exercise and hitting your triceps harder I think eating is imperative and when you don`t eat you simply don`t grow!! So EAT EAT EAT!!!
hi, i have been on here before and wanted to let you know that i have gained about 5 pounds in muscle but am looking to build more. i took some money and got another 180 pounds worth of weight to add to my home work out and i just wanted to no if you could please give me the best workouts and nutrient routines to do everyday. Please let me no what i have to do step by step to gain in the fastest way. and thank you for the advise you gave me before.
furion: Hey, welcome back. It’s not easy for me to give you a detailed plan on what you can do because every individual can be different. What works for me may not necessarily work for you, and vice versa.
Firstly, remember that there’s no short cut to progress. Only time and dedication.
The best that I can do via this website is to give you a general guideline based on what you’ve told me. Basically, you need to eat enough, and continue with your resistance training. For a guide on how much to eat, and what to eat, refer to the new food pyramid – http://www.mypyramid.gov. For weight gain, eat an additional approximately 500 calories to what you’re already eating. So for example, if the food pyramid suggests you consume 2,000 calories per day, you need to eat 2,500 calories to add increase your bodyweight.
In order for this increase in weight to be healthy bodyweight, and not more bodyfat – you need to add in resistance training, which is what you’re already doing now. As advised previously, compound exercises should form the ‘backbone’ of your routine – never neglect them. And more is not better, as you need time to rest & recover.
If you’re looking for new workout routines – try this:
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WorkoutMenu.html
Drop me a line if you can’t make sense of the instructions over there.
:)
DM
hey ya’ll!
i notice most men r commenting on here..but just to say im a woman. lol. anyhow i to exercise my upper top of my arms..u see i live on a farm and orchard adn just lifting the the bushels and all that other stuff helps the top of my arms. but then on the bottom of my arms wear most of teh flab is…wanna know wat i do, heres wat i do: i lay on a flat ground. with knees bent as if ur gonna do a sit-up.(but ur not lol) and use 10pounders dumbbells (fitballs or watevr ya’ll call them) hold one in each hand, then hold both arms straight up (at same time) the bend ur arms/elbows slowly down (when u go slow it gives it more tension) by ur head on each side, almost touching the ground but ur not, and then bring them back up and then do it again. i personally do 30 of them everyday. sometimes more depends how i feel. but yeha i definitely do 30 of them a day. and hey…it works. soo on top and bottom of my upper arms get worked out very well. and i have to admitt my arms look good, not humiongous of course cause im a girl lol and it doesnt always look good, and hten alot of times it doesnt look good on a guy when their arms r all lumpy and veiny, blahhh!!lol. but yeah..people tell me taht i have a models body..and that makes me feel good, i have the legs, i have the ass, i have the tummy, the back, the gorgeous face,and the arms, adn well u know.
well good luck for those out there tryin to get fit and nice arms!!!!!!!!
Hey. Im a 6 foot guy and am not the most built guy. Avtually, u can say im pretty scrawny. But the problem is that i have more narrow shoulders than the average guy. I was wondering if u know any excersises that would help build muscle on my shoulders and make them look wider. I appreciate any suggestions!
hey… i did not focus much on my triceps because i do plenty of shoulder press and chest press, which trains the triceps as well….
and i focus a lot on bicep curls…
still i feel that my arms and especially BICEPS are really quite small…
hey… i did not focus much on my triceps because i do plenty of shoulder press and chest press, which trains the triceps as well….
and i focus a lot on bicep curls…
still i feel that my arms and especially BICEPS are really quite small…
seo: I experienced the same until I started training biceps on every workout. I workout 3 times a week so my biceps training is something like this:
Day 1 : 4 sets of hammer curls
Day 2 : 4 sets of reverse curls
Day 3 (arm day) : 4 sets of barbel curls, 3 sets of incline dumbell curls and 2 sets of concentrate curls.
All these are done with 8-10 reps and sometimes finished off with 1-2 high reps sets (15-20) with 50% less weight to pump more blood into my biceps. Do this for 2 months and you’ll see some gain.
Chest and shoulder presses do not target triceps directly so I suggest you do isolation excercise to beef up your triceps.
ok thx i’ll take yr programme den!
): but somehow everytime i focus too much on biceps it’ll be very strained the next few days…
Hey, I’m 15 and i was just wondering if you could let me know if my routine is ok. I don’t use any weights or anything because i’m at boarding school and the gym is usually pretty packed…
I do:
10 chin-ups (Knuckles facing me)
10 chin-ups (Knuckles away)
3×25 sit-ups (With my legs in like a drawer :P)
3×45 crunches (With my head on the floor lifting legs up)
3×35 push-ups
I know it might not seem much to all the body builders but is it ok for toning my arms, abs and upper body?
Agree with you that well shaped triceps make the arms look fabulous.
I have a problem though. My right arm is the dominant one and when I exercise – no matter how I try to make it balanced, I can’t seem to get my left arm to be as ‘good looking’ as my right arm.
It seems like my left arm is extremely lazy. Could you please give me some pointers on how to get balanced arms please? It’s been driving me crazy.
Hello everyone..
Firstly, kudos to DM for an awesome malaysian made fitness site..
If i may add, I think ‘concerntration’ is a vital element when training arms (or any other bosypart for that matter). Alot of people just do the movement (whether its strict movement or swinging movement – tp get leverage). What i do is, i try to concerntrate more on squeezing the mucles throughout the movement. This way, you can make a 10kg dumbell feel like a 100kg dumbell!! (not literally tho.. :-P). I guess what i’m trying to say is, i like to ‘feel’ the muscles working. I’ve always thought that weight training needs a lot of mental strenghth as well. Thats why I hate it when people talk suring my workouts.. :-P
Just my 2 cents..
Keep on pumpin’!
…excuse my typo in the above comment.. :-P
while we’re on the ‘bicep’ topic. I was wondering if anyone can suggest a routine i can use to thicken my bicep. My tri’s responds fairly quickly, to a point where it overshadows my bi’s. I’m not aiming for the golf ball-like peak, Just want to make it thick… I’ve tried close-grip barbell curls, wide-grip barbell curls, EZ-bar curls, pronated-EZ bar curls, rope curls, hammer curls, and pretty much any other curling exercise i know, to hit all three parts of the bicep (inner bi’s, mid bi’s, and outer bi’s). Just for into, i train one bodypart a day, 1 day for tri’s and 1 day for bi’s, etc….
musclehedz : The ‘squeezing’ adds what is called an isometric contraction to your working muscles – yes, I like doing that too! I too dislike people talking to me during my workouts, which is why I constantly have my mp3 player on and pretty much ignore everything around me.
Stick with the basic mass builder – biceps curls. And you should be aiming for a rep range between 8 to 12. Do the curls first thing in your biceps workout as they are the most demanding, before you proceed to the other isolation exercises.
If you’ve been training your biceps constantly for a long time now, it may also help if you put in some form of periodization into your routine.
Thanks for the advise dude.
I’ve been hitting the bi’s several different ways. (I don’t mix my bi’s workout with any other bodypart. As I mentioned earlier, I only do ONE mucle part each workout). I’ve tried hitting it once a week, twice a week, thrice a week, once every 2 weeks, and even once a month, but neither one of them showed any significant improvement. For example, I’ve tried the once a week method for the last 3 months, but can’t see any difference yet. Prior to that i tried the twice a week method for 3 months, and prior to that i tried the once a month method, and prior to that….sigh..
Do you think I should hit it more often…or am I overtraining myself?
I use a weight where I can do 6 – 10 reps with strict form (as in back-to- the- wall strict!…to avoid swinging the weights up)…
musclehedz: Sorry for the late reply buddy. Have you tried periodizing your training? You can’t be on hypertropy mode (8-12 reps) 365 days per year. Try going on an endurance phase (12 to 20 reps) for a few weeks, then a Strength phase (less than 6 reps) for a few weeks – then back to hypertrophy (8-12). That should shock some growth into your muscles and keep them guessing.
do you no where i can get free programs for how to put on extra weight and muscle i weigh 10 and half stone an would like to get up to about 13 stone any tips or programs youe no about for free
DM…thanks for the suggestion dude. I’m trying out the strength phase these few weeks (3 – 4 weeks maybe?). Gonna use 80 – 85% of my 1 rep max weight for about 4 reps each set. I’ll keep ya’ll updated on the progress….
keep on pumpin’!
mann i never realized that triceps make your arms bigger.
im going to start working on my triceps more.
Any tips on killer tricep workouts??
ricksta: Youtube has many videos you can search for some interesting news ideas you can throw into your workouts.
musclehedz: All the best!
Jon: Sure – start your routine with the more challenging compoung triceps workouts – such as:
1. Close-grip bench presses
2. Triceps push ups
3. Triceps dips
then, you move on to the isolation exercises such as the triceps pressdowns/kickbacks, etc.
:)
Yo DM! If ur so full of urself, why dont u show the people what actually ur made of?
U hide urself pretending to be the Guru cum professional extraordinaire in the fitness industry.
R u walking the walk or just simply talking the dirt shit out of ya????????
Its a challenge! The big boys say come out and play. Dont be a chicken head
Players:
Firstly, I’ve got nothing to prove to you.
Secondly, I’ve got no time for BOYS.
It’s PTs like you that disgust me.
So stop goofing around on the Internet when you should be paying attention to the members at the gym, and perhaps some day, you too, can be about 1% as successful as me. :)
well said DM! i have to admit that its due to this website that taught me what to do during my free time in NS. now i have a well toned body that i can look up to :p
Man u r so wrong! Never said I was a PT.
U r not even close to where and what we guys over here have been too…..(chuckles)
Jumping into conclusions is not the way to go dude and being successful is totally not about u……Get ya act right!!!!!
Yeah yeah u guys r the type that like to slap urself on the bottom……:)-
Aiyoh… come on lah you all. Don’t be like children!
Players (as you so fondly call yourselves) – if you think you can do better, then why not setup your own blog and tell us your point of view on everything health and fitness. Better still, offer us your services.
Trash talking won’t earn you any respect at all. You’re better than DM? Yeah, I hear you. Now, prove it.
Not trying to pick a fight. Just trying to put things in perspective.
Yo! this dude calls himself Daily Muscle……..If ur that proud to name urself that, show us what ya made. This aint talking trash,its about being honest to what u really are and practicing what u preach.
U just cant talk the talk without walkin the walk now cant u?
Any tom, dick and harry can own a blog, talk rocket science and bragg that they are a hit.
Is that what u guys want?????????????????????????????????????????
The dude is an accountant for goodness sake.DM is self marketing himself, fail to make a cut in his actual profession and loser in making.
Btw, what kind of name is Aizan……………. ? ;{-
Accountant? Who.. me? Haha. Sure, if you say so. I’ve always wanted to be good with my finances.
I like the fact that I’m annoying you – and that you’re hassling me on this blog. Cos I know that I’m doing something right when I’m stepping on the toes of those who are against what I believe in.
Like I said before, I don’t have to prove anything to you. Now grow up, and quit whining would you?
shut up and DEADLIFT!
bigger arms? deadlift!
build the base. deadlift!
arms are for show. triceps are really fun though!
deadlift… argh.
okay. i quit.
“many think that they will be able to build great arms by performing endless bicep curls” True, I still see guys doing this. I knew a dude who used to go to they gym and be just so stuck on chest and biceps. I’d see him every other day, he may slip 2 sets of triceps or back and then back to endless sets of biceps. Some addiction.
Mark Martinez