HOW
TO BUILD
A MASSIVE
PAIR OF
ARMS
By:
Sean Nalewanyj
It’s
no secret
that every
serious
lifter out
there desires
an impressive
pair of
strong,
muscular
arms. Who
wouldn’t
be happy
with tall,
peaking
biceps sitting
on top of
rock-hard,
horse-shoe-shaped
triceps?
Who wouldn’t
love to
have a pair
of ripped,
well-developed
guns forcefully
bursting
through
the sleeves
of their
shirt? While
developing
muscular
arms is
usually
at the top
of many
peoples’
agenda,
the reality
is that
the majority
of lifters
out there
have a very
poor understanding
of how to
properly
train their
arms for
maximum
gains. In
order to
gain the
proper insight
into effectively
stimulating
arm growth,
we must
first recognize
three basic
truths:
1)
Relatively
speaking,
the biceps
and triceps
are small
muscle groups.
2) The biceps
receive
heavy stimulation
during all
basic pulling
movements
for the
back.
3) The triceps
receive
heavy stimulation
during all
basic pressing
movements
for the
chest and
shoulders.
What
do these
3 points
tell us
about effective
arm training?
The most
important
thing for
you to realize
is this:
For
maximum
gains in
muscle size
and strength,
the biceps
and triceps
require
only a very
small amount
of direct
stimulation!
So
why is it
that every
time I enter
the gym
I see the
same misinformed
people,
week in
and week
out, slaving
away on
endless
sets of
bicep curls
and tricep
extensions?
It’s
very important
to understand
that the
biceps and
triceps
receive
a very large
amount of
stimulation
from all
of your
chest and
back training.
In fact,
a lot of
the time
when you
reach muscular
failure
on a chest
or back
movement,
it is actually
your biceps
or triceps
that give
out first!
Couple this
with the
fact that
your biceps
and triceps
are already
small muscle
groups to
begin with
and it becomes
quite clear
that direct
arm training
is of minor
importance.
Remember,
your muscles
do not grow
in the gym.
The work
that you
accomplish
as you train
with weights
is merely
the “spark”
that sets
the wheels
of the muscle
growth process
into motion.
The real
magic takes
place out
of the gym
while you
are resting
and eating,
as this
is the time
when your
body will
actually
be synthesizing
new muscle
tissue.
Because
of this,
it is vital
that you
do not overtrain
your muscles.
You must
always make
sure to
provide
them with
sufficient
recovery
time if
you want
to see impressive
results.
Overtraining
can actually
make your
muscles
smaller
and weaker.
If
you’re looking
to achieve
serious
arm growth,
you must
stop placing
so much
emphasis
on direct
arm movements.
Forget about
performing
endless
sets of
concentration
curls and
tricep pressdowns.
Strong,
muscular
arms are
mostly a
product
of heavy
chest and
back training.
If you are
able to
accept this
basic truth
and place
the majority
of your
focus on
building
up the muscle
size and
strength
in your
major muscle
groups,
you will
prevent
yourself
from overtraining
your arms
and will
therefore
yield greater
overall
gains in
bicep and tricep size.
This
is not to
say that
no direct
arm training
is necessary,
just not
very much.
Here is
a sample
arm routine
that you
can use
as a part
of your
program:
Barbell
Curls –
2 sets of
5-7 reps
Standing
Dumbbell
Curls –
1 set of
5-7 reps
Close-Grip
Bench Press
– 2 sets
of 5-7 reps
Standing
Cable Pushdowns
– 1 set
of 5-7 reps
Take
all sets
to complete
muscular
failure
and focus
on progressing
each week
by using
slightly
more weight
or performing
an extra
rep or 2.
If you can
incorporate
this way
of thinking
into your
arm training,
you will
achieve
arm size
beyond anything
you previously
thought
possible!
Sean Nalewanyj
is a bodybuilding
expert and
writer of
top-selling
Internet
Bodybuilding
E-Book:
The Truth
About Building
Muscle.
More articles
- www.criticalbench.com
