One of the optimal combinations for targeted training of individual muscle groups is a workout in which we pump our shoulders and arms on the same day. After all, the fundamental principle of athleticism is the competent distribution of load with the use of all muscle groups on all training days of the weekly cycle. Here is one of the popular options for such a breakdown into splits. One day we pump up the chest and back; in the other - shoulders and arms, the third is completely devoted to the legs. We do abdominal exercises at each of these workouts.

There are nuances. For example, some athletes separate biceps and triceps on different training days. The triceps are pumped together with the shoulder muscles, and the biceps are pumped together with the pectoral muscles. This is also a good combination. In the future, the program broken down by muscle group will not be the same in any case. Then you change it. But for now, focus on exactly this combination: arms and shoulders on 1 day.

Will it be effective to train your shoulders and arms in one day?

The muscle groups mentioned in the introduction are located next to each other, and the blood flow during the work of the shoulders and arms will be carried out to the upper body, with an even saturation of the deltoids, trapezius, biceps, triceps and forearms. Joint training for arms and shoulders allows you to effectively hammer both muscle groups within one hour of training.

This program is certainly effective, but it makes sense to change it from time to time for another, with a new combination of muscle groups. After all, to ensure progressive progress, you need to “surprise” your body from time to time by “throwing” at it combinations of exercises to which it has not adapted.

You need to start training with special attention to warming up, since the elbow and shoulder joints are among the risk areas. That is, the most traumatic, susceptible to stretching and rupture of ligamentous tissues. The shoulder joints are generally one of the most complex and unstable in the human body. Following the general physical exercises from the usual morning exercises, which will help warm up these joints, do the following warm-up exercises:

• push-ups from the floor (elbows are not apart, but close to the sides, to engage the triceps);
• Bench press with low load (barbell with 30% of working weight).

This will not only help warm up the joints and increase their elasticity, but will also drive blood into the muscles of the upper body, increasing their saturation with oxygen, nutrients and energy.

There is a reasonable opinion that it will be better if the training on this day begins not with the shoulders, but with the muscles of the arms. The fact is that in almost all basic exercises for the shoulder muscles, the arm muscles are always involved. Therefore, there is a high probability of “hammering” them prematurely and not purposefully, preventing full loading in the actual arm exercises.

In this case, the forearms, if you are specifically working on them, should be left for the final part of the lesson. Arm training should start with exercises for the biceps, and continue with working on the shoulders. However, some athletes claim that it is best to pump your shoulders in front of your arms, and this opinion also has a right to exist. Everyone determines for themselves by experience which option is most effective for them personally.

Any workout for arms and shoulders is the work of small or short muscle groups, which include both. And muscles of this type are very well worked out by supersets. Supersets are especially good for opposing antagonist muscles (such as biceps and triceps).

Necessary clarification: a superset is the joint performance of 2 different exercises, alternating approaches, and without rest between these approaches.

The point is that small muscle groups contract during exercise without the need for significant energy expenditure, and do not cause the athlete to quickly run out of energy. Therefore, you can alternate approaches without rest, ensuring the greatest blood flow to the working areas and their best development. This is exactly what is called a “maximum pump”, and which is difficult to achieve on large or “long” muscle groups, but more than possible for the arms and shoulders.

Another important principle of competent loading of these muscles is statodynamic training. Details below.

In order to achieve impressive results in the development of arms and shoulders, you need to train with high intensity and isolated load. A good solution is a superset on the shoulders and arms. This is a specially selected set of exercises to be performed in an intensive mode, alternating sets of one and two exercises.

When performing supersets on these muscle groups, you should pay special attention to the technicality of the movements. You shouldn’t chase heavy weights during supersets. This not only affects technique, but also involves other muscle groups, and also increases the possibility of microtrauma and sprains.

As noted, when organizing training with supersets, it makes sense to use static dynamics for the best muscle development. Namely: special attention should be paid not so much to the maximum amplitude of movements, but to:

• make sure that the muscles are constantly tense during each repetition;
• upon reaching peak contraction, hold for a few seconds;
• Perform movements slowly, without jerking; extension muscles are noticeably slower than flexion muscles.

Let us emphasize: a training program with supersets for arms and shoulders does not involve the use of extreme weights.

Proven and effective shoulder exercises combine perfectly with traditional arm exercises. Therefore, joint training on shoulders and arms brings guaranteed results.

Description of an effective exercise program

Superset No. 1, hands on

Standing biceps curl with curved EZ bar

Using weights on an EZ bar allows you to minimize the load on your back and wrists, and on the contrary, increase the load on your biceps. At the same time, such biceps training maintains the natural position of the static and dynamic balance of the torso.

Tips on the technique: do not allow the shoulders to involuntarily rise, or the elbows to move relative to their original position; make movements slow and controlled, with lowering slower than lifting.

This exercise only works the elbow joint; The entire volume of the triceps is subjected to load, with a predominance of working out its inner part.

Correct technique involves controlling the position of the elbows: they should not move to the sides during movement. Hands should remain perpendicular to the body and the bench.

2nd superset, on shoulders

A basic exercise that includes a full range of motion and forces the deltoids to work well at their full strength. The main load falls on the area of ​​the middle bundles of the deltoid muscles, a moderate part of it - on the front, a small part - on the back.

The barbell should be grasped with a moderately wide grip (slightly wider than shoulder width). The main thing when performing repetitions is to fight inertia, not allowing yourself to sway, and also tilt your torso back.

The middle and anterior parts of the deltoid muscles are subject to load, with a slight predominance of the middle. You should try to move your elbows further to the sides, so that your shoulders move in the planes of your torso. Because if the shoulder is moved out of the plane of the body, and movements are made mainly in front, then the front delta beam is turned on to the maximum, the trapezoid is also turned on, and the middle part is practically not used.

Therefore, try to keep the barbell close to your torso. Then it will not only be working on the anterior deltoid muscles. The press will provide a high-quality load and a medium beam. And it plays a decisive role in adding volume to the shoulders.

This time, the first exercise will work the triceps, and the second, alternating approaches, will work the biceps.

A simple but extremely effective way to make your arms look larger and more massive. The main thing is to strive to keep your chest and shoulders straightened when performing, not to slouch or round your back. Do not make jerky movements! All repetitions must be performed smoothly.

If bench push-ups on this day seem too simple or easy, then you should put dumbbells or weights on your knees.

One of the best isolation exercises for working the biceps muscle. With the correct technique, in the initial position, the palms with dumbbells “look at each other”, and supination (rotation of the hands outward) occurs when the rising arm reaches shoulder level.

And this complex completes, allowing you to efficiently load your shoulders and arms in 1 workout with a final superset.

Superset 4 – for final shoulder work

The area of ​​load on muscle tissue becomes the entire volume of the deltoid muscles, with some predominance of their middle bundle.

When performing repetitions of lateral raises, you need to ensure that your arms are as straight as possible. When bending your arms at the elbow joints, only the muscles of the front part of the delta begin to work. This is not advisable: if you need to shift the emphasis to the front bun, then you can turn them slightly inward when raising your straight arms.

Another valuable note: when performing lateral raises, tilt your wrists down slightly. Also, dumbbells should be held with a straight grip, and try not to allow the load to transfer to the front of the body.

Load areas are the middle and posterior deltoid muscles, with the predominant work of the posterior part of the deltoids.

Features of competent execution: it must be performed in a position of the torso “parallel to the floor”. Your arms need to be straightened as much as possible. Only in the last two or three repetitions and in the last approach can you slightly bend your arms at the elbow joints. It is necessary to monitor the grip and tilt of the body, in which the shoulder, even in movement, maintains a position perpendicular to the body.

If it is difficult to swing with both hands at the same time, then you can perform the exercise separately (with one hand). In both cases, the most effective exercise for the rear delts is bent over dumbbell swings.

About the number of approaches and repetitions

It is worth emphasizing: when performing each of these exercises, it makes sense to use the capabilities of static dynamics. Namely, perform each repetition slowly, with a short pause at the moment of peak contraction. An effective arm and shoulder workout using the superset principle is three or four of each exercise in each cycle. A larger number of approaches for a superset is hardly justified.

Are your arms dangling in your sleeves? Do you dream of powerful and sculpted arms? With these simple and effective tips, you can quickly increase the size and strength of your triceps and biceps!

You can train in the gym for a long time and still have 36 cm biceps, although even minimal knowledge combined with hard training will help you achieve a girth of 42-45 cm.

If you really want to change something, then it's time to take up theory. Start by checking out these 9 commonly overlooked tips for getting bigger arm muscles and you'll realize that knowledge is just as important as working out in the gym.

Tip #1. Dedicate a separate day to arm training

One of the most popular ways to create a training split is to combine large and small muscle groups on pulling or pressing days. As a rule, back - biceps or chest - triceps are trained together, and for many athletes this combination gives good results. However, there is an opinion that the muscle groups that are trained secondarily, due to the body’s fatigue, receive insufficient load, and therefore show significantly less results in growth.

One way to remedy this situation is to set aside a separate day for arm training. Without the heavy presses and rows that were previously performed and took a significant part of your strength, you will be able to approach this workout rested and full of energy, which will allow you to train much more intensely. You will also have the opportunity to use heavier weights, which is an additional incentive for arm growth!

In order to ensure complete recovery, it is recommended to take a rest day before and after arm training. Organizing your training split will be a little more difficult, but you will benefit in the long run.

Tip #2: Do hard workouts for your arms.

Start your workout with exercises in which you can use heavy weights. After warming up, to train the triceps, it is better to use basic exercises such as close-grip barbell presses or dips, where the load falls on all three bundles and will be 2-3 times higher than when using more isolating exercises.

For biceps, bench curls or knee curls will not be very suitable exercises at the beginning of a workout, because you will be able to use much more weight when standing biceps curls with an EZ - curved or regular bar. The first exercise you do in your arm workout has a significant impact on your end results, so think carefully about where to start your workout!

After you have decided on the basic exercises, you should choose the right weight of the projectile. You shouldn't use weights that are too light if you want to increase strength and muscle size - a weight that you can perform 8-10 reps with is good for this purpose!

Tip #3: Use a variety of exercise options

Elbows shoulder-width apart is the ideal position for curling your arms. But just like the bench press or deadlift, there are different variations of the same exercises that can increase your biceps growth.

When the elbows are outside the body, as in Scott curls, the long head of the biceps cannot fully extend and therefore the focus of the load shifts to the short head. By keeping the elbows close to (or close to) your sides, as in a flexion, the long head is fully extended, allowing it to contract much more as it rises.

You can also shift the emphasis of the load by changing the position of your hands. By using a grip that is narrower than your shoulders, you put more stress on the long head of the biceps, since it is located above the short one. Accordingly, with a wider grip, the short head of the biceps is more involved.

Tip #4. Incorporate overhead weight exercises to target the long head of the triceps

Training different muscle groups has its own specific features and differences that need to be known and taken into account. To develop large, strong horseshoe triceps, exercises that place the weight above your head are best.

The long head of the triceps, which has the greatest volume, is stretched to its maximum only when the arms are above the head, and the greater the stretch of the muscle, the stronger its contraction! Extensions with a barbell, dumbbells, or a block overhead emphasize the load on the long head. There are special simulators that also repeat this movement.

It should be noted that when the arms are positioned perpendicular to the body, for example, when doing arm extensions with a barbell overhead while lying down (French press), the long head of the triceps receives a good load, but if you perform the French press not on a horizontal bench, but on an inclined bench, then this the beam will be used even more!

Tip #5: Vary your grip for maximum biceps growth

One of the best ways to increase the size of your arms is with simple reverse-grip barbell curls (supination), which contract the biceps.

However, the arm flexors do not only consist of the biceps brachii muscle, but also include a certain number of other muscles. The brachialis is located deep under the biceps, but increasing its size will also help increase the overall size of the arm.

In order to engage the brachialis, you should perform the hammer exercise, which uses a neutral grip (palms facing each other) with your arms parallel and pressed to your sides. This exercise can be performed using a cable machine or dumbbells.

The brachiodialysis (brachioradialis) provides thickness to the top of the forearm and is also involved in hammer movements, but is best recruited when using an overhand grip (pronation) in curls.

A common mistake that occurs when training triceps is increasing the distance between the elbows, especially with high loads. Whether you're doing dips, dips, close-grip presses, or French presses, always make sure your elbows don't wander and are locked tightly together while maintaining tension on your triceps.

This is especially difficult to do when using heavy weights, as the elbows begin to diverge to the sides under load. In this case, the muscles of the chest and shoulders are connected, which negatively affects the effectiveness of the triceps exercise.

For maximum results, you should choose a weight at which you can keep your elbows in one position, keeping them motionless throughout the entire exercise.

The most common mistake in biceps training is when people try to lift the weight as high as possible to achieve peak biceps contraction. The full range of motion must be maintained, but lifting the weight too high is often done with the front delts, which takes some of the load off the biceps. This is why, with proper technique, which involves keeping your elbows slightly tucked to your sides, curling your arms with a weight can bring it to approximately shoulder height.

But many athletes, in order to lift the weight even higher, bring their elbows forward, and this leads to the fact that the movement turns from a purely isolating one into a multi-joint one. In this case, in the upper part of the lifting phase, partial relaxation of the biceps occurs, which leads to a decrease in load.

For best biceps isolation, perform the movement with only one joint, and remember to keep your elbows tucked to your sides.

This is a powerful and popular way to get an incredible muscle workout. Pumping is best achieved through high-repetition workload, in which blood fills the target muscles, pressing against the borders of the muscle fascia (the connective tissue that surrounds muscle cells), causing them to enlarge. This method is best for finishing a hard workout.

Heavy training causes a process called myofibrillar hypertrophy, which causes structural damage to muscle fibers and subsequent growth. Low loads fill the cells with fluid, but do not necessarily cause fundamental damage to muscle structures. Therefore, for maximum results, use both methods. If you train hard at the beginning of your workout, then save some strength for pumping at the end of the workout.

Large muscle groups, such as the back and legs, require hard and intense training, after which a long period of recovery is required. For small muscle groups, this time will be much shorter; it is not without reason that many athletes train their calves and abs 2-3 times a week.

If you have the energy, time and desire, you can add additional arm training to your training process.
It might look something like this:

• Day 1: Chest - triceps
• Day 2: Rest
• Day 3: Back - biceps
• Day 4: Rest
• Day 5: Legs - shoulders
• Day 6: Biceps - triceps
• Day 7: Rest

If you decide to train your arms twice a week, then the workouts should be varied both in the choice of exercises and in intensity. You can also use training techniques such as negative reps, supersets or drop sets.

Although I have already substantiated the pointlessness of isolated exercises for biceps and triceps, until reaching at least an average level of fitness, in the section "questions and answers"(in response to the question “is it possible to pump up one muscle group, and not the whole body?”), I decided to write a note specifically about the biceps-triceps, since these muscle groups, in the stereotypes of ordinary people who are far from any sport, are associated with athleticism, and beginners in 90% of cases, when they come to the gym, they zealously begin to “pump up” them - and this is what often becomes the reason for the complete lack of progress among beginners, in the growth of not only their arms, but anything else in general.

In fact, training your arms with isolation exercises (all kinds of extensions and curls of the arms with a barbell or dumbbells) from the very beginning of training is like putting the cart before the horse. The fact is that an isolated exercise, and even progress in it (and an increase in muscle volume is generally possible only as a result of progress in its strength), can really add 0.5-1 cm in arm girth, and no more. Then it loses its effectiveness, due to the impossibility of pumping up one muscle group in isolation from the rest (more on this in the “questions and answers” ​​section).
In other words, pumping up the biceps (the circumference of the arm bent at the elbow, in the thickest place - of course, the “lion's share" of this volume is given by the triceps, but usually they talk about the circumference of the biceps, I will say that too) with 33 to 40 cm of biceps lifts - this is non-science fiction. Having an initial volume of around 33-34 cm, you can pump it up to 35 cm with a dumbbell, but that’s all - there’s no further, further growth of the biceps is possible only with the total body weight, and it can only grow from basic multi-joint exercises such as presses and rows for large torso muscles. Those. increase the volume of the arm from 33-35 to 40 cm, it is possible only by progressing in strength, in exercises such as bench/standing press and row/pull-ups, at least twice.

Moreover, as I said above, performing isolated arm exercises from the very beginning can cause a complete lack of progress in training: if, in addition to basic exercises (presses and rows) in which the biceps and triceps receive a significant indirect load, you also “hammer” » their isolating exercises, there is a high probability that overtraining of the same small triceps will permanently stall the progress in bench presses, and as a result there will be no growth of anything - neither the triceps, nor the overall mass/strength in general.

Thus, it makes sense to start pumping your biceps-triceps “targetedly” only if you already have an arm circumference of at least 37-38 cm, and this means being at least at an average level of fitness.
N.B. The specific centimeters that I give are, of course, averaged and conditional, and individually depend on the initial data - height and body type. I met people in the “rocking chairs” who were two meters tall, and according to their height, weighed under 100 kg and biceps over 40 cm, but at the same time their strength level of training did not reach the average (if a person weighing under 100 kg has results in the bench press lying down 100 kg / 6-8 reps, i.e. with a weight equal to the weight of his body, he cannot do at least 10-12 repetitions, and he never remembers the squat at all, this is not even an average level of fitness, despite the seemingly solid working weight in bench press 100 kg). And although the volume of the biceps, as I already said, in such people was over 40 cm, the appearance of the biceps, as well as the general physique, could only be called athletic at a stretch - abstracting from the fact that they had been visiting the gym for several years (the question arose - For what?).

As for my personal experience, I must say here that I was never at all interested in the volume of my biceps - unlike most jerks, from the very beginning of training I was fixated on strength indicators in exercises such as deadlift and standing press, squat and bench press , and total body weight. The circumference of anything was the last thing I was interested in. And although from the very beginning I still tried to do biceps curls and some kind of triceps extensions, fortunately I very quickly realized that this was a waste of time and effort.

Bearing in mind that the biceps and triceps receive sufficient indirect load for their proportional development in such basic multi-joint exercises as standing/seated presses And bench press , traction And pull-ups, I almost never downloaded them in isolation. This approach provided me with an arm circumference that was quite proportional to my overall development, around 39 cm, with a body weight of 80-85 kg. (I already mentioned in my articles and notes that I began to gain weight from 55 kg, and my arm volume seemed even less than 33 cm) (in the photo, weight is 82 kg, biceps 39 cm in a cold state).


Those. my experience fully confirms the postulate that the arm muscles develop and increase in volume in proportion to other muscles, not from isolated biceps curls and triceps extensions, but exclusively from basic presses and rows for the large torso muscles, at least until intermediate level of training, and even better advanced .

In principle, if I was worried about the size of my biceps, having been at an advanced level of fitness for a long time, I could “pump up” it beyond 40 cm without significantly adding to my total body weight. For this, there is “specialization” (effective only at an advanced level of training - when the foundation of body mass and strength has already been created).
“Specialization” of hands is a delicate matter. If, for example, you need a small development priority, within the framework of basic training, to give to the shoulder girdle or chest, for example, then this can be easily achieved while remaining within the “general” set of exercises, performing exercises for a specialized muscle group at the beginning of training, and adding an additional exercise for it to the complex, while reducing the number of working approaches in the remaining exercises (an example of such a complex is in the section "questions and answers", in answer to the question “how to pump up your shoulders?”).
With the arms, everything is not so simple - there is nothing stupider than placing isolated exercises for the biceps-triceps at the beginning of the “general” basic complex (I hope it is clear that with the arm muscles tired from isolated exercises, it will be impossible to do basic presses and pulls), which means should be included in a separate training session, alternating basic training for general strength and mass with “manual” training (of course, training no more than every other day, otherwise overtraining of both the arms and the general one is guaranteed).
At the same time, if we are talking about increasing the mass and power of the arms, then the choice of exercises for special “manual” training is also important. If for the biceps it is difficult to do without isolated exercises such as barbell/dumbbell curls within the framework of specialization, then when choosing exercises for the triceps you should give preference to bench presses with a medium or narrow grip, dips, and even standing/seated presses, and not French presses and triceps presses on the block.
I will not give more specific recommendations, since I have no practical experience in hand specialization.

P.S. Those who do not trust my experience and knowledge in this matter, or, being at least at an average level of fitness, want to significantly focus their efforts on developing their hands, and need a specific program of action and effective recommendations, I refer you to Stuart McRobert’s brochure “Hands” Titan",

which contains all the necessary practical information, with specific sets of exercises for both beginners and experienced ones - in my opinion, this is the best hand specialization program that I have ever come across in the literature and on the Internet.

It wouldn’t hurt me myself, now - when I’ve long benched one and a half body weights and squatted two, but I can’t help myself - I’m not interested in the circumference of the biceps, and accordingly I’m too lazy to do anything specifically for it (even just biceps curls at the end of the workout, not to mention specialization).

In this article we are talking about such an important part of the body as the hands. There is not a single bodybuilder whose arms are too huge. Legs, back, deltoids, waist, but not arms! We will not take synthol freaks into account.

For many athletes, getting their arms to grow is a real problem. We hope that the recommendations from this article will diversify your training and allow you to progress in a difficult but interesting activity - building your own body (bodybuilding!!!).

Key Concepts

Key concepts in arm training are:
Train your biceps and triceps at the same time - ensure maximum pumping
Follow the sequence of exercises
Control of muscle contractions
Short breaks between sets

Simultaneous training of biceps and triceps

This approach is aimed at achieving a state of maximum pumping ( pumping), which only your hands are capable of. There is no better way to do this than to train your biceps and triceps at the same time.

You can alternate biceps exercises with triceps exercises. For example, do biceps curls and then triceps extensions. Maintain this sequence of exercises throughout your workout.

It is better to change exercises at each workout. There are many types of exercises for biceps and triceps, and you probably know them. So apply it!

Sometimes you can do a regular workout: first do all the exercises for the biceps, then for the triceps.

It will be ideal if you combine all of the above. However, keep in mind that many pros choose to alternate biceps sets with triceps sets.

Sequence of exercises for biceps

When training their arms, many people forget or do not even know about such an important muscle as brachialis. By the way, the legendary Lee Priest looked especially cool. One of the important aspects of bodybuilding is the need to create a kind of illusion. Brachialis training is a great way to make your arm look massive. As the brachialis grows, it “separates” the biceps and triceps, giving the arms a truly impressive appearance.

There are several different exercises you can use to train your brachialis:
Dumbbell Hammer Cross Curl

Classic Hammer Dumbbell Raise

Reverse grip barbell curl

Cable arm curl (uses a lower pulley)

It would be a good idea if you start your workout with any of the above. It is better to choose one of the first two exercises on the list.
Helpful advice: When performing repetitions, grip the dumbbell handle as tightly as possible. By doing this, you will strengthen your grip, which is very important both in bodybuilding and in everyday life.

After these exercises, you can begin training the “lower” part of the biceps – the one adjacent to the elbow. Of course, we don't mean that you can isolate your lower biceps when performing curls. However, there are exercises that, if performed correctly, will ensure blood flow to this particular area of ​​the biceps.

For example, bench curls have always been a favorite exercise of the best bodybuilders, such as Larry Scott, the king of biceps.

Here are some options:
Curls with an EZ bar, dumbbells or barbell on a Scott bench

Any hammer curl where the arm is fully extended at the end

Machine curls (similar to Scott curls)

It is better to never start training with these exercises. They should be performed when the biceps are already slightly warmed up. You should also know that starting curls on a bench with a heavy weight is unsafe. In any gym there have been tragic cases where people who started with these exercises suffered biceps ruptures.

Next you can proceed to basic biceps exercises such as dumbbell or barbell curls. Such exercises are akin to a heavy barbell bench press for the chest muscles: they are best performed when the muscles are as warm as possible and filled with blood. The likelihood of injury is minimal. You can give it your all! Feel free to use any weights as long as your technique remains perfect.

To make the workout more challenging, perform the exercises with a three-second pause at the moment of maximum contraction of the biceps.

Sequence of triceps exercises

Bodybuilders often complain that doing heavy exercises like the French press hurts their elbows. It’s hard to argue with this, because it’s practice! Therefore, always start your triceps workout with cable extensions (vertical pulley). This safe exercise will warm up the ligaments and elbow joint.

Continue training your triceps with dips or a machine. This exercise could be done first, but it's better to get the blood in the triceps before loading them with heavy push-ups. If you can do 20 push-ups, then you can already use additional weights. Tie a “pancake” to your belt.

You can finish your triceps workout with a French press or other extension with a barbell or dumbbells. There are many variations of triceps extensions that you can include in your arsenal:
Triceps extensions with curved bar on an incline bench

L-extension – unique version with angle

Control of muscle contractions

Above, we recommended taking three-second pauses during biceps curls. This technique is more effective for some exercises than others (depending on the body part). As for the biceps, in this case this approach works in almost all exercises. We offer some tips on how you can use this technique to train your biceps.

Whether you know it or not, it is on the eccentric portion of the lift (before past sticking point) that muscle damage most often occurs. Combine this with the fact that the biceps are a small muscle group, and you have a recipe for overtraining and injury if you do this on all sets. We recommend taking 3-second breaks per exercise (3-4 sets) or one set of each exercise (again, only 3-4 sets).

Basic exercises, such as curls with dumbbells or a barbell, are best done at the end of the workout, when the muscles are already fairly “clogged.” You will no longer be able to lift too heavy weights, but you will experience the exercises like never before!

The video shows an example of performing curls with a barbell with a curved bar:

Use heavy negative reps on the triceps barre. This is a great and safe way to load your triceps with heavy weights.

We recommend using this technique primarily in the middle of a biceps workout and at the beginning of a triceps workout. The heavy curls will keep blood flowing to the muscles, complementing the effect of the three-second pauses or heavy negative reps you'll do next.
There is one super exercise for maximum biceps contractions - concentrated incline curls:

Press the dumbbells together as shown in the video and squeeze all the juice out of your biceps!

Minimum rest

Why take long breaks when training small muscle groups? Many people rest as much after a biceps curl as they do after a barbell squat...

If you're exhausted after 8 sets of barbell curls, your cardiovascular system is far from healthy. Maybe you should do some cardio in your free time?

Pros of minimal rest:
1) Increasing intensity. Taking shorter breaks between sets is simply a great way to increase the intensity of your workout.
2) Blood flow. With shorter breaks, better pumping (blood supply to the muscles) is achieved. Yes, this is certainly a debatable advantage.

Some people think that pumping is overrated. However, many pros are convinced that short breaks in arm training will ensure maximum results.

So how long should breaks be?

Here are a few approaches you can try for yourself:
10 -second breaks. Periodically include them in your arm muscle training. For example, perform 4 sets of curved barbell curls for 8 reps with 10 seconds rest between sets. It is better to choose a little less weight than usual. These breaks are best suited for shocking the muscles.
30 -second breaks. There is enough time to regain strength for the next approach, but not enough time to cool down. If you alternate biceps and triceps exercises, this time regimen will be ideal.
45 -second breaks. This is the usual length of breaks for arm exercises. There is no reason to extend the break any further. This is the maximum duration of rest.

Training volume

The volume of training for biceps and triceps should be less than for larger parts of the body, such as legs and back. When using the proposed techniques to achieve intensity, there is no need for more approaches.

As with other body parts, it is best to gradually increase your training volume, then train hard for 6 weeks, after which the volume is gradually reduced to the original level. The intensity does not change, but the difference in volume provides periodization.

Example of a 12-week arm muscle training program:
Phase 1. Weeks 1-3. Average training volume. The whole set of exercises includes 6-8 approaches for biceps and 8-10 for triceps. Focus on two or three exercises.

Phase 2. Weeks 4-9. Large volume of training. At this phase we begin to increase the volume of training. Your body will adjust to the intensity set in the first phase, so we'll keep it busy by increasing your overall volume and weight over the next six weeks.
The number of approaches is usually 9-12 for biceps and 12-16 for triceps, with approaches of higher intensity (more weight) added weekly. Three to four exercises are performed. In this phase you will have to work hard for 6 weeks.

Phase 3. Weeks 10-12. Low to medium volume training. The number of approaches is 4-6 for biceps and triceps. The volume of training is reduced by the number of approaches, but these approaches will be the heaviest of your entire life.)) At this phase, as a rule, two exercises are performed.

Phase 4(rest). Weeks 13-14. This phase is necessary in any heavy training program. By taking a break from training, you will get excellent long-term results, freeing yourself from the accumulated nervous fatigue that accompanies high-intensity training.

Examples of training programs

Let's look at two examples of training.

Here is a typical arm workout for Phase #1. This is 8 sets for biceps and 10 sets for triceps. Between sets of all exercises, rest for 30 seconds.

Exercise No. 1. Dumbbell Hammer Cross Curls – 3 sets of 10 reps. First, do 2-3 sets of warm-up exercises of 10 repetitions. Then perform 3 working sets of 10 repetitions, remembering to squeeze the dumbbells tightly with each muscle contraction. As you lower the dumbbells, fully extend your arms. This warms up the lower biceps.

Exercise No. 2. Curved Barbell Curls on a Scott Bench – 3 sets of 8 reps. Lower the bar approximately 90% down. Do not straighten your arms completely, as this may cause injury.

Exercise #3. Standing arm curls with a barbell or curved bar with a 3-second pause – 2 sets of 8 reps. The most important thing is to lower the weight after a three-second pause. At this point, your biceps will burn. Choose the maximum weight you can do 8 reps with.

Exercise #4. Triceps extensions using a cable (vertical pulley) – 4 sets of 12 reps. At the bottom point, additionally tense your muscles for 1 second. Keep your elbows close to your body.

Exercise #5. Push-ups on parallel bars or in a machine – 3 sets to failure. In each approach, increase the weight of the weight. The idea is for muscle failure to occur after 8-12 repetitions.

Exercise #6. Curved bar extensions on an incline bench – 3 sets of 15 reps. On each set, try to lower the weight a little lower behind your head. This exercise does not require using a lot of weight.

Exercise No. 1. Bent bar curls with reverse grip – 5 sets of 10 reps. Take a 10 second break between sets. So, perform 10 reps, lower the weight, count 10 seconds, and repeat. Do 5 approaches. This may not be easy. The muscles will burn with fire.

Exercise No. 2. Triceps extensions using a cable - 5 sets of 10 repetitions. After several warm-up exercises, we are going to repeat our feat again. Breaks between approaches should be no more than 10 seconds. You may have difficulty maintaining the same weight, so it's okay if you reduce it a little after a few sets. Remember the 10 second break!

Exercise #3. Curling your arms in a machine or on a Scott bench – 3 sets of 12 reps. You should perform this exercise with a heavy weight, without lowering it in all sets. Choose a weight so that you can only do 6 reps. Your partner should help you with the remaining six repetitions. In this exercise, the entire load falls on the biceps.

Exercise #4. Triceps presses in the simulator. To start, do 3 sets of 8 heavy reps. Hold for 3 seconds on each rep and slowly lower the weight. On the fourth (aka last) set, do some heavy negative reps. Set a weight that will allow you to do 6 heavy reps.

Exercise #5. Concentrated dumbbell curls on an incline bench - 2 sets of 8 repetitions. Tighten your muscles as much as possible during the contraction.

Exercise #6. L-extension – 4 sets of 15 repetitions per arm.

Exercise No. 7. Seated dumbbell curls with a 3-second pause – 2 sets of 8 repetitions. This will "finish off" your biceps...

Exercise #8. Close grip EZ bar press – 4 sets 8 reps. Lower the weight slowly, closer to your chin, instead of holding it on your chest. This is a variation of the close grip bench press (Westside staple). You won't be able to use too much weight, but the isolation and stress the triceps receive will provide the muscle needed.

Bonus!

Want to try something that might sound weird but will kill your biceps? Try the bamboo stick curl exercise.

It's hard to explain how effective this exercise is. There is no sensation in the elbows, and when lifting the weight you will feel a strong muscle contraction. Whatever the jocks can come up with...

Defined arm muscles are often perceived as the main pride of an athlete.

The pumped up muscles in this area are clearly visible even under clothes, which is why beginners and experienced athletes pay a lot of attention to the biceps and triceps.

In this article we will analyze the most popular loads and recommendations for better progress.

What muscles can you train in one day?

Be sure to check out:

Information about how to properly pump up your arm muscles will allow you to increase the intensity of your workouts and speed up your progress:

1. Warm-up is key. Without proper warming up, muscles are quite often susceptible to injuries, which not only guarantee pain, but also significantly impede training progress. For the arm muscles, not only general warming up with cardio is important, but also local warm-up exercises (rotation of the hands, forearms, shoulders).
2. Biceps and triceps are small muscle groups. Therefore, they need to be trained in one day only in conjunction with large muscle groups (legs, back, chest). For this reason, comprehensive training should be used for the harmonious development of the whole body.
3. Start with basic exercises. Such loads require more strength and build muscle mass more effectively - which is why it is better to start a program for training biceps and triceps on the same day with them.
4. Note the brachialis. Thanks to this muscle, which is located on the outer part of the arm just below the biceps, it will look larger and more prominent. Popular exercises for brachialis are: “hammers” with dumbbells and reverse-grip barbell lifts.
5. Aim for total failure. In any exercise, regardless of the approach, you should work until your arms fail completely. Only this way and not any other way.
6. Progressive load. At each strength training, try to increase the working weight, while it is important to maintain the correct technique. Perform the exercises slowly enough, controlling muscle movements. This method makes it possible to switch the load from all muscles except the target ones (in this situation, biceps and triceps).
7. High quality stretch. Use stretches while resting between sets to improve blood circulation in your muscles. For example, move the arm you are working as far back as possible, holding onto the support with your free hand.

An effective set of loads and execution technique

• standing barbell lifts. With a wide grip of the bar, the emphasis of the load shifts to the outer part of the biceps; with a narrow grip, the main load falls on the inner part of the biceps. Stand up straight and begin lifting the barbell by slowly bending your elbows. At the same time, make sure to keep your body still - any swaying reduces the effectiveness of the workout, shifting the main load to the back and pectoral muscles. Also try to keep your arms tightly pressed to your body up to the elbows. Perform 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
• dumbbell lifts with turns. The main load falls on the biceps and small muscles of the arms. Stand up straight and pick up dumbbells with a suitable weight, turning your hands, raise your hands to chin level. In this case, the elbows should be fixed near the body, and the shoulders should be straightened. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions;

Note! This exercise can be done on a special bench with an incline (approximately 60°), this allows you to make the range of movements as large as possible and pump up the muscles faster.

• Close-grip bench press in a prone position. The exercise involves the triceps and partially the pectoral muscles. Grasp the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. As you inhale, slowly lower the bar to your chest, while exhaling, lift it to the top. During the exercise, the shoulders and elbows should be close to the body. Frequency of repetitions: 3 sets of 8-10 times;
• French press. The exercise is focused on deep development of the triceps. Lie with your back on a flat bench and grab the barbell with a narrow grip. Next, while bending your elbows to an angle of 90°, lower the barbell behind your head. For this exercise, you should use a special curved bar (EZ) to avoid causing wrist injuries.

During this exercise, carefully monitor your own elbows; it is forbidden to spread them to the sides.

The best supersets

A biceps and triceps training program on the same day can be even more effective if you use the principle of supersets.

A superset is a combination of 2 or more training exercises that are performed sequentially without a break. The most successful supersets include the following.

Option 1:

• dumbbell lifts in a standing position: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
• French press: 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Option 2:

• Barbell lifts (reverse grip): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
• block row on the simulator: 3-4 sets of 12-15 times.

Option 3:

• arm curls: 3 sets of 10 repetitions;
• Dips: 3 sets of 12 reps.

Important! Supersets are high-intensity, so they should be used in a training program no more than 2 times per month.

Detailed training program

An approximate program for pumping up arm muscles looks like this:

1. Warm-up: cardio exercises (running, jumping rope) and local warm-up of the arm joints.
2. EZ-bar biceps curl: 3 sets of 12 reps.
3. Extension of arms with a dumbbell in the position from behind the head: 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
4. Lifting dumbbells on a bench (positive inclination - 45°): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
5. Arm curls in a block machine (upper block): 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

Note! The break between approaches should be approximately 60 seconds, between individual exercises - 2-3 minutes. During the break between loads, try to move for better blood circulation in the muscles.

Superset program:

• warm-up

2 basic exercises:

• dumbbell lifts: 3 sets of 12 reps;
• Bench press (close grip): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Supersets:

• dumbbell lifts in a standing position + French press with each arm separately: 3 sets of 8-10 times;
• barbell lifts (reverse grip) + lat pull-downs in the machine: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.