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One of the main goals of young people who come to the gym again is pumping up their arms and chest. It is these two areas of our body that, when properly developed, are associated with aesthetics, beauty and strength. The topic has already been covered on the blog, we even talked about how to train and (separate complexes), and today we will bring everything together into a single training process. Arm training for mass is a whole dedicated day that you will devote to building strong and strong arms.

Information on building a training process for arm muscles

Hand training features

Why is it worth setting aside a whole day for arm training? “Our hands are not for boredom,” sings in one song. It just so happened that the hands are busy in almost all exercises, including working out (for example,). The burden they have to bear is sometimes enormous. And at the end of such a workout, you are going to purposefully work on the muscles of the hands.

But after a series of heavy approaches, the arm muscles are significantly tired. You simply cannot give them such wild stress to make them grow, you will underwork. It is the allocation of a whole training day to work out the hands that is the best alternative in this matter. And the muscles are fresh and there is no need to rush anywhere, the only negative is that you have to allocate a separate day for such a workout.

The secret of arm growth is no different from the growth of other muscles. The formula is simple:

You apply stress that the body has not experienced before and allow the muscles to fully recover so that they become a little stronger and a little more.

How to apply stress, we will talk a little lower, but I would like to say a few words about it. Do you know why the muscles of the hands of many do not grow? They just don't have time to recover. Hands are busy in many movements and get tired additionally special training. The way out here can only be through the selection of the optimal training scheme for yourself:

• Long pauses between workouts of one muscle group, separate days training for big muscles. Separate back, separate arms, separate chest. As a result, the cycle of working out the whole body can stretch for 10-15 days. Suitable for athletes over high level with experience of at least 1.5-2 years.
• Work out all the pulling or pushing muscles in one day. Together with the back you will train the biceps, with the chest triceps.
• Training on the principle of antagonist muscles. Triceps will go with the back, biceps with the chest.

The tips are very arbitrary and give only a general understanding of how to combine different muscle groups. The fact is that each person will have their own recovery periods, respectively, you will have to choose the necessary duration of rest and the optimal layout of muscle groups, based on your own characteristics.

Training Priorities

There is such a remark: the lower a person's level of fitness, the more he is concerned about the issue of training hands. Your workouts should be balanced and include the study of all muscle groups. Have you ever seen a person with thin hands and powerful chest and back? That's what I didn't see!

A natural athlete should devote little time to arm training and use it to the maximum advantage, i.e. focus on basic movements and heavy weights, isolation should be very small, i.e. priorities:

1. Lifting the barbell for the biceps instead of the concentrated lifting of the dumbbells on the bench.
2. bench press narrow grip instead of extensions of the arms on the block, etc.

Working with basic exercises, you lift such weights that you would never have mastered in isolated movements. Heavy weight is the stress that you need, doing light extensions of the arms on the block or lifting dumbbells for biceps will not build powerful arms !!!

A few words about the forearms. The brachioradialis muscle is responsible for the mass of the forearms. It makes no sense to train it specifically for beginners.

You won't grow small muscles until big muscles grow!

Think about this sentence and then you will understand how futile attempts to pump up the biceps with dumbbell raises. , and will give you mass and strength, because huge layers of muscles are involved. Instead of with the total body weight, they will add in volumes and arms - they will pull themselves up, because our body is harmonious!

Thus, it makes sense to train the forearms for experienced athletes with existing muscle volumes. The main exercises can be lifting the barbell for biceps reverse grip, all kinds of pronation and supination, as well as squeezing the expander.

The secrets of arm training success

Well, now about the most delicious. How to build an effective hand workout. What should you pay attention to?

• Exercise technique. Should be at the head of the training. Learn the mechanics of movement to the ideal for 3-4 workouts with light weights, slowly getting close to the worker (basic exercises help).
• Know how to feel the working muscles and turn off the auxiliary ones. In all arm exercises, there is a temptation to help yourself with body strength or inertia. Perform flexion or extension only in the working joints with a fixed position of the body, feeling that the work is performed by the muscle that you are training.
• Don't put too much pressure on your hands. It is not advisable to perform 10 sets per biceps - he will not grow from this, he will most likely think about how not to die - the growth will stop, the state of the plateau is guaranteed to you (when there is neither growth nor progress of weights).
• Ignoring the progression of loads. It was said above that the muscles of the hands are the same muscles of our body and they grow according to the same principles as the rest. I send you to study the article about.

How to train your hands

You should be familiar with terms like drop sets, forced reps, negatives, etc. These lovely things will simply destroy your arm muscles, and you will have to forget about training them for at least a week and a half to two weeks until they are fully restored (excluding all exercises that involve the arms during this period). The strategy is so-so, although it works.

Well, now to what is closer to reality. A superset is when you do two exercises, one after the other, without stopping. In training arms for mass, we will slightly modify this principle. We will do one biceps exercise, do a standard rest pause, then do a triceps exercise, pause again and return to the biceps.

Why will it work:

• You increase the rest time for one muscle group. This is a prerequisite for better recovery and the ability to get more work done (more stress).
• Biceps-triceps are antagonist muscles. By training the triceps, you actively restore the biceps, and vice versa. The blood flow in the biceps improves, recovery is better and faster. Muscles don't get cold.

How to work

Job rotation may vary. For example, a set for biceps, a rest pause, a set for triceps, etc. Or so, the first exercise for biceps, the first exercise for triceps, the second exercise for biceps, the second exercise for triceps.

There is no 100% working scheme in bodybuilding. You will have to find the best option for yourself empirically. There is also no specific answer as to where to start working with biceps or triceps. Usually beginners start with biceps, continue with triceps, but this should not be an axiom. For you, the triceps work may be a good warm-up for the biceps in the first place, so look at the response of your body.

Arm training program for mass

Always start your workout with basic movements. For biceps, this is “conditional”.

Riddle: What is the first thing people notice about your physique? What is the first thing that tells the world whether you are strong or a complete weakling? If you're still guessing, here's the answer: it's your hands. Let's face it. The size and shape of your hands are visible under anything but the bulkiest winter coats. Small arms can't be seen from a kilometer away, and large muscular arm muscles are what separate men from boys.

• The truth about skinny arms
• Arm training program
• Fake arm workout
• Hand anatomy
• Biceps workout
• Triceps muscle training
• Curve Force
• Best Hand Exercises
• Nutrition for muscle building
• 12 week arm workout
• Principles of training

The painful truth about hands

• Flabby arms make you look fat and shapeless
• Skinny arms make you look like a complete wimp.
• Only big, muscular arms make you strong.

Don't believe?

Go outside on a warm day. Look for someone in short sleeves. Do you notice their belly or neck? Hardly. In fact, you probably paid attention to their hands first of all, and in a split second, you appreciated their strength, health, athleticism. What you are about to learn in this advanced arm training program will change the way you train your arms once and for all and equip you with the knowledge to finally develop your most strong hands as far as your genetics will allow. This guide provides information that will not only tell you what to do, but also why you are doing it. When you know what's going on under your skin, it takes your workouts to a whole new level. As mentioned above, your arms are a very visible part of your body and are usually the first thing someone will look at to gauge how strong and muscular you are. Let's face it, most guys want three things in life - impressive bench press strength, well-defined abs, and big arms. Unfortunately, not all three problems can be solved today, but you can take care of skinny arms.

Chances are you've heard someone ask, or asked someone yourself:

"Show me your muscles?"

What is the first thing someone usually does when asked this question?

They don't undress and tighten their chests like bodybuilders, no. They flex their biceps, raise their arms, and get into a classic stance. Guys' desire for big, impressive hands is understandable, but height can be a real sticking point for some people in the field. Maybe you're just starting weight training for the first time and want to start with arm development. Or maybe you've been training for some time and built an overall muscular physique, but your arms are stunted. Or maybe you just want to fill in a gap in your sleeve and look good in a t-shirt.

No matter what your reason for wanting big arms is, the information in this guide and workout program will give you some mind-blowing tips for pumping up your arms. This is the biggest, worst (in good sense) arm training in the history of mankind ... , this is one of the very effective programs that cause muscle growth.

Why is this arm workout program so effective?

There are many poorly designed and ineffective hand development programs that have played a role in motivating me to write this article and the workout program. Some of the arm building programs you've seen will force you to train only your arms for a set number of weeks, completely neglecting all other muscle groups. This is a terrible way to structure any workout. Not only will this lead to an unbalanced physique (arm muscles become disproportionately larger than other muscle groups), but you will miss out on the synergistic effect that training large muscle groups has on arm development. For example, all exercises for presses on upper part bodies, such as the bench press and shoulder press, engage the triceps. All pulling exercises for the upper body such as deadlift and pull-ups are needed for the back muscles to engage the biceps. Doing compound exercises that target large muscle groups in your targeted arm workout is highly beneficial for development.

It makes no sense to eliminate other muscle groups when embarking on an arm-oriented training program, since training other large muscle groups also activates and stimulates the growth of arm muscles. Training the back, chest and shoulders will indirectly help in developing the muscles and strength of the arms. Also, your shoulders are part of your arms, so it's important to include this muscle group as part of your overall arm development program.

Beware of Fake Arm Workout Programs

Another thing to keep in mind with arm training programs is the ridiculous size increase claims they can make. Not only are some of these claims untrue, they actually charge a fee for the information, usually in the form of some sort of downloadable digital document. Statements such as "add 2 inches to your arms in 7 days". These things piss everyone off because they're scammers. There is no way anyone on this earth can add 2 inches of muscle tissue to their arms in a week, period! Of course, you can temporarily increase the size of your hand by an inch or two a week. But that extra size isn't pure muscle, it's inflammation and fluid retention. There are people who add 2 centimeters to their arms in one 30 minute workout from building a huge pump.

The muscle "pump" is caused by the plasma trapped inside the muscle. Repetitive and intense muscle contractions increase blood flow in the muscles, which causes plasma to move from the capillaries into the interstitial space in the muscle cells, giving the appearance of big muscle. Bodybuilders usually do exercises to "puff up" their muscles before they hit the stage to make their muscles appear bigger and fuller. But this is just a temporary "fake" size. Within a few hours, the blood drains, the pumping effect wears off, and the muscle returns to its normal size. This arm workout is definitely not your typical muscle building program. It is designed to achieve maximum muscle tissue growth. Sure, you can experience a big pump effect from this workout regimen, but that's about it. side effect. The information, exercises and workout structure in this guide will provide you with the tools you need to create real muscle arms, and not some temporary "pump".

Anatomy of the hand

Before we move on to the actual training program and training variables, we will review the functional anatomy of the major arm muscles. This will help you know what's going on behind the scenes and understand exactly what muscles you will be working for growth.

Biceps

Biceps is a muscle on the front (facial) part of the upper arm. I hope this isn't a shocking surprise for anyone. There are three main muscles on the front of the arm that you are most interested in.

Biceps brachii

The biceps has two heads: a long one, which is located on the outside of the arm, and a short one, which is located on the inside of the arm. The main function of the biceps is to flex the elbow and rotate (supinate) the forearm. What many people don't realize is that when turning the wrist from palm down (pronation) to palm up (supination), the biceps brachii is in control of this movement. Try it yourself, with your right upper arm perpendicular to the floor, lift your forearm with your palm down. Squeeze your right bicep with your left hand. Now turn right hand to raise your palm up. You can feel the biceps working even with this little twisting movement.

shoulder muscle

It's also important to know that the biceps don't work alone. There are two other supporting muscles. The first is called the brachialis, which is located under the biceps and acts like a second biceps. She does not participate in pronation or supination. The main role of this muscle is to help flex the elbow joint. The shoulder muscle has great potential for growth, but is often underdeveloped. Targeted training of this muscle by some specific methods is the right way add extra dimension to your hands.

brachioradialis muscle

The other muscle that was briefly mentioned above is the brachioradialis, which is actually more of the forearm but plays a supporting role in the movements of the biceps and makes up good part hand thickness. Usually people train the upper arm and completely neglect this muscle. But if you really want impressive arms, then you must train this muscle in harmony with the upper arm. Big muscular biceps and thin weak forearms will look less impressive. It means that it would be like a well-puffed upper body, put on skinny legs. It would be very inappropriate.

Biceps muscle training

To build the biceps, the workout includes exercises for both flexion and supination. By manipulating the position of the shoulder, you can increase the involvement of the long or short head of the biceps. Biceps exercises performed with your elbow at mid-body level will better pump the long head of the biceps. Incline dumbbell curls are a good example of an exercise that puts more stress on the long head of the biceps. Biceps exercises where the elbow is in front middle line body, better trains the short head of the biceps. The Scott Bench Curl is a good example of an exercise that puts a little more stress on the short head of the biceps.

Included in the workout effective exercises on the development of supporting muscles of the biceps (brachial and brachioradialis). All the best hand development exercises will be discussed in detail later. But first, let's take a look at the anatomy and function of the triceps.

Triceps

If you want big arms, then you need to give your triceps the same amount of attention and stress as you give your biceps. When it comes to arm muscles, most people put a lot of emphasis on training their biceps and neglect their triceps. Building big arms is more than just bicep training. If you really want to have sleeve-breaking arms, then you need to do more than just curls, because triceps make up about 75% of the entire arm. The triceps brachii is a three-headed muscle (hence the name triceps) and is located at the back of the upper arm. All three heads of the triceps muscle of the shoulder converge and are inserted into the elbow.

Side head

It is located on the outside of the arm and is the most visible part of the triceps. This part of the triceps muscle originates in the upper humerus and is attached to the elbow.

medial head

Located close to the elbow and is the smallest part of the triceps

long head

Located on the inside/back of the arm and connects to the shoulder blade. This part of the triceps muscle is slightly different from the lateral and medial head, as it connects to the bone of the scapula at the back and elbow. The triceps work in general with the primary function of extending the elbow joint (rectifier of the arm).

Triceps muscle training

As mentioned above, the triceps consists of three heads. All three heads work together when doing any kind of triceps exercise. It is impossible to cut one head without involving others. However, with certain exercises and training techniques, we can apply more tension to the selected head of the triceps. For example, placing the arms above the head isolates the long head of the triceps. When you perform an overhead triceps exercise, such as the dumbbell press or rope pull, you are stretching and isolating the long head of the triceps. This arm workout program includes various exercises structured to hit all the major arm muscles for maximum development.

Force Curve

This training program is structured so that you train the muscle optimally at different points on the strength curve. This means that you will develop strength through the full range of motion. Most people start their maximum strength in the middle of the range. For example, when lifting the barbell, the point at which the bar reaches the middle of the movement is where the muscle is placed under the most stress and strain. Therefore, the muscle will develop more force in the middle of the range of motion. When the bar rests on the top of the thigh in the initial biceps position, there is no tension on the biceps. As you lift the bar up, the tension increases and peaks in the middle of the movement, and then becomes less at the top. If you have always just trained your biceps with exercises that maximize tension in the middle of the range, then you will become strong at that point in the strength curve, but weak at the beginning and end of the muscle's range of motion. Adding an exercise such as low rope curls will create maximum tension at the bottom of the range, where dumbbell and barbell raises won't. You can create more overall muscle stimulation by applying force at all points on the strength curve. Having received a strong load at the beginning, middle and end of the range of motion of the muscles will result in better development this muscle.

The most effective hand exercises

In this section, we will look at best exercises for hand growth.

Selected muscle building exercises are based on the physiological response elicited by a specific movement. Although science has classified resistance training exercises in many ways, one of the most reliable and complete classifications involves the use of EMG - Electromyography. EMG is a method that captures and evaluates the electrical activity produced in certain muscle groups. Any movement causes electrical activity, and EMG allows researchers to determine which exercises produce the most activity. Knowing this, one can obtain an objective measurement.

In serious strength training Dr. Tudor Bompa, professor emeritus at York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, had results from applying EMG to various muscle groups and found that some exercises created more stimulation for muscle building than others. Your arm training will begin with big exercises. This will ensure that your muscles are fresh and ready to shift a lot of weight. Starting with big heavy exercise such as barbell raises or close grip bench presses will allow you to overload your muscles with weight in order to create a lot of tension inside the muscles. Heavy lifts are followed by specific isolation exercises that really focus on different areas of the arms to maximize development.

Descriptions of exercises for biceps

Exercise 1: EZ Bar or Barbell Curls

Barbell curls should be the main exercise in your biceps training program. This is a good mass-building isolation exercise that works the biceps brachii, brachialis, and to a lesser extent the forearms. This exercise can be done with an EZ bar or barbell. It is recommended to use an EZ bar if you see one free in the gym because it is light on the wrists and elbow joints and comfortable to use. Remember to keep your upper arm still to minimize any involvement of the shoulder muscles. Hold upper hand straight and do not swing the bar. Concentrate on the contraction of the biceps and move only in the elbow joints.

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Curls

Most likely, the first time you started weight training, you picked up the right dumbbells and did a few curls. It is very popular and great exercise isolation that works the biceps, as well as the brachial and brachioradialis muscles to some extent. The great thing about dumbbell curls is the ability to rotate your wrist as you lift the weight up. Remember that the biceps not only create flexion (flexion of the arm at the elbow joint), but also supination (rotation of the forearm). As you lift the weight up, twist your wrist clockwise as much as you can at the top of the movement. Squeeze your biceps hard and then slowly lower the weight over 3-4 seconds with controlled tension. Dumbbell curls take the biceps through their natural range of motion (flexion, pause, and supination) and allow you to twist, compress, and fully contract the biceps at the top of the movement.

Most people will do dumbbell curls, alternating each arm after each rep, which is fine. But it is better to prefer to train one arm at a time. For example, do 8 reps using your right hand, then switch and do 8 reps using your left hand. it The best way bicep workouts because you get better connection muscles and brain. You will be able to fully focus on one muscle at a time. The biceps are also under constant stress because you don't let them rest like you would with alternating arms after each rep.

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Curl incline bench

Doing incline dumbbell curls brings your elbows behind your body. Since the elbows are behind the body during this exercise, it will drastically change how you engage your biceps, giving a better stretch to the biceps and putting more emphasis on the long head. Set up an incline bench so that your arms go behind your torso in the starting position. If you make the incline too low, you can stretch the biceps and create unnecessary friction in the tendons.

Exercise 4: Scott Bench Curl

Remember that most people show their biceps when asked to show their muscles? Well, this exercise helps develop the inner short head of the biceps, the muscle most visible when you show your anterior biceps. Since your hands are in front of your torso during this exercise, the tension on the long head of the biceps is slightly reduced, giving more stress to the short head. This is one of the best isolation exercises for biceps, with a lot of emphasis on the short head of the biceps and brachialis. This is a very serious movement that allows you to focus on a muscle with a strong contraction. It is impossible to engage other muscles and "cheat" with this exercise because your hands are fixed on the support platform. EMG testing has shown this to be one of the best bicep stimulating exercises.

Exercise 5: Hammers (dumbbells or cable machine)

This is an isolation exercise that mainly targets the brachialis, brachioradialis, and to a lesser extent the biceps. It can be done using dumbbells or a cable machine. This exercise is performed using a neutral grip ( thumbs looking up) which puts the shoulder muscle in a straighter line of pull, increasing muscle recruitment and development.

Exercise 6: Reverse Curls

This is an isolation exercise that targets the brachialis brachii, and to a lesser extent the biceps. Performing reverse grip curls (palms facing down) with an EZ bar or barbell, overlaps the biceps insertion point. This means that the biceps lose their mechanical advantage, transferring the strong line to the shoulder of the radial muscle. When flexing with a pronation grip, the shoulder muscle does most of the work. Because the brachialis minor does most of the work, you don't need to use a lot of weight in this exercise.

Exercise 7: Cable pull down

Remember how we said above that there is no tension at the bottom of the biceps twist when using a dumbbell? Well, this exercise is great way create a lot of tension at the bottom of the bicep curl. This is the perfect complement to a biceps workout as it lengthens the biceps and builds strength in the lower range. Perform the exercise one arm at a time using the low cable attachment of the handle (with your back to the machine).

Descriptions of triceps exercises

Exercise 1: Close Grip Bench Press

This is a great compound exercise that gives you the ability to shift a lot of weight while putting a lot of stress on your triceps. It works on all heads of the triceps, but works best on the medial and lateral heads. When most people think of the bench press, they think of the chest workout. It's true that the bench press is primarily a chest exercise, but you also get a lot of stretch on the elbow, which works the triceps. And with some changes in arm position, you can get the triceps to do most of the work. This is a great triceps mass building exercise.

People make the mistake of keeping their hands too close to the bar when doing this exercise. This can cause a lot of tension in the wrists at the bottom of the movement. You need to hold the bar at shoulder width so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. Another common mistake when doing this exercise is that people tend to pull their elbows out to the sides. Don't do this - keep your elbows close to your body throughout the movement.

Exercise 2: Parallel bars

The parallel bars are another great compound exercise that works all three heads of the triceps muscles at the same time. It has been called the "upper body squat", but you must take great care to perform this exercise with perfect shape. It can cause stress and pain in the shoulder joint in some people. If you find this exercise very uncomfortable or painful in the shoulder area, then stop immediately. Some people don't get along with the bars, even if their shape is good enough. If this exercise is not for you, then replace it with a bench press with a narrow grip.

Exercise 3: Lying Triceps Raise

The lying triceps fly is a very popular triceps isolation exercise. Some people find this exercise quite uncomfortable and sometimes causes pain in the elbows. To make this exercise as comfortable as possible for the elbows and in general, use the EZ bar. If in your gym there is no EZ bar or you still feel uncomfortable, use dumbbells with neutral grip(palms facing each other). There are several options for exercises. Some lower the bar to the chin, others to the head. But the exercise's second name, "skullbreaker," suggests that it is usually performed by lowering the weight toward the forehead.

Exercise 4: French Press

This is a very effective isolation exercise for the triceps. Since this exercise is performed with the arms above the head, it gives a greater stretch and better activation of the long head of the triceps. This exercise can be done with dumbbells or a cable machine.

Exercise 5: Cable Triceps Rows

A great cable exercise on the machine involves all three heads of the triceps and the lateral heads of the triceps are involved more than using a barbell.

Exercise 6: Standing Block Extension

This is an absolute "must have" exercise to maximize triceps development. It creates a lot of tension throughout the full range of motion and MRI studies have shown that the greatest emphasis is on the lateral and long head of the triceps and moderate on the medial. EMG testing has shown this to be one of the best triceps stimulating exercises.

Exercise 7: Reverse Arm Extension

This is an isolation exercise that mainly works the medial and lateral heads of the triceps.

Important components of a workout

Knowing which exercises are best for building big, muscular arms is great, but there are some important training components that are needed to make any muscle building program a success. In order for this program to work, you must understand and apply these components in your workouts.

Rise rate

The term "tempo" is used to define the rate at which weight is lifted and reduced during a repetition. This is usually expressed as a combination of four numbers:

1. This is the starting position
2. This is the concentric part of the movement (lifting)
3. This is the final position of the movement
4. This is the eccentric part of the movement (lowering)

One rep of the bicep curl would look like 0/2/1/3:

• 0 seconds at rest
• 2 seconds to lift the weight (concentric)
• 1 second pause at the end
• 3 seconds to lower weight to starting position (eccentric)

... and then repeat.

Why repetition speed is so important

To really maximize growth from each rep, science tells us that performing a fast, explosive concentric contraction will be optimal. During muscle contraction, motor units and muscle fibers are recruited to the force generated by the muscle. The more motor units and muscle fibers activated during a repetition, the greater the muscle growth response. So when you lift the weight, it should be fast, with a strong contraction, and last 1 to 2 seconds.

How about lowering the weight?

Many people make the mistake of letting gravity do all the work. This significantly reduces the time that the muscle is under tension and will result in a reduced rate of mass growth. Muscles must be in constant tension during the lifting and lowering of the weight in order to increase the time under tension. Below are examples of how the rate of ascent affects the time energized:

Example 1: You do 8 barbell curls. It takes you 2 seconds to lift the bar, after which you slowly lower the weight under tension for 3 seconds. Muscles in a tense state for about 40 seconds per approach.

Example 2: You do 8 reps of barbell curls with no weight control on the descent. It takes you 2 seconds to lift the barbell. Then you relax your muscles and let gravity do most of the work in losing weight. The muscle is under tension for about 16 seconds in one set.

Do you see how important it is to reduce weight under controlled tension?

Research shows that negatives have a greater effect on muscle hypertrophy than concentric training, and there is evidence that maximum growth is not achieved unless eccentric training is performed. muscle actions— Brad Schoenfeld

Research shows us that the eccentric (lower) part of each rep causes muscle growth and is just as important as the concentric (lifting) part. But you must lower the weight in a controlled movement while keeping the target muscle under tension. It will take you 3-4 seconds to return the weight to its original position. Some people care a lot about the tempo of the rise, counting every second of every part of the rep. This is stupid and completely unnecessary. You don't have to get hung up on every second - trying to make sure every part of the lift hits right at the prescribed pace of the lift. You don't have to count the rising tempo in your head as you complete each rep. It's just a distraction. All you need to do is keep two things in mind:

1. Fast, explosive rise (1 - 2 seconds)
2. Slow, controlled decline (3 - 4 seconds)

The number of repetitions in the approach

Scientific studies have classified repeats into 3 main ranges:

• 1 – 5 mostly strength/muscle growth
• 6 – 12 mostly muscle growth/strength
• 15+ mostly muscular endurance

As you can see from the list above, a moderate rep range of 6-12 is optimal for muscle growth. Now the most important thing is the weight you are using. Just picking any a light weight and counting 10 repetitions - will not cause growth. Muscles don't respond to numbers, they respond to tension. You should choose a weight that forces you to failure (the point at which you can't complete another rep). Approximately between 6 - 12 repetitions. This ensures that the muscle you are training gets enough tension and time under tension to increase growth. In the arm training program, it is better to narrow the range to 8 reps per set. It may take a few “rehearsal sets” to find the appropriate weight so that you reach failure around the 8th rep. If you can easily do more than 10 reps during a set, then that weight is too light. Increase the weight a little on your next set. If during a set you are struggling to reach 8 reps, then the weight is too heavy. Reduce the weight slightly on the next set.

Rest and recovery

The whole point of the training program is to increase the level of protein synthesis of a certain muscle group. Protein synthesis is the method by which muscles are built. In this program, you focus on maximizing arm growth, which means increasing protein synthesis in those muscles as often as possible. Right now, your muscles are performing a balancing act known as protein turnover. Protein turnover is the balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. More synthesis than destruction shows the anabolic position that builds muscle tissues. More breakdown than synthesis means a catabolic state that burns muscle tissue. Balance of muscle protein synthesis and degradation:

• Synthesis = degradation = stable muscle mass (no change)
• Synthesis > degradation = muscle hypertrophy (growth)
• Synthesis< деградация = атрофия мышц (сокращение)

There are a number of different stimuli that affect protein turnover, but the two most interesting to you are exercise and nutrition. So what does all this have to do with rest and recovery?

After intense training our muscles go through a period when the level of protein synthesis increases. Depending on the intensity and volume of training, protein synthesis levels increase after training within 24 to 72 hours. This means that the process of protein synthesis in building muscle tissue takes time and requires rest. This is why training programs include rest days, and muscle groups have a set number of rest days between workouts. The time between workouts for the same muscle group is the rest period. Your main focus during this period should be: give enough rest to the trained muscles and supply them with nutrients. After training, the level of protein synthesis only increases, provided that there is a sufficient amount of amino acids from protein products. If you don't give your body enough protein during rest and recovery, then you won't see the gains in muscle growth from your workout. Which brings me to my next point...nutrition for mass gain!

A few words about nutrition

An arm weight training program will get you nowhere without a solid nutrition plan. It is physiologically impossible to build muscle tissue without sufficient nutrients. In order to build any amount of muscle you must eat! You must eat more calories each day than you burn. This condition is commonly referred to as calorie surplus. And this is a necessary requirement for muscle growth. The very first thing you need to do is figure out how many calories you need to consume in order to gain mass. There are many different calculations and formulas for counting calories. Poor nutrition is the number one reason why people fail to gain impressive amounts of muscle. Going to the gym is the easy part. Sticking to a diet from the moment you wake up until you go to bed is where people get into trouble. Don't limit your results by being inconsistent with your diet.

What have you learned:

• Anatomy and biomechanics of the main muscles of the hands.
• The best exercises for muscle building and arm development.
• The optimal lifting pace for muscle growth.
• Optimal rep range for muscle growth.
• Why rest and recovery are important for success.

Now it's time to take that information and start the 12 week arm workout. In the next section, you will receive your new training program, which is designed not only to maximize arm growth, but also to build muscle throughout the body.

12 week workout program

You're excited to hit the gym and get started with this arm development workout program. But before you do that, you need to understand how this program was developed and why it is so effective. Over the next 12 weeks, you will rotate between two different workout routines. Each workout has been intelligently designed to stimulate as much growth as possible in the arm muscles. Real muscle... not some temporary "pump" that most other arm building programs give.

Workouts are a modified version classic split press, pull, legs. Push/Push/Legs split is a workout schedule that divides the body into 3 groups: push muscles upper body, pulling muscles upper body, and legs. Each group then trains separately on their own training day.

• Press Day - Work all the upper body muscle groups that are involved in pushing exercises. (Chest, shoulders and triceps)
• Deadlift Day - Train all the upper body muscle groups that are involved in deadlift exercises. (back and biceps)
• Leg day - train the whole body. (quadriceps, hamstrings and calves)

Push/Push/Legs workout is a highly effective mass gaining program. The main addition to this program is hand day. With this arm day, you will have two arm workouts per week. Small muscle groups such as biceps and triceps recover faster than larger muscle groups, so small muscle groups can be worked at a higher training frequency. By training your arm muscles twice a week, you will receive more growth stimulus training over the next 12 weeks. This program includes large compound exercises for large muscle groups. Many other hand development programs will severely neglect other muscle groups in the body. As discussed earlier, large compound exercises for large muscle groups such as the chest, shoulders, and back also stimulate arm growth. By including these exercises, you can really overload your arms with large weights when training large muscle groups.

Here is how the training program is structured for 1 week:

You will train the biceps on the first day (arm day), then again 4 days later when you train all the “pulling” muscle groups. The triceps will also be trained on day 1 and then again 3 days later when you train all the "pushing" muscle groups.

Arms / Legs / Presses / Deadlifts:

Monday: Hands
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Presses
Friday: Deadlifts
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

This structure was created so that you train 4 days a week on a fixed schedule. So you work the same days every week, resting and recovering on weekends. If you prefer to train on weekends, then just move training days so they look like this:

Weekend workout:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Hands
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Presses
Sunday: Deadlifts

Your weekly workouts for 12 weeks will look like this:

Week 1: Workout 1
Week 2: Workout 2
Week 3: Workout 1
Week 4: Workout 2
Week 5: Workout 1
Week 6: Workout 2

Two rotating workouts have been created to accommodate all of the most effective arm exercises, work them carefully from different angles, and stimulate the muscle fibers through all points of the strength curve. Nothing potentially important for growth was left unattended. Another benefit of rotating workouts is that it allows you to hit each muscle group with maximum intensity. For example, training in week 1 starts with biceps and then works triceps. When switching to Workout 2 for Week 2, you will start by training the triceps and then the biceps. This makes it possible to train each muscle group at maximum intensity when you are fresh and full of energy. If you were supposed to always start with biceps, then your intensity may drop a little when you move on to triceps. And this means that the triceps will always train when your energy levels start to drop. Alternating between workouts 1 and 2 each week eliminates this potential problem and gives you one day each week when you can actually focus on each muscle group at maximum intensity.

Principles of training

Note: do not use the program all year round. This is a slightly unbalanced program with an emphasis on maximizing arm growth. This means that other muscle groups such as the chest, back, shoulders and legs will be trained less frequently. Therefore, the growth of these muscles will be less than the arms. The program is designed to be completed within 12 weeks (or up to 16 weeks).

Warm up

Each muscle requires a sequence of warm-up sets. This will activate and prepare the muscles and central nervous system for heavy work sets. A few warm-up sets can go a long way in helping with performance and reducing the risk of injury. Some of the main benefits of a series of warm-up sets are:

• Increased synovial fluid in the joints.
• Increase in body temperature.
• Nervous awakening of the central nervous system.
• Opening of capillaries in muscles.
• Metabolic set to heavy loads.

Warm up before working on each muscle group. You don't have to do this before every exercise, just once before you start training a particular muscle group. For example, if you start with workout 1 on day 1, then your first working exercise These are barbell curls for biceps. It is necessary to perform the following series of warm-up approaches:

1. Warm Up Set 1: (Barbell Curl) 12 reps with empty bar
2. Warm-up set 2: (barbell curls) 8 reps using light weights
3. Warm-up set 3: (barbell curls) 5 reps with moderate weight
4. Warm-up set 4: (barbell curls) 1 rep using working weight

Each set gets harder as you add more weight, gradually increasing the weight with each set, with the final set at your working weight. You are now ready to start training your biceps with your first working set of barbell curls. Now each set is a work set that must be done with maximum focus and intensity.

Rest between sets

Don't be obsessed with long rest times between sets. From 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets for small muscle groups (biceps, triceps, shoulders) and for large compound exercises such as squats or deadlifts - up to 3 minutes.

Exercise technique

It is important that you know how to perform each exercise correctly to maximize target muscle growth and reduce the risk of injury. If you are not sure how to do any of the exercises, take some time to watch the instructional video and get to know the exercise better.

Workout 1

Arms (biceps, triceps)

An exercise	Approaches	repetitions
Boom lift	3	8
Incline Dumbbell Raise	3	8
Hammers	2	8
Reverse barbell lift	2	8
bars	3	8
Triceps Rope Pull	3	8
dumbbell french press	2	8

An exercise	Approaches	repetitions
Barbell squat	4	8
leg press	4	8
Leg kicks	2	8
Lifting on the hips in the simulator	2	8
Rises on socks	3	8

Presses (chest, shoulders, triceps)

An exercise	Approaches	repetitions
Barbell bench press	3	8
Bench press on an incline bench	2	8
Wiring for chest in the simulator	3	8
Army press	3	8
Cable pull with one hand	2	8
Cable pull in the simulator	3	8
French bench press	2	8

Pulls (back, biceps)

An exercise	Approaches	repetitions
Deadlift	3	8
Top block pull	4	8
Smith machine lifts	4	8
Scott bench raises	3	8
Low cable bends	3	8

Workout 2

Arms (biceps, triceps)

Legs (quads, thighs, calves)

An exercise	Approaches	repetitions
Barbell squat	3	8
leg press	3	8
Leg kicks	3	8
Lifting on the hips in the simulator	3	8
Rises on socks	4	8

Presses (chest, shoulders, triceps)

Pulls (back, biceps)

Answers to frequently asked questions

How should I follow this program?

This arm workout program consists of two workouts (1 and 2) that you should alternate week after week. The first week you will do workout 1, and the second week you will switch to workout 2, then again, and so on for twelve weeks. This is how you will see the alternation between workouts 1 and 2 each week:

Week 1: Workout 1
Week 2: Workout 2
Week 3: Workout 1
Week 4: Workout 2
Week 5: Workout 1
Week 6: Workout 2
…and so on for 12 weeks.

For example, workout 1 would train arms on Monday, legs on Tuesday, and rest on Wednesday. Follow the program as shown above. Let's summarize what you need to do. In the first week you will start with workout 1, then switch to workout 2, then workout 1 in the third week, then workout 2 in the fourth week. You need to continue alternating workouts 1 and 2 every week for 12 weeks.

What is the logic behind this curriculum?

The program is designed to recruit and stimulate as many muscle fibers as possible in the muscles of the arms for 12 weeks. Each exercise is proven by research to be the best for muscle growth, and the program is structured to maximize muscle tension through all points of the strength curve.

When is the best time to use this program?

This training program is the ideal solution for those who want to accelerate the growth of arm muscles. It is ideal for both beginners and experienced athletes.

Beginning:

You can use this program if you are completely new to weight training and want to start growing your arms. Maybe you just have really skinny arms and want to fill in a gap in your t-shirt sleeve, or maybe you just want big guns to show off.

it ideal program if you've been training for a while but find that your arms are a stubborn muscle group that doesn't grow in proportion to other muscle groups. Follow this program for 12 weeks and then return to your standard program.

Remember that this is a slightly unbalanced program that is designed to increase arm muscle growth faster than other muscle groups. You should use this program for 12 weeks, then switch to a more balanced program for 6 to 12 weeks before using it again.

Should you train to failure on every set?

The term "rejection" is frivolously voiced by everyone around and is not well understood by most people. There are 2 types of failure in the bodybuilding world:

• a point in a set where you can no longer complete another full positive rep unaided and with good form.
• the point where you scream, spit, tear your pants, rupture the blood vessels in your eyes (I've seen it happen) and the form breaks to the point where every muscle in the body is used to move the weight.

It would be impossible to complete every set if you were to train to true failure as described in step two, you would burn yourself out before the workout started...and need to change your pants. You should work with a weight that is 75-80% of your 1RM (rep max). This means that the weight that gets you to failure is in the 8-10 rep range. Your last two or three reps should be very hard and require a lot of effort. But you should be able to maintain good form until your last rep, when you can no longer lift the weight to complete the next rep.

What does rep range mean?

Approximately 8 - 10 repetitions are prescribed for each set for maximum muscle hypertrophy(muscle growth). If you reach the point of muscle failure on the 6th rep, is that still considered a working set? Yes, absolutely, but slightly reduce the weight on the next set so that you are able to complete a couple of extra reps. If you go beyond 10 reps and reach muscle failure on the 13th rep, is that considered a working set? Yes, this would also still count as a working set for building muscle, but increase the weight slightly on the next set so that you experience failure in the prescribed 8-10 rep range.

If you are a beginner, it will take some trial and error to find your working weight. Most experienced lifters know how much weight they can bench press or lift for 10 reps. Remember that the working weight will change over time as you get stronger. You should always push yourself to the max in order to increase your working weight in small increments over time. When 10 reps of a certain weight feel very light, it's time to increase the weight so that those 10 reps always feel heavy.

Should you train a muscle if it is still sore from a previous workout?

Muscle pain that occurs after a workout is called krepatura, and it feels like the muscles are bruised. Pain usually lingers, usually 24 to 72 hours (may be up to 7 days for beginners); it also takes longer to subside than short-term muscle pain. Think about how your legs will feel in a day or two after doing a lot of hard squats and climbing stairs. This is an example of krepatura. This type of delayed soreness, depending on its severity and duration, has the adverse effect of preventing muscle activity until it has subsided to a tolerable level. Some muscle soreness is great for weight lifting. If it's very painful, you may need to slow down a bit (fewer sets, lighter weights) or take a day off altogether. Beginners are very prone to krepatura. But your muscles will adjust to the stress of the workout, and crepitus will become less frequent over time. Muscle soreness is not an indicator or a requirement for muscle growth. You will adjust to the workout and the DOMS should subside. If you feel any persistent pain around your joints, stop all exercise and see your doctor. The most common places people develop injuries are tendons around the elbows and shoulders, so beware of any pain developing around these areas. The main reasons why people develop pain in tendons or joints is poor form of exercise. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to perform each exercise in perfect form.

Mustdo you exercise with cardio equipment?

This is a muscle building program. This is not an endurance or reset program. excess fat. Cardiovascular exercise is not required as part of this program. However, everyone should add some cardio to their workout routine. At least one day a week to improve health. Regular cardio workouts keep your heart healthy. Pick one of your rest days (not after leg day) to do some cardio for cardiovascular health.

Why are there no exercises for the press in the program?

Most of the exercises in the program will help build a strong core, so there is no real need to do any abdominal isolation exercises. This is an arm oriented program that also provides a good level of stimulation to all the other muscle groups on the body. If you want to include ab exercises in the program, that's fine, you can add them to leg day. But if you have more than 10% body fat, then you won't be able to see your abs, and abs workouts won't burn belly fat. This is a mass gaining program focused on the arms. Developing 6 well defined abs requires a completely different training and nutrition program.

Hands stopped growing? Are you training, but it's not working? Take note of the super killer arm workout that will increase your arms in volume.

All those who come to the gym first of all want big arms and a pumped-up chest, since I will always bring these parts of the body, but not everyone succeeds, some don’t eat right, others choose the wrong way of training, others just fiddle in training and training arm muscles is worth it locally with no results. In order for the hands to grow, you need to work hard over them, for this they are best suited and which will be discussed below.

Program arm training

Before starting the exercises, it is necessary to perform 2-3 warm-up approaches with a small weight in order to put the muscles on alert, stretch them by increasing elasticity, but do not bring the muscles to the state.

During the training process, you must choose such that the last repetition is exactly the last, if you can do more repetitions, then the weight is too small, if you cannot complete the required number of repetitions, then the weight is too large.

Alternate in trisets and supersets, start with an exercise for biceps once, another day for triceps.

Rest should be 60 seconds between sets of a triset and a superset.

When moving from exercise to exercise (on to training the arms from a triset to a superset or from one block of a superset to the next block of a superset), rest can be increased to 3 minutes

Workout scheme:

TRISET:

- - 3 sets x 8-6 reps

3 sets x max reps

SUPERSET #1

- - 3 sets x 8 reps

- - 3 sets x 8 reps

SUPERSET #2

- - 3 sets x 10 reps

SUPERSET #3

- - 3 sets x 12 reps

Step-by-step instructions for doing exercises on the hands

Hand muscle training is divided into 4 large blocks with exercises, we will analyze each in detail:

TRISET

This technique builds muscles in an excellent way, it is important to perform it in 1 approach - 8 repetitions, and in 2-3 - 6 repetitions. A small number of repetitions and a large weight loads the muscles as much as possible developing strength in them, which is why trisets are performed first while the muscles are fresh and full of strength.

RAISE OF THE BAR FOR BICEPS - grip shoulder width apart, in this position, the load is evenly distributed to the outer and inner part muscles. If you are lagging behind the inner beam of the biceps, the grip must be made wider, if the outer one, then narrower.

FRENCH BENCH PRESS - a good basic exercise, during which make sure that the elbows do not diverge to the sides, and the triceps are parallel to the floor, at the highest point of the lift, make a second delay for the maximum load of the triceps.

BENCH PRESS NARROW GRIP - an excellent basic exercise that will complete the triple hit on the arms, lowering the barbell, the elbows should be as close to the body as possible, and when lifting they did not diverge to the sides. At the highest point, do not straighten your elbows to the end in order to maintain tension in the muscles and not overstrain the elbow joints.

SUPERSET #1

In this block, the number of repetitions increases to 8, so the weight must be reduced in comparison with trisets:

FRENCH PRESS WITH A SITTING DUMBELL - This is a unique exercise of its kind, as it works well on the ever-problem long head of the triceps, so do not ignore it. Lower the dumbbell as low as possible to stretch the triceps better, do not forget to correct breathing when lowering inhale, on the rise exhale.

BENDING THE ARMS ON THE BENCH SCOTT - training the arms on an incline bench perfectly trains a short (internal) bundle of the biceps, the elbows do not come off the bench during the exercise, and the arms are parallel to each other. The use of the E-shaped neck reduces the load on the brachioradialis muscle and joints.

SUPERSET #2

For triceps, take a rope handle, this will allow you to further strain your muscles due to the lack of a rigid base. The number of repetitions rises to 10, and the weight decreases even more, due to which everything is felt more tangibly, pouring blood into the muscles and increasing them in volume.

INCLINE DUMBELL BENDING - an excellent exercise that will stretch the biceps as much as possible (both the internal one and the external beam) and powerfully reduce it, giving impetus to muscle growth. Set the back of the gymnastic bench at an angle of 60 degrees, the shoulder blades are fully pressed and the head too.

ARM EXTENSION ON THE UPPER BLOCK - tilt the body forward a little, press your elbows to your sides and extend your elbows, at the lowest point, try to turn your wrists outward, increasing the tension of the triceps, namely lateral heads. It is very important that the elbows are pressed to the body, otherwise part of the load will be transferred to pectoral muscles and anterior delta.

SUPERSET #3

This is the last block of exercises, which provides for 12 repetitions, its main task is maximum burning in the muscles and super-powerful pumping, concentrate not on the volume of working weights, but on the feeling of the muscle being trained. We perform the exercise with each hand separately for a better feeling of the muscle, so that a more powerful hand does not take part of the load from a less weak one.

But there is a small nuance here, while one hand works, then the second rests, so we reduce the rest between sets to 30 seconds.

LOW BLOCK ARM FLEX - take a comfortable position for maximum feeling of the biceps, the advantage of the crossover exercise is that thanks to the cable the muscle is tense both in the lower and in the upper part.

ARM EXTENSION IN INCLINE - an excellent final exercise that will squeeze the last strength out of your triceps. The main thing is that the triceps be strictly parallel to the floor, in the process of unbending and lowering the arm, the elbow stands in one place, this is the only way you purposefully direct the load to the triceps.

- FOR NEWBIES- if you are new to sports life iron sports, then on the day of training the hands, perform only triset and superset No. 1, this will be enough for the hands to receive good load for initial muscle growth.

- FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL - your muscles are already sufficiently trained, for a good load it will be enough to complete the entire set of exercises without superset No. 4.

- FOR EXPERIENCED- if you are not the first year involved power types sports, then triset and 3 supersets are just for you, after going through this hellish workout to the end, the arm muscles will receive maximum load in all directions.

It is not recommended to train all the time according to this scheme, otherwise even the most trained hands will get it. Train according to this scheme for 1-2 months in a row or shake your hands from time to time. Since this training program requires a lot of effort, it is better to separate it into a separate training day, especially if your hands are a weak point.

What will be required

Basic exercises for hands is one of the most effective tools for training large and well-developed hands. After all, as you know, isolated exercises good only as additions to the basic ones. Let's figure out how to still pump up big arms, including at home with the help of basic exercises for arm muscles.

What does it take for muscles to grow?

Firstly, you need to train the muscle regularly, and secondly, let it recover. And if there are no problems with arm training: we pump every workout, or we pump it on a separate day, then recovery, as a rule, is a disaster, and precisely because we so devoutly exploit our arm muscles. What is the point? Biceps and triceps, by themselves, are quite small muscle groups, but with very important functions in terms of helping large muscle masses. So, the biceps is a traction muscle group that actively assists in the same movements to the back, the triceps is a pushing muscle group that “helps” the deltas and pectorals. Accordingly, by loading large muscle groups, you are simultaneously training your arms, therefore, without using specialized exercises for biceps and triceps at all, you can add solid muscle volumes to the latter. But there are several conditions:

• you have to work with very solid weights;
• you should feel very well the work of the “target muscles” (lats, pectorals or deltas);
• for a certain time, abandon the "point" pumping of the muscles of the hands;
• be sure to train your leg muscles hard - do deadlifts and squats - it is exercises for the lower body that lead to the strongest activation of your hormonal system and lead to a powerful natural release of testosterone.

Following all of the above tips on how to build big arms will lead to an increase in overall muscle mass, that is, all your muscles will increase in volume, including the muscles of the arms. At the same time, they will become much stronger - this will definitely come in handy for us, but more on that below. So a certain muscle mass We have created hands, but we want more.

We divided our material into 2 conditional blocks on basic exercises for the arms: 1 - these are exercises for the triceps, 2 - these are, respectively, exercises for the biceps. Let's start with the 1st.




© dissoid - stock.adobe.com

Specialized triceps training

It is from this moment that we begin to do specialized exercises for the muscles of the arms, while remembering that 2/3 of the volume of the arms sets the triceps and only one third - the biceps. Accordingly, the triceps muscle of the shoulder becomes a priority for us. Despite the fact that the triceps consists of three heads, it has one tendon, respectively, when we unbend the arm in the elbow joint, the entire muscle contracts, not some separate bundle. However, depending on the position of the humerus relative to the girdle of the upper limb, it is possible to change the involvement of the muscle in the movement.




© bilderzwerg - stock.adobe.com

Our goal is a large triceps, therefore, our task is to include, first of all, "the largest head of the triceps." This is the middle one, its proximal end is attached to the scapula. To turn on the middle head “to the fullest”, we must raise our arm above the head and, bending it at the elbow, bring the forearm behind the head, followed by extension of the arm. The second option is to straighten the arm in the elbow joint while changing the position of the shoulder relative to the body. Basic exercises for training arms and, accordingly, triceps are given below.

french press




Push-ups on the uneven bars with an emphasis on triceps

1. Starting position - hanging on the uneven bars, the body is straight, fixed on straightened arms perpendicular to the ground.
2. With a fixed position of the body, or with a slight tilt of the body forward, bend the arms at the elbow joints to an angle of 90-100 degrees, without spreading the elbows to the sides - this will shift part of the load on the pectoral muscles. Deeper push-ups in this version are highly discouraged due to the increased risk of injury for shoulder joint.
3. Straighten your arms under control, trying to create maximum pressure with your palms on the bars.

1. We sit on the edge of the bench, grab the edge with our hands. The grip is shoulder-width apart, it can be a little narrower, here you need to find a comfortable position for the wrist joint.
2. We take the buttocks forward, transfer the weight of the body to the hands. At the same time, the legs are straightened at the knee joints and carried forward. The heels are on the floor, or you can use the second bench as a support (the main condition: the same height with support under your arms).
3. We smoothly bend our arms at the elbow joints, we try not to spread our elbows to the sides. Buttocks and back fall to the floor, parallel to the bench. Elbows are bent to an angle of 90 degrees, we fix the position with a stretched position of the triceps muscle of the shoulder.
4. Next, we unbend our elbows, trying to focus on the sensations in the triceps. We fix the tension in the target muscles. To complicate this exercise, you can use weights, in this case, it should be located on the hips, as close to the pelvis as possible.

Biceps workout

As for the biceps, for its maximum hypertrophy it is advisable to use alternate bending of the arms from two main positions: when the shoulder is in line with the body and when the shoulder is retracted backward relative to the body. I’ll explain why this is so: alternate bending gives a clearer mental control over the muscle being worked out and allows you to focus 100% on working out the biceps on both sides. Changing the position of the shoulder relative to the body provides a shift in emphasis from the short head of the biceps (shoulders pressed to the body) to the long one (shoulder retracted backwards). It is important to understand that in each variant, the entire muscle contracts, as a whole, only the degree of involvement of muscle bundles in the movement changes.

© reineg - stock.adobe.com

Standing dumbbell curls

1. The starting position is standing, the best option, pressing your back and elbows against a fixed support, excluding swinging movements of the body. The forearms are supinated, in the hands of a dumbbell. The forearm is in line with the wrist.
2. The arm is bent at the elbow joint to an angle of 100 degrees, that is, not completely (ideally, you should bend your arm until you feel maximum tension in the biceps). If you bring the dumbbell to the shoulder joint, you will thereby remove part of the load from working muscle, and lose a fraction of the efficiency of movement.

The most effective mode of performing the exercise: under control and slowly unbend the working arm at the elbow, preventing complete relaxation of the biceps, perform a given number of repetitions with the working limb, then switch to working out the second arm.

© blackday - stock.adobe.com

Alternate bending with dumbbells of the arms while sitting at an angle of 45 degrees

Optimal I.P. - sitting on a bench, back at an angle of 45 degrees. Hands with dumbbells hang freely on the sides of the body. The position of the hands is the same as described in paragraph 1 above. The essence of the exercise is to bend the arm at the elbow joint, without additional movement shoulder. The technique of the movement itself is the same as described above.

© blackday - stock.adobe.com

Simultaneous bending of the arms with a barbell

1. I.P. corresponds to that described in paragraph 1. The bar is fixed in the lowered hands, at the level of the hips, the grip is shoulder width apart. The neck can be used both curved and Olympic, EZ, of course, is preferable, as it allows you to work more comfortably and, accordingly, better concentrate on the work of the target muscles.
2. Under control we bend the arms in the elbow joints to an angle of approximately 100 degrees, we fix at the point of maximum tension of the biceps, under control we return the barbell to its original position.

How to combine arm training with training the rest of the muscle groups

For effective growth arm muscles, 4 conditions are important (according to V.N. Seluyanov - source "" (read from page 126)):

• pool of free amino acids;
• free creatine;
• anabolic hormones;
• hydrogen ions.

The first two conditions depend on your nutrition, but the last ones depend solely on your training. Muscles acidify during work in the mode of 12-15 repetitions, that is, when working with weights of 65-70% of your maximum. Good acidification is indicated by a burning sensation in the muscle.

Anabolic hormones are released in response to the training of large muscle groups, in the largest amount - when training the legs. Accordingly, it makes sense to train biceps and triceps on leg day, after the latter. Or tie the biceps training to the day when you work out the back, and do the triceps after the chest. In the latter option, you should not perform more than 2 exercises in 3 sets each. In the combination of hands and feet, it is optimal to do 2-3 exercises for triceps in 3 sets and 1-2 exercises for biceps in the mode of 3-4 sets each.

In conclusion, a useful video about warm-up / cool-down massage for active recovery of biceps and triceps:

If you really want to pump up your arms properly, you will have to abandon the previous ineffective workouts. This merciless gym workout will be shock therapy for your biceps and triceps, and give you what you crave: bazookas that will burst your sleeves!

Guys, tell me which muscle group would you like to make more voluminous? Strive to build powerful arms, right? Few of us are happy with our biceps and triceps, even though we diligently do biceps curls, triceps extensions, and press until the muscles feel “wadded”. For what?

Perhaps, over the months and years of such training, your muscles even grew, but it is unlikely that the results obtained will even slightly meet your expectations. I don't want to upset you, but if for a long time arm muscle training has given you nothing, you will not be able to make progress by doing the current program.

This was bad news.

The good news is that with the help of some serious hardcore "to the hilt" training - a relief training for men, which is unmatched in intensity by any previously used - your hands will again "make friends" with a measuring tape.

Warning: If you're not ready to push yourself to the limit and endure incredible pain, this mass-arms program is not for you. But everyone who is thirsty for serious results is welcome!

1. EZ Bar Curl 1 set, 20 reps (9 kg) 1 set, 10 reps (18 kg) 1 set, 15 reps (13.5 kg) 1 set, 20 reps (9 kg)
2. Triset Bench press on the triceps down on vertical block reverse grip 1 set, 12 reps Bench press on the triceps down on a vertical block with a direct grip 1 set, 12 reps French bench press on the lower block Use a short straight handle 1 set, 12 reps
3 sets, 8 reps
4. Bench push-ups for triceps with weights 3 sets, 10 reps
5. Exercise "hammer" on the lower block - rope handle 3 sets, 12 reps
6. Superset EZ Bar French Press Perform on an incline bench head down 3 sets, 12 reps Bench press lying on an incline bench head down 3 sets, 12 reps

EZ Bar Curl for Biceps

While you're still fresh and full of energy, kick start your workout by blasting your biceps with one brutal bunch of exercises. Prepare three EZ-bars with a fixed weight and in increments, for example, 9, 13.5 and 18 kg or maybe 13.5, 18 and 23 kg. If you are not a "superman", you are unlikely to need more weight. Remember that the only respite here is to change rods.

In total, you do 80 repetitions: first, the weight increases, and the number of repetitions decreases, and then vice versa: the weight decreases, and the number of repetitions increases. Why so many repetitions? One of the reasons why a lot of beginner and intermediate athletes don't achieve muscle growth is because of their arm-based training program and obsession with heavy weights and low reps. As a result, they have neither pumping nor sufficient muscle load to stimulate active growth.

Pyramid bending gives you both. Don't worry if you can't complete all of the indicated reps. Do what you can. You will have two rounds of this sequence of exercises with a 2-minute recovery break in between.

Triset:

Bench press on the triceps down on the vertical block with a reverse grip, press on the triceps down on the vertical block with a direct grip, french press on the bottom block

Attach to top block short straight handle. Start with 12 reps with a reverse grip. Change to a regular straight grip and do 12 more reps. Finally, turn your back to the frame and weight stack, and squeeze out 12 reps of the French press.

You may need to move the lock a couple of weight plates lower in the straight grip extension. After that, you can return to the starting weight for the French press. For most of us, straight-grip extensions are better.

Your biceps rested a little while you pumped your triceps to a burning state. Now we will again give them attention with the help of bending the arms.

Spider curls are typically performed with an EZ bar on the straight, vertical side of a Scott bench. So the amplitude of movement is greater than on its inclined part.

In fact, these will be spider bends with one hand. Take a dumbbell that you can raise for biceps 8 times, and start the exercise. Once your muscles reach positive failure, do 3-4 more curls while helping yourself with your other hand. When you can no longer bend without exerting maximum effort with your free hand, raise your working arm with it to a bent position.

Slowly resist the negative movement as the dumbbell pulls your working arm down under gravity. You should be able to do 3-4 of these negative reps, after which your biceps will be begging for mercy.

Take a dumbbell in your other hand, and punish your other biceps beyond the “failure” measure.

Bench push-ups for triceps with weights

Dips are a fantastic exercise, but many lifters use their chest and anterior deltoids too much during the exercise. Bench push-ups differ in that they focus specifically on the triceps, especially if you add weight. Try doing this exercise with at least 10 kg, or even a pair of 20 kg pancakes on your knees.

Start with a weight that allows you to do no more than 10 repetitions. Then take it off (you'll need a helper here), and continue to failure with own weight body. On average, you will do 10-20 more push-ups without weights.

Exercise "hammer" on the lower block with a rope handle

Time for the finishing touch on the biceps. These curls will stress your outer (long) bicep heads. The shoulder muscle, located between the long head of the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps, will also be included in the work.

Attach the rope handle to lower block. Keeping the ends of the handles close together, bend your arms and contract your biceps. Lower your arms 1/3 of the way, and bend again. This is one repetition. There are still 35 left.

Superset:

EZ-Bar French Bench Press and Incline Bench Press with Head Down

The French bench press is an extremely effective exercise, but it can kill your wrists and elbows. You can protect yourself from injury only by doing the exercise at the end of the workout, when your arms are so tired that you cannot take heavy weights.

The incline French bench press will provide a good range of motion and stretch the muscles at the bottom of the amplitude. At the same time, the EZ bar will spare your wrists more than a regular straight bar.

Do 12 presses, lowering the bar until the bar almost touches the hairline. Make sure your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. After that, move on to incline bench presses with a narrow grip, and do 12 more reps.

If the bar is too light to force you to push harder on your benches, ask your assistant or training partner to bring you a heavier bar. If the French press is difficult for you with the chosen weight, do it next to the Smith machine. When you're done with the French press, switch to the Smith machine and do 12 incline presses head down with a heavier barbell.

Why alternate exercises for biceps and triceps?

This arm training program in the gym is built on the principle of alternate work on antagonist muscles. There are several good reasons to alternately load these muscle groups. First, by switching to the second muscle group, you allow the first one to rest. This technique also provides an equivalent load intensity for each muscle complex. Starting with all the exercises for biceps or triceps, the second muscle group will not receive the load due to the fact that you train it later, when you are already pretty exhausted.

And finally, pumping the antagonist muscles provides a pumping effect, as the luminaries of bodybuilding found out a long time ago. Blood flows actively and stretches some muscles while others contract. This is what four-time Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, called "stretching and satiating."

How to build an arm workout program

To give your biceps and triceps a better chance of growing, work the rest of the muscles together, combining them into several training complexes supersets. This will give you the opportunity to dedicate a separate training day to specializing in hands. For 6-8 weeks, do the following split arm program in the gym:

• Day 1: Hands
• Day 2: Legs
• Day 3: Chest and Shoulders
• Day 4: Back
• Day 5: Rest

If you can handle the intensity of this training in the gym, and eat well and rest, you will soon see the desired progress in mass growth. You don't even need a centimeter: every time you bend your arms in a T-shirt, you will feel that your muscles have grown.