How to train your arms for huge growth

For many people, obtaining bulging biceps, beefy horseshoe triceps and powerful forearms is a high priority in training simply because these muscles are almost always visible and seem to be an easy way of displaying the fact of "hey, I work out everybody!" Though, almost everyone spends countless hours over the course of every year curling and pumping their biceps and hammering their triceps, there are many people who continue to look in the mirror only to see lanky limbs with little change in size and shape staring back at them.

This can be extremely frustrating for many, as they reflect on the numerous hours spent in the gym with a current result of little or no gains from all that hard work. At times, the thought and vision of obtaining 18-20 inch arms can seem like no more than a hopeless dream, instilling impatience and frustration within. Below are some exercises and useful advice in getting the most from your arm training in the fastest time possible, so that the only ups and downs you'll incur are on the full muscle bellies of your arms!

Muscle balance is key. One should first realize that the triceps make up 2/3 of the arm and should therefore receive more overall training than the smaller opposing muscle group of the biceps. Any person with big arms will most undoubtedly have huge triceps to comprise that shocking arm mass. Placing too much emphasis on the biceps and not enough on the triceps is one common trap in which beginners and intermediate bodybuilders alike can easily fall into. It mostly comes as a notion of automatically thinking, "I want big arms, so I must curl and curl and curl my way to bigger biceps", and this is where the saying, "more is not always better" could not be more true!

Your Biceps

The biceps is a relatively small two-headed muscle group, that when trained with the proper intensity and exercise selection, can be built up fairly easily without mega-set training! I would say that at most, you shouldn't have to apply more than 7-9 intense sets for building "head turning" biceps.

The best way to achieve this is to pick from the most common basic exercises for biceps and then apply the type of intensity that is going to force your muscles to adapt each and every workout by either adding more reps within your target range or adding small increments of weight. Some basic mass building exercises for the biceps includes:


Standing Barbell Curls
EZ Bar Curls
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Standing DB Curl
Seated Dumbbell Curls
Preacher Curls
Hammer Curls
Your Triceps

Your triceps on the other hand can and should take a slightly more intense hammering when trained. The triceps is a more complex three-headed muscle group that (as mentioned before) accounts for most of your arm's mass. When training triceps, you should strive to increase not only the overall size of the muscle, but you should make an effort to intensely hit and develop all three heads of the muscle group equally, by incorporating various exercises that place more emphasis on the different heads.

Packing on triceps mass adds to the appearance and size of your arms from all angles, but especially when viewed from the side and behind. Basic mass building exercises for the triceps include:


Lying Triceps Extensions
Close-Grip Bench Press
Cable Pushdowns
Overhead Rope Extensions
Dips

Strive to find out which exercises work best for YOU using trial and error over time. Weed out the ones that don't work so good and incorporate the ones that you can feel working your triceps the hardest, then keep a couple of "alternate" exercises in mind to substitute in every so often for variety purposes.

The Most Important Aspects Of Arm Training

The most important aspect of arm training is the use of proper form and technique. A small error in either of these two areas can account for less than great results or even worse, injury. Go into any gym and you are guaranteed to see many people training arms, but if you take a closer look, you will see many of these same people heaving large dumbbells or heavily loaded barbells around, only to notice that they are using their back, legs and every other muscle in their bodies to lift the weight up in a haphazardly way in order to complete their reps.

Worst case scenario is, maybe YOU are a culprit of doing/having done this sometimes as well. In any case, it is time for YOU to get used to doing things the right way! Take the time to learn and practice the proper technique of each exercise you perform. You may have to decrease your current weight load on a lot of exercises, but the end result will be better results!

When performing any exercise for the arms and looking to maximize size, you want to make sure to pick a weight that allows you to complete 6-10 full reps using perfect form, where you reach muscular failure within this range. If you cannot get at least 6 good full reps in, the weight you've chosen is too heavy and should be lowered. If you are able to get more than 12 reps on your last set, the weight is too light, and a heavier one should be used for next time.

For exercise selection, you want to select those exercises that allow you to "feel" the muscle working to its fullest! By this, I mean, you are able to contract your muscles fully, feeling the muscle working harder on each successive rep while feeling the burn as you slowly perform the negative portion of each rep. Incorporate and choose exercises that fatigue the intended muscle quickly and realize that your arms do not know whether you are using a 100 pound barbell or a rope attachment with 50 pounds resistance, as long as you are able to create a forceful contraction and stress the muscle optimally where you KNOW and can feel your muscles working their hardest.

The Secret to Huge Arms!

The secret is... there is no secret! That's right, there is no secret to building "seam splitting" arms, yet very few people's guns ever reach the 18-20 inch mark. Why is it that for so many people the dream of possessing 18-20 inch arms remains only that, a dream? What most people don't realize is that training your arms is only half the equation at the very most.

You can go to the gym arm day after arm day and blast your triceps, biceps and forearms into oblivion, but if you don't eat, sleep and rest properly between workout sessions, your arms will not grow even an 1/8 of an inch! Think of the work you do in the gym as the "spark" for growth. The continued fuel for growth comes after your workouts - immediately after! Making sure you take in a quality whey protein shake along with enough simple carbs for your bodyweight during your post-workout meal is what will set the benchmark for continued growth from the previous exercise session.

From that meal forward, you must supply your body with proper protein, complex/fibrous carb, and fat requirements in order to adequately and steadily supply your muscles with the proper tools required to recuperate and grow properly over the next several hours. Most of this growth will take place while you sleep, so make sure to feed your muscles with foods that will provide nourishment during the night-time hours. A favourite meal of mine to consume right before bedtime to assure my muscles will be supplied with nutrients needed for maximum growth while I sleep is as follows.


1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
1 ½ cups of steamed broccoli
1 cup of skim milk
1 glass of water

The cottage cheese and milk provide a long-lasting and steady supply of protein with minimal fat needed for muscle repair and growth, while the broccoli provides fibrous carbs full of nutrients which won't be stored as fat while the body's metabolism slows down during sleep. Water intake is important to maintain proper hydration, utilize fat stores and assist in proper food absorption throughout the 8 hours of sleep to come.

What is written above is what's needed for serious arm growth, but this article doesn't mean much unless YOU go to the gym, apply the principles, put in the effort, eat enough clean foods for your bodyweight and goals, and give your body the rest it needs to recuperate and grow! Lack in any of the above areas, and you will see less than desirable results, for each factor is linked to the next. Do not train to make gains for next week, train to make gains EVERYTIME you work-out!

Training stimulates the muscles for growth, diet and rest are the essential tools which allow your muscles to grow, and consistency is the key to long-term muscle lean muscle gains remember that! Train, eat, rest and pay your dues over time to enable yourself "the right to bare seam splitting arms"! This article is courtesy of Todd Fitchett

Fitness and Health

"Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach." Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity." JFK

"The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." Ken Doherty

Strength Training Requires Commitment

"It is only through work and strife that either nation or individual moves on to greatness. The great man is always the man of mighty effort, and usually the man whom grinding need has trained to mighty effort." Theodore Roosevelt

Looking Around the Gym for Inspiration

Don’t do it!!! One thing that really frustrates me in the gym is watching all the guys wasting their time by doing exercises incorrectly. I’ve also worked with a number of guys who have stated they do certain exercises and use various techniques after watching someone in their gym doing it. This is not the way to learn how to train.

This week I decided to do a quick visual survey in my gym to see how many guys were doing exercises incorrectly. This occurred over five days for about an hour each time. What I saw blew me away. Over 50% of guys I observed were either wasting their time or risking injury through incorrect technique. The most common mistake was not fully lowering the weight during the down portion of an exercise or performing the rep too quickly.

If you are unsure if you are using the correct technique in the gym, ask a qualified trainer to show you to the proper and safe way to perform the exercise. Don’t forget to follow a proven training program also design by a professional trainer. Everyone wants to get the maximum results from the time they spend in the gym so stop wasting time and learn to train effectively and efficiently.

Jim

Using Unstable Surfaces for Maximum Fitness Strength Gains

Research shows that the lower part of the body, particularly the legs, is the most overlooked and under developed aspect of our bodies. Unfortunately, you see so many guys out there with no balance to their physic. It’s great to have big biceps and a barrel chest, but your body will look out of proportion if you don’t consider your legs.

In fact, training your legs has a number of other benefits such as increasing testosterone that will assist you gaining muscle mass in other areas! When you train your ‘lower half’, the major groups of the body are emphasized producing strength that generates power right throughout your body.

So what is the best way to build your lower body and legs? Most people would answer “free weights” and that is partially true. We all know (and some people are even a little scared) the importance of foundation exercises here; squats, lunges and power cleans. You get the picture.

Now back to what the research is saying. We know that true power is generated from your core by having strong legs and that free weights are more effective than machine weights. The way to ensure you are getting a complete workout is to exercise on an unstable surface. By that I mean using a stability or swiss ball. You’ve all seen them in the corner of the gym or being used in the ‘girls’ classes but research has now proven that performing some of your workout on these unstable surfaces recruits more muscle fibers than traditional exercises such as normal squats.

Some of the exercises I recommend include one and two legged squats on a half stability ball (often known as a bosu ball) and working up to squats standing on a full stability ball. This will take some practice but the benefits are definitely worth the effort. Another great leg exercise is the stability ball hamstring curl. This exercise is performed laying on your back, heels on the ball and your but raised off the ground. Roll the ball in towards you by bending your knees and hips, hold then straighten your legs to roll the ball to the start position. Try varying this exercise and making it harder by placing only one leg on the ball. This will also recruit your abdominal muscle as your body needs to work hard at balancing itself on the ball. What a great way to work two body parts at once!

Swiss ball abdominal exercises should also be a regular component of your weekly schedule. I have found using a stability ball once a week for abdominal exercises has dramatically improved lower back and core strength.

While this article has focused on the importance of the lower body, it should be noted that unstable surface training is vitally important for upper body development as well. Some great exercises include push up on stability ball, shoulder press (while standing on bosu ball) and dumbbell chest press (lying on stability ball).

You don’t need to do these exercises every workout but rather use them to mix up your workout. Remember to periodize your training and some form of stability work should be included in your fitness strength training program each week.

Jim