Bigger Arms.

The majority of men, and a good deal of women, who join a gym would attribute big arms, or nice arms, as part of an impressive and complete physique.  With this in mind, how should you go about getting them?

Obviously, you should train everything else too. Your body is only as strong as its weakest link, and if we’re talking about aesthetics, leaving certain body parts out will only throw the whole image into disarray.  Yes,  this is a veiled nod to those who ignore their legs.

How to get them.

The first, blindingly obvious, thing is that you should be eating and training in such a way as to build muscle. You’ll never grow bigger arms without stimulating an increase in size.

A good diet and training plan for this would be one which focuses more towards muscle growth and strength gain. This would mean eating plenty, and including plenty of strength based exercises in your plan to stimulate the most volume you can within a workout.

The Best Isolation Exercises.

Once you’ve got a good core of strength building compound exercises in your routine it is time to add the isolation exercises in.

When it comes to arms there is a double pronged approach. You need to focus on the biceps and the triceps.
The triceps make up 3/5s of your upper arm, so even though people focus upon your biceps in a gun show you will need to back them up with some impressive tricep development.

#1 Barbell Curl.

This is the absolute granddaddy of bicep exercises as it focuses directly upon the bicep muscles and nothing else.

To do it, you will : –

• Take a loaded barbell, stand up straight, and hold it with your palms upwards and with your arms at full extension.
• Contract the biceps so that the elbow flexes and your palms are facing the shoulders.
• Reverse the movement.
• Repeat.

#2 Skull Crushers.

Don’t actually hit yourself in the head please, it just looks like you’ll be hitting yourself in the head.

To do it –

• Lie on a bench, with a dumbbell or barbell (a cambered bar is nice) held so that your arms are fully extended above your head.
• Bend your arms, keeping your upper arms still and pointing upwards, so that the weight comes towards your forehead. Dont hit your forehead.
• Contract your triceps so that the weight returns to the starting position.
• Repeat.

#3 Overhead Extensions.

Another for the triceps.

• Standing up, take a weight and hold it over head.
• Keeping the upper arms pointing upwards, bend the elbows so that the weight goes behind your head.
• Contract the triceps and extend the arm back to upright.
• Repeat.

#4 Concentration Curl.

You can sit down for this.

• In a seated position, rest your elbow on your knee with a dumbbell in that hand.
• Curl the weight up to your shoulder in a controlled manner.
• Lower to start point.
• Repeat.

#5 Hammer Curl.

Not strictly an isolation exercise as it includes the forearms a little more.

• Standing up, take a dumbell or two and hold them so that your palms are facing each other.
• Flex the bicep so that the weight curls up to your shoulder.
• Return to starting position by mimicking a hammering motion.
• Repeat.

Isolate.

Adding these exercises in will definitely help to increase the size of your arms. Give them a try and see for yourself.