How do you guys get huge arms?

[Jacob4570]

Y

I'd love to see the arm workout where you're overtraining your arms somehow lol. I think maybe If you're sitting there curling 10's for an hour It might be counterproductive sure.. But the hardest aspect of arm training Is actually going heavy and pushing yourself, Most people don't use heavier weights when training arms but will ego lift doing bench press, deadlifts etc..

People tend to just treat arm training so much differently than everything else.. I've had personal trainers at my gym when I was 15-16 Y.O that I was overtraining and blah blah blah.. I had 17" arms coming from being a literal stick figure with tiny bones at 16Y.O, I attribute that 1000% to MORE volume and using heavier loads while training arms.. As well as PYRAMID SETS - working up 10-20lb increments and then dropping the weight 10-20lbs until I can't move even 5lbs..

But you have to realize If you're training every exercise to failure in this manor then exercise selection becomes CRUCIAL.. Otherwise there is a chance you can "over train" It's as simple as going from barbell biceps curls to dumbbell bicep curls.. THEY'RE THE SAME SHIT BASICALLY.. You need to train way fucking harder and focus on exercise selection to AVOID overtraining a specific head or area of the muscle.

Yeah I always go heavy. I basically never leave the gym.

I’m not a huge guy in general I’m only 5ft 8” so 15” don’t look small on me but I feel they have a lot of room to grow.

I’m big enough for my size to be fair. I ain’t blowing smoke up my ass but I do need to slightly lose a bit of weight. No harm though that’s an issue for the future!

I just enjoy the gym lol. Just thought I’d ask the big boys here for advice.

Thanks to everyone for the help btw.

 

[rufflesbaby]

Y

Yeah I always go heavy. I basically never leave the gym.

I’m not a huge guy in general I’m only 5ft 8” so 15” don’t look small on me but I feel they have a lot of room to grow.

I’m big enough for my size to be fair. I ain’t blowing smoke up my ass but I do need to slightly lose a bit of weight. No harm though that’s an issue for the future!

I just enjoy the gym lol. Just thought I’d ask the big boys here for advice.

Thanks to everyone for the help btw.

We'll all never be good enough, don't worry brother lol.. Glad being at the gym makes you happy, that's all you can ask for imo - you'll get where you need to be I'm sure of it, Best wishes to you on your journey.

 

[mr.redpill]

I'd love to see the arm workout where you're overtraining your arms somehow lol. I think maybe If you're sitting there curling 10's for an hour It might be counterproductive sure.. But the hardest aspect of arm training Is actually going heavy and pushing yourself, Most people don't use heavier weights when training arms but will ego lift doing bench press, deadlifts etc..

People tend to just treat arm training so much differently than everything else.. I've had personal trainers at my gym when I was 15-16 Y.O that I was overtraining and blah blah blah.. I had 17" arms coming from being a literal stick figure with tiny bones at 16Y.O, I attribute that 1000% to MORE volume and using heavier loads while training arms.. As well as PYRAMID SETS - working up 10-20lb increments and then dropping the weight 10-20lbs until I can't move even 5lbs..

But you have to realize If you're training every exercise to failure in this manor then exercise selection becomes CRUCIAL.. Otherwise there is a chance you can "over train" It's as simple as going from barbell biceps curls to dumbbell bicep curls.. THEY'RE THE SAME SHIT BASICALLY.. You need to train way fucking harder and focus on exercise selection to AVOID overtraining a specific head or area of the muscle.

The bit about overtraining relates more to total working volume and less to "workout selection". 20 sets of hammer curls + 20 sets of alternating dumbbell curls is still 40 working sets of biceps no matter how you splice it. That's overtraining.

But I agree with you that most athletes/bb's don't train arms heavy enough- most are actually surprised how heavy they can load barbell curls/OH extensions once they give it a go. Pyramids and dropsets have proven useful for me as well, but there is a place for them as there is all things. Too many people abuse the fuck out of sets to failure and dropsets on every set, I would limit sets to failure/dropsets to 1 set per muscle group per week -not 1 per exercise(or end of each exercise).

If OP is training arms EOD and not seeing growth I wouldn't feel very confident in advising him to train his arms "harder" or increase working volume. OP is very clearly depleted and fatigued. I would recommend a deload and maybe even a complete cessation of any arm work for a week. And then coming back with a new approach to arm training, rather than his EOD pump and fluff regimen.

I find that nearly everyone has a slightly different rate of recovery, and some vary GREATLY(I'm one of those people). So what has worked for you may not work for OP. Or it may, who knows? OP needs to experiment and log...

 

[Demondosage]

Also, if you truly want to have larger arms then focus on growing everyplace first. The chest, back, delts and legs, then the arms will follow suit. It’s not the other way around

 

[rufflesbaby]

The bit about overtraining relates more to total working volume and less to "workout selection". 20 sets of hammer curls + 20 sets of alternating dumbbell curls is still 40 working sets of biceps no matter how you splice it. That's overtraining.

But I agree with you that most athletes/bb's don't train arms heavy enough- most are actually surprised how heavy they can load barbell curls/OH extensions once they give it a go. Pyramids and dropsets have proven useful for me as well, but there is a place for them as there is all things. Too many people abuse the fuck out of sets to failure and dropsets on every set, I would limit sets to failure/dropsets to 1 set per muscle group per week -not 1 per exercise(or end of each exercise).

If OP is training arms EOD and not seeing growth I wouldn't feel very confident in advising him to train his arms "harder" or increase working volume. OP is very clearly depleted and fatigued. I would recommend a deload and maybe even a complete cessation of any arm work for a week. And then coming back with a new approach to arm training, rather than his EOD pump and fluff regimen.

I find that nearly everyone has a slightly different rate of recovery, and some vary GREATLY(I'm one of those people). So what has worked for you may not work for OP. Or it may, who knows? OP needs to experiment and log...

I just 1 click deleted my 3 paragraphs lmao, I wasn't trying to give any heat either. I think you're right but I think the main problem Is probably the workout regimen/structure Itself, He said he was training EOD really hard which Is way too much.

I'm always hesitant to recommend less volume because It's usually not a case of overtraining. That's why I always tell people to just do Legs, Push, Pull.. I have always failed to see any problem with that split, you get to train everything efficiently and effectively 2x a week while even being able to have a full rest day if you please..

My response was a bit close minded without taking in other factors which was primarily the split Itself, I find It really hard to explain these certain principles over text. But your advice was super solid and you look awesome. I might just end up making a couple videos for people to help diagnose potential issues. Much love brother.. you look great

Take my original post I guess in a context of Legs, Push, Pull where you're able to maximize recovery time and certainly not be training ANYTHING exceptionally hard EOD..

 

[mr.redpill]

I just 1 click deleted my 3 paragraphs lmao, I wasn't trying to give any heat either. I think you're right but I think the main problem Is probably the workout regimen/structure Itself, He said he was training EOD really hard which Is way too much.

I'm always hesitant to recommend less volume because It's usually not a case of overtraining. That's why I always tell people to just do Legs, Push, Pull.. I have always failed to see any problem with that split, you get to train everything efficiently and effectively 2x a week while even being able to have a full rest day if you please..

My response was a bit close minded without taking in other factors which was primarily the split Itself, I find It really hard to explain these certain principles over text. But your advice was super solid and you look awesome. I might just end up making a couple videos for people to help diagnose potential issues. Much love brother.. you look great

Take my original post I guess in a context of Legs, Push, Pull where you're able to maximize recovery time and certainly not be training ANYTHING exceptionally hard EOD..

Under the context of light/moderate frequency(training each muscle group every 3-4 days)((as would be the case with your PPL example)), then yes, I would agree that an all-out max-intensity/high volume approach is the way to go.

But given OP's frequency, I'd opt to compensate via decreasing either intensity, volume, or load(but preferably volume). (Or altogether rewrite his frequency((which is the smartest idea))

No worries, not coming at you either haha just wanted to clarify for anyone reading.

"I'm always hesitant to recommend less volume because It's usually not a case of overtraining."- this is something that I find as well. Especially when it comes to lower body. And in general, yes- low working volume, inadequate intensity & load, poor diet/sleep (I find) are more of a growth hindrance than overtraining will ever be. But in OP's case specifically (relating to his arms), overtraining could be a likely culprit- as it has been for me so many times.

But like I said man, everyone is different. A couple younger guys in my gym train like 98' Coleman EVERY FUCKING DAY and I swear...they..grow..like..weeds! If I went anywhere near their volume,(not only would I not grow) I'd be on a stretcher by the end of the week...and that's not even a joke. I would be physically disabled...

Thanks. All love man haha.

 

[AbstractMind]

My arm growth took off when I reduced volume. 3 working sets of biceps on back day and 3 working sets of triceps on chest day, but the intensity is at 1000%. Something that also helped me a lot with growth and bodybuilding in general was switching to a 2 day on 1 day off split

 

[lilhawk]

This is perfect advice, even between sets you should squeeze the muscle and keep It filled with blood.. your mind muscle connection can never be too good and actually squeezing every rep makes the exercise WAY harder and more painful.

The muscle stays full of blood between sets without squeezing and flexing it. The guys in the gym that I see flexing all the time are the smallest, and worst looking ones in the gym. Unless you're resting 5 minutes between sets its not like the blood is going to rush out of your muscle in 1 minute while resting.

 

[Jacob4570]

The muscle stays full of blood between sets without squeezing and flexing it. The guys in the gym that I see flexing all the time are the smallest, and worst looking ones in the gym. Unless you're resting 5 minutes between sets its not like the blood is going to rush out of your muscle in 1 minute while resting.

I’m going to stick with my own theory that the more damage you cause and the more difficult an exercise is the more likely you are to grow. Otherwise why would the body change? It needs something to adapt too.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

This is really no different than any other muscle group.

Get strong, with proper form, in hypertrophy rep ranges on movements you can brace and progress. Learn the movement and execute correctly. It’s incredibly easy for your back or shoulders to compensate for arms when you go heavy to make you still think you’re doing it right.

Alignment is also IMO super important given most arm movements are single joint, at the elbow, which is a pure hinge joint. Learn to align the load to the path your arm takes. Cables are your best friend here. Beware the EZBar and machines if they don’t fit your mechanics.

The only remaining factors to consider that really matter are intensity and weekly volume. Most bi and tri movements are isolated and so far from CNS taxing that they can and probably should be taken to extremes of intensity; to failure and past. Like all muscle groups, each individual is going to have a volume floor and ceiling where too little isn’t enough for growth and too much leads to overworking a group that also sees heavy involvement in all your pressing and rowing.

Movements anybody can align for their body type and execute 10/10+ intensity:

Biceps:
-single arm preacher (db, cable, machine)
-single arm cable curl (can do this 10 different ways depending on pulley height and direction you’re facing)

Triceps:
-smith JM press
-single arm cable extension (by your side, laterally, overhead, over the shoulder)
-dips

 

[rufflesbaby]

The muscle stays full of blood between sets without squeezing and flexing it. The guys in the gym that I see flexing all the time are the smallest, and worst looking ones in the gym. Unless you're resting 5 minutes between sets its not like the blood is going to rush out of your muscle in 1 minute while resting.

Ok Lilhawk since you got some giant ass arms lets see them, otherwise I don't need shit from you lol.. im speaking from experience little man. Keeping your arms engaged and stretching/flexing after sets works great for me.

If you're arguing enhancing a pump through squeezing your muscles after sets and keeping more blood present within the muscle Is somehow not a good thing then I don't trust your opinion. I'm not saying to squeeze it the entire time, just building a better mind muscle connection and keeping them activated for the next set.. People often go through the motions on exercises and don't really FEEL the muscle.. and this can help tremendously.

 

[Rido]

Also, if you truly want to have larger arms then focus on growing everyplace first. The chest, back, delts and legs, then the arms will follow suit. It’s not the other way around

I am noticing this now... It's a little weird. The arms are starting to really change all of a sudden

 

[Jacob4570]

I am noticing this now... It's a little weird. The arms are starting to really change all of a sudden

Sarcasm?

 

[Rido]

Sarcasm?

No. Actually not. maybe it's cause my tendonitis is resolving after a long while too

 

[Mac11wildcat]

Sarcasm?

Shouldn’t be. Getting strong on presses and rows will absolutely require more of your arms.

 

[legacypharma]

I am a taller bodybuilder and I found that I had to constantly keep changing things up.

Superset Bis/Tris one week, next week do Tris followed by Bis. Add in Bi or Tri after Chest / Back days.

I always do 15-20 reps, and the highest weight I possibly can.

LP

 

[Demondosage]

No. Actually not. maybe it's cause my tendonitis is resolving after a long while too

I can relate! So I detached my tricep tendon and had it repaired 3 years ago, been touch and go and in limbo ever since, but I finally got fed up enough and ran tb500 and bpc 157 and those helped a lot! So now I’m just getting back into more dumbbells and barbells but one thing I’m noticing is that the tendon is beginning to heal even faster since going back to exercises I had trouble doing for so long. But yea, tendons suck, I can definitely relate! I’m also off cycle rt now and just on TRT, maybe it’s somehow helping