Train arms everyday for bigger arms? Anyone have tips for bigger arms?

[FourOneDeuxFitt]

What ended up working for myself so far was slowing down each rep, lowering the weight a bit, and focusing on each contraction. Now there’s definitely a time and place to just pump out some high rep sets and also a time and place for some heavy low rep sets as well.

I’ve found sticking to heavy compounds while training other body parts and keeping my arm days more focused around blood flow and volume is what seemed to really spark growth for me. Triceps I can go heavy and use lower reps and they still respond well. Biceps on the other hand require higher reps and both accelerated growth with added time under tension. Supersets are a big focus on my arm days and sometimes even throwing in giant sets can give some nice added pain.

Lastly actually stepping away from an “arm day” for a few months and focusing on a push pull legs split then coming back with a new program that incorporates solely an arm day tricked the body and it was like my first arm day all over again haha.

 

[vitamin_S]

Blockmasons, toting those big boxcars all day long. Everyone looked like Popeye. I spent two decades working with these guys and always envyied their forearms, massive veiny guns.

I agree with this on that. Devon Larratt, the Canadian armwrestling champion trains forearms and arms everyday. Saturday and Sundays Off. Controlled contraction, or slow reps.

 

[vitamin_S]

Let me footnote this by saying my arms are still shit, but they were even more shit before my latest offseason.

The biggest mistake I see with arm training (or any small muscle group) is pushing weight too heavy.

Use weight that allows you to truly isolate only the intended group. Bis and tris are small muscle groups. Involuntary recruitment of delts, back, chest etc is super easy. Compounds are great for overall growth but if your arms are weak I bet they’re not doing a bunch in your bench or rows.

To combat this, use weight that kills you in 8-15 CONTROLLED reps. Use movements and form that allow you to lock in and brace the shoulder joint to keep movement ONLY at the elbow and wrist unless the intent is to exercise the rotation about the shoulder of the biceps and triceps.

Training them every day is a viable plan for short periods on nearly every muscle group but don’t consider it a permanent adaptation to your training split.

Thanks for the tip! Will do this from now on.

 

[adnansanat]

Train them less, but very intensely and to true failure, slow controlled reps. Lots of food

This one.

After I listened what Mike Mentzer said about calves, my tiny calves grew up at a bit at last. Instead of doing three times a week and 12 sets of each workout, I quitted to work calves for a few weeks, then I start to work them one week, and just two sets, 4-2-4 (more static on calves tbh) and to failure with progressive overload.

Mike wrote that you can use that technique for lagging body part.

Train less. More is not better in bodybuilding.

 

[big unit]

Train less. More is not better in bodybuilding.

While over-training is counterproductive, I disagree with this statement when someone is running gear. The ability to recover provides an opportunity to really hit the muscle, tax it, force it to grow. This obviously requires the right rest & nutrition though. Just my 2 cents.

 

[adnansanat]

While over-training is counterproductive, I disagree with this statement when someone is running gear. The ability to recover provides an opportunity to really hit the muscle, tax it, force it to grow. This obviously requires the right rest & nutrition though. Just my 2 cents.

If I really train to beyond failure like Mike Mentzer said, in every workout, I almost fry my CNS before my muscles and I feel like a ghost for next few days. Actually I even cannot train if I work out properly. So training "less" is kinda must, at least for me.

These high volume vs high intensity war is old. But that's what it works on me. I love to train to failure, and rest a lot.

 

[maxmuscle01]

I used this book for a mass cycle and got serious results. It was no joke and very hard to stick to. It’s very old school but effective. I also liked this Book by Carlon ColkerThese books changed my life and work well IME/IME

MAX

 

[weighted chinup]

Here's the thing with frequency:

It's extremely useful for promoting and providing additional growth beyond a low frequency (most people will agree with this and most of the evidence suggests this).

But ask yourself if something is seriously lagging or falling behind, is doing the same thing you are currently doing more frequently going to make a night and day difference?

Just the act of increasing frequency in a sustainable manner will give you extra growth, but if you don't address the real reasons why a muscle group is lagging then you aren't going to get the true benefits of high frequency specialization phases.

Because of this, the frequency is the variable I would push LAST if the goal is to address weak areas - optimize everything else and then once you are making steady progress again on the weak area - re-assess and see if a high frequency is even needed.

With arms, you really want to assess exercise selection and how you are performing them as well as perfecting technique and cue's, then finally variety / variation of lift selection and intensity techniques.

IME frequency wasn't a make or break situation for arms - I could get good progress doing bis or tri's 2x a week after large muscle groups vs a single arm day a week - but there is a time and place for both and small benefits for both.

 

[vitamin_S]

While over-training is counterproductive, I disagree with this statement when someone is running gear. The ability to recover provides an opportunity to really hit the muscle, tax it, force it to grow. This obviously requires the right rest & nutrition though. Just my 2 cents.

that's what I was thinking too. With gear, we have faster recovery.

 

[cfreetenor]

I feel like my biceps gain a hundredth of an inch for every couple chin ups I do. I remember the first time I did 7x7 chins someone at work told me it’s time to ease up on the sandwiches because my bis were popping so much.

I also respond really well to varying up my pressing grips, to target different areas of the triceps. That seems to contribute the most to arm appearance.

 

[LeoTC]

Let me footnote this by saying my arms are still shit, but they were even more shit before my latest offseason.

The biggest mistake I see with arm training (or any small muscle group) is pushing weight too heavy.

Use weight that allows you to truly isolate only the intended group. Bis and tris are small muscle groups. Involuntary recruitment of delts, back, chest etc is super easy. Compounds are great for overall growth but if your arms are weak I bet they’re not doing a bunch in your bench or rows.

To combat this, use weight that kills you in 8-15 CONTROLLED reps. Use movements and form that allow you to lock in and brace the shoulder joint to keep movement ONLY at the elbow and wrist unless the intent is to exercise the rotation about the shoulder of the biceps and triceps.

Training them every day is a viable plan for short periods on nearly every muscle group but don’t consider it a permanent adaptation to your training split.

Same issue a lot of guys have with calves and rear delts.

I just got the best fucking arm pump I've had in years hitting like two plates on the stack with a band.

I felt that shit for days and I'm stoked to hit it again today.

 

[cfreetenor]

Same issue a lot of guys have with calves and rear delts.

I just got the best fucking arm pump I've had in years hitting like two plates on the stack with a band.

I felt that shit for days and I'm stoked to hit it again today.

Controlled eccentric is really helping me too. I’ve been using the cue to feel like I could stop it at any point.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

Controlled eccentric is really helping me too. I’ve been using the cue to feel like I could stop it at any point.

Guys emulate the pros swinging huge weights without realizing most really big dudes mastered actually feeling the muscle work years ago. The big weights and the adaptation that comes with them works when you know how to actually fire the target muscle.

 

[k0rkscrew]

I lowered the weight recently and as Mac suggested to me really focused on technique and FEELING that muscle work, also just gotta find what works for you. Hasn't been long but shit I know I'm on the right track. Just me tho, taller guy.

 

[Test_Subject]

My arms refused to grow until I lowered the weight and started doing AMRAP sets with a slow eccentric.

I get a much fiercer pump doing preachers that way with 90 lbs than I ever did with heavier weights. With biceps, specifically, I found that heavier, swinging reps just promote the recruitment of other muscles and ruin the isolation.

 

[Demondosage]

I agree. If you want a body part to grow you train them every damn day.

Look at concrete masons... they have giant firearms... sling enough concrete every damn day and the forearm adapts.

Get yourself in a good 200+ reps and watch them grow by force adaptation.
This recruits satellite cells to the area. Satellite cells are very important for growth.

Just give yourself a few days recovery period once per month. Preferably 3weeks hard 1 week off.

couldn't have said it better than this!

 

[Whoremoans]

My arms refused to grow until I lowered the weight and started doing AMRAP sets with a slow eccentric.

I get a much fiercer pump doing preachers that way with 90 lbs than I ever did with heavier weights. With biceps, specifically, I found that heavier, swinging reps just promote the recruitment of other muscles and ruin the isolation.

Lol preachers with 90lbs? That’s your idea of lowering the weight? Haha

 

[k0rkscrew]

Lol preachers with 90lbs? That’s your idea of lowering the weight? Haha

Ya, single arm preachers lowered to a 90lb DB... that's how Test Sub rolls

 

[Test_Subject]

Lol preachers with 90lbs? That’s your idea of lowering the weight? Haha

Ya, single arm preachers lowered to a 90lb DB... that's how Test Sub rolls

Barbell, not dumbell lol.

90 lb dumbell preachers is beasting it hard.

 

[88general88]

So, I gain very sloooow when trying to build my arms. I recently stumbled upon this article:
Tip: Train Biceps Every Damn Day for Fast Growth | T Nation

Even when on gear I still have a hard time building my arms (and glutes). Maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe it's my genes, maybe maybe maybe!

Got any tips for me?
Thanks in advance

I had a problem for years getting my biceps to grow, it was literally the one part that lagged. I had a giant chest, shoulders, and my triceps were huge, but biceps ... it was embarrassing to say the least. What I found that helped the most was lifting heavy one day, then the very next day choose two bicep exercises one for each of the heads, and run 3 sets extremely light trying to get roughly 20reps. Lots of rest I. Between the sets. Then I would rest them best as possible for 3days and do it all over. 1 heavy day, followed my light day with maximum concentration and contraction with high reps. If this doesn’t work the other thing that has worked for me I to lift heavy 1day and don’t come back to them for another week. Giving them the maximum amount of time to recover. But it’s important to constantly be changing up your routine. Because shocking the muscle, not letting it get used to a regimine is what causes growth.