Adding quality lean muscle to your arms can be tricky for some. Doing biceps curls and triceps dips is a great start, however there are a few extra things you can do to ensure you get your arms to look and perform better. Let’s take a look at these 5 things you should start doing to step it up a notch!
Give them their own day for training – but strategically
Giving the triceps and biceps their own training day is ideal if you want to ensure you grow and train your arms at it’s full potential. However, be smart about it. Ideally try and not have them trained the day after a big back or chest day as you used your arms a lot for those push and pull movements. Same goes with training them before a big back day or chest day.Preferably if you can train them after a rest day or leg day where you did not utilize much your arms the day before.
Start with your triceps
If you want to build stronger arms that fill in the sleeves you must emphasize the triceps first. The triceps compromises 2/3 of the arms and your energy should emphasize that muscle group first. Start with your heavier triceps movements such as weighted dips, close grip presses or skull-crushers and then progress to the biceps movements.
Train them heavy
For some reason, in the past years, arm workouts have developed an association with higher rep training. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, but staying with the 12-15 rep range gets old for your arms. To truly shock them, after you’ve warmed up, perform the first two exercises you have lined up for them with sets of 4-6 reps.Most people do that to get stronger with their backs and legs, then why wouldn’t you do it with your arms as well? Stronger arms will eventually mean you will be able to perform and go back to those 12-15 reps with heavier workloads.
Increase the Frequency of training
Giving them their own day as stated on point #1 is a must if you want to ensure optimal arm growth. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t throw in a few sets of biceps after chest day and a few sets of triceps after back day.By increasing the frequency you train them you can optimize the development of those muscle groups.You already use your biceps on back day so throw in some triceps movements and you already use your triceps on chest day so throw in some bicep movements. Choose 2-3 exercises, 3 sets and blast them away.
Switch your routine
As humans we usually don’t like change. If we feel comfortable with something, we tend to stick with it and not change. However, if you are looking into adding some inches on those arms this must change. Switch your routine, the equipment you use, the exercises, reps, sets and rest time in between sets. Make sure you don’t just got into the gym every time and perform the same exercise every time you go in there. Biceps curls, triceps dips, hammer curls….SWITCH IT UP! Switch the grips of these exercises, the angles etc….