EFFECTIVE ARM WORKOUTS FOR MASS
Every muscle group on the body is very important when it comes to building an impressive overall physique, but well-developed arms will always be a top priority for any serious lifter.
If you’re looking for the very best arm workouts for mass that will help you build a thick, powerful set of arms, keep reading…
Before we get started, there are two very important things to keep in mind when it comes to effective arm training…
#1 – First of all, your biceps and triceps are already stimulated on all of your upper body compound exercises for chest, back and shoulders.
#2 – Secondly, your biceps and triceps are relatively small muscle groups.
For those reasons, your arms actually don’t require a large amount of direct training volume or frequency in order to see impressive results.
A few sets of a few basic exercises is really all you’re going to need here, and going overboard can actually work against you.
The two major muscle groups you’ll want to focus on are your biceps and triceps, as these make up the majority of your upper arm muscle mass.
Your biceps make up about 1/3 of the upper arm while the triceps make up 2/3.
There are also a few other smaller muscle groups to take into account as well…
This includes the brachialis (a muscle on the side of the arm between the biceps and triceps) and the muscles of the forearm(which includes the brachioriadalis, forearm flexors and forearm extensors).
Let’s quickly go over how to tackle each of these major areas in order to structure the very best arm workouts for mass possible…
How To Train Biceps
Your biceps are made up of 2 individual heads (the long head and the short head) and perform the function of elbow flexion and elbow supination.
In order to fully stimulate these muscles, you really only need two separate movements…
The first is a basic palms up curl (such as a barbell curl or cable curl) and the second is a supinating dumbbell curl where the hand begins in a neutral position and twists upward toward the top of the movement.
These two exercises will properly hit both bicep heads for maximum development.
How To Train Triceps
The triceps are made up of 3 individual heads (the medial head, lateral head and long head) and perform the function of elbow extension.
To fully stimulate all 3 heads you’ll want to perform 3 separate movements…
1) To target the medial head, go with a close grip bench press. This can be performed using a barbell or dumbbells.
2) To target the lateral head, utilize a basic tricep cable pushdown. This can be done using a straight bar or a rope attachment.
3) To target the long head, perform an overhead extension using dumbbells or a rope attachment.
This will allow for complete, well-rounded overall triceps development.
How To Train The Brachialis
The brachialias will fire sufficiently during all of your basic bicep curling exercises, and for that reason it does not need to be specifically isolated.
How To Train The Forearms
The only forearm muscle I would recommend specifically targeting is the brachioriadalis, which is the upper portion of the top of your forearm.
This can be accomplished using a reverse curl with a barbell or a cable.
The other smaller forearm muscles (the forearm flexors and extensors) receive plenty of stimulation during all of your upper body exercises and in most cases will not need to be specifically isolated.
Complete Arm Workouts For Mass: Putting It All Together
Let’s now put all of this information together with 2 separate step-by-step arm workouts for mass. Both of these will work very well, so try them out and see which one you prefer. My personal favorite is the first variation…
Complete Arm Workout #1
|
Exercise
|
Sets
|
Reps
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
8 – 10
|
Complete Arm Workout #2
|
Exercise
|
Sets
|
Reps
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
5 – 7
|
|
|
2 – 3
|
8 – 10
|
As with any effective muscle building workout, always remember too…
1) Perform every exercise with proper form and technique to ensure that you are properly stimulating the targeted muscles.
2) Execute each set with a sufficient level of intensity. If the last 1 to 2 reps are not extremely difficult to perform, you aren’t training hard enough.
3) Focus on progressive overload by gradually increasing the amount of weight lifted one each exercise over time.
Happy arm training!
– Sean
Here’s what to do next…
If you found this article helpful, make sure to sign up for your FREE custom fitness plan below...
