"Did you see the arms on that guy?"

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It's as inevitable as the sunrise. A quality physique is a well earned trophy that you can carry with you everywhere you go but its large muscular arms that steal the show.
 

Where do you fit into this picture? Are you the one with the bulging bicep or the one who looks on with envy? If you are the one who is looking on with envy then this article is for you. I'm going to tell you how to fill out your shirt sleeves like a snake that has just swallowed a cow.
 

Let's get started:
 

To increase your arm size in the shortest time possible it is important that you stick to the basics. By basics I mean the lifts that will give you the most return on your investment. Don't waste your time on non-productive movements like 90 percent of the other people in the gym. These are the same people who have little or no gains to show for the time that they spend there. Then, when they see how well you are doing they will accuse you of being on steroids. Just accept it as a complement and keep lifting.
 

The first basic lift that you will need to focus on is the standing barbell curl. This can be preformed with either an easy-curl bar or a straight bar. While the easy-curl bar has angled grips to emphasize bicep peak, either bar is fine. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grab the bar with a grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. Begin with a weight that you can comfortably move for 12 to 15 repetitions. Start with the weight lowered nearly to your legs but do not let your arms hang straight down. To fully lock out the arms will create too much stress on your joints. Now, with a steady and controlled motion, bring the weight up until your biceps are in a fully contracted position. Do not swing the weight or arch your back. While swinging the weight is a form of cheating that will allow you too lift heavier weights, it will only increase the size of your ego, not your arms. Therefore, use proper form at all times. Now, lower the weight in a controlled motion until your arms are nearly down to your hips but not fully locked out. Repeat this movement for the required 12 to 15 repetitions. If this is too difficult to do, reduce the amount of weight so that you can complete the entire number of reps. If it is too easy, don't cheat yourself, increase the weight. While this is a warm up set, the last few reps should still be challenging. 

After you have completed this set, rack the weight and get a drink of water. Actually, you should have a bottle of water with you. You need to take about a minuet to a minuet and a half to rest before beginning your next set. This allows time for your muscles to replenish their glycogen reserves in order to have energy for the next set. Use this time to load more weights on the bar. For this next set, you want an amount of weight that you can perform for 8 to 12 repetitions. Once again, form is critical. You will build muscle faster and have fewer injuries while using proper form. This is true for any exercise. Get to know your limits. For this set you will use a closer grip on the bar with your hands approximately 6 inches apart. As above, adjust the amount of weight as necessary to make this a truly challenging set. After you have completed your 8 to 12 reps, rack the weight, take a sip of water if desired and begin to set the bar up for your third set. This next set will be heavier than the last using an amount of weight that you can lift for only 5 to 8 repetitions. For this set, you will return to the shoulder width grip. Are you serious about getting massive arms? Then be sure that you are reaching positive failure before you rack the weight. Positive failure means that you simply cannot perform another repetition of the exercise with good form without assistance. Many people give up on a set long before they have reached failure and wonder why they cannot make gains. Read this carefully and understand it. Few things of value come without effort. You have to work for this. The important thing is that when you do this correctly, you will be making gains while others around you are simply going through the motions.

Now, after you have completed the third set, rack the weight and reduce the amount of weight on the bar by approximately 40%. On this last set, return to the close grip with your hands about 6" apart. With this new, lighter weight, perform one last set to absolute failure. Move the weight somewhat faster than before while deliberately flexing the bicep as much as possible during every rep. The number of repetitions preformed here is not as important as reaching absolute positive failure. When you are done, rack the weight. By now you should have a serious burn starting in you biceps. Your vascularity should be somewhat enhanced and your muscles should be full and pumped.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is just the beginning.
 

Using proper gym etiquette, take care of the weights and get ready for your next movement.
 

Some people would be satisfied at this point and call it a day on their biceps. While they're heading to the locker room, you will be reaching for the dumbbells. You're reading this because you want impressive arms, right? Well no one is going to give them to you, you have to earn them so let's keep going. Using the principals that we have outlined above, the rest of the workout will look like this.
 

Standing Barbell Curls
1st set12 to 15 repsShoulder width grip
2nd set8 to 12 repsClose grip
3rd set5 to 8 repsShoulder width grip
4th setUntil failureClose grip
Note: drop weight by 40% for last set
 

Dumbbell Curls
1st set12 to 15 repsAlternating each side
2nd set8 to 12 repsAlternating each side
3rd set5 to 8 repsAlternating each side
4th setUntil failureAlternating each side
Note: drop weight by 40% for last set
 

Concentration Curls
1st set10 to 12 repsSeated, as pictured
2nd set8 to 10 repsSeated, as pictured
3rd setUntil failureSeated, as pictured
Note: drop weight by 40% for last set

Tricep Pushdowns
1st set12t to 15 reps     Close grip
2nd set8 to 12 repsClose grip
3rd set5 to 8 reps   Close grip
4th setUntil failure  Close grip
Note: drop weight by 40% for last set
 

Dips
1st setUntil failureShoulder width grip
2nd setUntil failureShoulder width grip
3rd setUntil failureShoulder width grip

Scull Crushers
1st set8 to 12 repsShoulder width grip
2nd set5 to 8 repsShoulder width grip
3rd setUntil failureShoulder width grip
Note: drop weight by 40% for last set
 

Important Notes:

If you're serious about building your arms then don't stop here, you need to read the rest of this article.

While this program emphasizes the biceps, we have included the triceps as well. Think about it. There are three heads to the triceps and together they make up the majority of the bulk in your upper arm. It is possible to have large biceps and still have small arms. In bodybuilding, symmetry is critical so be sure to balance out each body part. Next, perform the above workout no more than twice a week. For instance, after you have completed the workout above, wait at least two days before doing it again. While weight training provides the catalyst for muscle growth, actual growth itself takes place during the rest period between workouts. Do not make the mistake of thinking that more is better. Overtraining the same muscle before it has had a chance to recover is extremely counterproductive.

A word about nutrition.
 

In bodybuilding, nutrition is every bit as important as weight training. You can lift weights until the sun goes down but if you do not feed your muscles properly they will never grow. All successful bodybuilders consume large amounts of protein. It is the building material that our muscles use to repair themselves and create new muscle tissue. Most bodybuilders will consume a minimum of 2.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. This should be divided into 5 to 6 small meals consumed throughout the day.
 

Last Word:
 

The above program is only part of an overall fitness plan. In the months ahead we will discuss other body parts as well as how to develop your overall physique. At surface level, bodybuilding appears to be a simple pursuit. After all, how much intelligence does it take to lift weight? The answer is that it takes a lot if you plan to be successful at it.
 

Train Hard and don't take Fitness Lightly,
Kerry Dulin

Comments   

 

0 #20 Arjuna84u 2012-03-09 17:30

Im a beginner.If a workout been done, at least two days rest is preferable isn't it? so if I have protein powder shakes after workout, can i do it everyday or should i take rest like before??

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+1 #19 012345 2012-02-27 05:16

This workout looks pretty good, im not really a beginner but i still might try it. However looking through it, I didn't really see any exercises that focus on the brax (side of the bicep) like supposition curls or hammer curls. There are more components to the bicep than just the head...

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-1 #18 mmm 2012-02-05 16:41

bro u r advice has been aproved by me.
plz dont say anythng on gym.

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-2 #17 luv 2012-01-02 12:17

this is the first useful article i hv read on biceps ...rest article repeat the samething ......nice one....i will follw this for sure

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-3 #16 ezgoing88 2011-12-13 21:25

Just want to know how much good or bad im doing to my self if i work out my bicept once a week but give it all i go with super sets?

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-1 #15 Chris Nigro 2011-10-20 01:42

Very Awesome advice! I'm type 2 diabetic. I lost 70% of feeling in both of my feet and have neuropathy in both legs. My upper body isn't what I like it to be. So, I'll be doing more weight training in hopes that my upper body can help my lower body. Also, I'm gonna put this in my Favorites, so I can reference what I'm doing! Once again, THANK YOU for the Awesome knowledge! Peace, Chris.

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-1 #14 abhi 2011-10-15 03:11

good n bigger arms come not only with workout but with proper nutrition.love the article. but once you are good with weights cheats are required too,but making sure u have 2 sets of proper n heavy lifts, at least on a particular set.
lift heavy n eat heavier

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-4 #13 nasir 2011-08-13 12:20

Hi, im on the slim side and 20 pounds under weight, im not skinny as it sound, though i would like to get bigger all around, but mostly my arms, which led me to this forum, i lift weights, which i max out at about somewhere around the 15th rep (20th if i push hard enough) could i get any tips to help, im not in a rush though i dont wont to take forever to get a little result thanks and please reply

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-1 #12 James Thomas 2011-07-05 10:51

i have been working out for a long time now, and doing bicep curls with the right form always helps the bis, but think about the rest f the correspondng group, like lats, the whole trap, and back of the shoulder. my biggest arm gain came from pull ups, lots and lts of weighted, pyramid, close grip, wide grip pull ups. then after pull ups and lat bar pull downs, sitting cable rows, reverse pec dec machine back flys, and shrugs, (i do biceps with its corresponding compound group, the back nd traps) i do curls. normally dumbell, and theres no need for a warm up set cause the pull ups, ur choice. do a 10 to 15 rm weight, then 6 to 8, then a 20 to 30 rm weight. rm being rep max, and that of course means each set of curls is to failure.

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-10 #11 markis 2011-05-16 13:29

i am a bodybuilder as well and need more idears for me biceps i used every one to get them bigger and ran out of idears.

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