Apr. 7, 2012
Arm Training for Bodybuilding
We can’t talk about bodybuilding, muscle building or impressive physiques without talking about arms. Simply put, in the bodybuilding and muscle building world, men strive to build a noticeable set of biceps and triceps.
The ability to train and grow their arms can make many young men want to be a bodybuilder at a young age. I know it was one of my motivating factors early on in my strength training and ultimately my bodybuilding life.
Big arms aren’t the easiest bodypart to grow and they definitely don’t happen overnight. In fact for many natural bodybuilders and men it can be one of the hardest bodyparts to develop.
In my bodybuilding career I’ve never been known for having the biggest arms but I have worked my ass off to build them up over the years.
There are numerous ways to build bigger biceps and triceps. Just as there are numerous exercises that should be included in your routine.
Who Needs Direct Arm Work?
If you’re a beginner in the bodybuilding game you MUST include deadlifts, barbell rows, chins, dips, presses and push-ups in your muscle building program if you want to obtain the desired result.
After a few years of training direct arm work is a must. I don’t care what anyone tells you, it’s a must.
Train Biceps and Triceps Together
The best feeling is achieving a maximum pump while training arms. The best way to achieve this is simply to train biceps and triceps together.
I’m a huge fan of alternating muscle group exercises each set. So I’ll superset a bicep and a tricep exercise. For example, I’ll do a set of a bicep exercise, then a set of tricep exercise and repeat for 2-3 more sets.
Another great way to train is to alternate straight sets per muscle group. So during the arm workout you will do all 3 sets of a bicep exercise, then all 3 sets of the tricep exercise.
A straight through style of arm training is another format. With this method you train one entire muscle group first, then the other. So complete all your bicep exercises, then complete all your tricep work.
My personal favorite is using a superset format, although I use a combination of the above.
Train Flexors and Extensors Separate
Another great way to train biceps or elbow flexors and triceps or elbow extensors is to separate them in your training.
For many this constitutes your typical back and bicep workout or your typical chest and tricep workout. There are a few ways to perform this style of workout.
Following a superset format you can pair a back exercise with a elbow flexor exercise. I’ve never been a huge fan of this style because my biceps usually end up on the short and weak end do to the amount of pulling effort placed on the biceps during the initial back exercise.
This format is also a typical recipe for elbow disaster later on down the road. If you’ve ever suffered from elbow or forearm tendinitis, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
When training back and biceps together I’m a bigger fan of completing straight sets of all my back movements before moving on to 1-3 bicep exercises at the end of the workout. These bicep exercises are usually in a straight set as well.
Sample type of workout:
A1) Compound Back Exercise (ex. Deadlifts, Heavy Barbell Rows, Weighted Chins)
B1) Unilateral Back Exercise (Single Arm Dumbell Rows, Single Arm Barbell Row)
C1) Bodyweight Back Exercise (Chins, Pull-ups, Face Pulls, Inverted Rows)
D1) Unilateral Bicep Exercise (Cross Body Hammer Curls, Hammer Curls)
E1) Bilateral Bicep Exercise (EZ Bar curls, Barbell curls)
This same format can be followed in a typical chest and tricep workout.
Three reasons I’m not a big fan of a superset of chest and triceps.
1) My chest movements take a hit from tricep fatigue, thus my strength takes a hit.
2) My triceps lack the strength to achieve the maximum pump I desire.
3) My elbows take a beating with this style of training.
A great way to eliminate overuse of the elbows is to pair chest with the elbow flexors and back with the elbow extensors.
I’m a big fan of using this style training when following any density style workout in a superset format. Separating the overuse of the flexors and the extensors can lead to long-term joint health of the elbows.
Sample pec/elbow flexor superset workout:
A1) Dumbbell bench press
A2) Dumbbell hammer curl
Sample back/elbow extensor superset workout:
A1) Weighted Chins
A2) Lying chain tricep extensions
Order of Bicep Exercises
Train the brachialis first. This muscle is what many bodybuilders will call the forgotten muscle of the arm. If you build up the brachialis you can create the illusion that your arms are even bigger by creating a wider appearance. This is achieved because the larger the brachialis the more it pushes your biceps and triceps away from each other. In the bodybuilding world we all know how important it is to create the illusion and in the real world what guy doesn’t want to create an illusion that his arms are bigger? I’m going to guess they don’t exist and if they are out there – they are probably lacking in testosterone levels.
Exercises that attack the brachialis:
- Dumbbell hammer curls
- Cross body hammer curls
- EZ bar curls
- Reverse grip barbell curls
- Rope hammer curls
Lee Priest HAS a Brachialis Muscle!
Bicep Training Tip: Squeeze the dumbbell or bar as hard as you can during the movements that train the brachialis.
The lower biceps need to be trained in order to achieve a long, full bicep. No one, especially bodybuilders want a gap the size of a truck between their lower bicep and their elbow. After creating an increased flow of blood to the muscle the lower bicep is a great “second” muscle to train during your bicep workout.
Exercises to train the lower bicep and achieve a long, full bicep:
- Preacher curls using a barbell, dumbbell or EZ bar
- Dumbbell curls in which the arm is resting on a pad
- Hammer curls that allow for full range of motion at the bottom
Train the basic bicep exercises like barbell or dumbbell curls last. You can usually go heaviest with these but when the muscle is full of blood you are less likely to see injuries with the tendons and ligaments. I’m a huge fan of these movements, but also a huge fan of healthy arms.
Basic bicep exercises:
- Barbell curls
- Dumbbell curls
Order of Tricep Exercises
Keep the flexing movements first. Much like the bicep this fills the tricep with blood and allows for easier use of extension movements later on in the workout.
Exercises using the flexing movement:
- Rope pushdowns
- Banded pushdowns
Placing dips second is a smart move. First and foremost dips do place a lot of strain on the elbows but by doing these second the elbows are warm.
Dip exercise variations:
- Bodyweight dips
- Bench dips
- Belt weighted dips
- Banded dips
- Chain weighted dips
Extension type movements are best kept for last. If you are like me then you’ve probably complained at some point about lying extension type movements like French presses or skull crushers. These exercises are great to help stretch the muscle out when it is fully warm and allow for full extension.
Extension tricep exercises:
- Dumbbell tricep extension
- EZ bar tricep extensions / skull crushers
- L-extensions (using 1 dumbbell come across the upper chest with the thumb head of the dumbbell leading into the chest and extend out over the shoulder)
- Lying chain tricep extension
- Blast strap tricep extensions
Volume
Your biceps and triceps aren’t your legs or back. So training in a lower volume is more efficient and there isn’t a need for a large number of sets.
I’ll train with sets of 3 – 6, usually building more sets into the program as the weeks go on.
For reps I’m a big fan of 8-10 reps for biceps and 8-15 reps for triceps. This isn’t set in stone as there are times you’ll see me training biceps in the 12-15 range and triceps in the 4-6.
Just as when you first begin a training program it’s recommended to increase the volume as the program builds. For that reason I may begin a program with 6-8 sets for biceps and build to 9-12 sets as the weeks progress.
For triceps the sets will always start at a higher volume of 8-10 and build to as many as 16 sets but usually settling in a 12-14 range.
I’m a fan of training biceps and triceps one time per week – either separate from each other with a larger muscle group (back and biceps, chest and triceps or back and triceps, chest and biceps).
Or training biceps and triceps together one time per week. A great idea for advanced bodybuilders.
Tempo
Recently I’ve been using more eccentric tempos in my arm training and have truly enjoyed using a 3 to 4 second negative. Unlike chest or back movements where I’ll use a 5 second negative, the 3 to 4 second eccentric is a good fit and still allows to use a decent weight. But remember on any controlled negative you won’t train with the same load if you weren’t using the negative tempo. So be ready to use less weight.
I save this style of training for one typical exercise during my workout. I’m a big fan of eccentric seated dumbbell curls.
With the concentric movement, much like when I’m training back I will use a pronounced concentric and contract liberally. I don’t necessarily use this throughout the workout but will pick one exercise to do so.
The most consistent way I train my biceps and triceps is with constant tension but will work in these eccentric and concentric techniques to increase blood flow and contraction of the muscle.
A good arm workout always needs a good pump and this is will accomplish that.
Rest Period
Short rest periods are great for hypertrophy and are great way to increase intensity of an arm workout.
These shorter rest periods will allow a greater flow of blood into the muscle. More blood to the muscle allows for more of a pump. A good pump isn’t that important when training other body parts but has given me great success when training arms.
Vary your rest periods. As long as 45 to 60 seconds and as short as 10 to 15 seconds between sets.
My personal favorite is 30 seconds of rest between exercises and between sets. This is highly effective when training in a superset format of a bicep exercise followed by a tricep exercise.
The easiest way to achieve the desired rest period is to wear a watch, especially if you train in a gym like mine where we don’t have a clock.
Using those principles and techniques here is a sample arm workout I’ve been using in my latest program.
Enjoy.
The Bodybuilder Bicep and Tricep Workout
A1) Cross Body DB Hammer Curl – 5 x 10
A2) Banded Pushdown – 5 x 10
B1) EZ Bar Curl – 3 x 12
B2) Chain Dips – 3 x 8 – Heavy (3 second Negative)
C1) Barbell Curl – 4 x 8
C2) DB SA L-Extensions – 4 x 15
D1) Seated DB curls w/ 3-sec descent – 2 x 8
D2) Lying chain extensions – 4 x 15
Let me know if you’ve had success using other techniques or if any of these techniques have worked for you.
Work Hard, Train Hard, Get Better,
Tyler
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