How do I build bigger arms

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YouW15h
YouW15h Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
i am having issues with getting size on my arms?
Any tips or suggestions?

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  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Eat in a caloric surplus and utilize an arm routine that focuses on progressive overload. I'd aim for compound movements for the main focus, and isolation as a secondary. Dips, Close Grip Bench, Weighted Chins, Rows, and variations of curls...
  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    Time under tension is the key to all hypertrophy goals. Isolation is not really required, though if you are trying to effect your muscular proportions it is effective if time consuming. The typical route for hypertrophy gains is moderately high weight (specific to you and the movement being performed) and high reps. 12x12 for example. Find the weight that you can just complete 10-12 reps with for a given motion and start building sets. Remember, you want time under tension so don't simply bang out those reps. And treat every rep as if it's as serious as the last one you have to fight for. You will feel the burn too, extended periods under moderately high loads causes an abundance of lactic acid in the tissue that the tissue compensates for by developing large volumes of non contractile proteins to help dissipate the acid until it is disposed of. You don't get this effect with true strength training as the very heavy weights mean lower reps and less time under load and you don't get it from cardio as the low load distributed over a long time allows the acid to disperse. My interest is in pure strength but there is nothing wrong with a little vanity work if you want to tweak the proportions of your body :)
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    skullcrushers are great for your triceps.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    Do heavy, compound pressing/pulling movements for strength and finish by supersetting direct arm work. An example upper body day would be something like:

    Bench press...superset...Barbell Rows
    Work up to a really heavy set of 5 reps

    Overhead press...superset...Pull Ups
    3x8-12

    DB Curl...superset...DB Skull Crusher
    5x15-20

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    TUT is not the key to hypertrophy, total volume is the key. TUT is kind of a secondary component of that volume.

    To Loftren's point, those lifts all include the triceps and biceps so they can help accomplish your goals. My personal preference would be Dips over Skull Crushers but that's just me.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    TUT is not the key to hypertrophy, total volume is the key. TUT is kind of a secondary component of that volume.

    To Loftren's point, those lifts all include the triceps and biceps so they can help accomplish your goals. My personal preference would be Dips over Skull Crushers but that's just me.

    Yerp
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    TUT is not the key to hypertrophy, total volume is the key. TUT is kind of a secondary component of that volume.

    To Loftren's point, those lifts all include the triceps and biceps so they can help accomplish your goals. My personal preference would be Dips over Skull Crushers but that's just me.

    Dips are good. I just wouldn't do them after bench pressing and overhead pressing. Gotta take care of those shoulders mang.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,719 Member
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    I've always gotten results with high volume training. 16 sets or more for biceps and triceps separately.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    TUT is not the key to hypertrophy, total volume is the key. TUT is kind of a secondary component of that volume.

    To Loftren's point, those lifts all include the triceps and biceps so they can help accomplish your goals. My personal preference would be Dips over Skull Crushers but that's just me.

    I think diminished volume is the result of TUT taken to impractical extremes. My recommendation for timing was less about extending time under tension than matching early reps to later reps (it's easy to just bang out those first reps before the bar starts to feel heavy) and encouraging form. I do tend to use 'time' interchangeably with 'volume' but I suppose that can lead to confusion should the OP take my post and start reading up on TUT. So yes, you want a large volume of work being done, and going beyond a few seconds per rep will almost always diminish over all volume for the session.

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