Big arms and bodybuilding go together like Coffee and Coffee-mate, don’t you think? In fact, I think a lot of us (especially men) would have first grabbed a weight or walked into a gym dreaming of massive python-like arms!
However, the problem is that many think that they will be able to build great arms by performing endless bicep curls till the cows come home. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but doing so will not create large arms. In fact, you’ll be on your way to the point of diminishing returns in no time.
Here’s why – Your upper arm is made up of two major muscle groups — the biceps and the triceps, and many lifters make the mistake of only training the biceps, failing to realise that the triceps only make up two-thirds of the upper arm mass. The triceps are a beautifully-shaped muscle when well developed. Surprised?
I’ve had friends who want bigger arms but only ask me what the best biceps exercises are. I normally end up giving them my favourite triceps exercises instead.
For good arm development, allocate a few more sets for your triceps rather than biceps. If you always start your arm training with your biceps first (almost everyone I see in the gym does this), try switching the order. Train your triceps first before you train your biceps.
Though you should always strive for a balance of all muscle groups, trust me when I say that if your biceps development are weaker but if you possess well developed triceps – your arms would still look spectacular! The same can’t be said for the reverse.
The bottomline? If you want big arms, get big triceps!
Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site http://www.dailymuscle.com which offers the author’s personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.
