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Old 11-06-2008, 09:29 AM
mad matt mad matt is offline
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Default Big Arms

I have been training now, on and off, for about 4 years. however i still class myself as less than a beginner. Why? Well because im one of those poeple that THOUGHT the key to getting big arms was simple, the more weighted dips and bicep curls i do the bigger my arms will grow, period. I am learning though, and this has helped me and may help others, it may have been posted before but it really does hit home.

By Stuart McRobert
To get big arms, get yourself on a basic program that focuses on the leg, hip and back structure without neglecting the arms themselves. As you improve your squatting ability, for reps and say 100 pounds, your curling poundage should readily come up by 30 pounds or so if you work hard enough on curls. This will add size to your biceps. While adding 100 pounds to your squat, you should be able to add 50/70 pounds to your bench press, for reps. This assumes you've put together a sound program and have worked hard on bench. That will add size to your triceps.

If you are desprate to add a couple of inches to your upper arms you'll need to add 30 pounds or more over your body, unless your arms are way behind the rest of you. Dont start thinking about 17" arms or even 16" arms so long as your body weight is 130, 140, 150, 160, or even 170 pounds. Few people can get big arms without having a big body. Your unlikely to be one of the exceptions.

15 sets of arm flexor exercises and 15 sets of isolation tricep exercises with a few squats, deadlifts and bench presses thrown in as an afterthought will give you a great pump and attack the arms from "all angles". However, it wont make your arms grow much, if at all, unless your already squatting and benching big poundages, or are drug assisted or genetically gifted.

As your main structures come along in size and strenght ( hip, thigh and back structure, and the pressing structure), the directly involved smaller body parts are brought along in size too. How can you bench press or dip impressive poundages without adding alot to your triceps? How can you deadlift the house and row big weights without having the arm flexors, not to mention the shoulders and the upper back to go with those lifts? How can you squat close to 2 times bodyweight, for plenty of reps without having alot of muscle all over your body.

The greater the development and strenght of the main muscle structures of the body, the greater the size and strenght potential of the small areas of the body. Think it through. Suppose you can only squat and deadlift 200 pounds, and your arms measure about 13" . Your unlikely to add any more than half an inch or so on them, no matter how much arm specialization you put in.

However, put some real effort into the squat and deadlift, together with the bench press and a few other major basic movements. build up the poundages by 50% or more, to the point where you can squat 300 pound for over ten reps, and pack on 30 pounds of muscle. Then, unless you have an unusual arm structure, you should be able to get your arms to around 16" . If you want 17" arms, plan on having to squat more than a few reps, with around 2 times bodyweight and on adding many more pounds of muscle throughout your body.

All of this arm development would have been achieved without a single concentration curl. This lesson in priorities proves that the shortest distance between you and big arms is NOT a straight line to a curl bar.
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Last edited by mad matt; 11-06-2008 at 10:39 AM.
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Old 11-09-2008, 07:04 AM
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Talking Good post...

I've just recently wrapped my head around this... great reinforcement
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Old 11-09-2008, 07:09 AM
Darkhorse Darkhorse is offline
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In addition to squats and deadlifts providing a full body growth response, those of you who are 190 lbs dreaming about big arms can forget it. The more you weigh, the more potential for growing two of the smallest muscles in the body.
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Old 11-11-2008, 10:26 AM
Scorcher2005 Scorcher2005 is offline
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I havent read this article before, but I have seen it preached many times before. I tell my workout buddy this as he only likes to do chest and arms. I tell him he wont grow much, if at all, if he doesnt do the squats and deads. He doesn't really believe, but I guess he willlearn the hardway as I pass him up.
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Old 11-11-2008, 09:23 PM
norcaldude norcaldude is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pimpsticky View Post
I've just recently wrapped my head around this... great reinforcement
Same here

Thanks!
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Old 12-03-2008, 11:00 AM
mad matt mad matt is offline
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Just to add to this. An experiment was performed by a group of scientists in Denmark. First the scientists tested the arm strenght of a group of subjects and, subsequently, divided the subjects into two groups: One group trained only their arms (arm group), and the other group trained their arms and their legs (armleg group). Both groups spent the same amount of time training their arms, however the armleg group performed additional leg exercises to increase the concentration of circulating anabolic hormones, that is testosterone and growth hormone.(The amount of anabolic hormones in the blood will increase more if a large amount of muscle is exercised). At the end of the experiment, the scientists found that the arm group increased their arm strenght by 9 percent, while the armleg group increased their arm strenght by 37 percent. This study clearly shows the importance of recruiting a large muscle mass during resistance exercise.
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mad matt View Post
If you are desprate to add a couple of inches to your upper arms you'll need to add 30 pounds or more over your body, unless your arms are way behind the rest of you.
From what I've read gaining 10 LB of lean mass a year is pretty good even if your doing everything right. This means that under my improving but I'm sure less than ideal work out/ diet I'm looking at minimum three years to add a couple inches to the guns? Wow I'm feelin very depressed. Or am I off with the 10lbs a year? I'm pretty novice but I think I'm past those addicting beginner gains. I know there is no hard fast rule but I would like to make some at least in the ball park goals. Anybody have some experience with longer term gains and what is obtainable with no illegal chemical helpers.
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:35 PM
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its a slow process, but just think how depressed you will feel if you don't train for the next 3 years
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:42 PM
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Very true. I guess if it was easy everyone would be jacked as hell.
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grit View Post
From what I've read gaining 10 LB of lean mass a year is pretty good even if your doing everything right. This means that under my improving but I'm sure less than ideal work out/ diet I'm looking at minimum three years to add a couple inches to the guns? Wow I'm feelin very depressed. Or am I off with the 10lbs a year? I'm pretty novice but I think I'm past those addicting beginner gains. I know there is no hard fast rule but I would like to make some at least in the ball park goals. Anybody have some experience with longer term gains and what is obtainable with no illegal chemical helpers.
How long have you been training?
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