There is no equation that big arms are by far the most popular goal held by lifters, whether they’ve been in the gym for 5 minutes or 5 years. However, the “newbie” who is just getting started in the gym should be particularly encouraged when tackling arm training. The legendary “beginners gains” are very much real, and if you can employ the right arm blasting workouts from the beginning, you will see great growth in your biceps and triceps very quickly. You’ll also possess great arms from this point forward as your arms will have a great head start. Let’s get started!

Keep the workout simple.
You’ll want to choose 4 sets of 3 exercises for biceps, and 4 sets of 3 exercises for triceps. This will equate to a workout of 24 sets total, or two separate workouts consisting of 12 sets for biceps and triceps, respectively. You should also include one quick warm-up set for each ‘real’ set, ensuring your muscles are ready for the heavier work sets that will actually count.

Devote equal times to biceps AND triceps
Many new lifters love to hit the biceps with everything they’ve got, but will tend to neglect the triceps. This is a big mistake! The biceps are only 2/5 of the upper arm mass. The triceps is the three-headed beast that makes up over 60% of the upper arm mass. If anything, your triceps should be enjoying a few more sets of stimulation if you want your arms to grow as much as possible! Maintain balance for best results.

Stick with the basic exercises
Sure, it can be fun to hop on the cable machines and pump, pump, pump away. However, the best results you will see will arrive from using heavy compound movements. This is what builds up the MUSCLE – not the pump. For biceps, use barbell and dumbbell curls. For triceps, stick with skull crushers, close grip bench press, and overhead DB and BB presses.

You’ll need more calories
Adding new muscle to your arms means your overall body weight will increase – about 10 pounds on the scale for every 1 inch you add to your arms. Keep this in mind as you plan each day’s meals, remembering that adding more beef, chicken, pasta, rice, and beans to each meal will result in weight gain – and new inches of muscle on your arm as well!

Go heavy, then light
Using heavy weight is great for the first 10 sets of any workout, but you will want to wrap up the day by dropping the weight significantly and enjoying that pump and burn which comes from taking your rep range up to 12, 15 or even 20 reps per set. The rest of your workout should consist of sets of 6 to 12 repetitions per set.

Track your progress
Using a measuring tape and weekly photographs, track the amount of progress you are seeing on the development of your arms. Record your waistline as well. If you are growing your arms but your waistline is remaining consistent (or even shrinking), then you know that you’re building up muscle and not getting fatter. Good luck!

Are you looking for a triceps exercise that can become the meat n’ potatoes for your upper arm mass building? It will probably come down to overhead extensions versus skull crushers. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and there are plenty of reasons why both should be on your training menu. Let’s compare the two, and see which one will emerge the victor!

Overhead extensions usually win out initially because they are the only exercise that actually places the triceps muscle into the FULLY stretched position. Skull crushers, while a powerful movement, do have a slightly greater limitation in terms of range of motion. Overheard extensions target that long head of the triceps, which also accounts for most of the upper arm mass that you see in each pose. Overhead extensions can be used with either dumbbells or barbells.

In terms of building strength, both are excellent. You may discover that the skull crushers, delivering an angle different from the Overhead extensions, will assist you in all other extensions, as well as in anything for the chest and shoulders. Their limited range of motions means you can use more weight, although that will also place more weight and pressure upon your wrists and elbows.

In terms of injury, both exercises are a tad risky. After all, you’re moving some heavy weight and doing so at a tough angle on both of them – but that is how new muscle is born! Using dumbbells for the overhead extensions are probably your best bet, as they allow you to ‘bend’ at just the right moments in order to ensure your joints are lining up as they should be.

For sheer mass, Overhead extensions are probably going to be your winner. For developing strength, skull crushers might be a better option. Checking your ego at the door is imperative when using Overhead extensions. You can use 45 to 75 pounds for them and enjoy a very complete triceps workout. It’s more about the feel, contraction, and blood flow to the muscle group. If you place 200+ pounds on your elbows and wrists at that angle, you’re asking for trouble!

The most successful bodybuilder is the one that will use BOTH of these movements in order to garner the best possible results from each of them. Just as you would never choose only one protein source, you must choose a variety of triceps mass building exercises in order to truly develop them to the greatest possible degree.

Your initial foray into bodybuilding training schemes was probably a simple one to which we were all exposed at an early age. You were to select 3 exercises for each body part, then complete 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps for this exercise. It was simple, easy to remember, and it got the job done. Over time, however, you may have noticed other lifters using more advanced training techniques, and based upon their results.

Down-The-Rack
This one is simple, and you’ll probably be scratching your head as to why you never used it before. Select a dumbbell exercise, such as standing alternate dumbbell curl, bent over standing dumbbell laterals, or even dumbbell shrugs. Complete 8 reps with 80 pounds. Then step over and immediately complete 6 reps with the 65 pound dumbbells. Then set them down, step over and immediately complete your set with 4 reps with 50 pounds. One final set of 4 reps with 30 pounds, and your arms or shoulders will be toast!

Trading Places
This is also known as “I go, you go” but this description sounds like much less of a urinary technique. We’ll use biceps curls for this example. Complete your standard 8 reps of curls with 50 pounds, then hand it to your friend. He will complete the same number of reps, then hand it back to you. Now you’ll try to knock out 5 or 6 more reps. Then you hand it back to him. You’re training to failure each time, then challenging him to match it. Soon you’ll be down to 1 repetition apiece with horrible form, but you’ll both have quite a memorable biceps pump in no time at all!

Rest-Pause
Most muscles regain 90 percent of their strength in only 10-20 seconds of rest. So let’s put this fact to work! Select a very heavy weight and complete your 1-repetition max. Count to 15, then complete another. Repeat until you have knocked out 8 repetitions (in about 2 minutes) with your max rep weight. You’re about to experience soreness and growth that you never could have imagined before!

Be sure that you build a solid foundation of muscle before you begin employing these advanced muscle building training techniques. Keep in mind that you aren’t going to be using these every set, or even every workout. But applying them from time to time can deliver some training benefits you never expected!

When it comes to building up the muscles of the calves, creativity and brainpower isn’t all that essential. This may contradict the science that you’ve come to apply when targeting the 4 main muscle sheaths of the chest or the isolation methods you apply to target the three individual heads of the deltoids. But for the calves, dumb and simple works! Let’s look at a few of the questions you should be asking yourself regarding calf training!

What exercises & equipment should you be using?
This is one area where many lifters tend to out-think themselves. The calves are a simple muscle group that completes one simple pushing movement. You can use state-of-the-art machines, or a plain old barbell standing upon a slat of wood. Your calves don’t know if you have a shiny Hammer Strength machine, or a rusty calf sled from the 1950s. Any machine or free weight will do, just so long as you are training calves heavy, with intensity, and without mercy!

What set & repetition schemes should you be using?
Lots of reps, and lots of sets should be the recipe for intelligent and effective calf training. Calves, like the abs and forearms, are muscle groups that receive plenty of stimulation on a daily basis and really need something beyond the standard “4 sets of 12 reps” to grow. Experiment with going up to 15 sets, with sets of 15 to 20 repetitions – and you will soon discover what your body is capable of handling!

How heavy should you be going?
Your calves are used to moving your body weight all day long, on one leg, with every other step. So if you match your 190 pound body weight, they sure are not going to be seeing anything that they don’t experience walking the dog each morning. However, you can toss 500 pounds on that calf sled for repetitions, and you may quickly discover a whole new world of calf pump, pain – and growth!

How often should you train calves?
You should be hitting your calves every day that they are not sore, just as long as this does not interfere with your calf and hamstring training, or with recovery of central nervous system in any way. Most people will hit each body part once per week, which may work fine on muscle groups such as chest or back which can remain sore for 96 hours after training. Calves, however, possess a propensity for faster recovery, meaning you can – and should – effectively hit them two to three times per week.

There is plenty of room for variation when it comes to lifting weights. The gym is packed with a myriad of machines that are dedicated to targeting the muscles of your body from every possible angle and direction. However, amongst the jungle of lifting options at your collective fingertips, sits ten core movements which should be used every week. These are core, compound, fundamental exercises which have been tried and true to really build up that muscle mass foundation. Without it, you can tone and pump all you want, but you aren’t going to make any real changes in terms of muscle size. So without further adieu, let’s check out these ten core essential compound exercises.

Squat
The single most effective exercise ever conceived. Warm up and keep your knees loose, and you will add plenty of weight to your legs and everywhere else as well!

Deadlift
Pick up the barbell and put it down. Build up your back, arms, legs, shoulder and gain muscle weight.

Barbell Curls
Keep your back straight and your form pure. You don’t have to go too heavy on this movement. Just focus upon slowly curling each rep and flexing the biceps muscle at the top of the movement.

Crunches
Avoid situps (bad for the back) but embrace crunches. They build up your midsection, helping you to look better with your shirt off, and avoid injury through greater overall core strength!

Chins
This simple exercise involves pulling the entire body up, and uses most of the muscles of the body as a result. This exercise starts difficulat but becomes easier with time as your strength increases.

Military Press
Build up your shoulders and really develop a thickness to your upper body that will be visible from any angle with this highly effective mass building exercise.

Calf Raises
Build up your lower legs by using as heavy a weight as you can for this movement. Remember that your legs are very used to lifting your light body weight all week long. It’s time to challenge them!

Skull Crushers
This exercise is exactly what it sounds like. If the bar slips, you might end up with a crushed skull. But if used correctly, lying on the bench pressing the EZ-curl bar over the head for triceps development is a great way to add thickness and size to your upper arms in a way that cables just cannot deliver.

Dumbbell Rows
This exercise is great for isolating the lats, or that cobra back appearance to your body. Go heavy with lots of sets and reps for best results!

Lying Leg Raises
Many people will train their upper abdominals with crunches every week, but neglect developing their lower abdominals. This diminishes their overall appearance while at the same time putting them at risk for hernia injury. Use this movement weekly!

When most bodybuilders first enter a gym, their goal isn’t to become ripped. They don’t care about proportions. They could care less about etching definition and striations into muscle groups. Their goal is typically to get BIG. Once they achieve this goal, and compete in a bodybuilding show or two, they begin to realize that while pure unadulterated size is fun to have, it’s the well-built bodybuilders with etched in striations and detail that win bodybuilding shows.

When the goal inevitably changes from adding pure size to adding definition and detail, a new set of rules and practices must come into play. Here are a few changes to the “get big!” strategy, which refines it to “get bigger AND better”.

Higher rep ranges
Employing a rep range of 12 to 20 allows the muscle group to recruit slow-twitch fibers which are typically neglected during the standard bodybuilding rep scheme of 8 to 12 reps. This also flushes an additional amount of blood into the region which provides the region with new levels of amino acids being present during the post-workout anabolic window healing period.

Train for pump
When trying to build new muscle mass, many bodybuilders attempt to constantly train to failure. This is a good approach, as it figuratively destroys the tendons, muscle, and supporting muscle infrastructure and inspires new muscle growth. However, when attempting to etch detail into a muscle group, the goal should change form muscle group annihilation to muscle group stimulation. Train for a pump – the maximum amount of blood in a muscle group that it can hold.

Visualization
The mental aspect of bodybuilding is often ignored in this sport of counting calories, reps, sets, and pounds. However, mentally focusing upon the muscle being trained, and adjusting exercise movement and flexing motions to meet this focus, allows a bodybuilder to maximize the rewards reaped from each repetition. Visualize the muscle being engorged with blood, and the subconscious actions of your body during the exercise movement will make it a reality.

Everyone knows the best way to build a huge, thick & strong back: Lots of heavy sets with barbell and dumbbell free weight work. You use exercises like deadlift, barbell row, dumbbell row, and bent-over barbell rowing, and you get thick quick. The workouts are never enjoyable, and training in this manner does take its toll on your joints and central nervous system. But you will attain some serious muscle mass training in this style while enjoying adequate protein & carbohydrate consumption, along with plenty of rest.

There are going to be times when all-out free weight training just isn’t the way to go. Your joints might be inflamed from heavy workout sessions. Perhaps you just competed in a bodybuilding show and you’re way down in body weight. Maybe you had the flu, and you’re coming back from being 12 pounds down. Life throw all sorts of curveballs at us – and it’s our responsibility to adjust to it by changing up our gym workouts to accommodate these changes while still making good gains.

Start your free weight-free back day with any of the variety of Hammer Strength machines. You can use the overhead or front pulldowns. You’ll be moving 45 pound plates, but the machine will be controlling the balance and arc of the movement. Knock out 4 sets of one movement, then 4 sets of another movement, for a total of 8 sets on these exercises.

Next it’s cable work. Use the lat pulldown bar with 2 different attachments (4 sets each) for a total of 8 sets. The wide grip for the first, then the close-grip parallel grip bar for the second group of sets, will allow for a wide variety of stimulation to your back muscles, without the use of free weights!

Finally you will move on to the hyper-extension machine. This will stimulate the muscles of your lower back without giving them the raw pain and torture they enjoy (?) from the use of barbell deadlifts. Four sets is all you need of this movement.

There you have it – a solid way to stimulate the muscles of the back without resorting to the much more effective free weights. You’ll want to stick to moving the heavy iron as much as possible. But for times in your life when your muscles or nervous system just cannot handle an all-out workout, a back day without free weights is the way to go!

When most bodybuilding routines call for “dips”, many trainers become confused.There are actually TWO bodybuilding exercises, which are referred to as dips.One movement trains the triceps, the other movement trains the chest AND the triceps.Often, bodybuilders will complete both exercises on chest/triceps day, which further contributes to the confusion. Let’s clear the air right now by analyzing the two similar movements and how they are completed.

Chest Dips aka Dips

The chest is targeted as the main muscle group, with the triceps receiving secondary stimulation in this movement.Take hold of the parallel bars (dip machine).With your palms facing the ground, slowly lower then raise your body.Try to lean forward in order to target the pectorals (chest muscles). Stay very upright when you do this movement in order to effectively hit the triceps.It’s a very flexible exercise.Try different angles and variations to see what works best for you.Additionally, you can add intensity to this movement by chaining weights to your weight belt.Many experienced trainers will tie two to three 45-pound plates to their belt when completing this movement.

Triceps Dips aka Dips behind back

Two benches are required to complete the triceps dips.Place them about three feet apart.Hold onto the rear bench using the heels of your hand, with your body in an L-shape.Your legs will extend to the other bench.You are going to lower your body up and down.The emphasis is upon the triceps muscle.No chest stimulation occurs during this movement.Many trainers start this movement using just body weight, but the need for additional weight plates to sit on the lap soon arises.Using slow, steady form, lower your body down and back up.Complete medium- to high-range repetitions for this movement.Eight reps should be the lowest, with 14 to 20 being the ceiling.Extremely heavy weight and low reps for this movement are dangerous.

Always use caution with movement. Your hands could become sweaty, causing you to slip.Your feet sitting on the other bench could be a problem too, especially if the bench begins to slide.Finally, the weight plate just sitting on your lap could easily fall.Use lighter weights or have a friend assist you until you get the hang of this very useful movement.

Now you know the difference between dips and dips.Get to the gym and put both of these movements to work!

The Sport of Bodybuilding is all about illusion. We’ve seen men weighing 188 pounds topple 300-pound giants in competition regularly. Sure, the bigger man was really wearing a full 100 pounds more muscle, but the smaller man was more ripped and symmetrical, and just presented the overall package much better. Men like Shawn Ray and Lee “Flea” Labrada were less than 200 pounds in their prime, and always able to defeat men who were much bigger. They did this through the art of illusion!

When you stand and look in the mirror, do you have that classic “v-taper”? Are your shoulders wide and pronounced, leading into wide, flaring lats, down into a very tight waist? This is the illusion that smaller bodybuilders are able to achieve, and it makes their larger counterparts appear as wide-waisted barrels of men, with no aesthetic value whatsoever! They do it by developing certain muscle groups to their best extent, then by making other groups appear as small as possible. In this case, they build wide, capped shoulders and wide, thick back muscles – but they keep the sides of the abdominals small and tight – And so can you!

Training the obliques, or side abs, is important. They can’t be overlooked. You want them to be tight and hard, and functional as well. Failure to train them leaves you open to injury and hernias.

Watch out when using exercises like Deadlifts or Squats, which are known as compound movements. They stimulate the entire “core” of the body, and if you are gaining weight (or particularly gaining weight with the use of anabolic steroids) then the obliques can grow very rapidly, with new size that you simply do not want.

The amount of food you eat will also impact how wide your midsection will appear. Small, frequent meals are digested in succession and leave you lean and tight. Large meals leave you bloated, and stretch out the stomach and intestines for several hours – a very bad thing if you are working to keep that area trim.

Finally, hold that gut in! Once you let a waistline get out of control, there may be no recovery for it. We see countless 50 year old men with minimal body fat that have a wide waist simply from years of not holding it in!

The use of insulin, IGF-1 and growth hormone may lead to negative results for you, if keeping that waistline tight is your goal. Look at many pro bodybuilders who have gained 20 pounds since turning pro, with 10 of the pounds in their midsection.

Keep the waist tight, train the other groups with great weight and intensity, and you will be winning shows before you know it!

Before you seriously engage in body building it is vital you understand the fundamentals of the sport so that you have a clear road map which will help you reach your destination. Failure to grasp the fundamentals of this sport will have very drastic consequences as you may end up failing completely in achieving your desired goals. The seven guidelines are as listed below;

1. Reduce Aerobic Exercises

Aerobic exercises have nothing to do with muscle power; all they do is simply burn the excess fat which you might be having. Aerobics however should not be ignored in its totality as they are very effective when it come to controlling conditions such as high blood pressure and heart conditions.

When it comes to contributing to the strength or power of the muscles the only form of exercise which is most effective is weight training.

2. Lift Weights

Lifting weights is very essential if you want to get muscle power and at the same time have a wonderful body physique. For the best results you should incorporate weight training with a bit of aerobic exercises. If you combine the two you will be able to balance you muscle to fat ratio and this in turn will lead to a better posture and improvement in your body composition.

When you are training with weights you should perform techniques such as progressive resistance training which will lead to a more powerful set of muscles. Progressive resistance training is where you train with a certain amount of weights and the after some time you add on more weights and the cycle continues. This method will enable you create more tears to the muscle tissues and this will make them respond and grow even bigger and powerful.

3. Rely On Proteins for Anabolic Effect

By now if you are serious about body building and getting those pair of six packs, you should be aware that the building blocks of getting those muscles is proteins. Proteins are the most fundamental aspect when it comes to determining the success of your weight lifting as without them you can’t acquire any muscles no matter how hard you try. Do not be cheated that carbohydrates can do the trick; this is a fad as the only nutrient capable of building muscles is proteins.

4. Observe Daily Intake of Proteins

You should make eating proteins a part of your lifestyle and the minimum amount you should consume in any given day should be a gram of protein for every pound of your body weight.

5. Observe Your Body Type

If your body burns a lot of proteins then you should double your protein intake to lets say two grams of protein for every pound that you weigh.

6. Take Carbohydrates

This is necessary for you to preserver the already consumed proteins. Carbohydrates act as fuel for the body to burn and generate more energy.

7. Include Proteins When You Are on a Diet

The importance of proteins can not be overemphasized more so when you are on a diet. The reasons being when you are on a diet you lower your carbohydrates and fat intake leaving the body with no alternative but to start utilizing proteins.

8. Use Protein Powder

Protein powders are very effective in increasing body power, especially whey protein which compromises of well branched amino acids.