How to Build Bigs Arms - Arm Exercise Routine

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The Biceps Workout

1. Standing Barbell Curls
2. Preacher Curls
3. Incline Dumbbell Curls
4. One-Arm cable curls

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The Biceps Workout - Before you do any biceps exercise, it's important to establish a few ground rules on form. For instance, it's important to know where your "carry grip" is. this is the position where you hands should be placed on the bar before doing most curl exercises. Simply stand in front of a straight bar with your shoulders squared, chest up, and arms hanging naturally at your sides - sort of as if you were standing "at attention." Now, without changing the way your arms and hands naturally fall, reach out and grab the bar, palms up. This is your carry grip, and it's the correct hand position for most of the biceps exercises you'll do but especially for the first exercise in this workout.

Building mass means you have to get stronger -To keep using heavier and heavier weights, you need to rest adequately between sets – up to several minutes between sets on your heavy compound exercises.

The Triceps Workout - seeing a good pair of biceps isn't all that rare, but that doesn't seem to be the case with triceps. I think there are at least two reasons for this. For one, the triceps just aren't as "glamorous" as the biceps, and as such, people give them "secondary" status. That's puzzling to me because the triceps make up almost two-thirds of the bulk of the arm. You can have incredible biceps, but if you don't have any triceps mass, your arms are still going to look small. The other reason for the rarity of well-developed triceps has to do with form. Working the triceps properly requires more concentration than any other muscle group. If you start to daydream at all while doing triceps exercises, either your deltoids take over (as in the case of pushdowns, the first exercise in my triceps workout), or your back muscles, the lats, take over (as in the case of the lying overhead triceps extensions I describe later). However, if you put as much effort into your triceps workouts as you do your biceps workouts, your tric will be every bit as impressive.

	#1 Standing Barbell Curls
Tips	When doing biceps curls, choose a medium grip. A very close or very wide grip puts exaggerated stress on the elbows. If the barbell curl irritates your elbows and your form is good, try dumbbell curls. Dumbbells permit your wrists to find their natural positioning. Also, keep your wrists straight when curling; don’t extend them backward or flex them forward when doing the movement. 3 –6 teaspoons of Flax seed oil can help fatigued muscles recover more readily while exercises. Flax seed is an essential fatty acids that is needed to helps lubricated joints and joints movement. Increasing your strength, and hence your muscle size, is a slow process. You can’t hasten it by adding poundage to your exercises faster than your body can build strength. Add only very small plates instead of going for the big ones.
Starting position	Your feet should be roughly shoulder-width apart. This position will afford the most stability. Grab the bar using the "carry grip" established above, but remember to keep your shoulders squared and your chest up. It's a sad fact that most people who curl slouch their shoulders and use poor posture in general. If your posture isn't letter perfect during curls, you'll be letting the biceps off easy. In other words, you'll allow other muscle groups to help the biceps move the weight, and the biceps won't grow as much.
Stabilize	Remember to keep your shoulders squared and your chest up so your shoulder muscles don't aid in the lift. Furthermore, don't arch your back or sway backwards or forwards in an effort to recruit gravity or momentum to lift the weight for you. As you do your reps, always lower the weight slowly instead of just letting it fall. This downward movement - known as the "eccentric" phase - is where the muscle does most of its work and, consequently, causes the most muscle growth.
The Exercise	Now, contract the biceps slowly, keeping the arms "glued" to your sides - the elbows shouldn't dig into your ribs for leverage, nor should they deviate outwards. If your elbows "wander," other muscle groups will help out, and your biceps will suffer in the long run. Try visualizing the barbell moving out and up in an arc with the elbows being the center of the arc.
Sets	Try to do 3 sets of 15 reps, resting approximately 90 seconds between sets. Although many trainers prescribe different numbers of reps, I prefer 15 as I think this stimulates both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles fibers and leads to the most growth. As you do your sets, always strive for total failure. In other words, you shouldn't be able to do another rep -in good form - if your life depended on it. Obviously, if you can do more reps, you need to increase the weight. Likewise, if you can't do 15 reps, you've chosen a weight that's too heavy.
Caution:	If you find yourself moving your elbows during the exercise, you're using too much weight, and your body, in an effort to complete the curl, is "recruiting" other muscles to help lift the weight. The trouble is, we're working biceps here! Since this is the case, swallow your pride and use less weight. Don't round your shoulders. This takes emphasis off the biceps.
	#2 Preacher Curls
Tips	Use dumbbells to do this excise if barbells hurt your wrists or elbows. Also use Wrists and Elbows Wraps
Starting position	Most preacher curl benches are adjustable, and that's because it's crucial to get the right seat height before doing the exercise. Basically, the seat should not be so low that your shoulders are elevated nor so high that you're hunched over the pad. Adjust the seat so that most of your triceps rest comfortably on the pad.

Stabilize	Grab the bar using approximately the same shoulder-width grip used on the first exercise. Although the shoulders try to "creep" into most biceps exercises, it's especially true of preacher curls. If you're not careful, your deltoids will do most of the work, and your biceps will, in effect, get a free ride. Keep your chest elevated, shoulders back, and tighten the abdominals. One trick I use is to concentrate on keeping a little bit of tension in my lower back; as soon as the tension disappears, I know my form has deteriorated.
The Exercise	Visualize moving the barbell in an arc towards your shoulders. As you begin the curl, be careful not to lurch or rock the weight to get it moving. Remember, we want to make the exercise harder for the biceps, not easier. Curl the bar towards your chin, but given the mechanics, the resistance is greater at the beginning than at the end. consequently, as the resistance starts to led up, you've gone too far. You want to keep the tension on the biceps to get the most out of this exercise.
Sets	Go slowly, control the barbell, and concentrate on the eccentric or lowering part of the exercise. Do at least three sets, but keep in mind that it may take you a set of two to get the hang of this exercise. It's very easy to move the bar too fast, which allows momentum and gravity to assist the muscle. Obviously, you want to work with a weight you can control. Once you can do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps in perfect form, now it's time to increase the weight.
Caution:	If you are not careful, your shoulders will "creep" in and do most of the work - Remember good form
	#3 Incline Dumbbell Curls
Tips	Concentrate on the "squeeze" in the biceps. Pretend there's a walnut in your elbow you're trying to crack it with your biceps
Starting position	Sit on an incline bench while keeping your back flat against the bench. As always, keep your shoulders squared and chest elevated. Grab a pair of dumbbells.In the starting position, your arms will be hanging straight down.
Stabilize	Remember to keep back straight
The Exercise	With your palms in the up, or supinated, position, curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Even though you're sitting down, it's still possible to lurch your upper body and use momentum to curl the dumbbells - don't.
Sets	Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps (each arm), depending on your level of fatigue. Since this is the last exercise in your biceps workout, You should really fatigue the biceps.
	#4 One-Arm Cable Curls
Tips	Step away from the cable pulley 6-12". This position assures constant tension on the biceps muscle. When your arm is fully extended, the weight on the pulley is not resting on the weight stack.
Starting position	Use a low pulley on a cable machine. Stand at a right angle to the pulley machine. Grip the handle with your right (or left) hand. Stand sideways with your right (or left) shoulder facing the pulley machine. Your body should be at a right angle to the cable machine. Stand at a right angle to the machine about 6 to 12 "
Stabilize	Remember to keep your shoulders squared and your chest up so your shoulder muscles don't aid in the lift.

The Exercise	Curl your arm and cable across the front of your body up to about your opposite chest. Your upper arm should remain fixed. Contract the biceps fiercely and focus on the muscle. Motion should be slow. Do slow deliberate reps. Avoid fast training, which only equates to "going through the motions" with unfocused, useless no-growth reps. Focus your mind on seeing the muscle growing. Contract the biceps hard at full contraction. Return the cable slowly to the start, resisting the weight on the way down. No need to use super heavy weight on this exercise, instead apply focus and mind control to work the exercise to its greatest benefit. Repeat with the opposite arm.
Sets	Do three to four sets of eight to ten reps.
Caution:	Avoid using too much weight. Excess poundage will cause poor form, incomplete reps and stunted growth.

The Triceps Workout

1. Straight-Bar Cable Pushdowns
2. Lying Overhead Triceps Extensions
3. Cable Rope Extensions

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	#1 Straight-Bar Cable Pushdowns
Tips	Keep your head up and your shoulders back.
Starting position	Find a lat-pulldown machine and stand - don't sit - facing the machine. Generally speaking, you can use the lat-pulldown bar itself, but some gyms have straight bars you can attach directly to the lat-pulldown pulley. Regardless of which bar you choose, grab it with a palms-down, shoulder-width grip. your arms should be bent 90° at the elbows, and you should be in the same shoulders-back, chest-out position I've preached again and again. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart for added stability. Likewise, bend your knees slightly to lower your center of gravity and give you added stability. The wrists should be locked in a "neutral" position (neither bent forward nor back) for the duration of the exercise. Tighten the abdominals to stabilize the upper torso and keep it from swaying.
The Exercise	Push the bar down and in towards your legs in an arc. Continue pushing downward until your arms are straight, but don't allow your elbows to turn outward (this would indicate internal rotation of the shoulders which mean that the shoulders are helping the triceps do the pushdown). Slowly allow the weight to rise to chest level while keeping tension on the triceps the whole time.
Sets	Do three sets to total failure, without jerking the weight downward or rounding your back. Cheating isn't going to get you anywhere, nor is bad posture. Emphasize the eccentric portion (on this case, the upward movement of the bar) as this is the part of exercise that really stresses the muscle fibers and leads to growth. Try to do at least 15 reps each set, and rest for about 90 seconds between sets. Although different trainers have different theories about the optimum number of reps to do in triceps exercises, I think 15 works well for most people, stressing both types of muscle fibers and leading to more growth. Once you can do more than 15 reps, WITH GOOD FORM, it's time to increase the weight.
Caution:	Be careful to maintain good posture throughout the exercise. Don't roll the shoulders forward.
	#2 Lying Overhead Triceps Extensions
Tips	You might also try this exercise using dumbbells instead of an EZ-curl bar. Simply grasp two dumbbells and assume the same position as you would using an EZ-curl bar. Keeping your hands in a "hammer" position )grabbing the dumbbells as if they were hammers instead of weights), lower the weights to the sides of your head and raise them up again. Do the exercise exactly as you would if you were using an EZ-curl bar, except the dumbbells allow you to have a greater range of motion than you would have with a bar, thru working the triceps even more.
Starting position	Find a flat bench and set an EZ-curl bar in front of one end. Grasp the bar using a shoulder-width grip, and lie back onto the bench. Your feet should be wide to ensure stability, and the bar should be held directly over your eyes at arm's length.
The Exercise	Slowly lower the weight backwards and down in an arc towards your forehead until your elbows form 90° angles. Bring the weight just shy of actually touching your forehead. It's crucial that you don't move your upper arms - the only things that move are your forearms and the weight itself. It's also important not to use too much weight or to lower the weight too quickly. Otherwise, you'll find out how this movement got its nick- name. Slowly raise the weight, again making sure not to move the upper arms. Too many people let their upper arms "fall" toward their head and then do kink of a lat pullover to raise the weight again. This will give you good lats, but it will do very little for you triceps. Likewise, don't allow your elbows to drift out from your body while raising the weight - this is known as internal rotation of the shoulder, and aside from potentially damaging your shoulders, it takes the emphasis off the triceps. Also remember to keep your wrists locked in a neutral position throughout this exercise, so all the tension is directed on the triceps.
Sets	This is a great exercise, so I recommend doing more sets than you might do with other exercises. In fact, I often have trainees do up to six sets with this exercise. I also stress higher number of reps, say 15, at a very slow pace. I've found that higher reps work the triceps muscles much more effectively. Rest approximately 90 seconds between sets.

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	#3 Cable Rope Extensions
Tips	As you extend your arms, pause momentarily to flex the muscle fully to ensure optimum results.
Starting position	Find a weight stack with a high pulley and attach a rope to the high pulley. The rope forces you to use a different grip which will, in turn, force you to use the triceps in a different way. Remember, there are three separate "heads" to the triceps, and each of them is used preferentially, depending on the exercise and the grip. Regardless, they all need to be worked to ensure optimum triceps development. grasp both ends of the rope, one end in each hand, and face the machine with your elbows bent. Place your feet roughly shoulder-width apart. Make sure your forearms are parallel to each other throughout the exercise. Tilt your body slightly forward for balance, and keep your shoulders back, so they can't assist your triceps.
The Exercise	Extend the lower arms and the rope down and out in an arc. Contract the triceps fully. Slowly lower the weight (raise your forearms) back to the starting point, making sure you keep tension on the triceps throughout the eccentric phase. Click here for Accessories.
Sets	Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps, going to total failure on each set. Your arms might be exhausted by this point, so do the best you can, and keep proper form throughout each and every rep.
Note	The body is very adaptive, and every routine will eventually grow stale. that's why it's important to change your routine often. change can be very simple or complex. For instance, if you do this routine and experience good results for six weeks but find it suddenly stops working, you might want to change the order of the exercises. (Maybe do triceps first, or do fewer reps, say eight to ten for a couple weeks, instead of the higher numbers I recommend). There are other ways to change a routine, too. You might even choose to "superset" exercises, doing a biceps exercise followed immediately (without rest) by a triceps exercise. Subsequent supersets would involve other biceps exercises supersetted with other triceps exercises. However you choose to do it, remember to keep your body "off balance." In other words, subject it to new stresses as it adapts to the old ones. If you keep that in mind, it's only a matter of time before you'll begin stretching the sleeves of your T-shirts to the "breaking point." This should apply to supplements and your diet. More "superset" increase carbohydrates and creatine (ATP). Fewer reps with increase weight, lower you carbohydrates, cut back or even stop your creatine and increase protein, add an anti-catabolism product such as Amino Acids or glutamine, and an testosterone product.