The Workout

Working out with a trainer is your best bet to ensure you train all the muscles of your arms and in the most challenging and beneficial way. However, sometimes a personal training session is impossible so when you find yourself in that position, pick up this sheet and let it help guide to getting a great workout.

The Muscles: An Overview

Your arms are comprised of three main parts: biceps (the front muscle on the upper arm), triceps (the back muscle on the upper arm) and forearms (the inside muscle on the lower arm). Forearms are important for certain upper body moves and muscular balance, but it is really the biceps and triceps that do the majority of work for your arms. Your biceps are involved in countless upper body activities you do each day such as picking things up and carrying them. Your triceps are also busy muscles. For whenever you push something, that’s your triceps at work. So strong arms are important for daily life, but really when you think about it, it’s the big, strong arms and the sleeveless shirt that are the real powerhouse.


Warm Up

Before you start your strength-training workout be sure to warm up. Warm muscles respond better to exercise and a warm up will also help prevent any injuries. Spend about 5-10 minutes on a stationary bike, Stairmaster, elliptical or treadmill.

Now that you’re warm, let’s get started

Since you are trying to build some bulk, use the heaviest weights you can while still keeping good form. If you find you can’t complete one full set (8-10 reps) with the weight you’ve selected, go down in weight for now. Once you can complete at least 2 sets of 8-10 reps with good form then you can continue to add weight.

Bicep Curl

• Adjust the seat so that your arms rest in a comfortable position and your arms start fully extended. Grasp the bar with your hands about shoulder width apart.

• Pull the bar towards your shoulders and pause with your knuckles pointing to the ceiling. Lower to starting position.

• Don’t rush the movement and exhale on the exertion (when you pull up).
• Continue doing reps until fatigued (you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).

Cable Bicep Curl

Note: If your gym has a machine to do this, this is a great variation as using a cable pulley provides constant tension throughout the exercise so that your biceps are contracted throughout the set.


• Stand with your feet together. Grab the bar with an underhand grip.

• Pull your palms towards your shoulders, pause, then lower the weight with control.

• Be sure to keep the weight in the center of your palm so that your wrists are not over-stressed and tempted to bend backwards.

• Continue doing reps until fatigued (you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).


Tricep Extension

• Face the cable, standing with your feet hip width apart and knees slightly bent.

• Hold the bar with an overhand grip, and then pull your elbows to the sides of your ribs.

• Continue pressing your hands towards the floor until your elbows are straight. Squeeze your triceps like a fist, and then return your elbows to the 90-degree bend.

• Be sure to keep your abs engaged-they will prevent your back from arching or leaning forward, which makes the pushdown easier and less effective in fatiguing the triceps.

• Continue doing reps until fatigued (you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).


Assisted Tricep Dip

• Your machine may have foot pegs for you to stand on or a kneepad for you to kneel on. Climb up onto the machine (usually there are 2 or 3 footholds to stand on) and place your hands directly underneath your shoulders with your palms facing each other.

• Pull your shoulder blades towards each other and away from your ears, then lower your body bending your elbows towards the back of the room. Return to starting position by pushing your arms straight.

• Be sure to keep your shoulders down and your chest broad so that your shoulders do not round forward and place undue stress on the shoulder joint.

• Continue doing reps until fatigued (you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).

Tip: Do not do this exercise if you have ever injured your shoulder.

Tricep Push-Down

• Adjust the seat so that your legs are at a 90-degree bend when seated.

• Put the heels of your hands on the handle to ensure you are not making your fingers and forearms do the work.

• With your back against the back pad in neutral alignment, push the handles towards the floor until your arms are straight.

• Squeeze your triceps like a fist, and then return your elbows to a 90-degree bend.

• Continue doing reps until fatigued (you cannot perform a full repetition with good form).

Work towards completing 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps of each exercise. Don’t rush through the movements; make sure you are doing them with good form. Remember, speed doesn’t count, form does! Once you can easily complete 1-2 sets, add more weight.

Stretching

After you’ve worked your muscles, it’s important to stretch them. Stretching after strength training is imperative to help prevent injury and for the muscle to recover quicker. Plus, it feels good.

Bicep Stretch

• Extend your right arm out at shoulder height with your palm facing up.

• Place the palm of your left hand over your right fingers and gently press down.

• Hold for 10- 60 seconds (don’t rush) and then repeat with your left.

Tricep Stretch

• Raise your right arm straight overhead, and then bend your elbow back so that your palm is resting lightly against the top of your shoulder.

• Place your left hand just underneath your elbow and gently press back, hold for 10-60 seconds (don’t rush) and then switch hands.

By doing these exercises on a regular basis with a 24 hour rest period between workouts, you will be well on your way to building big strong arms.

Remember to consistently improve muscle strength and the impact of your workouts, you need to keep things fresh: frequently add some variety to your routine and don’t be afraid to shake things up by trying new things. One of the easiest ways to do that is to change the order of your routine. That simple modification can make a big difference in your results.