Big arm muscles are the quest of almost any guy entering a gym for the first time. Big arm muscles are a symbol of strength and it is a popular indicator for the amount of progress you are making in the gym. However, undue focus on your arms can do more harm than good.
Why You Should Not Focus Too Much on Arm Workouts
First off, focusing too much on your arms will result in overwork of these muscles. Muscles are not built in the gym but outside, and you need to give your muscles a chance to recuperate. If you are constantly breaking down muscle tissue in the gym then when will they have a chance to rebuild?
Your arms are small muscles so it is easy to overwork them, because almost every exercise you do in the gym in some way involves these muscles. For example, the primary target muscle of the bench press is your chest but it also stimulates your arm muscles. Also, although the primary target muscles for the deadlift are your legs, your forearms do get a hell of a workout having to grip onto that heavy bar.
In this way, your arms are constantly being worked from many directions and angles which is actually an excellent way to build more muscle in your arms. The problem starts when you have too much direct stimulation from performing countless bicep curls and tricep dips too many times a week. Limit direct arm stimulation to no more than twice a week. In fact, once a week is better!
Don’t Forget To Workout Your Triceps and Forearms!
Ignorance about the muscles that make up your arms can greatly stymie progress. Some people think arm muscles are all about the biceps so all they do is variations of the bicep curls. For great looking arms you need to hit your triceps hard too especially since it is an even larger muscle than the bicep.
Full development of the forearms are also an important since it directly relates to grip strength and you need good grip strength to properly perform bicep and tricep exercises. One great way you can develop grip strength is to hang from a bar as long as you can. Over time you will find you can hang on longer which will means grip strength will have improved. Variety is important to having a good workout.
Final Thoughts
When all is said and done, achieving muscular arms not only boils down to hitting your arm muscles hard and from varied angles but also giving them time to recuperate. Part of the process of recuperation of your muscles does not just include rest but nutrition. After an intense workout your muscles need to be provided with an immediate source of replenishment to restore low glycogen levels back to a pre-workout state.
Whey protein is ideal since it is the fastest acting protein and will reach your muscles in no time. Bananas are also great for restoring glycogen levels as well as replacing the potassium lost in sweat during your workout. To summarize: train hard, get sufficient rest and eat well for bigger arms. It’s as simple as that.
Check out this sleeve busting arm workout routine!
