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Strong, reliable hands are one of the necessary attributes male power and beauty. Voluminous biceps attract the attention of the opposite sex, causing admiring or envious glances from men. You can strengthen and pump up your arm muscles at home by doing simple exercises regularly and conscientiously.
What arm muscles will need to be pumped up?
In order for muscle development exercises to bring maximum benefit, it is worth learning a little about the structure of the musculoskeletal system.
The human skeleton consists of bones connected by movable joints - joints, there are over 200 of them. The ends of the articulated bones are surrounded by the so-called articular capsule, which is strengthened by ligaments fused to it - cords of connective tissue. Tendons attached to bones give additional strength to joints. A special fluid is released into the joint cavity, which reduces friction between the surfaces of the bones.
Deltoid. Covers the shoulder joint, shoulder muscles. Performs sideways arm raises.
Biceps brachii (biceps). It starts from the shoulder joint and is attached to the radius. Bends the arm at the elbow joint and serves to rotate the forearm outward.
Triceps brachii muscle (triceps). Starts from the shoulder blade and from humerus, ends with a tendon on the process of the ulna. Performs forearm extension.
The muscles of the anterior group of the forearms flex the hand and fingers, serve to rotate the forearm inward, and flex the arm at the elbow joint.
The muscles of the posterior group of the forearms extend the hand and fingers, turn the forearm outward, and straighten the arm.
General principles of pumping up arm muscles
When starting to pump up your biceps, triceps, forearm muscles, and strengthen your hands, you should identify the final goal to strive for. According to one of the canons of the athletic male figure, the biceps girth should be 35% of the chest girth.
When choosing various exercises for training at home, from the first lesson it is important to adhere to simple rules:
Slow execution. When pumping up your arm muscles, it is important to subject them to stress for as long as possible. When quickly performing the next repetition, you can cheat due to the use of inertia of your own body weight or the mass of the projectile, which negatively affects the rate of growth of sports results.
It is necessary to perform each exercise to develop arm strength slowly and technically correctly. To quickly build muscle mass, it is useful to focus on the phase of returning to the starting position, performing it as efficiently as possible and always slowly. For example, lift a barbell or dumbbells for a second, then return to the starting position for 2-3 seconds.
Constant muscle tension. When performing exercises to develop arm strength, you should strive to maintain maximum tension in the muscles, regardless of the phase of the sports movement, as a result of which the load changes at different points in time - due to changes in the angle of inclination, under the influence of gravity.
Maximum range of motion. Each exercise must be performed with maximum range of motion. This effective method make your biceps, triceps, forearms work completely, train your muscles to work with full dedication.
Correct breathing. When training muscles, it is important to breathe properly. As a rule, before starting the exercise you need to inhale, then exhale during the positive phase and inhale during the negative phase. Breathe through your nose, exhale through your mouth.
Sufficient rest. Muscles grow after rest. To build new tissues, they need to help them cope with the increased load in the next workout. Therefore, in order to quickly pump up your arm muscles, you need at least 1-2 days of rest between workouts.
Periodically, the body needs to be given longer rest. You can’t constantly train 2-3 times a week - it tires both the body and the brain. Every month and a half it is useful to give a week's rest. Two-week breaks in classes in the middle of winter and summer are acceptable.
Load alternation. To pump up your arms at home and give your muscles enough rest to build muscle mass, it is useful to alternate workouts. For example, on Monday, load your biceps and triceps, and on Thursday, load your forearms and hands.
Increasing the weight of dumbbells. When pumping up arm muscles with dumbbells, you need to choose the right starting weight. He should be able to perform 10 repetitions of each exercise while maintaining proper technique.
When you manage to complete 12 repetitions in your next workout, you can increase the weight in the next session, but start with 8 repetitions of the exercise to gradually increase their number to 12.
Exercises for arms with an expander
All kinds of expanders and rubber shock absorbers are often used in home physical education. The sports load is determined by the number of springs in the expander so that the last repetition is difficult to complete. Movements are strong, smooth and energetic, with full range of motion.
Pumping up the deltoid muscles:
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms with an expander extended in front of you. Move them apart, try not to bend them.
- Step on the handle of the expander, grab the other handle with both hands, and lift them to your chin.
Exercise for biceps:
- Standing on the handle of the expander, take the other handle in your right palm. Bend your elbow so that your hand touches your shoulder.
Triceps workout:
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Left hand on the thigh, right elbow bent, hand at the right shoulder, expander behind the back. Keeping motionless left hand, bend and unbend the right one.
- Starting position: standing, expander behind your back, elbows bent. Straighten your arms to the sides, smoothly return them to their original position.
Forearm muscle development:
- Squeeze and unclench the hand expander with your fingers.
Strengthening the shoulder girdle
Lifting dumbbells while sitting. Sit down and grab dumbbells with an overhand grip. Bend your elbows and raise your hands at shoulder level so that the handles of the dumbbells are almost parallel to your shoulders. Raise your arms up and slowly return to the starting position.
Dumbbell raises. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. The hands with the dumbbells are lowered, the handles of the dumbbells are perpendicular to the hips. Extend your arms to the sides to shoulder height and slowly return to the starting position.
Bent over arms extension. Feet shoulder-width apart, torso tilted, arms down, back and handles of dumbbells parallel to the floor. Bend your arms with dumbbells to the sides to head height.
Lifting dumbbells in front of you. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. The back is straight, arms slightly bent and down. Hold the dumbbells with an overhand grip, their handles parallel to the plane of the body. Raise your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height, slowly return to the starting position.
How to pump up your biceps
Seated dumbbell curl. Sit on the edge of the bench, feet on the floor. Take the dumbbells with an underhand grip, arms down on both sides of the bench. Slowly raise your hands to your shoulders, pause at the top point, and slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
Another option on how to pump up your biceps:
Sit on the edge of the bench, legs apart shoulder width apart. Take the right dumbbell with an underhand grip, rest your elbow on the inner surface of your right thigh, straighten your arm. Straining your biceps, lift your hand with the dumbbell to your shoulder and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise for the left biceps.
Dumbbell press. Sit on the edge of a bench, dumbbells in bent arms slightly below the chin, back straight. Raise your arms above your head, turning your palms outward. Slowly return to the starting position.
Standing dumbbell curl. Stand with your feet and hands shoulder-width apart, hands holding dumbbells with an underhand grip. Slowly bend your arms so that the dumbbells are at your shoulders and return to the starting position.
This exercise for pumping up your arms can be performed alternately for the left and right biceps. Alternatively, you can hold dumbbells with a so-called neutral grip (like a hammer) and perform them while sitting.
Pumping up the triceps
On the uneven bars. Maintain a vertical position on the uneven bars, torso and legs straight, arms as close to the body as possible. Bend your elbows, lowering your body as far as possible so that your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Then straighten your arms, taking the starting position.
Push-ups on a bench. Lean with straight arms on a bench standing behind you, your torso is perpendicular to the floor, straightened legs are extended forward, only your heels touch the floor. Bend your elbows and lower your body down until you form right angle between the shoulders and forearms. Slowly return to the starting position.
Push ups narrow grip. Take a push-up position on the floor, palms a few centimeters apart, feet touching the floor with toes, torso straight. Bend your elbows so that your shoulders are parallel to the floor and slowly return to the starting position.
Retracting the arm with the dumbbell back. Rest your left knee and left palm on the bench so that your torso is parallel to the floor. The right foot is on the floor, the right shoulder is parallel to the floor, pressed to the body. Fully straighten your arm.
Bench press options:
- Lie on your back on a bench, hold dumbbells at chest level with a neutral grip, feet on the floor. Straighten your arms vertically upward and slowly return to the starting position.
- The starting position is the same. Straighten your arms with dumbbells, bend your elbows so that the dumbbells are on both sides of your head, straighten your elbows again.
In a sitting position, lift the dumbbell, holding the discs outside with both hands. Bend your elbows so that the angle with your shoulders is straight. Straighten your arms.
Exercises to pump up your forearms
Seated wrist curl. Sit down, legs shoulder-width apart, feet on the floor. Hold dumbbells with an underhand grip and place your forearms on your thighs so that your hands hang off your knees. Extend your wrists while holding the dumbbells with your fingers. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise with an overhand grip.
Standing wrist workout:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold dumbbells with an overhand grip. Extending your wrists, lift the dumbbells as high as possible and slowly return to the starting position.
- In a standing position, place your hands behind your back and hold the dumbbells with your fingers. Lift the dumbbells first with your fingers, then bend your wrists so that your palms are parallel to the floor. Slowly return to the starting position.
How to strengthen your hands
- Exercise with discs. Grasp two discs from the barbell with the fingers of one hand: the thumb on one side, the rest on the other. Raise the discs with your straight arm to hip level for a few seconds, then lower them. Unclench your fingers after performing required quantity repetitions.
- Hanging on the bar. Hang on the bar on your right hand for as long as possible. Repeat for the left hand.
- Do pull-ups on the horizontal bar, holding each hand onto the ends of two strong towels thrown over the bar.
- Secure a rope in the middle of a wooden stick with a diameter of 2-3 cm, and tie a weight to its other end. Rotate the stick with both hands to wind and unwind the rope.
- Crumple the paper. Place the sheets of paper on the table and use one hand to crumple the paper to form a tight lump. As your training progresses, increase the number of sheets or use thicker paper.
- Tear paper. Regularly tear old notebooks, cardboard, and packs of newspapers into small pieces.
Almost everyone wants to have a beautiful and toned body, but not everyone has the time to regularly visit the gym and work with a personal trainer. There are many ways you can get your body in order at home. The most common question among those who do not have the opportunity to go to the gym is how to quickly build muscle at home?
There are many techniques that you can follow to increase muscle mass. But all of them will be effective only if you follow a special diet, sleep and training. To quickly transform your body, it is more effective to work out all muscle groups. But in this article we will look at ways to pump up arm muscles at home.
Planning your day is the key to achieving the desired result
Before you start doing exercises to increase the muscles in your arms, you need to create a specific training schedule. Since the rate of increase in muscle mass directly depends on strict adherence special daily routine, you need to plan a program. To do this, you should set aside at least one hour 3-4 times a week for training. Since muscles lose their shape very quickly in the absence of physical activity, it is necessary to exercise regularly. Also, for continuous progress, you should constantly increase the load. Otherwise, the muscles will get used to this routine and stop growing. 
It is necessary to determine the training time. Classes should not be carried out casually, they must be planned. Training should be carried out at the same time. This will make it easier to organize your day. It is important to determine the desired result for yourself, be focused on achieving it and, despite laziness and other obstacles, follow the planned routine. Experts recommend exercising in the evening. The best option is to perform physical activity between 16:00 and 19:00. The most important thing to achieve the desired result is to exercise responsibly, perform all exercises correctly, and also follow a sleep and nutrition regime.
Proper nutrition is the key to a beautiful body
Food mainly healthy food contributes not only to the creation of the dream body, but also to a significant improvement in health. As you know, the basis of nutrition is carbohydrates, fats and proteins. But few people know what foods and in what quantity they need to consume for rapid muscle growth.
- Squirrels
For muscle growth, you should increase the amount of food you eat per day. But the diet must be balanced. Main building material muscle fiber is protein. Therefore, you need to double the protein-rich foods in your diet. Protein is found in large quantities in the following foods:
- Fish and seafood;
- chicken eggs;
- legumes;
- meat;
- nuts;
- milk and fermented milk products.
- Carbohydrates
For the growth of arm muscles and the whole body, it is equally important to eat enough carbohydrates. However, not all foods rich in them are healthy. Preference should be given complex carbohydrates. They are found in various cereals, whole grain pasta, legumes, and some vegetables and fruits. But experts recommend giving up fast carbohydrates. They are found in large quantities in sugar and flour products. Since they contribute to fat storage and loss of motivation, their consumption should at least be reduced, but it is better to avoid it completely.
To create a toned body, it is also important to eat a certain amount of fat. Preference should be given vegetable fats, as well as contained in some types of fish and seafood. It is recommended to avoid saturated fats of animal origin.
When a person suddenly changes his lifestyle and starts playing sports, he needs to get enough vitamins. Therefore, it is recommended to eat as much “live” food as possible. To do this, you should add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. It is also recommended to periodically take vitamin complexes.
Basic hand exercises
There are many different exercises aimed at developing arm muscles.
But for their full implementation, additional equipment is required, such as a barbell, crossbar and dumbbells.
You can use improvised means as a replacement, but if you decide to seriously transform your body, then it is recommended to purchase all the necessary equipment.
- Exercises for developing biceps
The main function of the biceps is to curl the arms. Each muscle in the human body performs its own task when it contracts. The biceps brachii muscle is no exception. Therefore, to develop biceps, it is necessary to perform exercises that are aimed at bending the arms.
- Standing barbell lift
This exercise is considered basic, so it should be performed at the very beginning of your workout. Correct execution of the exercise involves bending the arms at the elbow joint with additional weight. It should be performed standing with a barbell. This is one of the most effective exercises designed to develop the biceps brachii muscle. However, it must be performed correctly to avoid injury.
It is recommended to select the weight so that you can perform 8-10 repetitions in one approach. You should do 3-4 approaches per workout. During the exercise, it is important to ensure that the foot rests firmly on the floor. If you notice that you are swaying to the sides during exercise, you need to reduce the weight.
- Reverse grip pull-ups
This exercise is suitable for trained people. It is also basic. This exercise is no less effective for developing biceps.
To perform it correctly, you need to grab the bar, turn your palms towards you, the distance between them should be approximately 10-15 cm, and pull yourself up as you exhale. To fully perform this exercise, you need to touch the bar with your chin and return to the starting position.
This exercise should be done at the very end of the lesson, since it is additional to the basic ones. With its help, it is necessary to “finish” the muscles to the limit. Basic exercises are mainly designed to “pump up” large muscles, while isolation exercises are needed to work out other areas of the body.
To perform, you need to stand on a hard surface with dumbbells in both hands. The feet should be placed shoulder-width apart and slightly bent (to relieve the load on the spine). Then you need to start doing alternate dumbbell lifts. In this case, it is necessary to twist your arms so that the muscles contract as much as possible.
The set should be organized as follows: 4-5 sets of 8-10 lifts with each hand. This exercise can also be performed while sitting on a bench. This will isolate the biceps more thoroughly.
- Exercises to develop triceps
Thanks to the triceps muscle, a person extends his arm. This function is the main one for the triceps. In this regard, all exercises to work it out are aimed at extending the arms with additional weight.
- Close grip push-ups
Basic exercise. It is designed to work the triceps. It is an alternative to the barbell press. But since you may not have a bench press at home, we will stick to push-ups.
To perform this, you need to take a lying position. Place your feet together, and your hands should be at a distance of 10-15 cm. Your back should be straight. And then begin to bend the elbow joint while lightly touching the floor with your chest.
It is necessary to perform 4-5 sets of 8-10 repetitions. To increase the load, you can put your feet on a chair, sofa or other available device.
Another basic exercise, its implementation requires some preparation, so it is not suitable for beginners.
It is important to do it correctly. It is better to do fewer repetitions, but “clean” ones. It is necessary to take the starting position, then, lowering your chin, press it to your chest, bend your legs slightly at the knees, and tilt your body slightly forward. This will allow maximum use of the triceps muscle.
Exercises for deltoid muscles
Thanks to the deltoid muscles, a person is able to raise his arms to the sides, as well as back and up.
- Bench press
Basic exercise for developing the deltoid muscle. However, it should be performed carefully, since this exercise is quite traumatic. Its advantage is that during execution all parts of the deltoid muscle are worked out.
Using this barbell row, you can work out the front deltoids well. It should be performed at the end of the workout.
- Exercise for forearm development
The forearms are used during almost all exercises. But it’s worth working through them separately. One exercise is enough for this. It should be performed at the end of your workout.
To perform this, you need to take the bar from the barbell and place it on the horizontal surface of your hand. Then you should use your hands to lift the bar. You need to do 50 repetitions. Two approaches are sufficient for this exercise.
Exercises for arm muscles are an integral part of training for men. Working out the biceps and triceps increases the volume of the arms in general; such training can be done at home, the main thing is the presence of collapsible sports equipment, barbells and dumbbells. With only one apparatus, each exercise can be adapted for both barbell and dumbbells. The main thing is to observe the grip method and execution technique.
A set of exercises for arm muscles at home
To train their arms, men need collapsible equipment - dumbbells or weight plates with a bar. This is necessary for constant progress, as well as for training according to the pyramid principle. Gradually increasing the working weight, while decreasing the number of repetitions, will stimulate nerve impulses, contracting the desired muscles at the low-weight stage, allowing you to maintain the correct contraction even with heavy weight. Such training gives a powerful anabolic boost.
1. Reverse push-ups
For this exercise, you need two supports of the same height, one under the arms and the other under the feet. To add weight, you need to use free weights, for example, placing plates on your hips. This is necessary for the growth of muscle mass, when the number of repetitions cannot exceed 12 times, while the muscles work to failure on the last repetition. Perform the first set of the exercise 15 times with your own weight without weights - this will be a warm-up approach that will warm up the target muscles and ligaments and prepare you for the straight pyramid (increasing weights).
- Sit on the edge of a bench and place a weight on your hips, rest your palms on your hands, forming a straight line with your arms.
- Place your feet on the second support, keeping your pelvis hanging.
- As you inhale, bend your elbows and lower your pelvis until the angle at your elbows reaches a right angle.
- As you exhale, push your torso out with your triceps force and fully extend your elbows.
- At the end of the approach, place your feet on the floor, sit on the edge and remove the weight.
Perform the first strength set with a lighter working weight, but do not exceed 12 repetitions. Not counting the warm-up, perform 4 approaches, adding weight to each set. Thus, push-ups are performed: 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8-6.
2. French press with barbell or dumbbells
The barbell in this exercise can be replaced with dumbbells, also keeping the distance between the dumbbells equal to shoulder width. In this exercise, strictly follow safety precautions when lifting the apparatus. Each approach, increase the working weight by adding small plates.
- Sit on the edge of a bench with the barbell resting on your hips and grab a shoulder-width grip on top of the bar.
- Lift the bar from your hips, pushing the bar upward with your knees. Slowly lower yourself onto your back, holding the bar with straight arms.
- At the top point, the hands are located above the shoulder joints.
- As you inhale, leaving your elbows in place, lower the bar to your forehead with your forearms.
- As you exhale, use your triceps to straighten your elbows completely and bring your hands back over your shoulders.
- At the end of the exercise, raise your knees to the bar, pressing the barbell on your hips, roll your back along the bench to a sitting position.
Add working weight, perform 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 8 times.
3. Extension of arms with a bar or dumbbells from behind the head
This exercise can also be replaced by lifting one or two dumbbells from behind your head. The technique affects the triceps in isolation, help yourself push out a large working weight with your hands, in this case, will not work. So stick to the technique and don't lift huge weights.
- Sit on a bench with your back straight and grasp the bar at your hips with a close overhand grip. Raise your arms above your head, keeping them straight.
- As you inhale, begin to lower your forearms with the bar behind your head, without moving your elbows. At the bottom, stretch your triceps as much as possible.
- Exhale and lift the bar, straightening your elbows completely at the top point.
- In reverse order, lower the bar to your chest and return it to the floor.
Perform 4 sets of 12, 10, 10-8, 8 times.
4. Lifting barbells or dumbbells with a narrow grip
After working your triceps, move on to biceps exercises. Replace exercise You can do this by also placing your elbows on your stomach. 
If you experience pain in your shoulders due to morphological features with a narrow or wide grip, replace the technique with a medium or neutral grip.
- Lift the bar off the floor with a straight back, first using a reverse close grip.
- For a more concentrated lift, place your back against the wall to avoid swaying. Place your elbows on your stomach.
- As you exhale, bend your elbows and lift the bar to your shoulders.
- As you inhale, straighten your arms, maintaining a slight angle at your elbows.
- At the end of the approach, lower the bar to the floor without rounding your back.
Increase the weight of the bar each set, performing 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 8-6.
5. Alternating dumbbell lifts with supination
You can replace it with exercise, gradually increasing the weight. Alternating lifting helps to take a large working weight of dumbbells, since when bending one arm, the other has time to recover. The exercise can be performed standing or sitting.
- Take dumbbells, keep your arms along your sides, hands parallel to each other.
- Exhale and bend right hand, without lifting the elbow from the body, turning the hand in the middle of the amplitude.
- As you inhale, lower the dumbbell.
- Repeat the movement on your left hand.
Perform the same number of repetitions on each arm. Total, 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 8-6 repetitions.
6. Hammer Grip Dumbbell Raise
The exercise not only works the biceps, but also targets the muscles of the forearms. That's why You can replace this exercise by lifting the barbell with a reverse grip.
- Hold dumbbells along your torso, hands with dumbbells parallel to each other.
- Exhale and lift both dumbbells to your shoulders without turning.
- As you inhale, lower the dumbbells.
Do 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8-6.
What is immediately noticeable business card a real man? For which you don’t have to reach into the inner pocket of your coat or jacket, or look with intense eyes in the yard among parked cars. Hands! They and only they will say more than a hundred of the most effective words.
Powerful, pumped up, masculine! Many girls will agree with this, and not only them. You can talk as much as you like about image, style and other make-ups, but a pumped-up bisukha will outshine any hairstyle, and not only that... What’s most interesting is that many girls are not averse to trying on beautifully designed muscular arms.
But, if there is no way to diligently shed sweat in gym(work, family, lack of a gym), how to make your hands pleasing to the eye and captivating the imagination without leaving the house? Let's figure it out.
Anatomical structure of the arm muscles
We won’t go deep into the skin. Let us identify the main groups, concentrating on the most important and large ones. These groups are the muscles of the shoulder and forearm. We must immediately make a reservation that in the practice of body building, or bodybuilding, the shoulder muscles include a slightly different group, the so-called deltoids, but we are not talking about them.
The most noticeable muscles of the shoulder, according to anatomy, are the biceps flexor, which is clearly visible from the outside, consisting of short and long heads, and the triceps extensor - triceps (lateral, long and medial heads).
- In addition to those listed, we note the shoulder - coracoid muscle, as having great importance For beautiful shape hands
- Biceps and brachialis - the coracoid muscles form the anterior surface, and the triceps - back surface hands.
The size of the biceps is 30-35%, while the triceps is up to 70% of the volume. The main muscles of the forearm are the brachialis and brachialis, the radialis, flexor carpi radialis, and coracoid. All these muscles are involved in flexion and extension of the arms.
The ones listed are good developed muscles, form a beautiful (or vice versa - frightening) shape of the hands. About their training and we'll talk. But first let’s look at the necessary equipment.
Equipment for increasing arm muscles
The ideal, of course, is to equip a small gym at home with a full set of necessary equipment and exercise equipment (now, even compared to the early 2000s, there are quite a lot of multifunctional equipment in sports stores). But, unfortunately, not everyone has sufficient free space, and financial resources do not always allow them to acquire a sparkling steel monster. Nevertheless minimum set equipment for a beginning athlete is necessary. To build muscles at home you will need:
- straight barbell;
- a bar with a W-shaped (curved) or so-called EZ-grip;
- collapsible dumbbells;
- multifunctional (spring) expander;
- the hand trainer;
- weights;
- horizontal bar;
- bars
Well, okay, okay, for starters you can get by with half the list (some kind of barbell is desirable and at least kettlebells or dumbbells). It is very problematic to pump up your hands at home without any equipment, especially quickly.
If there is no inventory at all!
Sad! But you can live - the parallel bars will replace stools for working out the triceps for the first time. It’s more difficult with biceps - they need heaviness. You can use buckets filled with water, door jambs for pull-ups (if they are very strong). The main thing is the Goal!
Where and when to pump your arms at home
The choice of location depends on home conditions. It is desirable that there is enough space for comfortable movement, it is not cold and there are no extraneous irritants (in the form of a mother-in-law, various animals and small children).
The time for training is selected individually, but within an hour in duration.
It is better to train in the afternoon, when the body is in good shape. There are cases when athletes who trained at night became champions in bodybuilding, but it is still better to avoid such options without creating unnecessary stress for yourself. And, of course, training clothes should be comfortable, not restricting movement (any T-shirt, sports shorts or trousers will do, if the floor is warm you can train barefoot).
And now the equipment has been selected, the place and time have been decided, it’s time to start pumping. Prepare for sweat, pain and tears, but it's worth it!
Beginning or basic course.
Any training session must begin with a warm-up to warm up and stretch the muscles and ligaments. A good warm-up significantly increases the effectiveness of your workout and helps avoid injury. It is necessary to stretch and warm up the whole body, and not just the muscle group being trained.
Warm-up
A warm-up complex for the arms usually consists of swing and rotational movements(rotations in the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints), warming up the fingers. It is advisable to move actively for about five minutes - jumping, running, squatting. YouTube and clinics in your area are teeming with the results of workouts without warm-up.
Basic exercises
- Based functional features the main muscle groups of the arms, movements in the exercises are divided into flexion and extension. Let's take a closer look.
- To train the front surface, various curls with a barbell or dumbbells with different grips, pull-ups on the bar with a direct and reverse grip, and biceps rows are suitable.
- Triceps are trained, accordingly, by any extension movements - push-ups from the floor and on parallel bars, reverse push-ups, various variations of arm extensions with a barbell or dumbbells.
For the initial course we will use three basic exercises for the indicated muscle groups.
Biceps:
- lifting the barbell onto the biceps (technique of execution: starting position - standing. Feet shoulder-width apart, arms with the apparatus lowered down with palms facing you. Elbows pressed to the sides. At the “one time”, as you exhale, slowly bend your arms in an arc towards the upper chest. On “two” return to the starting position);
- dumbbell curls (alternating): hands with dumbbells below, palms facing you. Bend your right arm one time, bringing the dumbbell in an arc to your chest. On “two” - lower, while simultaneously bending the other arm in the same way.
- pull-up with a reverse grip: take the “hanging on the bar” position, hands with palms facing you. Bend your elbows one time, pulling your body toward the horizontal bar. Go down to “two”, taking the starting position.
Triceps:
- push-ups from the floor (take a position while lying down. Lower yourself to the floor one time, bending your elbows, return two times to the position lying on your straight arms):
- barbell press with a narrow grip (the weight of the barbell is average, there is no need to strain yourself. Hands on the bar are placed at a distance of 10-15 cm. The grip is standard. We lower the barbell to the chest one time, raise it two times (as we exhale).)
- reverse push-ups from a bench (chair). Take an emphasis on your hands while sitting with your back to the chair, the lower part of your body in a free position above the floor with emphasis on your legs. Bend your arms one time, lower yourself to the floor, slowly straighten your arms two while exhaling, and take the starting position.
Forearms:
It should be borne in mind that the muscles of the forearm are effectively pumped during pull-ups and are involved in almost all exercises related to gripping. Therefore, we pump them up at the end of the workout, to put it in simple language- we finish. There will be two main exercises:
- bending the forearms with a barbell (dumbbells) in the hands (starting position - sitting, hands with the barbell (dumbbells) lie on the knees with an upward grip. We lower the wrists with the weight down one time, slowly raise them two);
- reverse forearm curls with a barbell or dumbbells (i.p. - sitting, hands with weights placed palms down. One time we raise our wrists up with a short pause at the top point, one time we slowly lower them down);
Approximate basic complex (first 1-2 months):
- biceps curl 3x8;
- alternate lifting of dumbbells 3x8;
- reverse grip pull-ups 3x8;
- push-ups from the floor 3x15-20;
- close grip barbell press 3x8-10;
- reverse chair push-ups 3x15;
- Forearm curls with weights (barbell, dumbbells) 3x10
- reverse forearm curls 3x10.
Rest between sets 1 minute, between exercises 2-3 minutes.
Features of home training
If the exercise is easy, increase the weight or add the number of repetitions. Follow the technique!
As a result of working out the arm muscles with the basic complex, their strength and volume will increase and it will be possible to dilute the training with new exercises, as well as vary the speed of execution, use supersets and pumping.
A superset is a mini-complex, when two exercises are performed in one approach with minimal rest between them. For example: we perform 10 push-ups and immediately 10 repetitions of a bench press with a narrow grip.
An example of a complex for “advanced”
- bench press with a narrow grip 3x8-10;
- superset: floor push-ups + reverse chair push-ups 3x10;
- extension of arms with a dumbbell from behind the head 3x10 (this is a new exercise, but the level has already increased - you’ll figure it out).
- biceps curl 3x8;
- superset: pull-up on the bar with a reverse grip + alternating curls with dumbbells 3x8;
- Concentrated arm curls with 3x8 dumbbells.
- Forearm Superset: Forearm Curls/Reverse Curls 3x10.
Class schedule
It is important to remember that the arm muscles adapt very quickly to loads and recover quickly, so you can train them often, but at least 2/3 times a week. Muscle recovery is no less important than the load. Therefore, it is important to maintain intervals between workouts to rest the muscles.
During athletic training, it is desirable, even necessary, to follow a certain diet.
For effective muscle growth, it is necessary that the daily diet contains a large number of foods with high content squirrel.
Such products are: chicken eggs, meat, cottage cheese, fish, chicken, turkey. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish energy costs.
- They are best obtained from cereals (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal), fruits, and vegetables.
- Eating large amounts of sugar and foods high in sugar should be avoided, as should fatty foods.
- You need to drink at least 2-3 liters of water per day.
- It wouldn't hurt to have different biological active additives(so-called sports nutrition): proteins, gainers, amino acids (including BCAAs), creatine and complex vitamins.
Important! Sports nutrition does not replace a full diet of regular foods and is an addition to it, not the main component.
Mood and motivation before class
Be prepared that the result will not appear immediately, but with regular exercise it will certainly appear - 100%!
- Tested by millions of professionals and iron sport enthusiasts.
- To increase the effectiveness of your training, you need to clearly see the goal and consistently make efforts to achieve it.
- Keep a training diary (regular notebook).
- Place a photo on the first page before starting classes and periodically (every two weeks or 10 days) take new similar photos.
- Nowadays, the presence of electronic gadgets makes it possible to keep electronic diaries.
Visualize the hands of your dreams! Watch motivational videos on the Internet, hang up a poster with a role model. When performing exercises, imagine how the muscles are filled with strength and increase in volume. The main thing to know is that your efforts will not be in vain!
Conclusion
Pumping up your arms at home is not an easy task, but it is quite doable. The main thing is clear goal setting and consistency in implementing the plan.
- For training to produce results, you need (!) regularity and full dedication.
- The biggest mistake is to stop at the very beginning without seeing immediate changes.
- It should be remembered that all people are individual (I will not say anything about age and gender).
- For some, the effect may appear after several classes, and for others after liters of sweat spilled during endless workouts!
As the ancient wisdom says: “It doesn’t matter how fast you move, the main thing is not to stop!” Make the hands of your dreams!
Hello friends! Today we will look at how to pump up your arms quickly, the best exercises for the arms, and also, there will be a lot of cool information about the technique of performing exercises, all sorts of interesting tricks, etc.
Unfortunately, very often even experienced trainers cannot explain the differences between certain forms of performing arm exercises.
To grow arm muscles, like all other muscles, you need to solve only three problems:
- LOAD PROGRESSION(training volume must increase). Perhaps the main rule, because THERE IS NO SENSE FOR MUSCLES TO INCREASE IF THE LOAD DOES NOT INCREASE.
(you need to learn to feel the muscles you want to develop and EXCLUDE THE REST OF THE MUSCLES FROM WORK).- NECESSARY RESTORATION (fractional meals 6-12 times a day + sleep 8-10 hours).
The more strictly you follow these rules, the faster you can pump up your arms. It's not as difficult as it seems.
Most mistakes that prevent you from growing arm muscles are due to incorrect technique.
This is what we will talk about a lot today. After all, by only slightly adjusting the technique of performing the exercises, we can make the load on the target muscle more concentrated and precise.
If we talk about the arms, then you should concentrate on the following muscles:
- Triceps (triceps brachii muscle).
- Biceps (biceps brachii).
- Brachialis (brachial muscle).
- Forearm muscles.
To be honest, the muscles of the forearm can be excluded from this altogether, due to their small size. But we'll talk about this later.
Let's start with the triceps.
How to pump up your triceps
We talked in detail about the anatomy of the arm muscles, so today we will not focus on the anatomy in detail. Be sure to read, if you haven’t already, the previous article.
We will start with proper training of the triceps, because it is more important than the biceps in terms of size (it has three heads, not two).
(triceps brachii) is a “horseshoe” muscle consisting of three heads intertwined at the elbow into ONE COMMON ligament.
It is thanks to the common attachment (ligament) in the elbow area that during work ALL TRICEPS HEADS are included in the work at the same time!
But despite this, in different exercises, there is a certain emphasis on the load on one of the heads or two heads. That is, it seems that all the heads of the triceps work, but to varying degrees.
- Long head of triceps(internal) – attached to the back of the shoulder blade. Requires maximum abduction of the arm back (ideally, the shoulder joint should also be included in the work, since the long head is involved in its extension).
- Lateral head of triceps + Medial head of triceps- Attached to the humerus. Participate only in EXTENSION OF THE FOREARM. The medial (middle) head of the triceps has a long tendon, so there is a so-called. DEPOT next to the elbow.
Interesting: In mesomorphs and endomorphs, the triceps are often massive and long, while in ectomorphs, on the contrary, they are short, but more PEAK. The former grow faster muscle mass, the second have smaller muscles, but look more aesthetically pleasing.
Next important point, which concerns the SEQUENCE of including the triceps heads in the work.
The triceps are engaged during the exercise, starting from the MEDIAL (middle) head to the LONG head, depending on the severity of the load and the degree of abduction of the arm back.
I repeat:
- IF THE LOAD IS LIGHT = Most of the load falls on the MEDIAL HEAD (middle).
- IF THE LOAD HAS INCREASED A LITTLE = The SHORT (lateral, external) head is additionally turned on.
- IF THE LOAD IS LARGE = The LONG HEAD of the triceps is turned on. Plus, the long head comes into play if you move your arm BACK (because it attaches to the back of your shoulder blade)!!!
From this we conclude that the MEDIAL and LATERAL heads work in almost ANY triceps exercises, and we will talk about the features of the LONG HEAD a little lower.
Training the long head of the triceps
The fact is that the long head is attached slightly differently than the lateral and medial heads. The long head is attached to the BLADE, so for its active operation the following is required:
. As we remember, if the load is light, then it is easier for the triceps to perform the exercise due to more conveniently located heads (medial and lateral). Large load = turning on the long head.For the long head of the triceps the best options exercises will be:
- French overhead presses while standing and sitting (with arms raised up).
- Various types of extensions (the same presses) with free weights, with the possibility of moving the arm back.
I have long adapted to performing overhead arm extensions while sitting IN A CROSSOVER! I really like this version of the exercise because of the ability to quickly change the working weight, as well as the ability to keep the triceps in constant tension.
Try it, friends.
How to avoid injuring your triceps
In general, most injuries in isolated exercises for any pushing muscle group, be it triceps, pectorals, deltoids or quadriceps, occur due to CHEATING WITH LARGE WEIGHTS!
You CANNOT make sudden movements, jerks, helping other muscle groups, when in the movement ONE JOINT is working to break!
Sooner or later, in this situation, you will 100% get injured.
That is why I always advise performing isolation exercises AFTER BASIC exercises (unless, of course, we are talking about preliminary fatigue).
You better be warmed up nutrients entered the joints in the right amount, and you are ready for isolating “finishing” work.
The most traumatic exercise in this “hit parade” is, of course, FRENCH PRESSES with heavy weights (especially without a warm-up). And in general, any triceps exercises that place stress on one joint are very dangerous!
Conclusion: First, load your triceps well basic exercises(close grip presses, overhead presses, parallel bars, etc.), and then move on to isolation exercises, because the triceps will already be tired, which means they will not be able to work with maximum working weights.
The best triceps exercises
Here are the BEST exercises, in my opinion, for training the triceps (in descending order of effectiveness):
- Bench press with a narrow grip (you can do it in a Smith machine, even better with your head DOWN, but more on that below).
- Dips.
- French barbell press upside down.
- French barbell press standing (or sitting) from behind the head (can be done with dumbbells).
- Extensions in a crossover or on a vertical block.
Secret: When performing triceps presses, make the bench at a negative angle, this will isolate the triceps even more (the chest and deltoids will be turned off).
I think that there is enough information about training the triceps, now let's move on to training the biceps, friends.
Biceps(biceps brachii) is a large muscle, clearly visible on the front of the shoulder, consisting of two heads (“bi” = two).
In fact, pumping up your biceps is not that difficult, and it usually readily responds to stress for the following reasons:
- The biceps are very easy to FEEL.. This is practically the only muscle that flexes the arm at the elbow joint, so complicating this movement with additional weights, it is difficult not to feel the biceps and “not to hit the target muscle with the load.”
- Biceps – small muscle group, therefore, it grows in the wake of large muscle groups (there is no person with tiny arms, but with impressive chest and legs).
Like the triceps, both bundles are connected into one tendon and are attached to the elbow joint with it.
There is one interesting point. The tendon is not attached strictly straight, but at a slight angle, so the biceps can supinate (rotate) the arm to the side thumb. It is these movements that we must complicate.
Conclusion: To develop the biceps, it is necessary to FLEX and TURN (supinate) the forearm relative to the elbow.
Like the triceps, the biceps brachii muscle can also shift the emphasis of the load to different heads using some clever techniques.
As a rule, with almost any biceps exercise, the SHORT (inner) head of the biceps works.
Usually, the problem arises precisely with the development of the LONG (outer) head of the biceps.
Why is this happening?
Anatomically, the outer (long) head is attached to the shoulder joint in the upper part, so for its active participation in the exercises it is necessary to PULL YOUR ELBOW BACK!
This way you will mechanically stretch the long head of the biceps and force it to work.
There are several interesting techniques that allow you to put the long head of the biceps to work:
- Move your ELBOW BACK. The further behind the back they are, the better the outer biceps work.
- Use a NARROW GRIP. The narrower the grip, the better the external beam is included in the work.
And vice versa. We brought our elbows forward and took the bar wider - we included the INNER biceps bundle in the work.
The best exercises for developing biceps
There are exercises with dumbbells for biceps, with various barbells and types of power equipment, exercises for biceps on a horizontal bar, etc. But the most effective, in my opinion, are these four exercises:
- Barbell curls (with straight or EZ bar).
- Lifting dumbbells while lying on an incline bench (long head works).
- Pull-ups on the horizontal bar with a narrow reverse grip.
- Lifting dumbbells with supination.
By the way, here is my short video about lifting the barbell for biceps with an EZ bar.
In fact, the variety of different exercises is huge, but for the vast majority these exercises will be enough to develop impressive biceps.
Secret: If your forearms get clogged before your biceps, then do exercises with an EZ bar! This takes the stress off your forearms.
Brachialis. How to pump up, and what is it all about?
Brachialis(brachial muscle) - a muscle that is located UNDER THE BICEPS (like a lining), but directly performs FLEXION (does not participate in the process of turning the hand, because it is attached strictly evenly, and not to the side, like the biceps).
It is the brachialis that allows you to lift heavy weights on your biceps, because... it takes on 65-70% of the load in bending.
The brachialis mechanically PULLS your biceps outward, making your biceps more peaked.
Judge for yourself, if the lining below (brachialis) is larger, then what is located above (biceps) will also stick out more.
The best exercises to develop brachialis
The best and most accessible exercises for brachialis, in my opinion:
- Raising the barbell for biceps with a REVERSE GRIP.
- “Standing hammers” (hammer curls).
Secret: When performing barbell curls with a reverse grip, FIX YOUR ELBOWS IN ONE POSITION! Take a weight that will allow you to perform this exercise WITHOUT PUSHING WEIGHT from the bottom to the top. Remember, TECHNIQUE is above all.
How to pump up your forearms
I will have a separate interesting article about the forearms, but now I will say a couple of main points.
You know, as a rule, if a person asks me about how to pump up his forearms, then his level of fitness leaves much to be desired.
The lower a person’s level of fitness, the more concerned he is with the issue of training small muscle groups.
Friends, understand that if you grow large muscle groups, then your forearms WILL GROW THEMSELVES! The vast majority DO NOT NEED any special exercises for the forearms!
It's like trying to build a skyscraper on the foundation of a cowshed.
When performing ANY EXERCISES on your arms, your forearms ALWAYS work.
If you still want to know how to train your forearms, then here is a set of the most effective exercises:
- Wrist curls with a barbell.
- Reverse grip barbell curls.
- Pronation and supination (turning the hands outward and inward).
- Squeezing the expander.
How to pump up your arms quickly
Now, I propose to move on to the most interesting thing, how to pump up your arms quickly and competently, and in general, how to organize effective training hands, what exercises to use, what techniques, etc.
But first, I will list the main mistakes beginners make when training their hands:
- The desire to pump up your arms separately from large muscle groups. Almost everyone who starts training thinks that they only need to train their biceps and abs, and everything will be “fire,” but this is a mistake. Training small muscle groups does not promote production large quantity anabolic hormones, so necessary for high-quality growth, so you can forget about the impressive size of your hands, and even your body, with this approach.
- Undeveloped muscle sense. I have already written about him in many articles. If you don't feel the muscles you are training, then the load will fly by.
- Too heavy and high volume arm workouts. The arms are a small muscle group and are very easy to overtrain. If you do a bunch of exercises on your hands with big amount approaches, then this will most likely limit your progress (unless, of course, you are using anabolic steroids). The rule: “take more, throw further...” does not work here.
- No load progression. The arm muscles follow the same growth rules as other muscles. There is no increase in load - there is no point in increasing the energy-consuming muscles for the body, it’s simple.
Proper layout for training arm muscles
There are simply options for arranging arm muscles with other muscles. great amount. Each method has its pros and cons.
Here are the most popular split schemes for arm training:
- Back + Biceps, Chest + Triceps. T.N. “Push-pull” split, one day you train the pulling muscle groups (back and biceps), and the other the pushing ones (chest and triceps). While the pullers are working, the pushers are resting. Not a bad combination, but it has the following disadvantages: you load a large muscle group (back or chest), after which the smaller synergist (biceps or triceps) is already tired and cannot work at full strength.
- Back + Triceps, Chest + Biceps. I like this option a little more, because by training a large muscle group, we do not affect the “small antagonist”. When training the back, the triceps do not work, just as when training the chest, the biceps do not work. There are disadvantages, but not the same as in the first case, and they relate to the frequency of training. For example, today you train your back and triceps, and tomorrow you decide to go train your chest and biceps. Your biceps are already partially tired today (because you had a back workout), and instead of rest, it gets a workout the next day. Although, despite this, I like this layout method more than the first, as I said.
- Biceps + Triceps. It seems to be the most logical layout for training arm muscles. Benefits: You set aside a separate day for training your arms, so you focus only on your arms and direct all your strength there. But, with this method of arrangement, as elsewhere, there are disadvantages. A separate day for arm training, in my opinion, is good for an athlete using anabolic steroids, but not for a straight person. Why? Yes, because for a natural, the ANABOLIC SURGE (production) of HORMONES after training is important, and after training a small muscle group it is minimal, and accordingly, growth will most likely be small. For example, I trained 5 times a week all last year, training my arms separately. Do you know what's most amazing? I added almost no volume to my hands!!! Why? Yes, because my arms already work in almost every workout of any muscle group, and I also finished them off with 5-7 exercises of 6-7 approaches once a week. Accordingly, the recovery potential, which is somewhat limited in natural, was not enough for proper recovery.
Super techniques for training arm muscles
There are a huge number of super moves! These include dropsets, forced repetitions, cheating, negative repetitions, etc. BUT! We must remember that the arms are a SMALL muscle group that can be easily killed by heavy loads.
In my opinion, the most the best option Complicating the load will be the use of SUPERSERIES (supersets).
Superset– this is performing two or more exercises in a row on antagonist muscles without rest.
Antagonist muscles- these are muscles that perform opposite functions (like biceps and triceps, or chest and back, or abs and spinal extensors, etc.).
We can perform supersets in two modes:
- Alternating exercises(several sets of biceps exercises, then several sets of triceps exercises).
- Alternating approaches in the exercise(set for biceps, then rest for 30-90 seconds, then set for triceps, then rest for 30-90 seconds...).
Why do supersets work well?
For three reasons:
- More rest between sets. We give the muscle a little more rest after an approach or exercise, because... after this comes work for the antagonist. A resting muscle recovers better due to more time between sets and is able to generate more force.
- Active recovery. While one of the antagonist muscles is resting, the second is at work. Due to the fact that our blood flows into the working muscle, we thus arrange active recovery for the resting antagonist (the nutrients in the blood contribute to better recovery).
- Pumping. Blood supply in the muscles constantly increases, and this effect has a lot of beneficial properties, which Arnold Schwarzenegger and other famous athletes always spoke about with great enthusiasm. In addition, pumping promotes the development of slow muscle fibers. Pumping improves tissue capillarization, activates growth factors, gives the muscle a more aesthetic appearance, etc.
What to train first: biceps or triceps?
You can often hear a clear opinion on this matter: if you train the triceps first, then the residual tension in this muscle will not allow the biceps to be properly loaded.
But, we must take into account that in bodybuilding there are no 100% schemes that work equally for all people. Everyone has different genetic capabilities, body structure, attachments, muscle shape, etc.
Usually, yes, you need to start with the biceps, but this is just a theory. If you feel that by training the triceps before the biceps you are putting unfamiliar, additional stress on the muscle, then do exactly as your intuition tells you.
Conclusion: For beginners, it’s better to train the biceps before the triceps; experienced athletes rely on how they feel.
Hand muscle training. Sequence of exercises
Now, specific examples according to the sequence of exercises when training arm muscles.
I even have a detailed article on this topic.
To train the triceps, the main basic exercises are:
- Barbell press with a narrow grip (can be done on a Smith machine).
- Dips.
Conditionally basic (isolating) exercises for triceps:
- French bench press.
- French press behind the head of a barbell/dumbbell while standing/sitting.
- Extensions at a vertical block or crossover.
For biceps, the basic exercises will be:
- Standing biceps curl (one of the best biceps exercises).
- Raising the barbell for biceps with a reverse grip (brachialis).
- Hammer curls with dumbbells.
Conditionally basic (isolating) biceps exercises:
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps while sitting or lying down.
- Larry Scott Bench Curls.
- Concentrated lifts.
There are a huge number of options for training programs for arm muscles.
I trained my arms in different ways.
And he stuck them into full-body training, and to individual muscle groups as part of a split, and trained them separately, and trained both the slow muscle fibers of the arms and the fast ones.
