The first thing to realise when it comes to building massive thick arms, is that it’s very simple, but like all things, it takes discipline. The Journal will put you in the hands of our very own Gym Guru to explain 3 simple exercises that will have your arms exploding out of all your baggy t-shirts within weeks!
Before we start, lets analyze exactly what muscles the arm consists of, and then construct a realistic and effective workout program from that. First you have the Bicep and Tricep, this means that we must incorporate exercises into our program that work the Bicep and Tricep muscles. Moving on, we have the Brachialis, this is the muscle in-between the Bicep and the Tricep. Building this muscle will help add width to the arm… definitely going to include a workout for this as well. Lastly we have the shoulder muscles, or the ‘Deltoids’. Thick arms come with thick shoulders, so obviously missing this muscle group out would be catastrophic. Increasing the size of this muscle group will really add dimension to your arm.
Ok, so now that we know what muscle groups the arm consists of, we can now construct a workout regime to exercise these groups:
The first exercise in this regime is called The Pull Up. Many of you know what this exercise is, and which muscles it exercises, but for those of you who are rusty or unaware let me explain:
The Pull Up is predominantly a body weight exercise, meaning that the weight of your own body acts as the resistant force throughout the exercise. As you pull your weight up, your own weight is trying to pull you down, thus you are having to engage your muscles to resist this. In fact, The Pull Up is one of the exercises that works nearly every muscle in your upper body – incredible right?
These muscles include, your Latissimus Dorsi (your ‘Lats’ – the muscles that will make up the ‘V’ shape of your back) your Pectorals and your Deltoids (Chest and Shoulders) your Trapezius muscles (‘Traps’) your Abdominals, Forearms and lastly the big favourite… your Biceps.
The reason why The Pull Up is superior to an isolated arm exercise such as The Bicep Curl, for building big thick arms, is that you are forcing the muscles in your arms to move a lot more weight. Not only are your Biceps going to be stimulated to grow, but all the other muscles exercised in the movement will be stimulated as well. This is also true in the other exercises mentioned in this article.
The second exercise is called The Dip. The Dip involves your body weight as well, as you are pushing your weight up and down numerous times with your arms.
This exercise is hard on the Triceps and Shoulders, however it also works the Chest, Forearms, Abdominals, Brachialis and the Biceps. Bargain right? Right.
The Third and Final Step to Massive arms is the Shoulder Press. A great exercise to add slabs of muscle to your shoulders. This movement comes with some freebies too, by working the Triceps, Brachialis and Forearms as well.
All in all, this is a very well rounded Exercise regime for building massive thick arms. It is both realistic, in the sense that it’s very quick and practical, and it’s also effective at adding muscle size to the arms. Solid.
Advised Exercise Split:
Monday:
The Pull Up: 3 sets of 5 repetitions
Wednesday:
The Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 repetitions
Friday:
The Dip: 3 sets of 5 repetitions
Increase the weight/repetitions as you get stronger.
Disperse each exercise throughout your existing Gym program. If you do not have an existing Gym Program then see other articles on the website under ‘Sport’ for more information.
Note: These exercises should only be done once a week and as part of a full exercise program. They must be done in a certified gym amongst trained professionals. Over training of any muscle group may lead to extreme muscle soreness and injury. Please see other articles on the site for more information.
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