Everybody in the weight room wants big arms. Next to the bench press, the most common exercises are variations on curls. So why are impressive arms so rare? As Arnold Schwarzenegger puts it in "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," if standing around doing barbell curls was all you needed, everyone would have 20-inch arms. Biceps give you peak and triceps give you mass, and you need to attack them strategically. To have arms like the pros, you need to examine how the pros work their arms.
Barbell Curls to Cheat Curls
Barbell curls might not be all you need, but you do need them. Schwarzenegger describes barbell curls as the main mass builder. He is also a fan of the cheat curl, and says he would frequently perform strict curls to failure, then start cheating for extra reps. In the "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding," Lee Priest tells Robert Kennedy that he likes to do the same thing. And at 5 foot 4, Lee Priest has the proportionately largest arms in bodybuilding at 22 inches. To perform a strict barbell curl, grip the barbell palms up at a comfortable width. Your elbows should be almost straight, and stay at your sides throughout the movement, not stray to the front. Curl the weight up to your chest using only your biceps, not your shoulders or lower back. To finish off with cheat curls, pop your hips forward to accelerate the barbell away from your thighs at the bottom of the movement, and allow your elbows to move forward to involve your shoulders. Be very careful not to arch your back too hard or you can injure yourself. Perform at least eight strict curls, then cheat as many as you safely can. If you're a beginner, stick to strict curls.
Barbell Preacher Curls
Many bodybuilders start their bicep workout with preacher curls, whether dumbbell or barbell. Because the movement is so strict, it uses less weight and allows the biceps to warm up. Quincy Taylor, one of the tallest and biggest men in bodybuilding, tells Robert Kennedy that he starts his bicep workout with barbell preacher curls. Sit or stand at the preacher bench. Set your elbows wider on the pad than your grip on the barbell. Place the backs of your arms flush against the pad and leave them there throughout the entire set. Quincy Taylor does this exercise with less weight than he could because he believes in keeping the movement strict, not rocking the weight back. Curl the barbell up as far as you can, then slowly release. Repeat for eight to 12 reps.
Standing Cable Curls
Some guys at the gym look down on anything but free-weight exercises. For compound movements, free weights are usually better, but for isolation exercises, there are always points in a movement that are extremely easy, and points that are extremely difficult. The cable curl solves this problem by providing constant resistance throughout the movement. According to Robert Kennedy, this exercise is in Ronnie Coleman's arm workout, and nobody's going to look down on the eight-time Mr. Olympia. Attach a curl bar to the low pulley. Face the stack and grip the bar palms up. Keeping your elbows at your sides, curl the bar up. Because the resistance is constant throughout the movement, your lower back won't arch to cheat past a sticking point. Perform eight to 12 reps per set. According to Frederic Delavier in "Strength Training Anatomy," this exercise hits the biceps brachii the hardest. This is the bicep head that gives your arm its peak.
Close-Grip Bench Press
Though most people focus on their biceps because they're more striking, your triceps make up the bulk of your arm. To build big arms, look to the giant killer Lee Priest. He tells Robert Kennedy that he begins his tricep workout with heavy close-grip bench press. He says that the key to avoiding elbow pain with this exercise is to keep the elbows in close to your sides and not flare them out. Lay on a bench and grip the bar at approximately the width of your torso. Bring the weight down to your stomach, keeping your forearms upright and your elbows in tight. Press up with your triceps. Lee performs five or six sets, warming up at first and then adding weight while performing six to eight reps per set. He keeps his reps low, but for most people, eight to 12 reps is a better range for building muscle.
Skullcrushers
Skullcrushers, also known as lying tricep extensions to the faint of heart, are one of the big mass-building tricep exercises. Gustav Badell tells Robert Kennedy that he likes them so much he starts with flat bench skullcrushers, then moves to incline bench skullcrushers. To perform basic skullcrushers, lie on a flat bench and press your barbell straight up. Then, moving only at the elbows, lower the weight to your forehead. Using your triceps, return the barbell to the upright position. According to Frederic Delavier, lowering the bar behind your head instead of to your forehead targets the long head of the triceps. Your arms must move at the shoulder slightly to do this. Perform sets of eight to 12 reps.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
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