Developing large, defined arms is a fitness goal for many people. But to build the best arms possible, you must follow a quality routine that makes your training efficient and regular. Have a plan for which days each week you will exercise your arms and what exercises you will use to fatigue the muscles -- because some exercises are more efficient than others.
Total Body
Total body workouts are common among fitness beginners because you only lift three times each week, which is more convenient when you're starting out. You will train your arms three times each week in this program, but only one exercise will be performed for each muscle group. You can experience gains with a total body workout routine -- even though the workouts are less intense -- because the muscle is being worked three times each week instead of once or twice.
Four-Day Split
Four-day split routines are common among advanced lifters. You can exercises each muscle group once a week, or focus on the entire upper and lower body twice each week. If you perform two upper body workouts per week, only two or three exercises each workout is required because the volume of training is spread over two workouts. In high intensity training programs the muscle is exercised once a week, but that workout includes four to six exercises designed to isolate the only muscle group being exercised that day.
Bicep Exercises
Every training program should include barbell curls and dumbbell curls. How you grip the bar or dumbbell will determine at what angle you stress the muscle fibers. Perfoming barbell curls with a wide grip and the elbows tucked at your side hits the outermost fibers, while a close grip with the elbows out targets the innermost fibers. Dumbbell curls with palms up are similar to barbell curls because of the position of the hand -- but turning the hands in to face each other and performing hammer curls builds the peak of the muscle, developing short, thick muscles. If you are using a high intensity routine and need more exercises, preacher or concentration curls are ideal because of the increased isolation of the muscle throughout the movement.
Tricep Execises
Developing large triceps will make your arms look bigger. Perform tricep pushdowns using a cable machine. You can also stress the entire muscle with overhead extensions. These are done by holding one end of a dumbbell in both hands overhead with your palms facing up. Lower the weight until the dumbbell touches the back of your neck, then extend your arms. Split programs include exercises such as tate presses or kickbacks that isolate one of the three heads of the muscle group.
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