You can add maximum muscle size and definition to your back and arms with free weight movements and machine exercises. Free weight movements help a bodybuilder increase hypertrophy, or muscle growth, by placing stress on his muscles throughout the full range of motion. This stimulates mass gains in the back and arms. Machine exercises help you etch definition into your muscles, creating a shapely, muscular physique.
Anatomy
The biceps, triceps and forearms are the primary arm muscle groups. The back muscles consist of the latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae and rhomboids. Train with a combination of free weight compound movements and machine shaping movements. Compound movements recruit multiple muscle groups, helping you get a comprehensive workout with a minimum number of exercises. Shaping movements isolate smaller muscle groups, helping you sculpt your muscles.
Back Workout
Train your back muscles before your arms since the back is a larger muscle group. Do compound free weight movements like deadlifts to add mass to your overall back area. Do dumbbell rows to add thickness to your back and shaping machine movements like seated cable rows to define your middle back. Perform each exercise once per week, doing four sets of 12 repetitions for each moment. Rest for 45 seconds between sets to ramp up the intensity of your workouts.
Arm Workout
Work out your arms once per week with exercises like triceps dips, tricep pushdowns, barbell curls, concentration curls and reverse curls. The triceps dips is a body weight exercise which packs muscle mass onto the back of your upper arms. The triceps cable pushdown is a machine exercise which increases the definition in your triceps muscles. The barbell curl is a free weight mass builder for your biceps and concentration dumbbell curls help you develop the coveted biceps peak. Reverse barbell curls add width to your biceps and forearms. Do four sets of 12 repetitions for each exercise, resting for 45 seconds between sets.
Recommendations
Warm up with five minutes of jogging to bring blood into the back and arm muscles, improving your performance in the weight room. Stretch five minutes before and after your workout to improve your arm and back flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. Consult a physician before starting a resistance training program.
Member Comments