Making your muscles bigger is a physiological process called hypertrophy, which occurs when you repeatedly expose a muscle or muscle group to more stress than normal. Hypertrophy depends on a number of factors, including genetics, training intensity and training frequency. It is also important to allow time between workouts for growth to occur and eat a diet that supports muscle growth. Bodybuilders use a number of techniques called training systems to maximize the growth stimulus from the exercises they perform. These techniques can be used in conjunction with most arm exercises -- both free-weights and exercise machines.
Drop Sets
Whenever you perform an exercise, your set terminates when you are no longer able to generate sufficient force to complete another repetition. However, just because you cannot lift the weight you are using does not mean your muscles are completely fatigued. If you are lifting a 40 lb. weight, all that has happened is that you are no longer able to generate 40 pounds of force. Drop sets circumvent this problem. As you reach the point of failure and can no longer perform another repetition, quickly put the weight down and select one that is approximately 15 to 20 percent lighter. Continue your set until you reach failure again. As before, quickly pick up a lighter weight and perform one final effort. Drop sets can be performed using free-weights or resistance training machines. It is crucial for success that you move from one weight to the next as quickly as possible.
Negatives
Your muscles can generate force in three ways: Concentrically, eccentrically and isometrically. Concentric contractions involve your muscles generating force as they shorten, isometric contractions are static and involve no actual joint movement, and eccentric contractions involve force generation as your muscles lengthen. You are stronger eccentrically than you are concentrically. Simply put, you can lower more weight than you can lift. By performing negatives, you expose your muscles to a greater load, which will trigger more muscle growth. Negative training can be performed in two ways: You could lift a weight with two hands, then lower it with one, or you could recruit a spotter to help you lift a weight into the starting position of an exercise, then lower it on your own. Negatives can cause a lot of post-exercise muscle soreness so use this technique with caution.
Supersets
Supersets involve performing two exercises back-to-back and can help increase muscle growth. For your triceps on the back of your arm, try performing rope pushdowns immediately followed by narrow grip pushups. For your biceps, try superset barbell curls with alternating dumbbell curls. By not resting between exercises, you make the second exercise much more demanding, which will trigger greater muscle growth. Alternately, you can superset exercises for opposing muscle groups. This means you can perform a higher volume of exercise in a shorter period of time. Perform a set of a biceps exercise, then immediately perform a set for your triceps. Rest a moment and repeat. Volume of exercise is an important factor in hypertrophy training, so this technique provides the means to increase training volume without making your workouts longer.
Matrix Training
Matrix training, also called 21s, is a technique in which the range of movement of a given exercise is broken down into two distinct parts -- an outer range and an inner range. This technique is commonly used for bicep exercises, but works equally well with tricep exercises. By increasing the duration of your set, called time under tension in exercise terminology, you increase the stimulus for growth. To perform the matrix technique for barbell bicep curls, stand with the barbell in an underhand grip, with your arms fully extended. Bend your arms and raise the weight until your forearms are parallel to the floor. Lower the bar back down and repeat. Perform seven of these shortened repetitions. Next, perform seven repetitions from parallel up to full arm flexion. Finally, perform seven full repetitions from full arm extension to full arm flexion.
References
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding"; Joe Weider et al.; 1989
- "The Matrix Principle: Revolution in Weight Training"; R.S. Laura and K.R. Dutton; 1991
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