If you clicked this link, you want bigger arms. I mean really, who doesn’t? Bigger arms make everything better anyway.  You look like a super hero, they keep you warm in the winter which is a plus because sleeves will no longer be an option after this and they can be used as a flotation device in case of a water landing. 

As always, I’m going to keep this short and straight to the point because everyone hates reading 4 million word articles. Lets get to it shall we.

  Let’s get started.

• USE MORE WEIGHT

• Heavy compound movements such as close grip bench press or weighted dips are great for adding lots of size and strength to your triceps. Heavy Cable rows or pull ups can do the same for your biceps. Since your biceps and triceps are secondary movers they are still being worked but under a much heavier load causing them to adapt (grow) under the new stress demand placed on the body. You can add bands or chains to these movements to really hit those biceps and triceps hard at the top of the lift and to switch things up.

• A few other great choices are board or pin presses, weighted pull ups, JM Press and supinated Barbell rows

• SHORTER REST PERIODS

• This is pretty straight forward. If you normally rest 3 min between sets, then lower that to 2 min. Simple, right?

By doing this, the muscles don’t have enough time to recover fully and again are forced to adapt. This also helps with muscle endurance.

• ADD MORE VOLUME.  
• Start adding in more sets and or an extra day. In 2012 I went from 18″ arms to 20″ in a couple months just by adding in 6 extra sets per week on a separate day after some main work.

• FORCED REPS/DROP SETS/SUPER SETS

• This is where it gets fun… and by fun, I mean you’ll need 6 weeks in therapy to figure out why you’re doing this to yourself.

• Let’s start with forced reps and what they are. First off, you will need a partner for these.  For example, if you can normally only do 225 for 4 reps on close grip bench, you would have your partner help you lift another 3-4 reps. Your partner needs to make these hard for you by only lifting what you need to finish the lift clean. This can also be used on isolated movements.

• Drop sets are exactly that. You will do your normal set and after you finish your reps you will immediately drop the weight down and perform another few reps, usually to failure. I recommend doing this on the last exercise you have planned.  This really fills the muscle with blood (THE PUMP) and that’s what you want. As time goes by, the more you get that PUMP, the more capillaries (tiny blood vessels) it will create. The more capillaries you have, the more oxygen, nutrients and bigger pumps that muscle will receive. If your nutrition is sound, this is a never-ending cycle of growth, until you reach your genetic potential at least.

• A Super set is when you do 2 exercises back to back. They are also a great way to get a huge pump in a short amount of time. Examples of this would be, doing a set of cable Triceps push downs and going right into cable Biceps curls.  

There are also giant sets and many other methods but lets keep it simple for the sake of this article. What I have listed are just a few good training methods that have worked great for my clients and myself over the years that you can implement into your training to improve your results.

• SAMPLE WORKOUT
• I suggest adding your arm training in after your main compound days. examples would be on chest and back day, even shoulder day is great.

• Day 1
• 1. Close grip Bench press with forced reps on last 2 sets.  5 sets 6-12 reps (+ 4 forced reps on last 2 sets). 2-3 min rest.

• 2. Lying Triceps extensions with EZ curl bar. 4-6 sets 6-12. 3 min rest
• 3. Super set. Cable triceps push downs with wide grip and Lying cable curls with EZ bar. 6 x 10-15 with drop set to failure on last sets. 2 min rest.
• DAY 2.
• 1. DB shoulder press. 4-5 sets, 6-12 reps with a 50% drop set on last set. 3-5 min rest.
• 2. Barbell curls (you can use the EZ bar if your wrists hurt) 6 sets 6-12 reps. 3 min rest.
• 3. Alternating DB curls. 3-4 sets 12. 2 min rest
• 4. Cable triceps Push downs with rope, super set with DB spider curls 4 x 12 with drop sets on each exercise on last set to failure. 90 sec rest.

Now this is just an example of a weeks workouts. Don’t forget to change the angles and rep ranges every couple weeks. Add in reverse grip, neutral grip, elbows in front, above or behind the body will put more emphasis on different muscle head.

This part I can’t stress enough. you do NOT  grow in the gym. You grow when you’re outside of the gym, when you are eating, resting/ sleeping, so make sure you take that part just as serious. You’re in the gym for 2-3 hrs but you better be eating tons of food. Drinking ALL of the water and sleeping how you should for the other 21 hrs.

• Eat the right foods and plenty of them. You need to be in a caloric surplus in order to grow.
• Get 8-9 hrs sleep. You repair and grow in deep sleep.
• Drink lots of water. A hydrated muscle is a happy muscle and a happy muscle is a big muscle and a big happy muscle is a big happy person.
• Don’t train too often. Give yourself time to recover between training sessions. 2 times per week is the most I would do.

 For a shout out on social media, don’t forget to follow and tag us in your videos putting these tips to use and trying this sample workout. IG @Brickhousepower and use #BrickhouseBigArmsFast

Jack DiBenedetto
Owner- Brickhouse Fitness & Powerlifting
THE ONLY THING STOPPING YOU IS YOU!!!


***Please consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise routine. ***