Bigger Biceps And Triceps: How To Get Big Arms Fast

how to get big arms fast

Quick to turn heads when developed, arms are the glory muscles that can draw attention your way. It’s easy to focus on the same two exercises during your workouts while neglecting key training methodology. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the parts of the arm as well as the best exercises and training tips to get big arms fast.

HOW TO GET BIGGER BICEPS

The biceps, as the name implies, is a two-headed muscle: The short head (inner portion) and the long head (outer portion or the ''peak'') of the biceps.

The biceps brachii spans two-joints and has a fusiform structure (tapering toward each end). This allows for rapid, forceful shortening of the muscle. Sixty percent of the muscle is made up of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Strengthening the biceps is important as it plays an essential in elbow flexion and forearm supination.

BEST EXERCISES FOR BIGGER BICEPS

The best exercises to recruit the biceps are variations of dumbbell curls. Unilateral exercises will always produce greater results than bilateral.

Incline Dumbbell Curls:

  • Use a heavy enough weight to get 6 to 8 STRICT repetitions.
  • Don’t swing the weight around when you execute your exercises.
  • Make sure to stick your elbows to your side and don't curl with your shoulders.
  • Explode up, hold for a second in the contracted state and make sure to go all the way down and get a good stretch on your biceps.

Don't forget that the eccentric (lowering) portion of the movement is the one that induces the most growth. Take your time and lower the weights under control for a count of 3 to 4 seconds.

Alternating Dumbbell Curl:

  • Use a heavy enough weight to get 6 to 8 STRICT repetitions.
  • Make sure to FULLY supinate your forearm at the top of the movement and squeeze your biceps as hard as you can.
  • Explode up to hit those fast twitch fibers.
  • Lower the weights under control for a count of 3 to 4 seconds.

There are two ways to recruit one head over the other:

First, you can manipulate the position of the hands relative to the elbows. On barbell curls, a wide grip emphasizes the short head, while a narrow grip emphasizes the long head.

Second, use a different barbell. If flat barbells aggravate previous wrist injuries, you can use an EZ-bar or add some Fat Grips.

HOW TO GET BIGGER BRACHIALIS

The brachialis lies deeper than the biceps brachii and is the little muscle between your biceps and your triceps. A bigger brachialis will give you that three-dimensional look to your arms, making them thicker from all angles. The brachialis is a synergistic to the biceps in creating flexion at the elbow.

The brachialis has a 50/50 fiber-type distribution between slow and fast twitch. But because of its origin point and the way it's attached to your body, the speed of the movement will play a huge role in its recruitment.

BEST EXERCISE FOR BIGGER BRACHIALIS

A pronated grip such as a reverse curl will completely hinder biceps recruitment and focus solely on the brachialis.

Preacher Curls:

  • Focus on slow concentric (lifting movement) and eccentric (lowering movement) contractions.
  • Take 5 seconds to contract then 5 seconds to lower the weights.
  • Aim for 4 to 6 reps with a heavy enough weight to focus on the fast twitch growth potential.

HOW TO GET BIGGER TRICEPS

The triceps compose two-thirds of the arm. Maximizing triceps hypertrophy is one of the fastest ways to get big arms fast.

As the name implies, the triceps is a three-headed muscle comprised of the long head, the lateral head, and the medial head. The lateral head is mostly fast twitch fibers (67.5%), and the long head is also fast twitch dominant (57%). The medial head has more slow twitch dominant (60%) fibers.

Although very easy to train for overall mass, building a perfectly symmetrical triceps can get quite tricky. It is impossible to isolate one single head over the others but we can emphasize and stress the heads differently by changing the angle of the arm relatively to the body.

BEST EXERCISE FOR BIGGER TRICEPS

We suggest beginning with compound movements while you're at your strongest. You will be able to overload the muscles for maximum stimulation and growth.

Dips:

  • Stay upright and don't bend forward during execution to reduce chest involvement.
  • Aim for 5 sets of 10 repetitions.
  • Go as heavy as you can and SQUEEZE your triceps at the top.
  • Take 3-4 seconds to lower yourself and explode up.
  • Add weight with a dip belt if necessary.

Cable Push Down:

  • A neutral grip like when doing rope extensions or an overhand grip (palms facing down) with a normal bar will take care of the lateral head.
  • Make sure to keep your elbows stationary and focus on the squeeze at the bottom.
  • Execution is of utmost importance here and if you can't get a good squeeze in the contracted state, drop the weight until you can feel it burning.
  • This exercise usually requires higher repetitions to get a good burn so aim for 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions.

Overhand Cable Extensions:

  • Holding a cable rope in both hands, turn away from the pulley machine.
  • Tighten your core as you extend the rope forward and above your head.
  • Aim for 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions.
  • Go for a SLOW contraction and good squeeze at the bottom.

HOW TO GET BIGGER FOREARMS

We already covered forearms training so you can check out our article on How to Get Big Forearms Fast.

DO YOU WANT TO GET BIGGER ARMS?

Have you tried any of the exercises we listed above? If so, what results have you gained? Do you have a favorite exercise that helps your arms grow? Check out the best arm training equipment!

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