Building up your bicep and tricep muscles is the key to increasing the overall size of your arms. It sounds simple to add inches to your biceps and triceps by following an arm-building routine that incorporates the best curl and extension variations. However, the way you train your arms and the actions you take between workouts can significantly impact how quickly you can build muscle. In this post, we'll explore five major tweaks to your routine that will help you pack on mass in just 30 days.
Step 1: Start with Heavy Weights
For the next 30 days, begin your arm workouts with your heaviest bicep and tricep exercises. Focus on increasing your weight, especially for the first three sets after your warm-up. Start with barbell bicep curls, EZ bar bicep curls, or preacher curls for biceps. For triceps, opt for dips, skull crushers, or overhead tricep extensions. These exercises require significant energy and allow for heavier lifts, which is why they should be prioritized in your workout.
Your goal is to increase the weight you can lift for six to ten reps. For instance, if you're currently lifting 50 pounds for 10 reps, aim to increase to 55 pounds by adding a 2.5-pound plate on each side. It’s normal not to complete the full 10 reps with the new weight initially. As long as you can manage at least six reps, you're on the right track. Continue this process of increasing weight by five pounds and then building back up to ten reps. Achieving even a five-pound increase is a success!
Step 2: Implement a Push/Pull Routine
Transform your arm workout into a push/pull routine. This means every set for your triceps will be immediately followed by a set for your biceps without any break in between. Once you finish both exercises, take a short break before repeating the superset process. This technique will enhance your pump since your body will be pumping blood to both muscle groups simultaneously, effectively expanding your arms.
This increase in cellular pressure can boost protein synthesis and reduce protein breakdown, leading to more muscle growth, especially when combined with heavy lifting. Additionally, supersetting your biceps and triceps allows you to complete your workouts faster and train your arms more frequently throughout the week, which is crucial for muscle growth.
Step 3: Increase Training Frequency
Over the next month, ensure you train your arms more frequently. Many people try to build bigger arms with only one arm day per week, which is insufficient. If you follow a traditional bro split, it’s challenging to train your arms multiple times a week. Instead, a push/pull routine allows for enough recovery time for both biceps and triceps, enabling you to train them again within the same week.
A solid routine could involve doing chest and back on one day, legs on the next, and arms on the third day. After that, take a day off and repeat this three-day cycle. This structure ensures you’re hitting your arms at least twice a week.
Step 4: Push Yourself to Failure
On the third set of each exercise, aim to go until failure for both your biceps and triceps. This means performing reps until you can no longer lift the weight. If you can manage ten reps or more on your last set, it’s a clear sign you're not using enough weight. Progressively, the number of reps you can complete should decrease with each set if you're genuinely pushing yourself.
For example, if you target ten reps on your first set, you might only manage eight or nine by the last set. This method ensures you’re progressively overloading your muscles, maximizing growth potential. Remember to have a spotter when you're going to failure, especially with exercises like skull crushers.
Step 5: Cycle Your Rep Ranges
Throughout your workout, maintain a focus on six to ten reps with heavy weights. This rep range effectively targets fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are crucial for growth. However, to further stimulate muscle development, incorporate higher rep ranges as well. For the last exercise of each session, aim for a drop set that includes 20 reps.
For instance, if you're doing cable tricep extensions followed by standing cable curls, perform your heavy set aiming for about ten reps. Immediately after, drop the weight and pump out 20 more reps. This technique ensures that your arms are thoroughly fatigued, leading to significant muscle growth.
Sample 30-Day Bigger Arms Workout Plan
Here’s a sample of the workout plan over the next 30 days:
- Skull Crushers paired with Barbell Bicep Curls (3 sets of 6-10 reps)
- Overhead Tricep Extensions with Preacher Curls (3 sets of 6-10 reps)
- Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks with Concentration Curls (3 sets of 6-10 reps)
- Cable Tricep Extensions with Cable Bicep Curls (3 sets of 6-10 reps, followed by a drop set to 20 reps)
Completing this routine at least twice a week will yield noticeable results in just 30 days.
Key Points to Remember
Before heading off to implement this workout, consider these essential points:
- Maintain a calorie surplus of about 200 to 300 extra calories daily to support muscle growth.
- Ensure adequate protein intake, ranging from 0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.
- While you can push yourself to failure, maintain good form throughout your sets. Avoid using momentum and ensure proper lifting mechanics.
- Consistency is crucial. Your arms can grow in 30 days, but expect gradual progress rather than drastic changes overnight. Continue to increase the weights over time.
After 30 to 60 days, you can switch up exercises and follow the same five steps with new bicep and tricep workouts.
Final Thoughts
Follow this workout process for at least 30 days, and if you do, please share your results! If you found this information helpful, don't forget to subscribe for more tips and download the workout template provided in the description. For those seeking a comprehensive system for muscle building, check out the Lean Muscle Multiplier program available on my website.
