Freaky Sized Arms....

[WalkingBeast]

UA Iron-- heres some advice thats goes for most iso work-- you will develop bigger arms by doing squats, benches, rows, deads, and dips...NOT by doing a specialized arm routines... you will put on about 1" to your arms for every 10-12 lbs of LBM.

think about it- Do your muscles get more benefit out of a 300lb deadlift, or arm curling 45 lbs?

Sounds good about the 10-12lbs of LBM per inch of arm mass, but Ive been 185 around the same BF% for a few years and went from 16 to 18 inch arms not to mention increases in size all around. Wasnt my intention but it worked out that way. Also Id suggest setting a higher goal. Fuck the 45's, go for the 75's and a 200lb preacher curl and see what happens. Also dont neglect triceps since thats where most of the arm mass lies. Hit biceps and triceps hard and heavy to failure on thier own day. High volume as well. Has worked well for me. JMO

 

[therobber]

lol UA_Iron, any idea arms were so controversial . . . ?

I am going to have to give weighted chins and dips a try, that sounds very wise. On the dips, is that chest dips, or do you turn around to do back dips?

i would do both styles of dips for maximum muscle growth mang...

 

[gymtime]

I've had good luck with arms over the years, but that's probably largely due to genetics. I'm lucky in that area, but trust me, I totally suck in others.

Anyway...I've had success with focusing on compound movements, making them the core (so to speak) of every workout. While I don't ignore isolation movements, I don't spend a great deal of time on them either.

I remember having a tough time with the concept of "your arms will grow if you focus less on curls and pushdowns." In a way, it seems to fly in the face of most conventional strategies for muscle growth. We all tend to think that extra set of curls will really bring out the bis and whatever. Understanding that this is not always the case can be a difficult pill to swallow. But I've learned that it is in fact quite effective, for me at least.

 

[majutsu]

man that's a nice picture of Franco pulling!

 

[WalkingBeast]

I didn't miss the point, I understand they will. I simply said I get more out of just doing curls if I just want my biceps to grow.

I would stick with all heavy compounds to make my arms grow, and nothing more. The only problem is, my legs are too big for me already, and I don't want to deal with them any larger. Thus, if I just want specific points on my upper body to grow, I'm going to have to use isolation exercises.

You could probabally get away with deadlifting like a mother fucker and get little to no leg growth. Atleast this has been my experience. Legs havent grown an inch in a long time.

 

[Debaser]

i never seen a guy who can pull 600lbs with small arms

This doesn't really get us anywhere--how many guys have you seen that deadlift 600 lbs but do no rows, chins, or bicep movements whatsoever?

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Good call, Debaser.

 

[JOKER47]

This doesn't really get us anywhere--how many guys have you seen that deadlift 600 lbs but do no rows, chins, or bicep movements whatsoever?

Most powerlifters do no direct bicep work or chins. They may occasionally do some version of row for a dynamic ancillary lift.

I myself can pull 500lbs, never do direct bicep work or chins, and do only 2-3 versions of rows w/bands on DE Upper. (Only one of the versions for any given session.)

Incidentally, my arms are right around 17.5" cold flexed.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Cold flexed? I'm guessing you meant 17.5" cold. What about flexed, Joker?

 

[Debaser]

Most powerlifters do no direct bicep work or chins. They may occasionally do some version of row for a dynamic ancillary lift.

I myself can pull 500lbs, never do direct bicep work or chins, and do only 2-3 versions of rows w/bands on DE Upper. (Only one of the versions for any given session.)

Incidentally, my arms are right around 17.5" cold flexed.

Rowing still taxes the biceps quite a bit, that's why it's hard to prove that deadlifts alone will net you big arms.

Also don't forget how much powerlifters work the triceps, which equate to bigger arms moreso than the biceps.