Will my arms ever grow if I don't work them directly?

[bruce9241]

I've noticed my arms are kind of small relative to my body. This could be because I am fat and have big shoulders.

My forearms are pretty soft and my biceps are non existent.

Would my arms ever grow if I continue to just do heavy squats/deadlifts/dips,overhead presses?

I don't really do arms much. I do biceps maybe once a week and even then it's like 3 sets of 10's using ligh to moderate weights.

 

[grubd]

Your arms will grow with the right amount of protein doing the heavy basic lifts. Those lifts put on mass and mass grows everywhere. If you have time and it's fun you can always add in extra arm work besides the core lift. Be patient and it will come!

 

[JDid23]

yeah man patience is key.. however, your diet/rest plays a crucial role in your gains, so be sure to rest well and eat well (high protein based diet)

 

[CajunSaint]

why wouldnt you do arm work?

 

[JDid23]

why wouldnt you do arm work?

squats build bigger arms than curls... Compound lifts will help your arm size.. I don't understand the whole thing behind "arm work" and having "arm days"... It makes no sense whatsoever to me. Every compound lift works your arms in one way or another.

Squats- arms as stabilizers, full body exercise
Deadlifts- Forearms, biceps
Bench Press- Triceps
OH Press- Triceps (i think)
Rows- Biceps

then you got chins/pullups/dips

 

[bruce9241]

Yea my protein intake is good right now. Taking in between 200-220 grams per day; I weigh 216.

I don't do arms for a few reasons. I don't really like standing there doing curls. It kinda puts me to sleep. That and the curling area is always packed at my gym. Doesn't matter if it's noon or 6pm rush hour. It's always full.

 

[ExtraMile]

Iv always followed the 'dont do bicep work just squat,dead,bench will make them grow' and now it has come to a point my biceps are fuckin small, my triceps are good and grow fast but biceps are geigh and wont grow

 

[musketeer]

I've got good arms from chins, rows, various presses and dips. If I did specific arm work it would be overkill. I'm 6' 220 with 17.5" arms.

Even if I do 45 mins of pulling exercises where the arms are straight:

Snatch, high snatch pull, snatch deadlift

Sometimes that's all it takes to make the biceps a little sore.

 

[SaiBoT]

I did 20 sets just for biceps yesterday Even though i can deadlift 450lb, squat over 400lbs and bench press 245lbs, do weighted dips with 100lbs, more than 20 bw chin-ups, etc etc etc my arms are a little below 17 so i think some isolation work is needed indeed, some will argue over this but everybody is different, like i said before, wheelchair bodybuilders who by obvious reasons are unable to do such compound exercises manage to build big arms so let's be reasonable...

 

[musketeer]

Yeah following on from what KoRin said it's all about priorities: If you've got a great core, strong legs, shoulders and back and your arms are still lagging, then you need to address the issue by adding exercises that involve the biceps more.
Thing is, most people try to do arms from the start of their training, like they're a major bodypart, and this is at the EXPENSE of the rest of their physique.

I still can't think of a better biceps exercise than close grip chins, as it's compound, can be easily cheated (for more reps) and has a great negative portion.

 

[SaiBoT]

Yeah following on from what KoRin said it's all about priorities: If you've got a great core, strong legs, shoulders and back and your arms are still lagging, then you need to address the issue by adding exercises that involve the biceps more.
Thing is, most people try to do arms from the start of their training, like they're a major bodypart, and this is at the EXPENSE of the rest of their physique.

I still can't think of a better biceps exercise than close grip chins, as it's compound, can be easily cheated (for more reps) and has a great negative portion.

Yes I totally agree with that! Even the normal grip chins leaves the bis and forearms nice and pumped

 

[Will Goes Boing]

I use to only do isolation exercises like 90% of the people in commercial gyms..... I didn't discover the greatness of compound lifts until someone told me about it. I'm a little under 150 and I have 16" arms flexed. The key is to work them hard but with less volume. 3x5's of preacher curls, 3x5 of standing curls, and 3x5 of hammer curls. And use heavy enough weights that you aren't able to do more than 6 without compromising form. I usually do bi's and tri's on the same day, and I do 3 exercises with the whole 3x5 for tri's too.

 

[mad_monkey59]

in short... yes.

 

[Marius]

If people say its possible to have a huge upper body with chicken legs then the other way around can be true too.

 

[grubd]

If people say its possible to have a huge upper body with chicken legs then the other way around can be true too.

possible to have big, huge you need to work it all baby

 

[Big_BK]

There are a few things to take into consideration. First is that by not training your arms directly, you STILL ARE TRAINING THEM!!!! That is what most people don't get! What do you think is going to fail you first on a heavy deadlift, your back which does the majority of the lift or your arms which in comparison to pretty much every other body part are tiny! Why do you think so many guys get torn biceps from trying to do a deadlift? Or even a tire flip in strongman which is basically a deadlift with an awkward object. Also when people say they have tiny arms you need to take proportion into consideration. Pretty much everyone i know that is my age and weights around what i do has beetween 16-18inch arms. I think alot of people think their arms are "small" because they are in proportion with your body and not freaky big like we see on most bodybuilders.

Now i will admit i don't think an advanced trainer should ignore direct bicep work because when you get to that point you know what you need to do in order to get your body to respond to the weights and grow and are probably doing 2-2.5hr workouts. For people starting out the first few years nothing better for growth then heavy compound stuff IMO. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[the.gladiator1987]

I never did tricep work but always did bench. my tris didnt grow that much i widsh i would have done more tri work consitently.

I dont think arms are bad to isolate but do it after your main compound lifts. Deadlifting 335 for 8 reps is 2680lbs you just lifted. Even though your arms arent directly involved they still had to pull up that much weight. Doing 10 reps of 40lb curls is only 800 lbs for both arms. And you are still not isolating it 100% you are using your traps, stabiliser muscles and forearms.

 

[CajunSaint]

i like this thread. really enlightening. before this i never really thought about how much compund lifts really work arms

 

[musketeer]

How about this; when you deadlift (or actually pick anything up), the only structural thing keeping your lower arm bone connected to your upper arm bone is the biceps.

 

[PWR]

squats build bigger arms than curls...
s

This is complete BS, yes compound lifts like deads and bench will add arm size but not squats. I know guys that do no squats and have 20in arms and I also know a couple guys that can squat 405 for deep high reps and have small arms. I agree you need a good overall routine to maximize your potential but it kills me when people tell someone to squat more if they want there arms to grow.

 

[SaiBoT]

One thing that impressed me on the last olympics was the bis size and shape of the male gymnasts, specially for their bodyweight... pull-ups were the first thing that crossed my mind.

 

[CajunSaint]

that really is true. i noticed this also. pull ups is probably what did this

 

[Big_BK]

This is complete BS, yes compound lifts like deads and bench will add arm size but not squats. I know guys that do no squats and have 20in arms and I also know a couple guys that can squat 405 for deep high reps and have small arms. I agree you need a good overall routine to maximize your potential but it kills me when people tell someone to squat more if they want there arms to grow.

It is one of the better ways which IMO is why its highly suggested. I see plenty of guys that have stick legs and huge arms but its not the best way to get there.

 

[bruce9241]

So I bit the bullet and am starting to do arms. I'm currently doing biceps twice a week on my deadlift days and one of my press days. I'm only doing 25pound dumbells with good form, but I feel my arms are getting stronger.

I guess they were so weak because I never really worked them.

 

[AEKDB]

One thing that impressed me on the last olympics was the bis size and shape of the male gymnasts, specially for their bodyweight... pull-ups were the first thing that crossed my mind.

It is not just pullups. The iron cross, lever, and other techniques require a lot of arm/shoulder/back strength. But you are correct that lots of pullups will result in great arms.

 

[SaiBoT]

It is not just pullups. The iron cross, lever, and other techniques require a lot of arm/shoulder/back strength. But you are correct that lots of pullups will result in great arms.

Yeah those guys spend more time on their arms than on their feet while working out.

 

[C Manson]

since doing weighted pull ups ive noticed more improvement than i ever did with curls etc.