Biceps
The biceps consists of two heads:
- The longus (long tendon, but the muscle is small) is located on the outer part of the arm.
- The short one (short tendon, but large muscle) is located on the inside of the arm.
Both heads are connected into one tendon which is located next to the elbow joint.
The tendon itself is attached slightly inward (to the side of the forearm).
This means that in addition to bending the arm, the biceps can also supinate it (i.e., turn the palm towards the thumb).
I think everyone understands what we are talking about, i.e. many perform dumbbell curls with supination.
And this is exactly the steering wheel that I am now theoretically talking about.
Features of women's hands: what “catches” men
The body of a successful lady is a complex of well-trained muscles, where there are no minor ones - all are important. But if the stomach and hips are always the center of her attention, then strengthening the arm muscles is sometimes considered unimportant for women: they are often unfairly relegated to the background in the training system. Meanwhile, it is beautifully “molded” hands that first attract the attention of men, not to mention the fact that strong muscles make life much easier for the weaker sex. That is why the question of how to pump up arm muscles is quite important for both young and fairly mature women.
Accents on the heads of the biceps
According to statistics, there are no problems with the development of the short head (the one located on the inside of the arm), it responds perfectly to the load, and grows well from any bending of the arm. But with the development of the long head, the one that is located on the outer part of the arm, most people have problems!
Treatment: in order to fight the external head (long), you need to move your elbows as far behind your back as possible, this is the only way to engage the outer part of the biceps.
In order to fight the internal head (short), on the contrary, you need to bring your elbows forward as much as possible.
Triceps
The triceps consists of three heads:
- Lateral head (aka external)
- Medial head (also known as the middle or small ulnar head, located next to the elbow)
- Long head (also internal, attached to the back of the shoulder blade)
All three heads are in the same ligament, in the area of the elbow, and that is why all three heads work simultaneously in all exercises that involve the triceps. However, each head is not trained evenly! Those. each of the heads receives its own degree of load (this depends on the mechanics of the exercises).
Each of the 3 heads (connected, because they work in conjunction) but they can be either short or long. This matter depends on your genetics. However, this can be easily checked and found out!
For example:
- if your triceps are short, they look longer and more massive
- and if it is long, then the triceps looks short with a peak.
By body type, most often mesomorphs and endomorphs have long and massive triceps muscles.
But ectomorphs, on the contrary, most often have short triceps with a peak.
Of course, in mesomorphs and endomorphs, the mass of the triceps will grow faster, but in ectomorphs, the triceps muscles will look more athletic from an aesthetic point of view.
Forearms
In addition to the biceps and triceps, the arm consists of the forearm.
Many people are crazy about the question of how to pump up their forearms.
Therefore, in this issue we will also talk about this now.
In general, I do not recommend that you dwell on this issue.
Because if your goal is hypertrophy (muscle growth in general), then you do not need to specifically train your forearms separately. When training large muscle groups (chest, back, legs), small muscle groups (biceps, triceps, shoulders, forearms) will also work.
Therefore, think better about the growth and strength of large muscle groups, and small groups will have no choice but to grow over time, and they will grow on their own!
Take my word for it, it will happen. Even when you train just your biceps, for example, you do barbell curls, your forearm is actively working! This is already enough for their growth.
And yet, if you are fixated on this issue, then the main exercises for developing the forearm are:
- Barbell curl
- Reverse grip barbell curl
- Curls with a barbell at the wrists
Okay, we’ve sorted that out, now we’ll talk about how to organize proper arm training!
How to calculate the number of classes
Many novice athletes mistakenly believe that increasing the number of exercises has a beneficial effect on the condition of the mass. But this is absolutely not true. If you don't give your body rest, you are unlikely to achieve impressive results. It is better to exercise every other day with greater intensity than daily. Basic mistakes of newbies:
- Daily intense training without rest;
- Working only one muscle group;
- Lack of warm-up;
- Poor nutrition and poor hydration
As for the number of sets, beginners should start with a minimum number of repetitions (8-12), and two to three sets for each. Over time, when you feel that you are capable of more, you can increase the number of approaches performed. It is especially important to work one muscle group in different ways during a workout. In this case, the new elements will provide additional load, and the mass will increase faster.
Strength training should not be continued for more than one hour. If you feel that you still have the strength and desire, then it is better to do additional cardio training. This approach will prevent you from “overtraining” and will help you burn excess fat.
Back + biceps / and other workout chest + triceps
A very effective arm training scheme.
Since in one day, you train the entire pulling muscle group (back + biceps).
And on another day you train the entire pressing muscle group (chest + triceps).
This means that on all other days the pushing group completely rests and grows, the same with the pressing group.
However, there is a small drawback: after training a large muscle group (chest), the small muscle (triceps) is too tired (it is already tired from various presses), this means that you will no longer fully pump your triceps, you will just finish off your ego! The same goes for back + biceps (after training your back, your biceps are already tired).
Training rules
Before you create an exercise plan, you need to learn about the basic rules and recommendations for training. This will help avoid injury or “overtraining.” Recommendations:
- Correct and measured execution of exercises gives greater results than increasing the weight of the equipment.
- The weight of dumbbells or barbells should be selected according to physical capabilities. A beginner should start with a light weight and only after several training sessions can it be increased.
- It is necessary to do a short warm-up before each workout. Experienced athletes say: it is better to have a warm-up without training than vice versa.
- At the end of the workout, it is necessary to cool down
- Each worked muscle group must be given rest for at least a day. This is necessary so that the tissue can recover after exercise.
Back + triceps and other chest + biceps workout
Also an effective scheme. As you can see, everything has changed places compared to the previous diagram.
However, the advantage here is that you can fully train both a large muscle group (chest) and a small muscle group (biceps).
Because they are not interconnected, during chest training - the biceps sleeps (i.e. it does not work), respectively, the biceps is fresh and ready for serious work!
However, there is a minus! When you have trained your back + triceps, and then at the next workout, chest + biceps, the load again partially falls on the biceps (since you are training your back) and then on the next biceps workout.
As you know (when training your back, your biceps also work actively).
Accordingly, instead of resting the next day or every other day, you train your biceps again. So there you go!
What is the main muscle of the arms?
In order to harmoniously develop a beautiful arm shape, it is important to remember the antagonist muscles. Such an antagonist of the biceps is the triceps - the extensor of the shoulder. It is this part of the muscular corset of the arm that is sometimes left unattended by inexperienced people who are just beginning systematic exercises. In ordinary life, the triceps brachii muscle is little used and is in a stretched, flaccid state, which gradually leads to visible sagging and flabbiness of the arm in this part.
It is precisely because beginners forget about the triceps or do not know about its function that it is called the main muscle of the arm. Meanwhile, several simple exercises included in the weekly training schedule will show you how to pump up the triceps muscle of the arm and remove such unaesthetic sagging.
What prevents hand growth (what are the main mistakes)?
- No load progression.
- Attempts to build muscle mass in the arms by focusing on other large muscle groups.
- Lack of ability to feel your biceps and triceps (no mental brain-muscle connection).
These are the main reasons why your arms are not growing.
I propose to dwell on each of them in more detail.
1. Well, I’m already tired of talking about this. I feel like a donkey repeating the same thing hundreds of thousands of times.
It is imperative that if you want your muscles to start growing, you need to constantly progress (increase the weight of the apparatus or repetitions).
Read the main article: What is load progression and how to use it?
2.Biceps and triceps (small muscle groups) grow only in conjunction with large muscle groups (legs, back, chest). That is why all other attempts to increase arm muscle mass by focusing on other large muscle groups (legs, back, chest) come to naught. You won't succeed, take my word for it!
This is usually resorted to by beginners (beachers) who want to develop ostentatious muscles (such as biceps, abs) while focusing on their back, chest, and legs. However, checkmate. If you seriously train large muscle groups (chest, back, legs), then the small ones will grow even on their own, because they have no way out!
Conclusion: Be sure to train large muscle groups (chest, back, legs) without missing a single workout, then small muscle groups (arms, deltoids) will grow.
3. Lack of correct exercise technique + lack of mental brain-muscle connection, this is exactly when you seem to be doing biceps exercises, but it’s not your biceps that get clogged, but your forearms or back.
You don’t feel your muscles, you do everything haphazardly in the hope of getting everything at once, without putting in the proper effort!
The cure here is to learn how to do the exercises correctly, pick up an empty bar and learn.
Perform 5-10 sets with light weight (feel) your biceps, the burning and bleeding (pumping) think about the biceps when you train them. This applies not only to the biceps, but also to other muscle groups. It’s just that our topic is now hot, so I gave an example.
Read also the main article: Technique for performing biceps and triceps exercises
I also recommend that you read a short article where I give specific recommendations on how to train your arms: 8 rules for growing muscle mass in your arms
Plan for doing hand exercises at home
Exercises for beautiful hands at home should be performed according to a specific plan that you draw up for yourself. Follow it strictly and achieve more and more new goals!
We will recommend a plan for beginners, which will help you understand the very essence of training at the initial stage, and then increase the load yourself.
Follow all points of the plan:
- training duration - 40 minutes;
- Perform all tasks 15-20 repetitions in 2-3 approaches with a delay of no more than one minute;
- Before each workout you need to warm up, otherwise you may get injured;
- do not stretch your muscles after training;
- the complex is repeated twice a week.
Choose a few free days a week when you can fully engage in training without distractions.
Remember that you must spend this time usefully, and if you are distracted, your muscles will have time to rest and you will have to start the workout all over again.
Sequence of exercises
Remember once and for all: we start with heavy basic exercises and end with lighter ones - secondary (isolating exercises).
Read the main article: Sequence of exercises in the gym
For biceps, the conditionally basic ones are:
- Standing biceps curl
- Lifting dumbbells for biceps while standing/sitting (+ possible with supination)
- Reverse grip barbell curl
- Hammer curls with dumbbells
- Reverse grip pull-ups (really the basic and best exercise)
Minor:
- Concentrated bicep curls
- Larry Scott's bench with a barbell or exercise machine, etc.
For triceps, the main basic exercises are:
- close grip press
- dips
Minor:
- French barbell presses
- extension at a vertical block (although with the proper execution style, it can be considered basic).
We create the most effective training programs
PS I forgot to tell you about one very effective technique for pumping up your arms!
Its essence is simple, we will alternate exercises that are antagonistic to biceps and triceps.
Those. it will look like this:
- basic biceps exercise 4x6-12
- basic triceps exercise 4x6-12
- basic biceps 4x6-12
- basic triceps 4x 6-12
Do you see this alternation? First comes the biceps, then the triceps, then the biceps again, etc.
This is a very effective trick that you should definitely use!
By the way, always start your workout with biceps, followed by triceps.
Otherwise, if you start with the triceps, it will limit the strength in the biceps curls.
Basically, this rule applies at the initial stage for beginners and intermediate levels of training, more advanced (experienced) look at the situation (because for the advanced, starting training with triceps is a chance to give at least some unfamiliar stress in order to trigger growth.
And this is the training program:
- Barbell curl for biceps, standing 4x6-12
- Barbell bench press with close grip 4x6-12
- Hammer curls (hammers with dumbbells standing) 4x6-12
- Dips (emphasis on triceps) 4x6-12
That's all. This is the most effective complex for the rapid growth of arm muscle mass.
Nothing more is needed! I personally train according to this scheme, and I’m happy with the results.
