Bicep And Tricep WorkoutWelcome to building muscle 101's bicep and tricep workout.
For this month’s workout, I’ve decided to go ahead with a bicep and tricep workout. It’s a pretty straight forward workout that targets the biceps and triceps with key movements designed to stimulate the muscle fibres of the upper arms. I suggest you try this workout for a month or so until you see the desired results. I also suggest you train biceps and triceps together because it seems more natural to train them both in one session. However, if you are currently training biceps on another training day, try mixing it up and train arms on the same day for a month or so. You can use this bicep and tricep workout with another body parts such as chest or shoulders but if you truly want a pair of big arms, I suggest you train them on a day of they’re own. That is, give them special attention (specialization). Building a set of large, powerful arms requires special attention and like anything else in building muscle, it requires specialization. Specialization is a term used in weight training to refer to improving a certain body part or exercise by concentrating solely on that particular muscle or body part through exercise and diet. What you want to do is pay special attention to the body part or exercise you want to improve, in this case upper arms. Your main focus is on arms. Your sole aim is to build your upper arms with effective upper arm exercises that stimulates growth and builds muscle. Anyways, I’ll leave it up to you as to whether or not you want to train them on a different day than your other body parts. Let’s take a look at the bicep and tricep workout: Biceps: Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions; From sets 1 to 4, you should be increasing the weight until you can just get 8 repetitions for the last set. Let’s say, I know that my max curl weight is 70 pounds (dumbbell). My repetitions scheme will be as follows: Warm up: 20 pound dumbbells for 20 repetitions; You should rest about 50 seconds in between each set. Once you’ve finished your last set, head on over to the barbell rack. Standing Barbell Curls
I’ve put a different spin on the barbell curl. Instead of taking a 40 to 60 second rest in between each set, you’re going to only be resting to the count of 10. This method really boosts the intensity of this exercise and it will cause your biceps to really burn. For the first couple of workouts, your biceps and forearms are going to scream in agony, but after wards, they will start get stronger. Once your arms start to get accustomed to the weight, try increasing the poundage by 10 - Usually every two weeks. Here is the repetitions scheme: 4 x 8 repetitions What you want to do here is pick a weight that you know you can do 12 reps with. Once you have the weight you wish to use, set it down and get a drink of water. Here’s what I want you to do: Set 1: Perform 8 repetitions, put the weight down and count to 10. Once you’ve finished counting to 10, go onto set 2. Set 2: Perform 8 repetitions, put the weight down and count to 10. Once you’ve finished counting to 10, go onto set 3. Set 3: Perform 8 repetitions, put the weight down and count to 10. Once you’ve finished counting to 10, go onto set 4. Set 4: Perform 8 repetitions, put the weight down and take a drink of water. Your arms should be burning and very tight. If they’re not, increase the weight by 5 to 10 pounds. Take a 30 second rest and head on over to the preacher bench. Preacher Curls
3 x 10 repetitions Preacher curls make for a nice finishing move because they really stretch your biceps out. There is nothing fancy about this exercise so it’s a straight 3 sets. Pick a weight that you can do a hard 10 repetitions with. Try resting about 30 seconds in between each set. After you’ve completed the last set, take a 30 second breather and head on over to the bench press. It’s time to do triceps. Triceps: Close Grip Bench Press
Warm up: 1 x 20 repetitions; The close grip bench press is a compound movement meant to add power and muscle to your triceps. Want you want to do here is add weight with each progressive set. For example, let’s say your max close grip bench press is 200 pounds. For your warm up, your going to use about 45% of your max which would be about 90 - 95 pounds. You should be able to complete an easy 20 repetitions. For your second set, your going to use about 60% of your max which, in this case, is about 120 pounds. Rest for about 60 seconds and do your second set. For your second set, you should be using about 70% of your max, which in this example is about 140 pounds. Complete 8 repetitions and rest for another 60 seconds. For your third set, your going to use 80% of your max and complete 6 repetitions. For this example, the weight will be about 160 pounds. Rest for another 60 seconds. For your final set, your going to use about 85% of your max. In this example, the weight will be around 170 pounds. As soon as you’ve completed the set, count to 15 and lighten the weight to about 65% of your max and complete 12 repetitions. These repetitions should be done very, very slowly. Really concentrate on the pushing portion of the exercise during this set. Since you are using heavier weights with this exercise, you should get a spotter for sets 3 and 4. You don’t want to be stuck on the bench press with a barbell on your chest! Rest for about 30 seconds and head on over to the cable press down machine (or lat machine). Cable Press Downs
3 x 12 repetitions This is a pretty straightforward exercise. You will want to make sure you do this exercise in super strict fashion. Perform the exercises slowly and in a controlled manner. Remember, keep the elbows in and squeeze at the bottom of the movement. Rest for about 30 seconds in between each set and try to increase the weight with each set, as well. That is, pyramid the weight from sets 1 through 3. Once you’ve completed the cable press downs, head on over to the barbell rack. Standing (Or Seated) French Presses
I find the standing french barbell press a great finishing movement for the triceps. As you can see in the image above, the exercise is perform sitting down. However, I prefer to stand up to do this exercise. If you are new to this movement, pick a light barbell that you know is light and press it over your head and lower the weight, while keeping your elbows elevated (as in the image above). The repetitions scheme is as follows: 3 x 12 repetitions I personally like to pyramid the weight up. However, this exercise is about form and you need to choose a weight that will allow you to perform 12 repetitions in strict manner. I suggest you try and use a light weight for your first set and rest for about 30 seconds. If you feel the weight was pretty light and performed the repetitions in strict form, try using a heavier weight. Rest for about 30 seconds and perform the final set. There you have it. This is a pretty straight forward bicep and tricep workout. I think one of the biggest tips that I can give to anyone who wants to build big arms is to watch your diet. If your looking to build big arms, your going to have to add more nutrients to your daily intake. If your thinking you can't do it and build big arms, take a look at Jason below:
I suggest you gradually add 500 calories to your daily diet. Start off by adding 300 calories the first week and add another 200 the following week. By adding more quality calories to your diet, you will ensure that you are supporting hard and heavy workouts. You will want to eat roughly six times a day spaced roughly 2 to 3 hours apart. Each meal should contain the same amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. To structure your optimal weight lifting diet, please visit Building muscle101's weight lifting diet page. For an even more detailed look at putting together a targeted nutritional plan, try using Will Brink's Muscle Building Nutrition. This book will cover every detail of putting together your nutritional plan, step by step. Will is a world renowned author on sports nutrition and his book will definitely help you put together a true muscle building nutritional plan. Check out the website here. Here are some tips to help out with your arm bicep and tricep program: Nutrition • Eat at least 5 to 6 small meals per day; Each meal should be spaced 2 hours apart and you should never go without healthy food for anymore than 4 hours; • Ensure that all meals are healthy. The closer your meals are to their natural state, the faster you will attain your goals; • Do not miss any meals- Be consistent with all of your meals; Miss one meal and your whole day is shot. Stick to your meal plan and don’t deviate! • Cut out all junk food immediately. Get rid of all potato chips, pop, or anything else that’s packaged in cardboard and plastic wrappers; • Cut down on the booze. You simply can’t eat right and train at top intensity when your hung over; • Drink at least 10 to 12 cups of pure water per day. Two cups as soon as you get up, one cup with each meal, two cups before you train and two to three cups while your training. Resting • Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night; • Try and get a 5 to 10 minute rest in the afternoon. This way you feel refreshed and ready for your workout. However, don’t go into a deep sleep because you’ll feel very drowsy; • Keep anxiety and stress levels down. Stress is not conducive to building muscle. For more information on nutrition for building muscle size, see the following page: For supplement information, see the following page: |
