Arm Muscle Building

Of course, the bulging arms of Arnold Schwarzenegger or WWE wrestlers might be a way bit too much! However, how about having 15 inch biceps and massive forearms? Most of the fitness freaks hit the gymnasium just for arm muscle building. Huge and well toned arms have always been a fascination for most of us. Many of us would not agree to this!

But come on, let us accept the fact! Who would not like being appreciated and be called as a 'muscular hunk'? Who would not like to stand on a beach in a sleeveless T-shirt and have everybody staring at his bulging biceps. They say that arm muscle building is not an easy task and this is absolutely true. You cannot have large arms overnight! Intense workouts and patience are the only keys for proper arm muscle building. So for all the people eager to develop their arm muscles, here are some exercises and tips on arm muscle building.

Exercises to Build Arm Muscles

The focus of arm muscle building is on the three muscle groups, biceps, triceps and forearms. There are many exercises for these three muscle groups. These are some muscle building exercises for you.

Biceps: Biceps form the most important part of the muscle building workout. Your bicep workout can comprise of exercises such as:

• Bicep Curls (Standing/Sitting): Hold one dumbbell each in both your hands. Now, let your palms holding the dumbbells face towards the front and slowly lift the left hand dumbbell. Bring it till the shoulder and then again lower down slowly. Repeat with the other hand.
• Preacher Curls: Sit on a preacher bench resting your upper arms on the bench with palms facing towards the ceiling. Have somebody hand you a barbell and lower it till your arms become straight on the bench. Let your muscles stretch with it. Lift the barbell till the shoulders and then slowly lower it down.
• Bicep Concentration Curls: Sit on the edge of a bench, with your legs spread. Now reach towards the dumbbell kept on the floor from between your legs and hold it firmly with your left hand. Let your left elbow touch the knee of your left leg. Hold your right knee with your right hand to support your upper body. Lift the dumbbell till your chest level and then bring it down slowly.
• Bicep Incline Curls: Sit on an incline bench with dumbbells in both your hands, held sideways. Lift the weight till your shoulders and then bring it down slowly.
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls: The procedure is quite similar to dumbbell curls, the only difference in this exercise is that you hold the dumbbells with a 'thumbs up' grip. Lift the dumbbells till your shoulders and then bring them back slowly.

Triceps: Well toned triceps give an attractive look to the arms. For triceps development your workout should consist of exercises like:

• Triceps Dumbbell Extensions: Stand erect and take a dumbbell in your hand. Let your hand holding the dumbbell stretch upwards. Now, bring down the dumbbell in an arc position behind your head, till your elbow bends at a 90 degree angle. Come back to the original position.
• Barbell Extensions: Barbell extensions are similar to the triceps dumbbell extensions. Here you have to hold a barbell in both your hands. Lift it upwards and then bring it down in an arc position behind your head, with your elbows at 90 degrees.
• Triceps Push Downs: Stand in front of a overhead pulley and attach a small bar to it. Decide the weight that you would be able to push down. Hold the bar firmly in your hands with your elbows bent and palms facing down. Then slowly push the bar down and at the same time squeeze your triceps. Release the force from the bar gradually and let it come to its original position.

Forearms: Forearms signify your strength, therefore forearm development also is important. People tend to neglect their forearms perhaps out of ignorance or time constraints. But forearms are equally important in the overall development of the arms. To build huge and shapely forearms, you can perform an exercise such as:

• Wrist Curls: Stand at a wrist curl machine and fix the weight to be lifted. Hold the bar in your hand. Lift the bar by moving your wrist upwards and then bringing down to original position. Do not bend the wrist too much. Wrist curls can also be done using free weights. But a machine workout is advised in the initial days, to avoid muscle injury.

Tips on Building Arm Muscles

Exercises: Exercises for arm muscle development are a must. You cannot escape exercises in any case! The first and foremost things to follow while doing exercises are punctuality and obedience. Exercises and workouts schedules need to be prepared with the help of a physical trainer and strictly followed. Do not try different exercises, unless you learn the proper technique to do them. Even for your regular workouts, try to lift lighter weights in the initial stages. Avoid using heavy weights that are beyond your capacities, as an imbalance, while lifting them, might land you in serious muscle pain or injury. In the initial days concentrate on higher number of sets and intense repetitions. Although this will not promote quick muscle gain, it will help you in increasing the strength of your muscles. Once you see considerable development in the size and shape of your muscles, you can move further to lift heavier weights.

Diet: Diet also forms an important part of your muscle building program. To obtain the best results, you need to adhere to a proper and balanced diet. To see your arms develop at a steady speed, you can include protein rich foods, vegetables, essential fatty acid foods, low calorie foods, a low carb diet and salads. However, get a proper diet plan prepared from a dietitian, as he would have a better understanding of the requirements needed by your body.

Sufficient Rest: Well, many people are regular in their exercises and are also concerned about their diet, however, they may overlook the importance of rest. Not having sufficient rest is a complete 'no-no' when it comes to muscle building. Sleep well! An undisturbed sleep of about 7 hours daily, refreshes your mind and body. Sleep is very much necessary for proper digestion of food and muscle relaxation.

Hopefully, you must have found this article informative and useful for your arm muscle building plans. If arm muscle development is the ultimate aim of your workout, then surely, you should be more attentive towards it, as compared to the other muscle groups. However, it would be better if you do not just restrict yourself to the arm muscles. Rather, do even justice to all the other body parts by targeting overall muscle growth to see your body grow proportionately.