Building Bigger Biceps and Triceps
Developing impressive arms that pop in t-shirts or flex powerfully requires dedicated workouts targeting your biceps and triceps. Combining bicep curls and tricep extensions with multi-joint pressing works for sculpting shapely arm muscle mass and definition.
Anatomy of Triceps and Biceps
Your upper arms contain two main muscle groups:
- Biceps - Sit on the front of the arm spanning from shoulders to elbow. Function to bend the elbow and rotate forearm.
- Triceps - Large 3-headed muscle along the back of the upper arm from shoulders to elbow. Straighten elbows and extend lower arms.
Training both biceps and triceps regularly creates balanced development for stronger, thicker arms that impress.
Designing Your Biceps and Triceps Routine
Structure arm workouts following a push/pull split hitting biceps after back work and triceps following chest/shoulder training. This sequence allows for optimal recovery and effort.
Push Days - Train Triceps
On upper body push workout days focused on chest, shoulders and triceps, arrange your triceps exercises first in the sequence. Finish presses and raises before blasting triceps when they are fresh to activate full power.
Pull Days - Train Biceps
The best time to hammer biceps is on back/bicep pull workout days after finishing rows, lats and other back moves. Pre-fatiguing the back muscles forces biceps to work harder when they take over as primary movers during curls.
2-3X Per Week Frequency
Aim for 2-3 dedicated arm workouts weekly to spur growth. Space out bicep and tricep training to avoid overtraining. Allow for full recovery by working opposing muscle groups each session.
Killer Triceps Exercises
Blast all three triceps heads with this tri-fecta workout combo for arms that impress!
Skull Crushers
Lying triceps extensions target the oft-neglected long head for full mass. Lower the extension fully to maximize time under tension for this triceps staple.
Pushdowns
Cable pushdowns allow for constant tension and peak contractions by adjusting grip width. Squeeze triceps hard with elbows glued at your sides for ripped horseshoes!
Dips
Weighted triceps dips recruit maximum muscle fibers by leveraging your full bodyweight. Focus on controlled form, not momentum or swinging to keep pressure on the back of your arms.
Overhead Extensions
The steep angle and extended range hits the medial and lateral heads for amazing arm definition. Control each rep slowly to prevent elbow strain.
Best Biceps Blasters
Mix up biceps training with curved barbells, dumbbells and cables to give gun development from all angles.
Preacher Curls
Seated arm blasters isolate biceps through a strong contraction. Use perfect form without swinging or cheating!
Incline Hammer Curls
Lying face up on an incline bench forces biceps to work overtime on supinated grip curls. Feel that sweet burn!
Cross Body Hammer Curls
Unilaterally crossing the working arm in front of your body increases time under tension for each rep plus adds a shoulder stability challenge.
Reverse EZ Bar Curls
Switching to an underhand, palms up curling grip hits the short head for amazing biceps peaks. Lower the weight slowly and feel those guns swell!
Advanced Biceps and Triceps Finishers
Take your arm development up a notch by ending workouts with these killer drop sets!
Triceps Overload Drop Set
Perform overhead extensions to failure! Reduce the weight and immediately pump out more reps. Repeat weight drops and reps to fully exhaust triceps fibres for new growth.
21's Biceps Burnout
Choose a moderate curl weight then perform 7 lower half reps, 7 top half reps then 7 full range reps without resting between sets! Push out all 21 repetitions even as biceps scream - insane pump guaranteed!
Optimize Recovery and Growth
Enhancing workout recovery and adaptive processes will speed impressive biceps and triceps gains. Strategies include:
Progressive Overload
Gradually increase weight amounts, reps or sets over time to continually challenge muscles. Adding more weight or reps signals strength and size gains!
Quality Sleep
Aim for 7-9 hours nightly so muscles repair and grow during critical overnight anabolic phases while hormones like testosterone and growth factors peak.
Balanced Nutrition
Fuel workouts appropriately with carbs and protein spaced throughout the day to supply muscles. Time proteins shakes before/after training to maximize absorption.
Follow an intelligent, goal-oriented biceps/triceps training blueprint to transform ordinary arms into head-turning guns!
FAQs
What are the best triceps isolation exercises?
Skull crushers, pushdowns, dips and overhead extensions are the top triceps moves that target all three heads for impressive size and definition.
Should I train biceps and triceps on separate days?
It's best to alternate and space out biceps/triceps workouts every 2-4 days. Allowing a full recovery day in between prevents overtraining injuries or burnout.
How many sets per muscle are optimal?
Aim for 3-4 working sets of 8-12 reps per isolated muscle group like biceps or triceps. Adjust volume based on your recovery capacity and training level.
What causes elbow pain during arm workouts?
Using momentum instead of controlled form and going too heavy too soon are common form mistakes that strain elbow joints. Slow reps and moderate weights are safer when starting out.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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