Learn how to get bigger arms of epic proportion like none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger with these equally epic arm workouts!
Learn How to Get Bigger Arms Fast with Arnold’s Epic Arm Workouts
Training Your Arms Like the Terminator
The name Arnold Schwarzenegger brings up images of massive biceps, and in his prime, this seven-time Mr. Olympia had a body that was the stuff of legend. It was his gloriously built arms that have cemented themselves into bodybuilding myth. Here’s how you can train to do the same:
Step 1: Amp Up the Frequency
You may be used to training specific parts of your body once a week, but Arnold went above and beyond and trained twice that much. This is why his arms have gotten their monstrous bulk. Training arms twice a week resulted in his biceps responding in kind. He even upped his training three times a week when the competition season rolled around.
You may have learned a hundred new fancy arm workouts targeting this and that arm muscle, but it all just boils down to frequency. The more you train, the more you gain!
Step 2: Shock ’em
Arnold greatly believed in the body’s amazing adaptability to change. He constantly changed up the norm of how to get bigger arms by shocking them into adapting.
He switched up weight amounts, sped up lifting, added more reps and sets, minimized rest between sets, incorporated unfamiliar techniques, and did his regular exercises in a different order. Doing the same will keep your muscles guessing and constantly adapting to the new exercise stimuli, forcing them to grow bigger and stronger.
Here are a handful of useful tips on how to get bigger arms with dumbbells:
- Force your last rep – have a training partner help you squeeze out a final rep you couldn’t otherwise do on your own. This shocks the muscles into bringing out every last bit of their energy. Use forced reps sparingly, up to one set per workout.
- Negative reps – While much is said and done on pushing and lifting, the latter half of every push–the lowering down–is emphasized in negative reps. Instead of dropping your arm after a bicep curl, for example, prolong the burn by slowly letting your arm down. Negative reps are known to build ligaments and tendons at a faster rate than conventional reps, letting your muscle lift heavier weights more easily in the long run.
- Partial reps – When muscle fatigue starts to set in as you finish your reps, keep going with reps of decreasing range. Keep going until you feel you can’t move any longer.
Step 3: Use Perfect Technique
When training your arms, it’s crucial that you use the perfect technique. Engage each muscle directly and resist the urge to cheat just to complete a rep. Any other muscle movements dilute the isolation that the exercise aims to achieve.
Try isolating your biceps by performing bicep curls while standing with your back against the wall. This will make you more conscious about engaging back and shoulder muscles to try helping the biceps out. Let the biceps do the work in order to grow.
Step 4: Cheat Wisely
Don’t cheat–unless you do it wisely. While Arnold was a champion of strict form, he did allow a little room for cheating, as long as it was within reason. There’s a huge difference between getting a little help from the back to grind out one last rep to finally tire out the bicep, and swinging like a maniac for every rep. Stick with the former.
Step 5: Switch Grips
Amp up the variety in your old arm workouts by changing your grips. Though you will be doing the same movement, changing your grip will activate different muscle groups. Arnold took note and used exercises that used a variety of hand positions. Here’s how to get bigger biceps just by switching up your grips:
- Regular barbell curls (palms up)
- Reverse curls (palms down)
- Hammer curls (palms facing each other)
- Dumbell curls (any grip)
You can also change the spacing between your regular grips to shock muscle groups into more growth. Changing grips present new challenges to muscles, and if there is anything growing muscles welcome, it’s precisely these challenges.
Here’s an arm workout designed by Arnold himself:
For Biceps
- Arnold Curls
- Concentration Curls
For Triceps
- Close-grip barbell bench press
- Tricep dips
- Bench dips
For Upper Triceps
- Tricep pushdown
- Reverse grip tricep pushdown
- Tricep dumbbell kickback
Forearms
- Reverse barbell curl
- Seated dumbbell palm-down wrist curl
- Alternate hammer curl
For Wrist Flexors
- Standing palm-up barbell behind back wrist curl
- Seated dumbbell palm-up wrist curl
Learn to maximize your training using the 5 simple tips mentioned in the video below:
Every guy wants to perform a pretty explosive gun show at some point in their lifting career, and there’s no better arm role model than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Just stay disciplined, stick to the pointers, and think “what would Arnold do?” to get huge arms in no time!
Do you have other tips on how to get bigger arms fast? Let us know in the comments below!
Up Next: Top Exercises To Lose Flabby Arms, Abs, And Thighs