How To Get Bigger Arms: 6 Week Plan To Increase Muscle Size
For some of us, getting the arm muscles to grow is a real challenge. You've already tried a lot of different approaches to your training, but you do not see the results you're after.
Because many of you have asked us how to get bigger arms - we've put together a detailed 6-week plan to help you increase your arm size.
In this article, we're not only going to show you an optimal workout plan for arms, but we're also going to talk about other factors that impact muscle growth.
Besides training your arms, nutrition, recovery, and supplements can also significantly impact the rate at which your arms grow.
There's a lot to talk about, so make sure to continue reading if you want to get your biceps and triceps to grow in size.
Big Arms Workout Plan
Getting your arms to grow comes down to training them properly with the right intensity. You need to follow a good workout routine that combines quality exercises.
Many people follow a split where you combine the chest with triceps and back with biceps. But in this case, we recommend dedicating a day solely to working the arms.
We suggest dedicating a day to just arms because by doing so, all your focus and energy goes towards growing the biceps and triceps.
During each workout, you will be performing 3 exercises for triceps and 3 exercises for biceps. That's more than enough, and at the end of your workout session, you'll know why.
If you're able to activate the arm muscles the right way, you'll be able to break down more muscle fibers, allowing them to grow faster.
Before we jump into this arm workout, it's essential to know that performing the exercises correctly is crucial. Your form has to be on point because that's when you'll activate the muscles optimally.
That means cheating and swinging the weight up or down isn't going to help your arms grow. Don't go too heavy to the point where your form is impacted.
Add this arm workout to your routine a minimum of once and a maximum of twice per week. If you're new to training, perform it once per week. If you've been lifting for a while and your arms won't seem to grow, perform it twice per week.
Before starting your big arms workout, make sure to warm up properly. I like to do two sets of 20 repetitions of the first exercise I'm doing as a warm-up. By doing so, you will warm up the joints and get the blood flowing to the muscles.
We're about to show you how to blow up your arms - let's go.
1. Skullcrushers
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 8 - 12 |
We're kicking off this arms workout by focusing on the triceps. We're starting with this muscle group because the triceps make up a large portion of the arms.
That means having big triceps will mean big arms. We're going to start with the exercise Skullcrushers. It's a great movement that targets all three of the tricep heads.
Perform this exercise correctly by firstly lying down on a flat bench. Get the dumbells positioned above you and lower them at a 90-degree angle towards your face.
The above has to be done without having the upper arms move. Because if you move your upper arms during the movement, you lose tension on the tricep and start activating the shoulders.
Keep your elbows tight and perform this exercise for 8 to 12 reps totaling 4 sets. Please don't go too heavy on skull crushers; you want to make sure you have the weight under control so that it's a smooth movement.
If you don't like dumbbells, you can perform skullcrushers with a barbell or EZ bar - whichever has your preference.
2. Triceps Cable Pushdown
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 6 - 8 |
Once you've done your sets of skull crushers and have plenty of blood flowing to the triceps, it's time to move on to our second exercise to build bigger arms.
The next movement will be the tricep cable pushdown. It's another excellent exercise to help you develop the entire triceps and put size on your arms.
Start by facing the cable machine and position the cable bar all the way up. By putting it all the way up, you're going to have a lot of tension on the triceps during the movement, which is exactly what you want.
Grab the bar and position your arms and elbows against the side of your body. Keep a straight posture during the movement.
Push down the cable bar and fully extend your arms; you will feel the stretch. But, make sure your elbows stay in place so that your tricep performs all the work.
We're going heavier on this movement, so perform 4 sets of 6 - 8 reps each. It's important to know that if your elbows are flaring out, lower the weight.
You need to go heavy, but not too heavy to the point where you sacrifice weight over the correct form.
3. Dips
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 12 - 15 |
Your triceps should already be filled with blood and pretty exhausted by this point. We're going to finish them off with one final movement - dips.
With these final sets of dips, we're going to break down as many muscle fibers as possible, so make sure to go all out on these.
You can perform the triceps dips on a machine like pictured above or with bodyweight. Again, you can do one or the other, whichever has your preference.
Once seated on the machine, maintain a straight posture and make sure to press out of the triceps. Make sure you don't lean over too much during the movement, as this will also activate the chest muscles.
Perform dips for 12 to 15 reps at 4 sets total. After you've finished these sets, it's time to move on to the other muscle group, the biceps.
4. Incline Dumbbell Curl
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 8 - 12 |
Now that we've hit the triceps from different angles with three effective exercises, it's time to continue the workout and target the biceps.
We're starting our biceps work off with incline dumbbell curls. With these incline curls, you can really target the bicep muscles, as it doesn't allow you to cheat the weight up.
To perform this exercise, you must get yourself stationed on an incline bench at a 45-degree angle. Keep your back straight and have the dumbells hanging by your side.
Lift the dumbbells with your palms up towards the shoulders as if you were performing a regular dumbbell curl. During this exercise, the upper part of your arms should not move at all.
Try doing these as strictly as possible, and if that means dropping in weight, so be it. Remember, we want the arm muscles to be activated correctly and grow!
For these incline dumbbell curls, we advise doing 4 sets with between 8 to 12 repetitions. Make sure to pick a challenging weight to really push yourself.
Keep about 45 to 60 seconds of rest between every set to keep your intensity high.
5. Barbell Curl
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 6 - 8 |
Next up, we have the barbell curl, an excellent movement for building big biceps. Grab a barbell with an underhand grip and stand up straight.
Curl the weight up to your chest and flex your biceps at the top of the movement. Lower the weight smoothly and repeat for 6 to 8 reps with a total of 4 sets.
It's quite an intense movement; therefore, we are grabbing one minute of rest between each set.
Keep your back straight, and don't swing the weight up. Remember, you want to break down the muscle fibers in the biceps - not in a different muscle group. Implement this tip, and it will help you get bigger arms.
6. Hammer Curl
Sets | Repetitions |
4 | 12 - 15 |
The last exercise in this big arms workout routine is the hammer curl. It's a solid movement that targets both the biceps and the forearms.
Stand up straight and grab a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang by your side with your palms facing towards your body.
Raise the dumbbell about 90 degrees and slowly lower it back down. Keep repeating this, and make sure you're not swinging the weights back and forth. You want to keep performing strict repetitions.
For the hammer curls, we're going to perform 12 to 15 reps with a total of 4 sets. The rest is only 30 seconds between each set, so you'll be giving it your last bit of energy.
That was the last movement in our bigger arms workout plan. Even though the training isn't everything, it still plays an important factor in muscle growth.
We're going over a few additional areas to explain how to get bigger arms fast.
Tips For Getting Bigger Arms
We know how frustrating it can be not to get your arms to grow. But don't worry, we're here to help you blow up those arms!
Besides taking you through an effective in-depth routine, we will help you with a few valuable tips.
Make Sure You Prioritize Recovery
Many people don't realize this, but recovery is just as important as training. When you exercise, you damage and break down the muscle fibers, and when you rest, that's when your body repairs that damage.
During this process, your muscles start to grow, hence the importance of optimizing recovery.
That means you'll need to aim for a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day. So, if you're on a mission to get massive arms, give those muscles the rest they need.
Start Taking Creatine Monohydrate
If you're looking to grow big arms as quickly as possible, we recommend you start taking Creatine Monohydrate.
Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most promising natural muscle building supplements. We're convinced that it's one of the few supplements that can help you bring up lacking body parts such as arms.
The reason why it's so effective and popular is that it has been proven by science to help increase your muscle growth, strength, and even exercise performance.
Our product, Huge Creatine, contains 5000mg of Creatine Monohydrate per serving - the exact amount you need to reap the benefits. It's a staple supplement you should start taking to help bring those arm muscles up quickly. Effects are noticed within a matter of weeks, or even days for some people.
It's also important to know that Creatine is completely safe, meaning you can take it for longer periods without having to worry about adverse health effects.
Use Proper Form
We've said this earlier in the article, but using proper form during exercises is another crucial factor in growing your arms. There are many people out there that go way too heavy, and they end up using momentum to get the weight moving.
That's simply not going to help your muscles grow. Using the proper form is important because it will help you activate the right muscle group. How will your arms grow if you don't stimulate the muscles you want to target?
That's why we always recommend nailing down the form first before increasing the weight. That's not us saying you need to train light - no, you must train heavy and intensively while maintaining good form. Focus on squeezing the muscles and watch them grow.
Fix Your Nutrition To Get Big Arms
It's extremely important to provide your body with the proper nutrition. If you don't eat enough but train hard, you still may not see progression.
If you are not providing your muscles with fuel, they aren't going to increase in size. For your arm muscles to grow, they will need plenty of nutrients and, in particular, enough protein.
To optimize muscle protein accretion, you will need to get in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Protein can be found in food sources such as eggs, chicken breast, whey, and cottage cheese.
You can read more about this in our article on how much protein you need to build muscle.
That means you will have to find out how many calories your body needs to grow. You can use our macro calculator to calculate how much you need.
Remember, guys, you can train all you want, but if you're not providing your muscles with the nutrients it needs, you won't see the results your after.
Once you start to combine a proper diet, intense workout routine, and plenty of rest, that is when you'll begin to make drastic progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question about how to get bigger arms? Here's a list of our most frequently asked questions.
Should i dedicate a workout to just arms?
Yes, absolutely. We highly recommend doing just arms day(s). The routine we've shown you is a perfect example of an arms day. By dedicating an entire workout to the muscle groups, you'll be able to focus on them more.
How long does it take to get big arms?
Growing your arms doesn't happen within a matter of days. Seeing progress can take up to weeks, even months. It's a matter of staying dedicated. The better your training, nutrition, and rest is, the sooner you'll see results.
How often should i train arms?
If you're new to training, we recommend hitting arms once per week with the above routine. If you've been lifting for a while and your arms are lagging, you can consider training them twice a week.
What are considered big arms?
Everybody has their own opinion on what they consider big arms. With that being said, from 18 inches and onwards, most will consider that to be big arms
Conclusion
We've shown you what we believe to be the most effective workout routine for bigger arms. It starts with hitting the triceps for three exercises, followed by three exercises for the biceps.
For some of you that may not seem like a whole lot, but believe us when we say that it's the right amount to make your arms grow. It's all about using proper form to activate your muscles the right way.
Building big arms won't happen overnight - it takes consistency. With that said, you can get fast results if you prioritize training and dieting.
We also recommend looking at the tips we've given you, as they can greatly impact your results. Taking creatine for example is an excellent addition, since it's scientifically proven to speed up muscle growth.
With our 6-week bigger arms workout plan, you'll be able to make significant results. But, you will also need to eat right for your arms to grow. That's why we recommend fixing your nutrition before starting this routine.
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