Three full-body training plans

Admit to yourself that you are not happy with the size of your arms. Despite wearing medium-sized UnderAmour shirts to the mall to impress high school girls, you're not impressing them, much less yourself. You're not alone, a whole bunch of other gym-goers are unhappy with the size of their arms. Hundreds and thousands of lifters admire Arnold's arms and aspire to one day reach a size that would make any observer's jaw drop. Unfortunately, most of them never achieve their satisfactory development.

So where do they go wrong? It's simple. They've focused on single-joint isolated biceps exercises, and as much as I don't want to be the bearer of bad news - I'm telling you that the 17 sets of biceps lifts they've been practicing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and any other damn day for the last five years haven't done them much good.What's more, you may soon find that this is one of the last things you need if you want bigger arms.

There is one rule in arm-focused workouts. You need to get stronger in basic compound exercises. And when we talk about compound exercises, we mean exercises that use multiple joints at once. This will allow you to put more stress on your muscles, so I'm talking about the famous saying: a lot of music for not much money!

On the other hand, nothing is easy. I'll show you the order of what to do to get bigger arms.

Squats and deadlifts

Why are squats and deadlifts so important when you want bigger arms?
There are two reasons:

1. the body grows in certain proportions
2. the strength of the muscular corset and midsection provides firm support for building upper body strength

so now you know the two main reasons to build big arms and why girls will follow you, not how you have developed brachioradialis

Exercise your legs to have big arms

You'll hardly see a guy with 45cm arms who has legs like twigs. Sure, similar to what Justin Bieber fans might see, but for natural lifters, arm growth is linked to an increase in whole-body mass. The adage that if you gain 20 pounds ( approximately 9 kg) then the circumference of your upper arms will increase by an inch ( 2.5 cm) seems to be true. Of course it is easier for lifters taking anabolics to get proper arms without also building adequate leg muscle, but natural lifters should focus primarily on building strength in the squat and deadlift.

Strong squatters and deadlifters have tremendous spinal extensor strength. The hamstrings hold the back upright during big barbell lifts, light biceps lifts, reverse grip lifts, single-arm lifts, and other lifts. A weak back limits the load you could use during these lifts.

Side note: this is also why some people flail around like an elephant trunk when performing biceps raises - their backs are just weak, so they're rocking to get the load up. Strong squatters and deadlifters have strong legs and hips. Powerlifters will tell you that strong legs will help you bench press and bench press narrow grip better due to the legdrive technique. Of course, if you are benching correctly, then your legs will help you a lot. Conversely, weak legs will not allow you to lift such weights. Do you notice that?
A good long-term goal is to lift 405 lbs (184 kg) in the squat and 495 lbs (225 kg) in the deadlift. If you already lift that, congratulations! Then you don't need to work on your footwork as much, because you're already pretty strong in those exercises. For those of you who are not as strong, you need to achieve these feats first before you should focus on specialized workouts.

Upper body pushes and pulls

You'd be hard pressed to find a lifter who can't bench press 225 lbs. (102 kg) or perform 10 deadlifts on the trapeze with their own weight without cheating and still have huge arms. That's about as likely as experiencing a passionate night of sex with a Victoria Secret model. Except that's not gonna happen.

If you want big arms, then I'll show you the exercises that will serve you best:

Push-ups - push-ups with weights (with rubber resistance expanders, with chains, with a big disc, or if you're a ninja, with a pretty girl on your back), bench press, close grip push-ups, push-ups with two planks, lying down push-ups, overhead push-ups, overhead push-downs, military press, barbell push-ups with weights.

Pull-ups - underhand pull-ups with weight, overhand pull-ups with weight, parallel grip pull-ups with weight, large dumbbell or single arm pull-ups in a bent-over position, axial pull-ups with t-hold, chest support pull-ups, one arm pull-ups, various seated pull-ups, inverted rows with large dumbbell, TRX snatches.

Your long-term goals should be 315 lbs. (143 kg) bench press and 100 lbs. (45 kg) snatch curl on the trapeze. I'm going to fall on my back in front of you, if you already have these performances, start working on improving in reps right away.

Is it right to isolate the muscles?

Let's be honest, you think I'm going to say no, right?

Some isolation exercise is fine, but remember that this exercise is merely the icing on the cake. When you're putting together your training plan, then in addition to the heavy lower and upper body exercises, you can add some isolation exercises to add a little bit of muscle mass to your arms.

Now, let's take a look at some sensible reasons to include isolation exercises to achieve the massive arms you desire.

Isolated arm exercises

Basic anatomy and physiology tell us that it's impossible to fully develop arm mass with multi-joint core exercises alone. Recognize that the length-tension relationship in the biceps and triceps during core exercises is only suboptimal. For example, in the starting position of the overhead squat when the arm is extended, the biceps is shortened at the shoulder joint and stretched at the elbow. Then, during a dynamic upward movement, these relationships are reversed. The biceps is stretched at the shoulder but shortened at the elbow. This length-tension relationship reduces the force output of this muscle.
In addition, and this will be discussed, the architecture of the biceps and triceps requires us to train from many angles to activate all motor units. We can achieve this if we use isolated single-joint exercises.

Time to study

Studies have shown that the long heads of the biceps are fully activated during exercises such as incline bench raises and overhead lifts (drag curls) where the humerus is extended behind the body (Sakurai, et al, 1998; Basmajian and Latif, 1957).
This relates to the long head biceps getting into a position of more pronounced stretch compared to the short head. The long head can hardly be fully activated in a position where the shoulder is in flexion (it is in front of the body). An exercise such as the biceps raise with elbow support will thus primarily exercise the short head of the biceps.
The long head is under-activated when it is in abduction up to 90 degrees (Habermeyer, et al, 1987), or a biceps raise with a one-arm overhead pulley will effectively train mainly the short head of the biceps.
If we take into account that the biceps are strong radio-ulnar supinators, then when performing exercises such as hammer raises the biceps is under-exercised, whereas the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles are effectively exercised (Enoka, 2002).
What is more, it appears that the biceps, "divided" into long and short head, are further subdivided according to individual architectural parts innervated by their own primary nerve bundles ((Segal, et al, 1991).
EMG studies performed on the long head of the biceps brachii show that muscle fibres in the lateral part of the muscle are recruited for flexion at the elbow, fibres in the medial part are recruited for supination and centrally located fibres are recruited for non-linear combinations of flexion and supination (ter Haar Romeny, et al, 1982; ter Haar Romeny, et al, 1984).
In addition, the short head of the biceps appears to be more active in the final phase of the biceps stroke (in greater elbow flexion), whereas the long head is active at the beginning of the stroke (Brown, et al, 1993). These factors lend support to the need for the use of varied biceps exercises utilizing a full range of motion to elicit a maximal growth response.
The long head of the triceps is optimally positioned when the shoulder is flexed at 180 degrees (Le Bozec, et al, 1980). Because the position of the shoulder varies during multi-joint exercises, maximum attention can hardly be paid to this long head of the triceps and therefore its full development can hardly be achieved.
Only by performing exercises such as triceps extension with a rope overhead hold will the long head of the triceps be targeted and adequate hypertrophic stimulus achieved.
Since the outer and middle heads do not pass over the shoulder joint, they become more active during exercises such as pulley presses and push-ups on the bars when the shoulder joint is in the extension position, then again the long head of the triceps is only weakly active.
There are dozens of different good isolated arm exercises. We can name big dumbbell lifts, light dumbbell lifts, reverse grip lifts, hammer lifts, alternating one-arm lifts, concentrated biceps lifts, biceps lifts with elbow support, incline bench lifts, biceps deadlifts (drag curls), biceps lifts with overhead pulley, triceps extensions in lying position, overhead extensions, pulley press, rope grip press, kickbacks.

Summing up

• get strong spine, hip and thigh extensions by performing squats and deadlifts
• Concentrate on adding weight to basic multi-joint upper body exercises such as close-grip lying push-ups and underhand bends.
• Add a variety of isolated arm exercises, but it is not necessary to aim for great strength in these exercises. Rather, focus on the feeling in the muscles and on the contraction of the muscles against the resistance of the load. Increase the number of repetitions and concentrate on driving blood to the working muscles.
• Don't spend the whole year specializing in arms. I'm not kidding. Set aside 3-4 weeks where you focus on your arm muscles and let them grow.

3 different workouts with an emphasis on the arms

Bret Contreras - 3 day full body workout

Monday

A1) Squats 3 x 5
A2) Glute ham raise 3 x 8
B1) close grip lunges 3 x 5
B2) weighted overhead squats 3 x 3
C1) pulley press with rope hold 2 x 10
C2) hammer raise 2 x 10
D) roller belly roll 2 x 10

Wednesday

A1) deadlift 3 x 5
A2) Bulgarian split squat 2 x 10
B1) bar push-ups with weight 3 x 5
B2) chest support pull-ups 3 x 10
C1) overhead rope hold extensions 2 x 10
C2) biceps lifts with short axis 2 x 10
D) Side plank, 2 x 45 seconds

Friday

A1) squats 3 x 5
A2) Glute ham raise 3 x 8
B1) Bench press 3 x 5
B2) Overhead press with parallel grip weight 3 x 3
C1) triceps extensions lying down 2 x 10
C2) biceps lift with elbow support 2 x 10
D) Pallof press 2 x 10

Tony Gentilcore - 4-day split bottom/top

Day 1 (probably Monday)

A1) sumo deadlift 3x3, 2x5 (these two sets of 5 reps with lighter weight)
A2) Wall hip flexor mobilizations (x8/leg), Supine glute march (x5/leg), alternate b/w sets of deadlifts
B1) single leg high box lunges 3x8/leg
B2) Half-kneeling cable lifts, 3x10/side
C1) Pull-throughs or kettlebell swings, 3x15
C2) large dumbbell rolls on the floor, 3x8
D) Stretch for the love of God

Day 2 (probably Tuesday)

A) Overhead med ball floor stomps 4x8, or clap push-ups, 4x6
B1) underhand pushups 3x3 - with weights then 1xAMRAP

Note: The first three sets will be heavy triples. The last set will be with bodyweight only and as many reps as you can do.

B2) alternating overhead one-arm push-ups with a slight incline - neutral grip, 4x6/arm
C1) one arm pulls standing, 3x10/arm
C2) half push-ups with large barbell while standing, 3x8 (See video on right)
D1) pull-ups to face w/external rotation, 2x12
D2) close grip push-ups on the ground, 2x10 - with rubber expanders if necessary

Day 3 (probably Thursday)

A) box jumps, 4x5
B1) front squats, 4x6
B2) Split stance adductor mobilisations, (x8/leg)
C1) back lunges with one arm - from deficit, 3x10/leg
C2) Pallof press, 3x8/side
D1) Barbell supine bridge, 3x8
D2) select one exercise for biceps or triceps 2x10
E) Fist Pump, 1x infinity

Day 4 (probably Saturday)

A1) weeks 1, 2: two plank pushups, 2x3, 2x6, weeks 3, 4: close grip ground press, 4x8
A2) 1-arm farm walk, 3x25-30 yards per side
B1) sit-ups with lower pulley - neutral grip, 4x6
B2) push-ups on ground with chains, 3x8

Note: if no chains, try Spiderman push-ups for 3x6/leg

C1) half press standing, 3x8
C2) Sled tug-o-war, 3x2 times through with15-20 ft rope.

Note: If you don't have the ability to pull the sled 1) find another gym and/or 2) substitute hammer raises with single arm 2x10

D1) Side lying external rotation - arm abducted 30 degrees (towel propped underneath elbow), 2x10/side
D2) Scapular wall slides, 2x12

Brad Schoenfeld - 3-day split by bodypart

Monday: chest, shoulders, triceps

A) overhead one-arm push-ups 4 sets x 6-12 RM
B) overhead presses with a large barbell 3 sets x 6-12 RM
C) one-arm stretches 3 sets x 6-12 RM
D) one-arm standing push-ups 3 sets x 6-12 RM
E) lower pulley chin-ups 3 sets x 6-12 RM
F) db reverse fly 3 sets x 6-12 RM
G) overhead rope hold extensions 3 sets x 6-12 RM
H) pulley squeeze 3 series x 6-12 RM
I) triceps push-ups on barbell with weight 2 sets x 6-12 RM

Tuesday: free

Wednesday: thighs, calves

A) front squats 4 sets x 6-12 RM
B) back lunges 4 sets x 6-12 RM
C) Sissy squats 3 sets x 6-12 RM)
D) front squats with a large barbell 4 sets x 6-12 RM
E) sit-ups 4 sets x 6-12 RM
F) standing lunges 4 sets x 6-12 RM
G) sit-ups 3 sets x 6-12 RM

Thursday: free

Friday: Back, biceps, abs

A) pulldown pulleys 4 sets x 6-12 RM
B) single arm overhead press 3 sets x 6-12 RM
C) pulldowns with arms extended standing 3 sets x 6-12 RM
D) biceps raise on incline bench with one-arm pull-ups 3 sets x 6-12 RM
E) biceps raise with elbow support 2 sets x 6-12 RM
F) Hammer lift with pulley 2 sets x 6-12 RM
G) shorteners with weights 3 sets x 6-12 RM
H) side lunges with one-arm curls 3 sets x 6-12 RM
I) wood chop with pulley 3 sets x 6-12 RM

Saturday/Sunday - free

Conclusion:

Despite what the fighters on the local forum say, the desire for big arms is not something stupid or immature.Heck, we might as well go so far as to say that they are the ones who have no results after years of arm training! However, just because you want bigger arms doesn't mean you're going to build a workout where you do 26 different variations of elbow flexion and extension.

Remember, arm growth doesn't happen in a vacuum, which is putting it politely if, 1) your arms don't grow optimally if you neglect the rest of your body and 2) your arms don't grow optimally if your training sucks.Hard work and dedication gets results. Apply what you've learned in this article and start wearing at least a medium size UnderAmour shirt.

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Bret Contreras, Tony Gentilcore, and Brad Schoenfeld, Source.