How To Get Big Bicep & Tricep.

Are you tired of doing all the lifting but still having a small guns? Let me share with you how to get those big arms mainly bicep & tricep. But first, let me explain briefly what is:

Bicep

It is a muscle  located on your upper arm, and can be divided into two sections .The long head & short head that attaches and works as a single muscle. The bicep is attached to you arm bone by tough connective tissue called tendon. It help to connect the muscle joint in your shoulder and forearm. In any workout, bicep functions to rotate the forearms and flex or contract mostly in pulling & lifting movement.

Tricep

The word tri means consist of three muscle which is long head, medial head, lateral head.The main function of the triceps is to extend the elbow, or straighten the arm. It also work with your back muscles, the latissimus dorsi, to extend your shoulder, such as when you do a pushup or push a door closed.

The truth is:

Both bicep & tricep are actually small muscle group and does not need that hardcore and heavy load of weight to begin with. These muscles are normally used to assist most compound movement or exercises. Especially all those pushing,lifting and pulling movements as mention earlier. In fact, most people overwork their arms with isolation exercises that it give them the unbalance look with bigger arms in comparison to the other parts or muscle on their body.

So i list out the thing that you should do to gain those Big Arms while maintaining a great muscle balance with the rest of you bodyparts:

Always start with compound exercises.

The bicep works  as a supporting muscle whenever you train your back mainly latissimus dorsi, traps, lower back and rhomboid.  Whereas your tricep muscle works whenever you train your chest and in some movement of your shoulder workout. So by starting with a compound exercise, you are actually working your supporting or secondary muscle which in this case your bicep & tricep at the same time. How good is that? you are  actually working more muscle on your body rather than just your arms.
(CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS ARTICLE ON COMPOUND V.S ISOLATION MOVEMENT)
https://nakbadansolid.blogspot.my/2016/06/compound-vs-isolation-workout.html

Leave Your Ego At The Gym Door.

Just the fact that you are intimidated by your bigger and stronger training partner or the fittest men on earth besides you doing heavy arm curls, you should follow or lift the same weight to prove that you're the man. NO! that will not work. Why? Because you should be lifting the weight that are more suitable for you. This is to make sure your are doing the right technique, reps and focusing on the muscle rather that jerking and swinging those weight just for the sake of lifting. To be honest this is important to ensure  the effectiveness of the workout, your safety and to avoid any further injuries.

Focus On The Movement.

No matter what exercises, every movement such as lifting, pulling,pushing and so on must involve total muscle control and full range of motion. Take bicep curl as an example, your goal is to work your bicep  and stimulate them to growth. In order to make them grow, you should focus on proper forms and technique. Lift the dumbbell and contract you bicep and lower it down to the starting position  with controlled movement. Work the muscle, squeeze them in both upward and downwards movement. You will definitely feel the difference. Most people in the gym lift by swinging and jerking the weight up and down which is not working the targeted muscle that is your bicep.But instead other part of the body involve. 

Choose The Right Weight.

This is very related to the point above. To maximize muscle control, you should pick the right weight. If you go too heavy, then that is where the swinging and jerking comes into place and take the stress away from your targeted muscle to facilitate your ego lifting. Going too light on weight also will not challenge the muscle and make them grow. So what is the best weight to lift?. Choose the range of moderate to heavy weight. A weight that allows you to perform 10-12 reps or 10- 15 reps. By doing this, you will be able to focus on the right form and technique while stimulating the targeted muscles.

Do Not Hold Your Breath.

Always breath while doing any exercises. When lifting, inhale when you in the negative movement and exhale while on positive movement. This is important to ensure that your will get the strength from sufficient supply of the oxygen and nutrient  in your blood stream. This is also important for recovery between sets of exercises.

So try out these tips  and important points on your workout. Trust me, you will feel & see the difference in your muscle growth. This actually applies to any exercises as you go. So make good use of it. Thank you for your time and i will see you guys again in the next post.

Izwan Yusop

Advanced Personal Trainer
Fitness First SCM