Bigger Arms Training Program
The following program is based on a four day training week, train Mon/Tues, rest Wed, train Thurs/Fri, rest Sat and Sun. Obviously, you can move this around to suit your own needs. You may want to train once on the weekend and have Fridays off for example. It doesn’t really matter, that’s the beauty of push/pull programs.
If you are training for fat loss as well as muscle gain (very difficult but certainly possible) then you may want to add a 5th session that is cardio based. Alternatively, you can just concentrate on maintaining a calorie deficit and keeping your step count high.
Session One (Push)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Squats (Warm up weight) |
2 | 6 |
| Barbell Squats | 3 | 6-8 |
| Walking Lunges | 2 | 20 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press (Warm up weight) |
2 | 6 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| Close Grip Push Ups | 3 | AMRAP (Notes) |
| Overhead Cable Tricep Extension | 3 | 12-15 |
Session Two (Pull)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Leg Curls | 3 | 15-20 |
| Deadlifts (Warm up weight) |
2 | 5 |
| Deadlifts | 3 | 5-6 |
| Chin Ups (Assisted Chin Ups if you can’t manage full chin ups yet) |
3 | AMRAP (Notes) |
| Underhand Barbell Rows | 3 | 6-8 |
| Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls (For each arm) |
3 | 8-12 |
| Abdominal Crunches Curls | 3 | 12-15 |
Session Three (Push)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Press (Warm up weight) |
2 | 8-10 |
| Leg Press | 4 | 12-15 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 15-20 |
| Bodyweight Dips | 3 | AMRAP (Notes) |
| Close Grip Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises (Superset with front raises) |
3 | 12 |
| Dumbbell Front Raises (Superset with lateral raises) |
3 | 12 |
| Single Arm Tricep Cable Pushdown (For each arm) |
2 | 20 |
Session Four (Pull)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lying Leg Curls Machine | 3 | 12-15 |
| Romanian Deadlifts | 3 | 8-12 |
| Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8-12 |
| Underhand Grip Seated Cable Rows | 3 | 6-8 |
| Standing Barbell Bicep Curls | 3 | 6-8 |
| Long Arm Crunches | 3 | 12-15 |
Notes
- AMRAP stands for As Many Reps as Possible, training to failure but maintaining 90% form. If your form begins to suffer then stop performing the reps. Quality over quantity.
- Warm Up Sets = You can perform more warm up sets if you think you need to. The weight should be progressive. Start off with a medium to light weight for the first set. Increase slightly for the second set. Perform an additional set if you feel you need to. Otherwise, start your working sets.
- Rest Between Sets = For the big compound movements (deadlifts, leg press, bench press etc) you’ll want around 3 minutes rest in between sets. A little longer if you really need it. For the isolation movements (leg extensions, bicep curls, tricep pushdowns etc) you can have a rest period of around 90-120 seconds. No rest in between the supersets obviously, but a rest after one set of each.
- Recovery from Workouts = During a rest day you’ll want to first ensure that you are getting enough sleep. A minimum of 7 hours, but more if possible. Keep your protein high, and keep your step count high on off-days.
Anatomy of the Arms
When it comes to the upper arm, the muscles that everyone associates with them is the biceps. But the biceps brachii (to use their correct name) actually only make up 25% of the muscles of the upper arm. The brachialis makes up around 18% and the triceps make up over 52%.
The brachialis is a muscle that starts in your upper arm and continues down to your forearm. It is mainly worked performing exercises such as hammer curls where you use a neutral grip. So to train your arms correctly, you want to be training triceps at a 2:1:1 ratio. Two triceps exercises, one biceps exercise, and one brachialis exercise.
It doesn’t need to be exactly like this, and our program won’t follow this ratio. But in terms of importance it is good to keep this ratio in mind. Don’t ignore your triceps, prioritise them.