Today we'll talk about how to pump up the hands of people who do not have much experience in sports. The article contains specific exercises and sets of exercises for beginners for biceps, triceps and brachialis, as well as the theory behind these exercises. Our collection is one of many, it is not an exclusive or development of an eminent coach. The purpose of the collection from bowandtie.ru is not to surprise with something unusual, but to strengthen your hands and keep you healthy. What else do you need?
In this article, we'll look at how to develop arm muscles with basic and isolation exercises, and we'll also talk about supersets.
The main thing when training your arms is to avoid overloading and do the exercises consciously.
- What can interfere with muscle growth
- Triceps, biceps and shoulder muscles – all this needs to be trained
- How to develop triceps – load rules
- Triceps long head load – photo
- Basic and isolating triceps exercises – photo
- How to build biceps – load rules
- Exercises for the development of biceps – photo
- Rules for loading the shoulder muscles – brachialis (photo)
- To pump up the forearms – how, or rather, why?
- Hand training with supersets
- Examples of training programs for beginner and amateur
- How to pump up your arms – conclusion
What can interfere with muscle growth
The difference in the figure of some athletes following the same training program is due to the constitution. There are mesomorphs, endomorphs and ectomorphs. In the first two types of constitution, the triceps are large and long, and the muscles in general grow faster. In ectomorphs, they are beautiful and peaky (see below).
Muscles may not grow or grow slowly for the following reasons:
- The load does not grow – the muscles will not increase if the load does not increase.
- The load is not meaningful, not purposeful – you need to concentrate on the muscles that need to be developed, and unnecessary ones should be excluded from the load.
- Insufficient recovery – it is necessary to adhere to fractional meals (from 6 to 12 times a day) and sleep well (at least 8 hours a day).
- There are mistakes in the training technique – it is enough to make minimal adjustments, and the effect is not long in coming.
Compliance with the first three points is mandatory. And the stricter they are observed, the faster it will turn out to pump up your arms.
EZ bar reduces stress on forearms
The most common mistakes beginners make when training their hands:
- Load only one muscle group. For example, the desire to pump only biceps. Growth cannot be achieved this way – the anabolic hormones necessary for growth will not be produced.
- Excessively heavy and high volume workouts. Take more, throw more – not for this situation, if anabolic steroids are not used. Hands are easy enough to overtrain and hurt.
- The load does not increase. She and the same load creates a limit of the effect – the muscles simply will not grow.
Another way to understand that the load does not bring the desired effect is when the trained muscles are not felt during exercise.
Triceps, biceps and shoulder muscles – all this needs to be trained
Muscles to work with when exercising the arms:
- triceps – (musculus triceps brachii) triceps;
- two-headed – (Latin musculus biceps brachii) biceps;
- shoulder – (Latin musculusbrachialis) brachialis.
The forearms are useful in the context of pumping the arms, but of little interest due to their small size. We remember one of the main rules – the load must be meaningful and purposeful.
How to develop triceps – load rules
The triceps brachii (triceps) is an 'extensor' that runs along the entire back of the shoulder. It is a single ligament in the elbow area, allowing all three heads to work simultaneously. Different exercises allow each head to be loaded differently – all will work, but at different intensities.
Triceps: red – long head, yellow – short, green – middle head.
The long (or inner) head of the triceps is located behind the scapula. For training, you need to take your arms back as much as possible. The lateral (short) and medial (middle) triceps heads are responsible for the extension of the forearms.
Features of head loading:
- Small loads maximally include the middle head.
- With an increase in the intensity of training, the short head begins to work.
- An impressive and intense workout, as well as an extension of the arms back, uses a long head.
Based on these features, the medium and short heads can be developed with almost any load on the triceps. A long head requires a special approach.
Triceps on the back of the shoulder
Triceps long head load – photo
The main feature of the long head is the attachment to the scapula, not to the humerus. Because of this, its development requires:
- Huge pressure. For light loads, only short and medium are automatically used. It's easier for the body, because they are conveniently located for such loads.
- Raising the arms backward or overhead. This is logical due to the peculiarity of the attachment of the trained head.
- Pressing the elbows against the body. In this position, the load of the long head is ensured. And when the elbows are apart – short.
- Inversion of the palms outward in the direction of the thumb (supination). Loads a long head. But the eversion of the palm inward (pronation) is short.
Given these features, useful exercises for developing a long head are:
- French presses in a standing or sitting position from behind the head.
- Extension with an extension of the arm back.
The main thing when loading triceps (especially with French presses) is to avoid heavy cheating. This is the path to 100% injury.
Cheating is the general name for a number of methods that trick the body while exercising and overload muscles. An example of cheating is when a person can no longer cleanly bend his arms with a load and begins to do it in jerks. The technique allows you to make a few more lifts, but (attention!) Does not facilitate the implementation, but creates an additional load on the muscles. Don't do that.
Basic and isolating triceps exercises – photo
A small list of activities for triceps:
- Bench presses with a narrow grip in the supine position.
- Dips on the uneven bars.
- French presses in a recumbent position with a negative bench angle.
- French presses in a standing or sitting position from behind the head.
- Extension in the crossover simulator.
Regarding the bench press in point 1: it can be done on the Smith machine, as well as with the so-called negative bench angle (degree of inclination, see below). This will turn off the chest and deltas from the load, and the triceps will be loaded. This is the so-called isolating exercise – the load falls strictly on one muscle group or part of it.
How to build biceps – load rules
The biceps (biceps, 'bi' = two) is the famous muscle seen in the classic bent-arm stance of bodybuilders. It is involved in flexing the forearm and shoulder, contracting the inner (short) and outer (long) heads.
Anatomical location of the biceps
The muscle plays a key role in flexing the arm at the elbow, so loading this action with additional weight will always have a positive effect. In addition, due to the biceps, supination of the hand towards the thumb of the hand is possible – this movement also needs to be loaded.
Arnold Schwarzenegger demonstrates biceps
It turns out that in order to pump up the biceps, you need to bend and supinate (unfold) with a load. The easiest way is to develop the inner head. And to turn on the external one, it is necessary to spread the elbows behind the back and apply a narrow grip.
Exercises for the development of biceps – photo
There are many types of exercises, from dumbbells to horizontal bars. Here are some examples to guarantee a newbie result:
- Barbell Lift with Standard or EZ Bar.
- Lifting dumbbells in a sitting position, in a lying position with a negative inclination of the bench or with supination.
- Rises on Scott's bench.
- Concentrated dumbbell raises.
- Pull-ups using a narrow and reverse grip on the horizontal bar.
Benefits of the EZ Bar – Reduced stress on the forearms. It is useful for those whose forearms tire faster than the biceps.
Rules for loading the shoulder muscles – brachialis (photo)
The brachialis muscle (brachialis) is located under the biceps. Performs the function of flexion and makes the biceps peak (i.e., voluminous and prominent).
Location of the shoulder muscle
Some of the most accessible methods for loading the brachialis are:
- Lifting the bar with a reverse grip.
- Hammer in a standing position.
In the process of lifting the bar, it is necessary to fix the elbows in one position.
To pump up the forearms – how, or rather, why?
When the arms are loaded, the forearms are always involved. However, if you really need to focus on the forearms, here are some useful exercises:
- bending the palms with a clamped barbell with standard and reverse grips;
- pronation and supination;
- squeezing the wrist expander.
As mentioned above, the forearms already grow with regular stress on the hands. Special exercises are not needed if you do not need to focus on this muscle group for some reason.
Hand training with supersets
Superset is a complex of several exercises without a break for muscles that perform opposite functions (the so-called antagonist muscles, for example, biceps and triceps).
Peak biceps
It makes sense to focus on:
- Alternating exercises (sets for biceps, then for triceps).
- Alternating sets (biceps, 1.5 minutes rest, triceps, 1.5 minutes rest …).
These supersets will work because:
- The muscles rest while the antagonists are loaded.
- The effect of pumping is created – an increase in muscle volume due to its own blood and osmotic pressure, in connection with which capillarization improves, growth is activated.
There are many variations of supersets, but it should always be borne in mind that the arms are a small muscle group, and it is very easy to injure them with a heavy load. Therefore, no cheating.
Examples of training programs for beginner and amateur
An example of a training program for a beginner – 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps per set:
- Lifting the bar in a standing position (standard or with EZ).
- Bench press with a narrow grip in the supine position with a negative bench incline of 15 ° or 20 ° or in a Smith machine.
- Hammer in a standing or lying position on a bench with an incline.
- Dips on the uneven bars.
An example of a workout program for advanced amateurs – 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps per set:
- Lifting the bar in a standing position (standard or with EZ).
- Bench press with a narrow grip in the supine position with a negative bench incline of 15 ° or 20 ° or in a Smith machine.
- Lifting the bar with a reverse grip.
- French presses behind the head in standing and sitting positions.
- Hammer in a prone position on a bench with an incline.
- Extension in the crossover simulator.
More advanced programs for fast and slow muscle fibers are too high for athletes not taking supplements. And the pros don't need fiber advice, they already have a workout routine.
Cheating will lead to injury
How to pump up your arms – conclusion
The main thing when training your arms is to avoid overloading and do the exercises consciously. An approach to training in which a person comes to the gym to pull iron as much as possible and without any system will not lead to anything good. At best, this is a waste of time, at worst – also health. Motivation is also important.
You should never take on too much or too little – you just waste your time and hammer your hands. The training programs described in the article are quite suitable at the first stage, and then your own technique will come with experience. Or a coach will help.
