How Often Should I Train Arms – For Size?

by Christian Duque

This topic is near & dear to my heart. Everyone in the game wants guns, whether we’re dealing with first-time lifters all the way to experienced lifters. The demand for big arms is there!! Whether you grew up on Hulk Hogan or you simply want shirt-sleeve-busting pythons, getting your biceps big is on the top of your list; however, as many lifters have become aware, triceps are 2/3’s of the arm!! Additionally, forearms are key to having strong grip & creating a well accentuated arm. We’re all pretty familiar with what exercises work, but what we don’t know, is how to get them huge.

If you think overtraining will do it – you’re dead wrong!! Overtraining actually reduces the size of the muscle b/c the muscle can’t ever recover properly. Recovery is key, through rest & sound diet. High volume is key for cuts – whether major body parts or small ones likes those comprising the arm. Training with heavy weight is generally advisable for size with large bodyparts (e.g. back, legs), but they can actually prove rather unproductive with small muscles (e.g. biceps).

It seems the key to big guns is low reps, moderate weight, training once per week – no more. Also remember, that the muscles of the arm come into play in a secondary capacity when training larger bodyparts (e.g biceps with back, triceps with chest), so it’s very easy overtrain. If this is all starting to sound a bit redundant – get used to it!! What’re you’re after is striking a balance – that comes with a lot of trial & error.

Train hard, but more importantly – train SAFE & SMART.