.png "Naddra Go | Health and Fitness")
We all have in our minds the image of the bulky biceps of bodybuilders lifting huge dumbbells. However, the biceps are not the only arm muscles to train intensely. It is just as important not to neglect others!
Biceps, triceps, forearms... The names of the arm muscles are well known but it is not always easy to target them correctly. Hard work on the biceps would even be likely to have an opposite effect to the expected result since the triceps are more massive. So, how to develop your arm muscles in a balanced way?
WHAT ARE THE MUSCLES OF THE ARM?
In bodybuilding, effective training often begins with a good knowledge of the muscles to be developed. The arm is made up of 3 main groups: the biceps, the triceps and the forearm.
Biceps
Contrary to popular belief, the biceps does not only represent the peak that can be seen at the top of the arm. This muscle is actually made up of 2 bundles. The first is the biceps brachii, which has a short head and a long head. The second bundle is the brachialis anterior which is also part of the forearm muscles. The biceps acts as an elbow flexor. It allows it to fold and unfold as we wish. See here the top exercises to strengthen the biceps
Triceps
Often neglected because they are located at the back of the arm, the triceps cover two thirds of the arm! They are divided into 3 fascicles: a long portion which is the long head, a lateral portion called vastus lateralis and the medial portion called vastus medialis. The triceps has several functions. It is an elbow extensor muscle, but it also makes shoulder retropulsion possible.
In bodybuilding, it is always interesting to strengthen the triceps as a priority. They are the ones that allow you to progress on all arm movements where you push loads! Check out the top exercises to strengthen the triceps here .
Forearms
The forearms are actually made up of 20 muscles divided into 3 compartments: the posterior compartment (with 8 muscles), the frontal compartment and the lateral compartment. They are made up of a so-called deep layer and a so-called superficial layer.
The forearm muscles play an essential role in our daily lives. They are the ones that allow you to grip objects using the extensor muscles, including bars and dumbbells in the gym. Visually, developed forearms give the impression of voluminous, strong and muscular arms! Check out the best exercises to strengthen your forearms here .
HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR ARMS?
Obtaining massive arms requires precise organization of your training program! Very often, bodybuilding practitioners make the mistake of focusing excessively on the biceps. But in reality, obtaining large arms will require you to train each muscle of the arm separately, without minimizing the work of the triceps!
What intensity to train your arms?
The arm muscles should not be treated any differently from other muscles in the body. Therefore, you must respect the recovery times between workouts and adapt their duration to the intensity of your sessions. You can progress gradually over several months by gradually increasing the loads and intensity of your training, while starting off on a good basis. You can also vary the intensity of your exercise sessions from week to week so your muscles can rest and grow more effectively.
HOW TO INTEGRATE ARM TRAINING INTO YOUR BODYBUILDING PROGRAM?
To incorporate exercises targeting the arms into your training program, you can add them to your back workouts. Indeed, many exercises targeting the backs also work the arm muscles, and the biceps in particular. This method allows the arms not to be stimulated too many times during the week. Here, it is therefore a question of training the agonist muscles (those which pull the load) of the back and biceps. If you want to add a session exclusively for the arms, you will need to take into account the exercises and metabolic stress they have already performed during your back session.
WHAT ARE THE BEST EXERCISES FOR STRENGTHENING THE ARMS?
There are many isolation exercises to use the arms. However, some of them are not accessible to all experience levels and may present risks of injury. To get started, just do a few basic exercises perfectly, but without prioritizing the biceps. Getting massive arms means taking the forearms, triceps, and biceps into account in your workouts.
Strengthen the forearms: hammer curls
Hammer curls, or hammer grip elbow bends, specifically target the muscles of the arms and forearms around the elbow. They work the brachialis, the brachioradialis and the biceps brachii. The hammer curl is considered one of the best exercises for strengthening the forearms. This exercise helps develop your forearms and gain strength to perform other movements such as barbell lifts, bench presses or pull-downs.
To perform the movement, stand with your feet hip-width apart and your torso well supported. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in a hammer grip (the weights will be located above and below your hand when you lift the dumbbell). Place your arms alongside your body. Then bend your forearm to bring the dumbbell towards you before bringing it back along your body, controlling the descent. Take a medium load, equivalent to that you would take to perform a classic curl.
Forearm curls with bar
A classic forearm strength training exercise, this form of curl (flexion) will allow you to gain muscle mass and strength on most of your barbell, barbell and other pushing exercises (bench press, military press). ) or traction (bar pull-up, rowing, etc.) giving you a better grip on the bar or dumbbells. Gaining muscle strength in the forearms will also make it easier to increase loads on most of your exercises.
Start by taking a straight bar loaded according to the strength of your forearms (between 15 to 40 kg on average). Place your supinated hands as close as possible to the center of the bar. Place the bar on the edge of the back of a flat bench so that your forearms rest entirely on the back, with your wrists and hands held in the air so that you can contract the muscles of the forearms in raising the bar. With your hands bent, the bar rests in the air. You will contract your forearms by raising the bar until you obtain a maximum contraction. Then return to your initial position. Perform between 10 to 15 repetitions of the exercise for 3 to 4 sets per workout.
Strengthen your biceps: barbell and dumbbell curls
With a barbell or dumbbells, bicep curls ideally stimulate the biceps. The biceps are heavily used during elbow flexion, regardless of the grip you choose to adopt. This isolation exercise is a classic when you want to strengthen the biceps. The exercise can be performed with a barbell, with dumbbells, a resistance band (elastic) or water bottles if you lack equipment.
To do a curl, stand with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Take a supinated barbell (with your palms facing up) and place it in front of you. To begin the movement, gradually raise the bar by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows fixed and tight against your chest throughout the movement. Take a quick break as you reach maximum contraction before lowering back down while holding the load. On the descent, interrupt the movement before reaching full extension of the arms. It is essential to keep your torso vertical throughout the exercise. You can also perform the curls exercise with dumbbells, in bilateral movement (both dumbbells at the same time) or unilateral (one dumbbell after the other, alternating).
Using dumbbells, you can also use an inclined bench to perform curls by placing your elbows behind your shoulders, which isolates the biceps particularly effectively.
Strengthen your triceps with dips
Dips are a simple and effective exercise to work your triceps with body weight only. You can practice this exercise on a bench or on a chair for example. Dips specifically target the front of the shoulders, upper pectorals and triceps.
To do dips, sit in the middle of a flat bench with your hands positioned on either side about 20 cm from your hips. Fingers hold the edge of the bench and elbows pointed back. With your legs stretched out in front of you, bend your elbows to lower your body a few tens of centimeters from the ground. Stop going down when you feel the stretch in your triceps and shoulders. Then return to the initial position by contracting the triceps, arms fully extended. You can pause at the top of the movement, or resume immediately with the next repetition. Perform between 6 to 10 repetitions per set, three to four sets per workout.