When someone has bigger arms, they feel more confident, giving them a sense of strength. From picking up a heavyweight in the gym or at the storeroom, it takes a lot of upper body effort. To build your arms, you need to work hard as there are two essential muscles in the upper arm: biceps and triceps. Their functioning is not the same; thus, they need different types of exercises.
If you want to grow your arms, these are the things you have to do.
Before doing any exercise, you should always warm-up for at least 10-15 mins by jogging, stretching, jumping. This will give a head start to your body, and the muscles will loosen up.
Contents
Chin Ups
For this exercise, you need to have a sturdy chin-up bar. The first thing you need to do is raise your arms upwards towards the bar and hold it with both hands. The bar should be a little higher so that you may need to stretch or jump up to reach it. Once you have got a hold of the bar, pull yourself upwards and exhale. Do not stop pulling yourself until your chin reaches the bar, wait for some time and then slowly lower your body back to its starting point, and then repeat it.
Barbell Bicep Curls
The first rule for doing this exercise is to keep your back straight, and you shouldn’t move any other part of your body other than your arms. Do not start off with picking up a heavyweight; do it with a lighter one.
To do this exercise, you need to stand with your feet apart. Pick up the barbell and lift it up, exhaling alongside. Keep your chest up with your back straight, and only use your arms to lift it. Stay in that position for some time and then lower the barbell down to its starting point. Repeat this procedure at least 15 times.
Tricep Dips
With a dip bar, you should stand between the railings and hold each side of the rail with your hands. Pull yourself up and bend your knees, do not let the feet touch the ground. Bend your elbows and go down, then straighten your elbows and push yourself up. It is just like a pushup but with a dip bar.
Tricep Kickback
During this exercise, you will be using dumbbells. Hold each one in your hands with your palms facing downwards. Bend your upper body in a way that it is parallel to the ground ( with knees bent a little bit). Your arms should be straight and close to the body. Bend your elbows in a way that the dumbbells are alongside your chest. Straighten the elbows again, do this procedure by exhaling every time you lift up your arms.
Planks
It is the most basic exercise with advantages for your whole body. Lie down with your stomach on the floor; lift yourself by raising your hands and your feet. Your hands should be placed under your shoulders. Keep your body straight and do not bend your knees; your neck should be facing downwards. Stay in that posture for at least 10 seconds first and then gradually increase the timings. Various other planks can be done, for instance:
- Knee plank
- Standard plank
- Forearm plank
- Medicine ball plank
Concentration Curl
Sit on a bench so that your legs form a 90° angle. Place the right upper arm on your right thigh and pick up the dumbbell from the ground. Then curl up the lower arm without moving the upper one and squeeze your biceps when it reaches up, then lower it back to the starting point. Do this for a few reps and then switch to the other arm.
Cable Curl
You can do this in many different ways. If you are doing a standing curl, you can also use a pulley machine with a cable attached to it. Stand some feet away from it and grasp the cable in your palm. For better balance, you can put one foot in front of the other. Curl the arm and bring your hands closer to the shoulder. Stay in that position for some time. After doing this 15 times, change your hand and do the same thing.
Diet
Diet is also essential when you want your arms to grow bigger. When you want the muscles to grow, your body needs certain nutrients for it, so you should know what to eat at that time.
- Protein
Eat food that has protein in it to improve muscle growth. If you have any accidents during the workouts, it will speed up its recovery too. You can include fish, egg, beef, yogurt, beans, or chickpeas. The recommended amount of intake is 1.4 grams per body weight.
- Carbohydrates
Just like protein, carbohydrates are also vital for your body, especially when you workout. They provide energy to the body and strengthen the muscles. You can eat pasta, quinoa, green peas, oatmeal, or brown rice. Do not eat simple carbohydrates as they make you gain weight. Avoid candies, cookies, and sweet food. Complex calories have more nutritional value.
- Fats
When you workout, your body starts burning the fat down, but if you do not have enough fat, it starts cutting down protein. There are some healthy fats like salmon, peanut butter, and avocado.
- Calories
Your body needs extra calories to fuel the new muscle growth while also maintaining it.
- Supplements
Usually, when people want the process to be fast, they take supplements. If you cannot intake protein accordingly, you can purchase protein-based supplements and bars that are almost the same.
Conclusion
Some people are interested in having thin, strong arms, and some want their arms to be massive. You can grow your arms either way by staying consistent in your workouts. You need to exercise daily and also focus on your diet. This may not seem easy at first, and when you start doing the exercises, your body may ache for some time, but it gets better after a few days. Choose your exercises and start with doing it for 7-8 times in the start, and increase it gradually.
If you do not give up and keep working hard for it, it will surely come in good time.
