Build Bigger Biceps:
6 Tips for Bigger Arms

Who doesn't want to build bigger biceps and triceps? Big arms are considered by many to be the ultimate aesthetic muscle in the entire body. Learn how to make yours grow!...

The biceps, also known as the biceps brachii muscle, is one of the smaller muscles in the body. But just because it's relatively small doesn't mean that it should be completely ignored...

...If you want bigger arms, then you should build bigger arms. Who cares if it's a purely aesthetic-driven endeavour as opposed to a goal of overall strength or functionality? Vanity is a good thing!

So how do you build bigger biceps and add size to your triceps? It seems like everyone tries to amplify their upper arm growth, only to meet eventual disappointment.

Well it's not that difficult if you know what you're doing. Unfortunately, most people really have no clue what they're doing with regard to effective upper arm training.

Training Tips to Build Bigger Arms

I'll clear the air and provide some training tips that will increase the size of your biceps and triceps.

The triceps and biceps training tips that I provide assume that you already have your bodybuilding diet and nutrition on point. You should also have at least a basic understanding of weight lifting programs.

1. Train the Triceps. The biceps is only one part the upper arm. Actually, it's the smallest part of the arm; the triceps make up about 2/3 of the arm's mass, while the biceps make up just 1/3. So don't ignore the importance of exercises that stimulate the triceps.
2. Focus on Compounds. You can do bicep curls and triceps extensions until the cows come home. But the only result will be disappointment from lack of progress if you don't already have a base foundation of strength and size. Without a base of strength, you will stagnate quickly on direct arm exercises; and as we know from the principle of progressive overload, the only way to gain muscle mass is to increase your lifts over time.
3. Do Less Direct Arm Work. The saying "less is more" can certainly ring true when you're trying to build bigger biceps. Too much direct arm work can interfere with compound lifts that utilize the same muscles. The result is poor biceps and triceps development as well as inhibited strength gains on the related compound exercises: A lose-lose situation.
4. Do More Direct Arm Work. This piece of advice is targeted to the more experienced lifters who want to build bigger biceps and increase the size of their triceps. There comes a point where increases in arm size are hard to come by if you only hit indirectly with compound movements. So if you currently perform little to no direct exercises for your biceps and triceps, then now may be the time to make a change. Add isolation exercises to your current routine; or you can change your routine to include an entire workout session dedicated to arm exercises.
5. Compound Pulling Exercises. This tip relates solely to biceps development, and it consists of two separate solutions:
   • Do More. One potential way to build bigger biceps is to increase the amount of work you perform using compound pulling exercises (e.g. pull ups, bent over row). This helps in the case that you are not sufficiently overloading the biceps and the other muscles involved in pulling movements. And so, you'll stand to gain from increasing your workload.
   • Do Less. The second way to build bigger biceps is to decrease the amount of work you do with compound pulling exercises. This helps in the case that you are already performing too much work. Too much work interferes with biceps growth; and it inhibits any results you would experience if you were performing direct biceps work. So by decreasing the workload, you'll provide the muscles with the rest that they need.
6. Compound Pushing Exercises. This tip is only related to triceps development. There are two parts to it:
   • Do More. One solution to building bigger triceps entails increasing your total work performed using compound pushing exercises (e.g. barbell bench press, overhead press). This helps in the case that you are not sufficiently overloading the triceps and the other muscles involved in pushing movements. And so, you stand to gain from increasing the workload if this is indeed the case.
   • Do Less. The second method for building bigger triceps is to decrease the amount of work done with compound pushing exercises. This technique helps if you are already performing too much work. Performing too much work interferes with triceps growth; and it interferes with would-be results if you are also implementing direct triceps work. The benefit of doing fewer compound pushing exercises is that your muscles receive much needed rest, which translates to muscle growth.

That's all, folks! Hopefully this helps to make your biceps and triceps blow up in size. At the very least, you now have some insight into why your arms may not be growing as quickly as you'd like.

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