Let’s face it, a lot of men want to develop their arms because they want to look good. Unfortunately, many of them think that simply having “big arms” is enough to achieve this goal. Well, the truth is that having big arms isn’t enough to look good in a t-shirt, and over the course of building my 20-inch GUNS, I formulated a definition of what it means to have truly amazing arms. This definition has 3 components: extraordinary muscular development, symmetry and exceptional physical power.
Extraordinary muscle development
Bodybuilding legend Leroy Colbert, the first bodybuilder to build 21-inch arms with “peaked” biceps, has said that having big arms doesn’t mean you have them well developed. I agree. And in his quest for “big arms”, he must strive to pack his WEAPONS with extraordinary muscular development.
Extraordinary muscular development means that the upper and lower arm muscles will appear thick and full, and that the larger muscles within these groups will be visibly distinguished from each other. For example, the lateral, medial, and long heads of the triceps should show separation from each other. In a front or back double biceps pose, there should be a clear separation between the biceps and triceps.
As you can see, extraordinary muscular development does not depend on the absolute size of your arms. Instead, this attribute sets a standard for muscular detail and visual impact, regardless of your arm measurements. If you don’t believe me, just look at the arms of some of the lighter weight wrestlers, boxers, or gymnasts competing in the Olympics or similar competitions. While their arms aren’t huge, most guys would gladly trade their spaghetti arms for WEAPONS like these small but powerfully built athletes.
I’m not saying arm size is totally irrelevant to having awesome arms. Obviously, the larger the arm that shows extraordinary muscular development, the greater its visual impact. But big arms without specific biceps, triceps, and forearm development aren’t particularly impressive. For example, heavy weight lifters and athletes of similar strength often have “huge” arms. These guys are tremendously strong, but they probably don’t get many requests for advice on arm training. Why? Because most weightlifters don’t do any specific bodybuilding movements and consequently have big but shapeless arms.
The point here is that certain types of training will give you an indefinite amount of muscle while specific training methods develop well-defined muscle mass and quality. You can see the difference between indefinite quantity and well-defined quality by comparing a telephone pole and an oak tree. If you visualize a telephone pole next to an oak tree, which one looks more impressive? The telephone pole has a circumference but no shape and runs in a straight line from top to bottom. But the oak has a powerful, undulating trunk with well-defined branches that show growth, strength, and durability.
Given the choice, which would you prefer, arms like shapeless telephone poles or thick, mighty oak trees?
Symmetry
The next essential element of Awesome Arms is symmetrical or balanced development. Leroy Colbert, Sergio Oliva, Larry Scott, and Robby Robinson are some of the all-time great bodybuilders known for their tremendous arms. While the particular details of their arms varied, all of these bodybuilding greats shared one common characteristic: symmetry! These bodybuilders not only had comparative balance between their biceps, triceps, and forearms, they also exhibited symmetrical development within these muscle areas.
Unfortunately, too many aspiring bodybuilders think that bulging biceps alone are the secret to Awesome Arms. This belief often results in an enthusiastic but misguided training program limited exclusively to bicep curls. Barbell Curls, Dumbbell Curls – Curls, Curls, and More Curls!
The problem with this one-dimensional training is that it results in unbalanced arm development—all biceps and no triceps. Experienced and competitive bodybuilders are well aware of the drawbacks of an unbalanced physique. When a bodybuilder takes the stage, he knows that one lagging body part can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Even if you are not a competitive bodybuilder, unbalanced muscle development will detract from your overall appearance and strength.
To avoid these problems and build truly amazing arms, you need to train your biceps, triceps, and forearms with the same energy and consistency. Only balanced workouts can produce the proportionate muscular development that will maximize the symmetry and power of your arms.
Exceptional Physical Power
The third and final element of Awesome Arms is exceptional physical power. Your arms are at least a secondary source of strength in all upper body exercises. You probably know that bench and military presses primarily work your chest and shoulders. But these exercises require substantial help from the triceps. Lower back movements like T-bar rows, barbell rows, and pull-ups require help from your biceps and forearms. Even heavy deadlifts require superior grip strength in the hands which, in turn, must come from powerful forearms. In fact, the most practical benefit of building powerful arms is increased strength in all push and pull movements.
You’ve probably heard the saying “you get what you pay for”. Well, if you don’t gradually overload your arms during your workouts, you won’t stimulate the growth needed to make them stronger. This muscle growth and subsequent increase in physical power occurs through a biological process called hypertrophy.
Simply put, hypertrophy is the enlargement of muscle fibers that results from increased work. Applied to arm training, this increased work consists of various biceps, triceps, and forearm exercises using proper technique and progressively heavier weight. As you gradually lift more weight, you force your arms to develop and exert more physical strength.
This overload causes the breakdown and remanufacturing of proteins and other substances essential for muscle growth. For example, if you’re doing a strict set of heavy preacher curls for your biceps, your body will break down certain enzyme proteins and other energy sources to complete this exercise. When you complete your workout, your body will try to replenish these energy sources. It is during this recovery period that muscle growth really occurs.
As you can see, the pursuit and development of exceptional physical power is essential to building truly impressive arms. And if you’re wondering how much power is enough, the answer is as much as you can naturally develop. Just like with love or money, you can never have too much physical power. And as your overall arm strength increases, so will your muscular development and symmetry, as long as you’re always careful to use proper training technique. With workouts aimed at developing muscle definition, symmetry, and exceptional physical power, you’ll be on your way to a truly amazing pair of arms!