2 Simple Tweaks for Building Bigger Arms
How many guys in the gym do you see with impressive arms?Not many, right?Yet, with the possible exception of the chest, arms are the muscle!It's what guys want to build!Big arms are impressive.You can show them off!It's what everyone flexes when asked to show their muscles!
Well, not quite!They flex the biceps!They train the biceps!While people want big arms and they are impressive, because of the shape of the arm, it's the bicep muscle that gets the majority of the focus and training.
But, while it's not sexy to flex it, it's the tricep muscle that is about two thirds of the size of the upper arm!So if you truly want big arms you better start focusing on building up those triceps!
One great way to do that is to take a quality tricep exercise and then super charge it with a couple of secret muscle building tweaks!The exercise?Lying Tricep Extensions.Or, you may know them by their more awesome bodybuilding name, Skull Crushers!Oh yeah!
Skull Crushers are typically done with an EZ Curl bar on a flat bench.The starting position is with your arms at a 90 degree angle from your body.Basically, it's the same starting position as the regular barbell bench press.
In the starting position, there isn't any tension on the tricep muscles, which gives them a brief rest after every rep of a set.
So let's bring in super exercise tweak number one!Perform the skull crushers on a decline bench press.And make sure your arms are still in the 90 degree position from your body in the start position.This means that your arms won't be straight up and down to the ceiling.
Your arms should be angled a little bit so that your arms are pointing to a spot on the ceiling away from your head not directly straight up.That may seem a little confusing but you'll know exactly what it means when you get into position on a decline bench.
This means there is still a little tension on the tricep muscles, even at the top of each repetition, in the so-called “rest” position.This allows for more tension on the muscle throughout the entire set.This means more work for the muscle fibers in less time, which means more muscle mass!
Time under tension is a key component of muscle building and most bodybuilders don't get nearly enough of it in their sets.They do too few reps at too fast a cadence.By eliminating the “rest” position, you create more tension for each rep and each set, which means more progress!
When you lower the EZ Curl bar, don't lower it to your face or even your forehead, which is typical.Instead, lower it slightly pass the top of your head.This gives you a bigger range of motion and more tension on the tricpe muscle.
You might need to reduce the weight you normally use as you get used to the new angle but you'll quickly work your way back up.
But wait, there's more!
There's another cool tweak to help ignite even more muscle fibers!
Besides time under tension, you need intensity.Adding this tweak gives you more of both.You'll need to reduce the weight you use even more but that's okay.The new arm growth will be more than worth it!
Try performing one an a quarter reps.In other words, when you lower the bar just beyond your head, instead of pushing it all the way back up to the top position, only push up about six inches and then lower back down, and then go all the way back up.This is a 1 1/4 rep and each one of those is “one rep.”
Yeah, brutal.And totally worth it!
Be sure and add this to your arm training routine. You might need new shirts soon!