2 Ways On How to Get Bigger Arms: Ultimate Guide 2024
By Vanessa Richards
January 10, 2024 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
Getting bigger arms is not necessarily about reaching that square appearance that does not even allow you to keep your arms close to the body.
Whether it comes to the upper arms or the forearms, there are certain exercises to focus on to reach the right balance in terms of shape and tone.
Sometimes, muscle mass is about burning the fat around your arms, getting them toned, and ensuring they are well-proportioned.
Learning how to get bigger arms implies focusing on the right type of workout, not to mention a bit of dieting to supplement your exercises.
There are more muscle groups in your arms, and each of them must be targeted individually, with the biceps and triceps dominating your arms.
With these thoughts in mind, here is what you need for lower and upper arm muscle growth.
How To Get Bigger Arms In 2 Ways
1. Exercise
Whether it comes to biceps exercises or triceps exercises, all exercises will give your upper body a different appearance. Lift weights, stick to the right form, and you will see more muscular arms in no time.
Exercises for Biceps
The standing dumbbell bicep curl is one of the most popular exercises in arm training. Start with lighter weight and build your way up. Keep arms straight, hanging by the sides, with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep elbows close and palms facing forward, then curl weights up without moving upper arms.
Chin ups only require a tall bar and no other equipment. They will give you big arms within weeks only, but they require hard work. Hang from a bar with hands shoulder width apart and pull yourself up, then control the movement as you go down. This exercise will work on other muscles too.
You will most likely feel some pressure in your shoulder blades.
Concentration curls isolate arm flexors and target the lateral sides of your muscles. Sit down on a bench and rest the left arm against the left leg. Curl the weight up without moving the upper arm. Pause at the top and slowly lower, then repeat.
Finally, the forward EZ bar curl implies holding the bar in front of the thighs. Lean a bit forward and breathe in as you slowly curl the bar. Leaning forward means you are less likely to use the body for momentum, but the arms only.
Other exercises for biceps include:
- Cable curls
- Reverse grip barbell rows
- Hammer curls
- Incline bicep curls
- Inverted rows
Exercises for Triceps
Building muscle mass is not all about bigger biceps and the best biceps exercises. In fact, the triceps is an even bigger muscle in your arms, so the best triceps exercises will give you an even higher impact.
The skullcrusher is self explanatory and could be a bit dangerous, so start with low weights first. Get on a bench, grab a weight, such as a barbell, then lock your arms straight above the head. Slowly lower the hands backwards, without moving the upper arms, then bring the weight back up.
The cable rope tricep pushdown feels like the opposite version of dumbbell curls. Attach a rope to a high pulley on a station. Grab it with the overhand grip. Tuck upper arms in push down until arms are straight, but without moving upper arms.
Tricep dips are just as common and even better to perform at home. You can do it on parallel bars. Keep the torso perpendicular and lower yourself while putting pressure on the triceps. You can do something similar on the sofa, just support yourself with your arms while facing away from the sofa and go down.
If you are interested in bodyweight exercises, push ups will always give you good results, sometimes even better than a bench press, targeted exercises, and other specialized workouts.
Other exercises for building muscle in the triceps include:
- One arm overhead extensions
- Incline dumbbell chest presses
- Close grip bench presses
- Board presses
- Bench dips
Other Important Exercises
The underhand grip seated row implies keeping knees slightly bent and feet shoulder width apart. Hold the bar. Lean, keep the back straight, and bring the bar towards the abs with the help of your back. This exercise is not all about training arms, but also about your back.
The twisting dumbbell curl will help the elbow joint and target the long head of your biceps, but it will also work on the forearms. The starting position implies standing with a weight in each hand. Do the classic curls, but twist arms during the movement. Try with lighter weights first.
A few other compound exercises to get more muscle mass in your arms include:
- Pull ups
- Standing Arnold presses
- One arm dumbbell rows
- Bent over rows
- Close grip chin ups
2. A Word About Nutrition
Nutrition is critical when aiming to look better or build muscle, whether it comes to your arms, abs, legs, or your whole body overall. In fact, it is said that 75% of your transformation is done in the kitchen.
Boost Your Protein Intake
Finding it difficult to get enough protein? Protein is critical in the formation of new muscle cells, so a powder could be the ideal supplement. Here are a few good choices.
A. Promotes Fast Muscle Recovery & Sound Immune & Digestive System: Garden of Life Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
There are no sugars or allergens in this protein powder. It is gluten free and based on plants rather than animals. It is great for vegans and vegetarians, too, and features antioxidant probiotics and a delicious vanilla flavor.
Some of the ingredients in it include pea protein, more types of beans, lentils, organic flavors and extracts, apple, cherry, turmeric, goji berry, and blueberry. It helps build muscle during recovery days without any side effects whatsoever.
B. Strengthens Muscles and Improves Overall Nourishment: Orgain Simple Organic Plant Protein Powder
Based on an organic protein blend based on pea, peanut, pumpkin, almond, and chia, this protein powder will support your biceps and triceps and complement the most diversified and best exercises for bigger arms.
It is sweetened with organic coconut sugar, and flavors are 100% natural. A serving will give you 20 grams of protein. Not only is it suitable for muscle growth, but it will also bring in different minerals recommended for a healthy lifestyle. It will complement a well rounded workout with the optimal amount of fuel.
Eat more complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are mandatory for your performance in the gym and muscular growth. They will provide energy, feed muscle and boost recovery times. You should have complex carbs both before and after workouts.
When it comes to foods, stick to whole grains, fiber rich fruits, and vegetables. Whole grains will also give you high amounts of minerals, from potassium to magnesium. Beans are also recommended as a solid source of complex carbs.
Avoid simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates can be effective and ineffective, depending on where you get them from. Normally, they are broken down very fast, so they can be used as energy straight away. This is the best part about it. However, the energy is also limited.
If you do need a fast source of simple carbs, opt for fruits, milk, and most milk based products. Simple carbs can also be found in sugar, soft drinks or candy. In this case, they are obviously contraindicated, and they may hinder your arm growing workouts.
Focus on healthy fats
Healthy fats come in more forms. For example, they can be found in vegetable oils too, yet most of the oils you find in commerce are too heavily processed to bring in any benefits. Instead, they will only affect your blood flow and not in a positive manner.
On the other hand, olive oil and avocados make better options. Fatty fish will also provide your body with good sources of healthy fats for your bodybuilding venture. Opt for sardines, salmon, trout, and herring. Apart from healthy fats, they are also rich in protein.
Nuts go in the same category. They are fatty and rich in carbs, but the fats they bring in are healthy and suitable for your body.
Do not skip calories
This is one of the main mistakes people make when learning how to get bigger arms. In fact, this mistake applies to all kinds of bodybuilding ventures, whether you want to lose weight, show your abs or gain strength.
You need food and calories for energy. The more energy you have, the more intense your workouts will be. You will kill your muscles, so they can grow bigger and stronger. You also need calories to fuel the recovery process.
Obviously, these calories should not come from junk food and heavily processed rubbish but from healthy sources.
Digital Guides/Programs For Getting Muscle Arm Growth
There are different guides and programs out there that can push you through this venture to get bigger arms. Some of them are more general than others, meaning they will work for your whole body and not just the arms. After all, targeting a particular muscle group and ignoring others is not always a good idea.
1. Sharpens The Mind & Boosts Overall Wellness: Warrior Zero
Warrior Zero is the type of guide that can help you with any type of challenge in life. It brings in a bunch of digital coaching videos and manuals to retrain the nervous system. You get to conquer your mind, which will make muscle building a joy.
This is the type of program used by combat professionals or SWAT teams. Developed by Helder Gomes, it provides access to technical drills, workouts, dietary changes and mind-training ideas to conquer everything about this challenge. It spreads over at least three months, so give it time.
Shop Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge at the Official Website.
Full Article: Warrior Zero Bodyweight Challenge Review 2024: Does it Really Work?
2. Produces “Work Horse” Strength”: Time Volume Training Program
Introduced by Nick Nilsson, the program promotes the idea of density training. The concept implies burning fat while building muscle instead. However, the actual intensity is given by how close you are to a maximum intensity repetition. It is not a long lasting type of workout, but a very intense one.
There are multiple programs built into a single one, depending on what you hope to achieve. A video library is also included, but most importantly, everything is based on science. Everything makes sense and feels easy to follow without exhausting yourself.
Shop Time-Volume Training Program at the Official Website.
Full Article: Time-Volume Training Review 2024: Does it Work?
3. Best Beginner-friendly Bodyweight Program: Bodyweight Burn
This is the type of program suitable for those without too much time on their hands. All in all, the program includes a detailed meal plan, which is extremely detailed and easy to follow. Then, you get to know more about metabolic training, different workouts for the body or arms only, and even cardio exercises.
Building bigger arms is not all about building muscle in your arms but also about burning flabby fat around them. Some workouts take as little as 21 minutes only, so they are excellent for busy people. Results are relatively fast, and most workouts can be conducted at home without too much equipment.
Shop Bodyweight Burn Program at the Official Website.
Full Article: BodyWeight Burn Reviews 2024: Does it Really Work?
4. Helps You Achieve Tight and Lean Muscles: Suspension Revolution
Suspension Revolution will add muscle tissue to your arms, but more importantly, it will burn the flabby stubborn fat. This is actually the hardest part of the process. It will give your arms a nice tone and a proper definition by shocking the muscle tissue. The program is convenient and easy to follow.
Apart from a detailed PDF manual, you also get a beginner program spreading over four weeks, intermediate programs, and advanced solutions for those with a bit of experience. There are a bunch of bonuses included, too, and they are mostly based on fat burning rather than muscle building.
Shop The Suspension Revolution 2.0 Program at the Official Website.
Full Article: Suspension Revolution 2.0 Review 2024: Does it Really Work?
5. Uses Torque and Tension Methods For Building Muscle Strength: Ben Pakulski Mi40
The famous Mi40 program by Ben Pakulski is ideal for growing muscle by putting stress on your tissues. It is not really suitable for beginners, so it might be a good idea to go to the gym for a while before trying it. It is extremely effective, and more importantly, it is not repetitive and will not bore you to death.
The program is split into multiple sections. Go through the basics first and find out more about the scientific backing. Then, learn about tension and what creates muscle, not to mention the consumption nutrition manual. The package also includes hours of workout videos from professionals.
Shop Ben Pakulski’s Mi40 Program at the Official Website.
Full Article: Ben Pakulski’s Mi40 Review: Does This Training Program Really Work?
Takeaway
Bottom line, learning how to get bigger arms is not that difficult, whether you are too skinny or are covered in fat.
A good workout will work wonders in no time, but you need to support it with proper dieting too. There are lots of programs out there to help too, with Warrior Zero being one of the most popular ones.
Supplements can also help with dieting, especially in terms of protein. While there are lots of protein powder options in the market, Garden of Life Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder is the leading one.
It’s never too late to start getting the physique you’ve always dreamed of. With proper diet and exercise, it is possible!
Click here to get Warrior Zero at a Discounted Price.
How To Get Bigger Arms FAQs
How long does it take to grow arms?
Normally, discipline, proper workouts, and a healthy diet will give you great arms within a few months only. You may notice changes after four weeks.
Can I workout arms everyday?
No body part will grow if you trash it daily. Muscles grow when they recover, so you need to abuse your arms, then give them time to recover before doing it again.
Is arms three times a week too much?
Not necessarily. The more often you train your arms, the less exercises you need. If you do it three times a week, stick to three types of exercises only, with three sets each.
Vanessa Richards
Vanessa is a mom of 3 lovely children and a software geek. Outside of her career as a health and wellness instructor. She enjoys writing and researching on topics such as finance, software, health and culinary.