Building mass in your arms isn’t any different than it is with larger muscle groups like your chest or quads. Like those muscles, your arms respond to both heavy weight and high volume, but they also need time to recover for sizable gains.
The following biceps-triceps workout takes care of the heavy weight with big moves like close-grip benching, dips, and seated curls; and high volume with a series of smaller movements. Perform the following workout once or twice per week, with at least 72 hours between sessions. To maximize your growth potential, train arms on their dedicated day instead of tacking them onto the end of a workout involving compound exercises.
The workout
Triceps
Excercise
Sets
Reps
Close-Grip Bench Press
4
8-10
Dip
4
To Failure
Rope Push-Down
3
10*
Biceps
Excercise
Sets
Reps
Seated Barbell Curl
4
8-10
Hammer Curl
4
10
Cable Curl
3
10*
*Perform two drop-sets on your last set.
Dip
If you can perform more than 15 reps with your body weight, try weighted dips—another great mass-builder for the triceps.
Rope push-down
A push-down in which your arms don’t reach full extension isn’t worth doing. Lighten the weight if needed and maintain good form and technique.
Seated barbell curl
The shorter range of motion—created by your thighs stopping the bar halfway down—allows you to go heavier.
Hammer curl
Lift the dumbbell straight up to your front deltoid. Pause for a second at the top of each rep, then alternate arms.
