Arguably the most popular muscle group that bodybuilders seek to build is the biceps, with possibly the most common question asked of successful bodybuilders from impressed onlookers being "how many inches are your arms?" Bodybuilders will focus upon a wide range of biceps movements in order to enhance the size and shape of their arms, but despite such an intense focus with isolation exercises, many bodybuilders find that their upper arm size does not reach what they would consider to be an acceptable level.
What is the missing ingredient that many bodybuilders neglect while attempting to build upper arm growth? Other than wasting time with numerous exercises when only two are necessary for total biceps development, the most common mistake is believing that impressive upper arm size is contingent solely upon biceps improvements, while in reality, there is a much more vital factor controlling upper arm mass.
Most are oblivious to the fact that the majority of upper arm size is occupied by the triceps, and since many bodybuilders in hopes of producing maximum upper arm size concentrate solely upon a wide range of biceps movements, triceps are often neglected, which amazingly, has more of a negative impact on upper arm size than if a weight lifter were to completely avoid direct biceps training. Since biceps shape does not change regardless of the lifting method or weight training exercise selection (this characteristic is genetically determined), instead of wasting time and effort on a wide range of biceps exercises, choose the most effective movements (such as standing barbell and preacher curls) for the biceps, and focus an equal amount of effort and volume on the triceps to encourage far greater overall size gains.
Even bodybuilders who already feel as if they have nicely developed triceps should not neglect direct triceps exercise in favor of extra biceps work, because improving triceps thickness by 1-2 inches will immediately result in an apparent biceps size increase, a fact that many bodybuilders are not aware of. Many seek to reach a specific arm size, but since approximately two-thirds of the upper arm is comprised of the triceps muscle, logically, the triceps actually becomes far more critical than the biceps in achieving this goal, despite many classifying this as a "biceps" measurement (nobody seeks to learn the size of a bodybuilder's triceps, when this is a more significant factor comprising upper arm muscle size). There is no effective way of measuring the biceps without also accounting for triceps thickness, and although this should seem obvious, there are many bodybuilders who do not realize that producing massive triceps also provides an illusion of bigger, thicker, more impressive biceps muscles.
Although the triceps occupy a greater percentage of upper arm volume than the biceps, a bodybuilder need not train the triceps with more sets (volume), as the heavier weight used during triceps exercises will address the size disparity. The key is to target the triceps and biceps with an identical total number of sets, realizing that blitzing both for maximum growth will produce impressive upper arm volume. Weight lifters who have reached a lengthy plateau in biceps size may find that by training the triceps in a more focused way, upper arm mass will begin to increase, and the added triceps thickness will at least offer the appearance of improved biceps development.
Lastly, make sure that you avoid isolation movements for both the biceps and triceps, such as concentration curls and triceps kickbacks, as these are not geared towards impressive size improvements; instead, implement exercises that allow for heavier weight (such as standing barbell curls and close grip bench press) to promote maximum size in the upper arm region. If you begin focusing on the triceps muscle with as much emphasis as the biceps, you will find that upper arm size will experience a newfound size improvement spurt that others will mistakenly assume is a result of added biceps mass.
Author Resource:-
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight training plan for gaining muscle mass without supplements or drugs. He also owns FatVanish.com, where you will find his natural weight loss program.
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