I once met a male classmate in the gym. He is 22 years old and has entered the gym for the first time. I was stunned by his arm of more than 40 centimeters. His arms are not only stout, but also muscular and enviable, but the muscles in other parts are no different from ordinary people. Upon inquiry, I learned that he only does arm exercises at home and does it every day. I joked, "It seems that only when he walks with his hands every day can he achieve this effect."
In fact, increasing the frequency of arm training does not easily lead to excessive fatigue. I advocate training my arms twice a week, so that the training results will not be exhausted in one week. Sometimes you can only practice your arms for a week. After this shock, when you return to normal training, you will find that your arm has changed.
In addition, if diet and sleep are not guaranteed, everything said before will become empty talk. Because the exercise in the gym is the so-called "destruction process", muscle growth can not be separated from the "recovery process" of diet and sleep.
In a word, nerve control is the most important part of arm training. Success or not, "the key is to find the right feeling." Of course, paying too much attention to the arm will affect the training of other parts, so you need to adjust your training plan reasonably, taking into account the relationship between the whole and the part.
10 best arm training action
haul down
Whether after chest exercise or on the day of arm training alone, pressing the puller is always one of the most effective actions. When doing this action, stand a little farther away from the presser to ensure that the muscles are more stressed at the full extension point. The upper body leans forward slightly, and the knees bend slightly to maintain balance and do the whole movement.
Flexion and extension of posterior cervical arm
Many beginners don't like this action because it is awkward to do at first. But this is indeed an action that must be done. When practicing, the elbow tip is up, the dumbbell weight should not be too large, and the whole movement should be done.
Flexion and extension of prone arm
Good ending. When doing this, I raised my elbow higher and bent down more, and experienced the extension and contraction of the triceps brachii with light weight.
Supine narrow push
The angle between the grip and the elbow is the key point of narrow push. The narrower the grip distance, the greater the stress on the triceps brachii at the same elbow angle, but the greater the pressure on the wrist, so don't hold it too narrow. I usually hold my chest slightly when doing this action (as opposed to pushing my chest), which makes the triceps brachii have to work harder.
Dumbbell bend
Bending down and lifting dumbbells is Arnold's classic action in the movie Pump Iron. He leaned over, one hand on the knee on the same side, and the other hand made an unsupported bend. Pay attention to keeping the upper arm still and experience the feeling of full contraction of biceps brachii. In our training arrangement, this is an action that both plan A and plan B have. The difference is that scheme A is the first action of biceps brachii, while scheme B is the end action, and the weight used in scheme A is also larger than that in scheme B.
Supine arm flexion and extension
You can do it with a barbell or dumbbell (one arm or two arms). Supine arm flexion and extension is a good "block-adding exercise", don't let this action go. Lower the barbell until it touches the forehead, then quickly contract the triceps brachii and lift the barbell. In this process, we should consciously control the strength of triceps brachii and use imagination, but the imaginary muscle movement is not barbell, but basketball. This will make the weight "lighter" and complete the action more effectively.
Barbell bending
Barbell bending is a basic exercise in building muscle blocks, because it can use heavier weight. When doing this exercise, I used a medium grip, with my knees slightly bent and my upper arms sandwiched by my sides and slightly forward. Be careful, in any case, don't move your upper arm backwards to borrow power, which will greatly weaken the exercise effect of biceps brachii.
Inclined plate arm bending
I use dumbbells in Scheme A and barbells in Scheme B. The biggest function of this action is to make biceps brachii long and full. Especially suitable for friends with "broken biceps brachii". This exercise can be done by sitting or kneeling on a chair, with the whole upper arm fixed on the back of the chair or just with the elbow tip close to the back of the chair.
Inclined stool bending
This seems to be Arnold's most displayed action. Because the trunk is fixed, it is difficult to borrow, and the arm is doing work at a special angle, so the biceps brachii is more likely to get pain. Leaning on the stool, fixing the dumbbell with two arms perpendicular to the ground, doing the whole movement as far as possible at the beginning of the movement, and bending upwards when it is not completely put down for the last two times, that is, doing two half-way movements, which will better stimulate the muscles.
Hammer bending
Mainly practicing the brachialis (the "partner" of the biceps brachii) helps to raise the biceps brachii and make the upper arm more "three-dimensional". Keep standing, do a hammer lift with the dumbbell in your hand, and do the whole movement to keep your arms tense.
Five skills of arm training
Peak contraction
You can use the "peak contraction" technique. Often when the elbow joint is fully extended, the muscles are relaxed. This can neither fully mobilize the muscles, nor give the related nerves enough pressure and muscle contraction experience to promote their progress. We can solve this problem by adjusting the body angle or consciously tightening the muscles at the end of the action. For example, standing barbell bending can make the trunk lean back slightly to keep the tension and strength of biceps brachii. Or stand back slightly when pressing the triceps brachii to keep a certain pressure when the triceps brachii is completely contracted, and at the same time consciously tighten the triceps brachii to give it more pressure.
Do a complete movement
I don't agree with the practice of incomplete contraction in arm training. The purpose of this method is to use the technique of "continuous tension" to give enough pressure to the arm muscles, but it is only better for those who are born with strong arms (strong nerve control ability). The main purpose of people with poor arms at first is to experience the full contraction and extension of muscles and generate memories in order to expect better muscle control. Incomplete contraction will only make the muscles lose their senses, and the latter will be numb faster.
Priority training rule
The "priority training rule" can also be applied to arm training. Put arm training at the most vigorous time. At this time, the nerve has the strongest ability to dominate the muscles, and the exercised muscles can withstand greater stimulation intensity and training volume. During this "feel good" training period, we must seriously experience muscle contraction, and then get better innervation.
Change the order of action
Changing the order of action is also helpful. People who practice their arms well don't feel much difference between the first movement and the last few movements, while others often feel nothing after practicing the first movement. Occasionally doing this action at the beginning of training will make a big difference. However, after the original sequence is restored in the future training class, the established neural connection will not completely fail. In other words, after several changes, you will find that if you do the same actions in the same order, your nerve's ability to control muscles will really improve, that is, muscles will grow.
Increase training frequency
There are two different attitudes towards the frequency of arm training. One is that training once a week is enough, because too much training will make the muscles of the arm too tired, which is not conducive to growth. The second is to train twice or more times a week, because the arm belongs to a small muscle group, which can recover quickly and can be practiced for more than a week. I support the latter from the perspective of increasing arm muscles.
Differentiated training
Arm training program
If your arm doesn't have the talent gene for rapid growth, you must "add some materials" in training to ensure that your arm doesn't fall behind. It is recommended to practice your arms twice a week, and each training plan is different.
1 Arrow Squat
1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand and hang it at your sides (Figure 1).
2. Take a big step forward with your right leg and bend your knees to the right of your right foot. The right thigh is almost parallel to the ground; The left leg bends backward, the forefoot supports the ground, the left knee clings to the ground, and the body stands upright. Go back to the starting position and repeat the exercise. Then change your left leg to practice.
2 barbell squat
1. Keep your feet hip width apart, put the barbell behind your shoulders with your hands, elbows down, keep your spine in a natural state, and tuck in your abdomen (Figure 1).
2. Put your weight on the soles of your feet, bend your knees, and be careful not to let your hips fall below your knees. The upper body is straight, the waist bends naturally, and the abdominal muscles contract (Figure 2). Then the gluteal muscles and thigh muscles exert force, straighten your legs, restore your initial posture, and repeat the above actions. The weight of barbells should be between 25 and 95 pounds.
3 chest pull-down
1. Choose the long grip method, and hold both ends with both hands, and the distance is wider than the shoulder. Adjust the height of the seat so that the thighs are just buckled under the support pad, the knees are bent, the feet are flat on the ground, the wrists and arms are straight, the abdomen is closed and the chest is lifted, and the body leans back slightly (Figure 1).
2. The scapula is tightened, and the posture of the trunk remains unchanged. It stops when the elbows are pulled inward to the waist position with the power of latissimus dorsi (Figure 2). At the same time, the neck is straight and the scapula is squeezed inward. After that, straighten your arms, restore your initial posture, and repeat the above actions. The pulling force should be between 45 and 90 pounds.
4-seat horizontal tie rod
1. Bend your knees slightly and put your feet on the support plate. Hold the handle of the puller with both hands, with both arms straight and waist level, palms facing each other, contracting the abdominal muscles and bringing the shoulder blades together (Figure 1).
2. Pull the elbow to the waist until the handle is pulled to the navel position, and the elbow slightly exceeds the hip (Figure 2). Straighten your arms back to the initial position and repeat the above actions. A suitable pulling force is between 30 and 60 pounds.
5 supine dumbbell press
1. Lie on your back on the stool with your knees bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight up, palms forward, abdomen closed, and your spine in a natural state (Figure 1).
2. Bend your elbows outward and downward until they are in a straight line with your shoulders and your arms are balanced (Figure 2). Use the strength of the pectoral muscles to stretch your arms upward and return to the initial position. Dumbbells should weigh between 8 and 20 pounds.
6 Tilt the dumbbell upward and press it.
1. Adjust the stool to an angle of 30 ~ 45 degrees. Bend your knees and lie on the stool with your feet flat on the ground, holding a dumbbell in each hand and palms forward. Belly in and keep the natural posture of the upper body (Figure 1).
2. The shoulder blades are tightened, and the elbows are bent backward and downward until they are in a straight line with the shoulders and the forearms are parallel to each other (Figure 2). Immediately straighten your elbow with the strength of your chest muscles, restore your initial posture, and repeat the above actions.
7 adduction of thigh
1. Sit on the adductor muscle, with knees bent and inner thighs attached to the auxiliary board. Put your feet on the foot rail, and the distance between your legs is slightly wider than your crotch. Hold the handles on both sides with both hands, tuck in the abdomen, rest your back on the back of adductor muscle, and keep your upper body straight (Figure 1).
2. Squeeze the inner thigh muscles and squeeze the auxiliary plate, but don't make them contact. Pause, restore the initial posture, and repeat the above actions, with the weight between 50 ~100lb.
8 abduction thigh
1. Sit on the abduction machine, with your knees bent and close together, and the auxiliary board is just stuck on the outer thigh. Put your feet on the foot rail, hold the handles on both sides with both hands, tuck in your abdomen, and then lean back on the back pad of adductor muscle to keep your upper body straight (Figure 1).
2. The iliopsoas muscle contracts, and the legs stretch the auxiliary plate to both sides, then recover and repeat the above actions. It is advisable to keep the weight at 40 ~ 80 kg.
9 barbell hard pull
1. Stand naturally with two feet, and hold the crank barbell with both hands (one hand forward and the other hand backward), and the distance is wider than the shoulder. Bend down until your back is parallel to the ground. The knees are slightly bent, the arms are drooping, and the barbell is attached to the front of the calf (Figure 1).
2. Kick hard and straighten your body (Figure 2). Pause, bend your knees back to the initial position, and repeat the above actions. The weight of barbells should be between 25 and 45 pounds.
10 ball flexion and extension
1. Kneel in front of the fitness ball, crawl on the fitness ball, and support your hands on the ground. Belly in and move your hands forward until your calves rest on the fitness ball, so that your whole body is in a straight line (Figure 1).
2. Belly in, bend your knees and hunch your back, and drag the ball forward slightly until your calf leans on the spherical surface (Figure 2). Then slowly straighten your legs and push the ball back to its original position, and repeat the above actions.