September 2004

The question-of-the-month for September comes from Michael in the Philippines and Tristan in Australia.  They both asked similar questions regarding arm training, so I decided to address both of them this month.  Their questions are:

Dear Mike: 

From Michael: What kind of routine should I follow to gain size in my arms?

From Tristan: My arms are lagging way behind other bodyparts.  I do anywhere from 6-20 reps for arms, so my guess is I am overtraining.  Please help me, Mike. 

Dear Michael and Tristan: 

First, thanks to both of you for your great questions.  Everyone wants big arms, but a majority of people overtrain this bodypart.  Many weightlifters/bodybuilders get caught up in the ‘more is better’ mentality. 

With that being said, I recommend training arms hard and heavy once a week.  A large number of people not only train their arms too many times a week, but also with way too much volume. 

Below I have outlined a typical mass-building arm routine that you can incorporate into your program once a month: 

Biceps: Choose two of the following exercises, performing 3 sets per exercise and keeping reps in the 8-12 range. 

• Barbell curls

• Rope curls (hammer curl grip)

• Dumbbell curls

• Preacher curls 

Triceps: Choose two of the following exercises, performing 3 sets per exercise and keeping reps in the 8-12 range. 

• Close grip bench press

• Overhead cable presses

• Weighted dips 

You should complete this workout in approximately 20 minutes (rest approximately 45 seconds between each set).  For an extra intense workout, periodically superset one bicep exercise with one tricep exercise back and forth for 12 sets total (6 for biceps, 6 for triceps).  When you do this, rest 45 seconds between each 2 sets. 

When you train arms regularly (not using the mass-building routine above), you should still train them only once a week and keep the sets at 6 per bodypart and the reps in the 8-12 range.   

Thanks again for the great questions.  Good luck with your training, and as always, don't forget to visit the Past Qs & As and my Training Tips section for more great tips and training info.

Until next month, train hard and stay healthy.

Mike Francois

Do you have a training question for Mike?  If so, visit our Ask Mike section and submit your question.

Note: Before embarking on any nutrition, supplementation, and/or training program, consult with your physician or other licensed health-care professional.