The ”how-to-get-big-arms-fast” theme is the muscle equivalent of the modern ”how-to-get-rich-quick” mentality frequently seen in our world infected by the false belief that the mainstream media can provide a solution to all problems. Honestly, I am very tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. Just a few days ago S-Nation productions came up with another ”cure for puny arms” as if the rest of the nonsense arm articles were not enough.
Taking muscle building advice from steroid users is as functional as learning how to get rich from a kid with a fat trust fund. Those motherfuckers have too much room for error, and daddy is always there to pay the right people and fix their mistakes. The same is true for roid masters – no matter what they do, they grow. In the meantime, they try to fill your head with all kinds of useless stuff like rest pause techniques, cluster reps, pump, master pump, slave pump, DC training, heavy duty training, spider curls, scorpion curls, Scott curls, rabbit curls, squats for big arms…etc. The list of ill-advised techniques to get big arms is endless.
Every day the gurus come up with something revolutionary.
”Hold your arms at this angle to get a better pump and build bigger arms FASTER!”
”Do close grip decline bench presses instead of regular bench presses, and you will become a sea monster in the arm department!!!!!!”
”Drink our reptile pre-workout, and you will get a sick pump which will help you build Piano like arms!”
”5×5 – The Secret To Massive Arms without Curls,” write the 5×5 marketing wannabes.
source: https://pixabay.com/en/users/skeeze-272447/
So, how do you get big arms?
You can get bigger arms by selecting 2-3 exercises, getting stronger with the help of training cycles and eating. You don’t need to bulk, but you need a sufficient amount of food.
In my opinion, the best exercises for arms are dumbbell curls, chin-ups on rings, dips and close grip bench presses. These movements allow you to hit the muscle properly without placing unneeded stress on the joints compared to nonsense such as Scott curls, incline dumbbell curls, cable curls, Zottman curls…etc. Those are just fancy movements. You don’t need to work your biceps from all angles. Seriously, get real.
Once you have your exercise selection down, you just start with a linear progression, hit a plateau and then introduce deloads (training cycles). Eventually, you will reach your arm potential with this plan. It’s that simple, and more importantly – this is the truth. Everything else is literally garbage information and distraction. To clarify this point even further, we should return to the ”get rich quick” analogy.
To acquire more money, you have to put yourself in an environment that allows you to earn more by working more. The second part is incredibly important. If your work is not appreciated, you won’t get anything for your extra effort except maybe even more work. I know this very well because I spent close to a decade in a similar position.
I worked in a small firm employing about 10 people. At the beginning, I was lazy and didn’t want to do much. I didn’t have strong work habits. One could also say that I was yet to be molded by this slave world. However, at one point I ”broke” and started working at full capacity. The firm became incredibly efficient thanks to my contribution. My managers could see that I was killing it. I was faster. My coworkers were having more free time thanks to my work. A lunch was no longer a dream. This continued for many years with a few off periods. During that time I got a single 5% raise. Ironically, even people with less experience and skills received the same salary boost.
My job was simply not allowing me to benefit from working harder or in a more efficient manner. As a result, my motivation dropped to the lowest possible point – I started working just enough not to get fired.
You have to realize that doing more does not always mean that you will get more in return. Training operates similarly. You can do all the arm exercises in the world, but it won’t matter if you are not putting yourself in a position allowing you to get stronger and grow as a result of your extra dedication.
This also alludes to the undeniable fact that naturals can’t really grow that much. In a sense, naturals are stuck at a dead-end job – regardless of what you do, there is no growth. Therefore, it only makes sense to cover the basics (work just enough not to get fired) and focus your efforts on something else. Otherwise, you are risking to become one of those people who buy every issue of the popular muscle magazines and watch Phil Heath’s arm workouts while taking notes.
Bodybuilders have enormous arms thanks to steroids and genetics. The cable curls, supinated curls, hammer curls, bosu balls curls, fat grips, slim grips, cluster reps, spider-man curls and Batman curls have little to do with it. The bodybuilders with the best arms in history will have those regardless of their training. Sorry.
I don’t expect those dynamics to change. Every year there is a new generation of boys that turn 17 and start looking for ways to increase the size of their arms. The bodybuilding gurus know that and act accordingly. Besides, what can really change in a world where people live in front of 5-inch screens. You can see them riding the metro. They stare at those things like they are doing something important when most are simply playing the SilverSurfer. We ain’t nothing but a generation of iPhone gangsters looking for a quick solution.
P.S. The post revealing the natty potential has been updated.
who are you?? who dat fuk r u mate??
Keep speaking the truth and hopefully there will be less morons!!
PD: There should be the choice of getting updates to new comments by email (just saying).
This is a genius article! Thank you for it!
I’ve read most of these articles (they’re hilarious) and I have to comment on arm training based on an experiment I’ve conducted on myself over the past 2 years. This will be a bit long.
Little preface: I’m naturally thin (160-170lbs at 6’0), long limbs, short torso, lanky, alwyas lifted weights generally and never really put on mass most of my life (fat or muscle). I’ve never used any form of steroids or other substances like clen and the like. I’m 34 now and tried powerlifting training when I was 20; various methods of 5×5, westside, etc. Did it for about 3 years. Bodyweight went up to 200 with minimal fat gain. For my efforts I was rewarded with:
– 565lb deadlift
– 375lb squat
– 315 bench
as well as
– A torn SS joint in my left shoulder that will never heal, even with surgery.
– Completely obliterated SI joints and associated pain.
– Permanent neck damage that gives me constant headaches and jaw dysfunction.
So I don’t do that anymore. I’ve never had jacked arms in my life and have never even really trained them specifically beyond maybe 1 or 2 sets of curls in between other things. 2 years ago I decided to try armwrestling as I thought I may have an advantage due to my arm length and hand size (my hands are huge for my size). Turns out I am quite well suited for it. As a result I’ve started specifically doing arm training for arm wrestling. I focus on my left due to the fact that my right wrist has a permanent injury from work. My training consists of:
– Tons of barbell and dumbbell curls of every fashion
– Tons of barbell curls of every fashion
– Tons of wrist curls of every angle on cable machines
– Tons of curls done with weight suspended from straps.
– Some back work (always done after the arms)
– Very minimal tricep work (armwestling is almost entirely pull strength and pronation strength, despite what anyone may think).
– 3 days a week, Mon, Wed, Fri; heavy, mid, light, alternating between hook training and toproll training (inside and outside).
Here is what I’ve experienced so far:
– My arms have gone from 12+1/4 inches to 15 (keep in mind that’s with almost no tricept development. With some decent tris I bet I could get that up to 17 if I wanted).
– Incredible increase in hand and arm strength. I could give you some numbers, but they’d be in reference to armwrestling specific exercises that I’m sure nobody would understand without a lot of explanation.
– Overall upperbody shape is good as well. You’d be surprised how much the rest of your upperbody works as support when doing a routine that’s 99% arms.
– Body weight of 165 – 170, depending on a few things.
– Arms look ridiculous. Like a bunch of snakes under my skin. Because of the specific armwrestling curls, my brachialis, bracioradialis, and forearms have become extremely pronounced in relation to everything else so my arms have a very unique look compared to if I’d just trained with dumbbells and barbells.
One other side effect has been instant Alpha status. I’ve never before experienced being the guy with the super-jacked arms, and it’s so dumb. Due to my height, long arms, short torso, and low bodyweight, my arms look especially jacked in comparison to my body. The attention that I get from this is unlike anything I’d imagined. It’s EXACTLY how you’ve said over and over, that the guy with the most jacked arms instantly gets the top spot for no logical reason. If I wear a tight fitting T-shirt I get endless stares. The girls behind the starbucks counter never take their eyes off my arms.This is not actually as much fun as it sounds. It’s really odd to have everyone stare at you all the time, even if it’s for something that would normally be perceived as favourable.
So, in summary, I can say that if you want some ridiculously jacked arms I suggest doing armwrestling exercises; it works.
Before or after pics or you are speaking Chinese to me.
Don’t have any and never will. I’m not the kind that takes any pictures of myself. Could send you the routine I use and have used for the past 2 years if you want to try it. It’s pretty simple. The trickiest part is the right form for the various kinds of strap curls, but you’d just have to look up some youtube videos by people like Devon Larratt and Taras Ivakin to see the right way to do it.
Not sure what you have to lose by just trying it for a few months for yourself and see.
Sounds too good to be true to be perfectly honest.
But since your entire routine is based around arm training, l would not say that it is impossible.
And if l had a gun to my head to get the biggest biceps l can have, l would use something similar.
Thank you for taking the time to write your experience.
Brother. Why can’t you take photos!!! Anyone can say anything on the internet… When someone says so much and doesn’t even want to show a picture, doesn’t it seem v suspicious???
A guy with great arms says he will never take pictures.. yeah right!! It sounds so believable
Truth seeker.. Do you even believe this snake oil seller like fellow who says he has snakes as arms but will never take a picture??
In my twenty years of training you will never meet someone like this.. they all are obsessed with photos….
What a scamster…
He won’t take photos because he is LYING. Period