To have a beautiful body, you need to exercise regularly. To obtain relief, it is important to give an even load to all muscle groups. This means that during daily exercise you need to train your legs, arms and back. Many people are interested in how to properly pump up their arms in order to gain pronounced muscle relief and increase the volume of their arms.
Experienced bodybuilders know some secrets that allow them to pump up their arms at home. But the main secret still lies in the regularity of the exercises. Only with daily exercise and proper, balanced nutrition can you achieve the desired result. It is important that your daily diet contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Competent bodybuilding exercises will help you pump up your arms without dumbbells and acquire a beautiful body shape.
How to pump up arm muscles at home
Biceps and triceps, like any other muscle groups, grow under the following conditions: high-quality load, proper recovery and diet. If the body, including the muscles, lacks nutrients, then no matter how correctly you train, there will be no result.
Muscles need fuel. Not only protein, as a building material, solves the problem, but also carbohydrates - energy. It follows that lack of energy will stall progress. For high-quality muscle growth, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are needed. The first thing you need to do at home is eat. The second most important thing is physical activity. Their frequency and technique must be of the same quality as nutrition. It’s not worth doing all the existing arm exercises. Overwork does not cause muscles to grow.
It is advisable to include three exercises for the main muscle groups in your arm training. The number of repetitions is 6 – 12 times, without exceeding the last figure. Accordingly, the weight should be heavy enough for a given number of repetitions.
Note! The last repetition must be performed with all your might. “Failure” of muscles leads to their rapid growth. In essence, this is a micro-rupture of fibers, which is compensated by the supply of nutrients that serve as building material. New muscle tissue is formed. Without this, tissue growth is not possible.
Prevention of skin elasticity
The process of losing weight is stressful for the body. The stretched skin on the arms begins to lose support and becomes sagging. In order for the skin to have time to restore its structure, you need to lose fat slowly. Growing muscles will help fill the void and activate metabolic processes, as well as the synthesis of collagen and elastin.
To prevent your skin from starting to sag, you need to regularly carry out home care procedures. It is recommended to do an oil massage of problem areas before bed. Honey and oil wraps after steaming and scrubbing are effective. Losing weight provokes the formation of free radicals, so there should be enough vitamins in your food.
You can use salon services to improve skin condition: laser lifting, mesotherapy, professional massage.
You shouldn't expect quick results. With regular exercise, your arms will be transformed after 2 months of training. You need to be prepared for the fact that at first the process will go quickly, but then it will slow down due to the body getting used to the load. You should continue training your arm muscles, gradually increasing the load, and the result will definitely please you.
Anatomical structure
The arms consist of many muscles of the shoulder, forearms, and hands, but let's look at the most basic of them, those that form a beautiful shape. On the humerus are located: biceps brachii or biceps brachii (short and long heads), triceps brachii or triceps brachii (long, lateral, medial heads), brachialis muscle.
The best exercises for training your arms
Biceps:
- Alternate arm raises with dumbbells;
- Lifting dumbbells with a hammer grip;
- Biceps curl;
- Concentrated one-arm dumbbell curls;
- Bending in Crossover from the lower block;
- Larry Scott curling machine;
- Bending with a barbell on the L. Scott bench;
- Barbell curl with an overhand grip.
Triceps:
- French bench press;
- Standing French bar press;
- Lying dumbbell extension;
- Extension of one from behind the head;
- Extension with one dumbbell from behind the head;
- Bent over extension with a dumbbell alternately;
- “Grasshopper”, simultaneous bending extension;
- Extension in the Crossover of the upper block with an overhand grip;
- Crossover extension with an underhand grip;
- Push-ups with your back to the bench.
A set of exercises with dumbbells and barbells
- French bench press 4 x 8-12 (Execution technique: lying on a bench, place your palms on the bar so that the distance between them is determined by the length of your outstretched thumbs. Raise the bar, arms perpendicular to the floor. Keeping your elbows in place, lower your forearm, the bar lowers to the forehead. With exhalation: squeeze the bar using the triceps, to the starting position);
- Dumbbell extension from behind the head 4 x 8-12 (We clasp one dumbbell with both hands, holding it above the head, elbows pressed to the head. Keeping the elbows motionless, lower the dumbbell behind the head as far down as possible. Exhale: lift the dumbbell with the efforts of the triceps);
- Bent-over arm extension 4 x 8-12 (Standing in a bent-over position, knees slightly bent, body slightly above parallel to the floor, elbows pressed to the body, forearms perpendicular to the floor. Exhale: move the dumbbells back, extending the elbows to the straight line of the arms. Without swinging the body, both hands work simultaneously);
- Barbell lift for biceps 4 x 8-12 (Standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Take the bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart. Exhale: bend your arms as much as possible using the biceps, feeling the contraction of the muscle at the top point. Inhale: slowly lower bar on the hips. Do not swing the body, thereby not removing the load from the biceps);
- Bending the arms with dumbbells alternately 4 x 8-12 (Can be performed standing or sitting. The arms are located along the body. With an exhalation, with one hand we bend the elbow, using the biceps, bring the dumbbell to the shoulder joint with a turn of the hand. We feel the contraction of the biceps at the “peak” );
- Biceps with barbell reverse grip 4 x 8-12 (Take the bar with a medium grip from above, clasping it tightly with your hand. Exhale: bend your elbows, lift the bar to your shoulders, using the biceps. Inhale: smoothly lower the bar onto your hips).
Massage
Massage can be used to prevent and combat sagging skin on the hands. It can be done either by a professional or by you yourself at home. The success of the procedure will depend on its regularity - at least 2-3 times a week.
Apply a special oil (massage oil, firming cream, etc.) to your palms or directly to the problem areas themselves, follow these steps:
- Patting - grab the muscles, causing shaking. Movements are fast and easy.
- Stroking is an intense, but at the same time light effect. Don't overdo your hands. The movements are fast and warming.
- Kneading with the phalanges of the fingers - Using circular movements, moving upward from the hand to the shoulder, thoroughly knead the entire arm.
Massage improves lymph outflow, thereby launching regeneration processes. The skin “rests” and is renewed, tightened.
A set of exercises on the horizontal bar and parallel bars
The complex for training without iron provides for the development of not only the muscles of the arms, but also the back, chest and shoulders. It will be impossible to isolate the work, but such exercises form the overall tone and shape of the upper shoulder girdle. Working with your own weight can develop muscles no worse than iron. But the number of repetitions should also remain small. As a weighting agent, you can hang additional weight from a special belt.
- Pull-ups on the bar with a wide grip 4 x 8 – 12;
- Pull-ups on the bar with a narrow grip 4 x 8 – 12;
- Pull-ups by the bar 4 x 8 – 12;
- Dips on parallel bars 4 x 8 – 12.
Basic Tips
When trying to get rid of flabby arms in a week, any girl and woman needs to take into account some points.
We recommend reading: how to tighten a sagging belly by doing fitness at home.
Best Workouts for Women: Good Exercises, Great Results
With small changes in your diet and adding exercises for beautiful arms to your fitness program, you will see tangible results very quickly. The time has come to finally get rid of the “wings” and bring your muscles to ideal condition so that everyone will envy you! An arm lift will take time, but it will be worth it.
How to pump up your arms at home without dumbbells and a horizontal bar
The arm muscles are the smallest of the major muscle groups. They are easier to train compared to larger ones. Leverage, fiber length, everything affects growth, and the shorter the fibers, the faster they will increase in volume.
Biceps and triceps need 1–2 days to recover. But it is often not worth training them. If attention is paid to larger muscle groups during training, then the growth of smaller ones is stimulated. In this case, you need an integrated approach to all muscles. After all, training your chest and back also develops your arms.
If you really look at the possibility of pumping up your arms at home without iron, you need to consider the anatomy of the exercises. For example, push-ups with different positions and arms and heights develop the triceps well, but the biceps are not included in the work. And muscle growth depends on the uniform and symmetrical development of antagonist muscles (biceps, triceps antagonist). Without iron, you won't load your muscles enough to stimulate growth. It is working to failure with a large weight and a small number of repetitions that can increase muscle volume. Therefore, for effective training at home, dumbbells and barbells are perfect, but you still have to purchase them.
Complex without iron
For those who do not have the opportunity to work out with dumbbells or go to the horizontal bars, we have prepared a set of exercises that will help pump up your biceps and triceps at home. You can build muscle without lifting dumbbells or barbells, although the gain will not be as significant, but your appearance will definitely improve.
Pumping up the triceps
Did you know that your triceps make up about 60% of your arm muscle volume? Simply put, this means that you need to start paying more attention to training your antagonist muscles.
Luckily, you can work your triceps at home.
Reverse push-ups
You can perform triceps push-ups from a bed, chair or bench by placing both hands behind your back at shoulder width. Extend your legs in front of you. Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows until a 90-degree angle is formed between your shoulder and forearm. Using the strength of your triceps, return yourself to the starting position.
walking crab
Sit on the floor with your hands behind your back and your knees bent. Lift your hips up so that the emphasis is only on your palms and legs. Start moving your arms and legs to move forward.
Forearms
Not pumping up your forearms while training your arms is a big mistake. The forearm muscles complement the overall musculature and allow you to do more in all biceps and triceps exercises.
Push-ups with outstretched arms
Lie on your stomach and extend your palms forward. Using your toes and palms, lift your entire body as high as you can before slowly returning to the floor.
Elbow push-ups
Start in a plank position, elbows shoulder-width apart, palms together. Press your palms firmly into the floor and lift your body up, maintaining a neutral, straight torso position.
Slowly lower to the starting position and repeat again.
Biceps
For a home biceps workout, we will climb the wall like rock climbers, only with our feet up.
Walking with your feet on the wall
Starting position - rest your hands on the floor against the wall, leaning your legs against the wall. Move your palms and walk along the wall until you reach an almost vertical position.
Angled push-ups
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a bed or chair with your feet flat on the floor. Bend your arms and lower your body until your chest touches the bench. Return your body back to the starting position.
Burning fat for relief
If you want to add volume to your arm muscles, then you definitely need to remove excess fat and add relief. This will visually make them more expressive and voluminous. For training at home, “shadow boxing” is perfect - the best option for training in the style of high-intensity training.
A fight with a shadow
Take a fighting stance and walk on your toes like a shadow. Perform intense strokes to get your heart pumping, which enhances fat burning. Perform the cycle alternating low and high intensity as in a regular cardio workout.
How to quickly build up arm muscles
Triceps and biceps develop quite quickly, but it takes time. In the first month, the muscles become toned and adapt to the load. You can see the results after the second month of training. For quality growth, it is necessary to provide the body with a balanced diet. For growth, you need to consume 3 - 4 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight, 3 - 4 grams of protein, 1 - 2 grams of fat (b-40%, y-40%, g-20% of the daily value). Distribute equal portions throughout the day, eat 5-6 times a day.
Remember! For muscle growth, hunger is the first enemy. Fasting triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, which breaks down muscles. Try to eat small meals every 3 hours that contain all the nutrients.
Train your arms no more than twice a week, considering that they are auxiliary muscles in back and chest training. At least two days should pass between hand workouts. Try to add more weight or more reps each workout. For example, in your last workout you lifted a 20 kg biceps barbell for 12 reps. Next time, try lifting a 25kg weight for 8 to 10 reps. So, progress each exercise as needed, but don't go to extreme weights. For speedy growth and recovery, be sure to stretch your muscles. To stretch the biceps: Stretch your arm out in front of you, palm facing up. With your other hand, pressing down on the palm of your straight arm, pull your wrist toward you, feeling the stretch in your biceps brachii muscle. To stretch the triceps: place your arm bent at the elbow behind your head. The elbow looks up, clasping it with the second hand, lightly pressing on top of the elbow joint, stretching the triceps muscle.
Important! Don't skip meals after training. Within 40 minutes, food rich in proteins and carbohydrates should arrive. You can add simple carbohydrates, such as flour, to this meal.
The rapid release of glucose and insulin into the blood will prevent the catabolic process (muscle breakdown). But do not include fatty foods in such a meal; fat can inhibit the absorption of protein, which builds new fiber. Therefore, a timely and correct diet will help muscles grow faster.
Don't forget about your feet
The only natural way to increase testosterone in your blood is to do leg exercises. Yeah, it sounds like bullshit “to pump up your arms, pump up your legs,” but unfortunately there is no choice.
Everything is simple here, 90% of testosterone is produced by our bells, and in order for them to produce it twice or three times more, it is necessary to ensure good blood saturation. I can list you 5-10 more reasons for developing a test from leg training, but the main one is saturation of the “right” place with blood.
Therefore, I repeat once again, if genetics are so-so, start by training your legs, your arms will grow much easier.