We all can appreciate and desire sculpted arms, but we also often overcomplicate the matter. Implement some or all of these strategies and let the arms “gains” begin!
1. You're not training them enough. Contrarily, you may be training them too much.
2. Your body fat may be too high. There’s muscle there, but body fat is masking your hard-earned results.
3. Are you implementing progressive overload? What you don’t measure, usually doesn’t change. Are you increasing the weights, reps, intensity? You must progressively increase the load factors to optimize results.
4. Focus on compound movements. Most people just starting out often benefit most from compound lifts. Isolation movements certainly have their place, but typically can be saved for intermediate or advanced lifters who are focused on detail and various angles.
5. Are you eating enough protein? How many of you know that muscle recovery can often be more important to the outcome than the actual training or stimulus applied? If you can’t recover from that arm workout, your muscle fibers are going to adapt and grow the way you want. Try increasing your lean protein consumption based on goals and lean body mass.
6. Lastly, don’t forget about those triceps! The biceps often get all the attention as the show stoppers, but if arm mass/size is your desire, don’t forget that our triceps are actually the bigger muscle. Don’t neglect your tricep training and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can add inches to your arms.
– By Amy Jo Palmquest, a NUTRISHOP® store owner/spokesperson, an ACE-certified personal trainer with a degree in exercise science and nutrition, a wife and mother of three. Learn more at AmyJoPalmquest.com.
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