'I Only Want My Arms to Get Big'

Is that the mindset for most guys in the gym whose workout is:

Standing BB Curl: 3x8
Preacher Curl: 3x8
Hammer Curl: 3x8

Tricep Pushdown: 3x8
Skull Crushers: 3x8

DONE.

I mean, I know i use to be somewhat like this just focused on my arms and chest but I mean, come on, I know training is all relative but do they want to look like freaks?

Some people follow a bodybuilding-style split that usually dedicates one day of the week to arms.

Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Shoulders
Friday - Arms
Saturday - Traps, Abs, Calves

Splits vary greatly but the point remains that it’s pretty common for people to do just one body part a day.

However, I do know some tiny dudes who just meet at the gym and ask each other “What do ya want to train today?” Since they have no planned weekly split and they know nothing about lifting, they usually switch between chest, arm, and shoulder workouts. Occasionally they’ll do some Lat-Pulldowns or Smith-Machine Squats. Anything you hear these people say in the gym is usually wrong.

if i do back and legs to close my lower back is to tired out to get heavy squats.
chest
back
shoulders
legs
arms
weekend have fun and maybe a little gym time

[quote]Novitennis88 wrote:
Is that the mindset for most guys in the gym whose workout is:

Standing BB Curl: 3x8
Preacher Curl: 3x8
Hammer Curl: 3x8

Tricep Pushdown: 3x8
Skull Crushers: 3x8

DONE.

I mean, I know i use to be somewhat like this just focused on my arms and chest but I mean, come on, I know training is all relative but do they want to look like freaks?

[/quote]

Some days I just train biceps and leave. I hope no one is judging my entire training strategy off of what they see in only one workout.

That’s all I ever see at my gym…arms and chest. Either that’s all they’re doing or they’re doing the other parts in another gym. The rarest thing to see at my gym is someone working out their legs.

[quote]Digity wrote:
That’s all I ever see at my gym…arms and chest. Either that’s all they’re doing or they’re doing the other parts in another gym. The rarest thing to see at my gym is someone working out their legs.[/quote]

I hardly see anyone working legs at all. My “fitness centre”/gym has only one squat rack, and it’s usually occupied by someone doing curls or shrugs.

[quote]Nick21 wrote:
Digity wrote:
That’s all I ever see at my gym…arms and chest. Either that’s all they’re doing or they’re doing the other parts in another gym. The rarest thing to see at my gym is someone working out their legs.

I hardly see anyone working legs at all. My “fitness centre”/gym has only one squat rack, and it’s usually occupied by someone doing curls or shrugs.[/quote]

Don’t Hate on Shrugs.

im not boasting(still nwb), but i find that my arms get plenty of work just doing rows, bench, push press, cleans, 1 arm deads and pullups/chins

I 100% agree with Caveman. I used to do the typical bodybuilder split and seemed to spend forever on arms. Nothing against the people that still do that, but I have found I get just as good of an arm workout when I do multijoint lifts such as rows or bench, etc. Plus it is a big time saver if you only have so long to lift.

[quote]RhodyLift916 wrote:
I 100% agree with Caveman. I used to do the typical bodybuilder split and seemed to spend forever on arms. Nothing against the people that still do that, but I have found I get just as good of an arm workout when I do multijoint lifts such as rows or bench, etc. Plus it is a big time saver if you only have so long to lift.[/quote]

How big are your arms?

[quote]Professor X wrote:
RhodyLift916 wrote:
I 100% agree with Caveman. I used to do the typical bodybuilder split and seemed to spend forever on arms. Nothing against the people that still do that, but I have found I get just as good of an arm workout when I do multijoint lifts such as rows or bench, etc. Plus it is a big time saver if you only have so long to lift.

How big are your arms?[/quote]

check… I never understood the stigma on this site that people who only work their arms on a certain day or even curl don’t know what they’re doing.

To the OP , stop worrying so much what other people are doing in the gym, and focus on yourself.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Novitennis88 wrote:
Is that the mindset for most guys in the gym whose workout is:

Standing BB Curl: 3x8
Preacher Curl: 3x8
Hammer Curl: 3x8

Tricep Pushdown: 3x8
Skull Crushers: 3x8

DONE.

I mean, I know i use to be somewhat like this just focused on my arms and chest but I mean, come on, I know training is all relative but do they want to look like freaks?

Some days I just train biceps and leave. I hope no one is judging my entire training strategy off of what they see in only one workout.

[/quote]

I learned in my college gym that you can’t do that. There was one dude who used to come in, do One arm dumbell benches on a swiss ball (using 110’s), do some front squats, and be gone.

It never quite made sense to me, but he was one of the larger guys at the gym, and you really have no idea what they’re doing on the days you don’t see’em.

Judging anyone in the gym is a waste of time. I just used to lift and get the fuck out. Let others do what they want, as long as they’re not shaking my monkey tree, I’m fine.

[quote]RhodyLift916 wrote:
I 100% agree with Caveman. I used to do the typical bodybuilder split and seemed to spend forever on arms. Nothing against the people that still do that, but I have found I get just as good of an arm workout when I do multijoint lifts such as rows or bench, etc. Plus it is a big time saver if you only have so long to lift.[/quote]

I use mostly compound exercises and I swear by them. However I do believe that’s a goofy ass myth about how rows make your arms bigger than curls.

They’re probably better if you’re looking to enhance your skills in athletic endeavors, and if your short on time, then absolutely do the big shit and leave the curls out. But lets not pretend that most folks can get decent size arms just from doing rows and bench.

When I started doing tons of martial arts, I lost about a quarter inch on my arms in a month, even though I was still lifting twice a week (compounds only). Sure nough, I got pissed off and started throwing in curls at the ends of my workouts, and my arms are back to where they were.

If you’re looking for any kind of aesthetics, you gotta do curls and tricep work.

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Novitennis88 wrote:
Is that the mindset for most guys in the gym whose workout is:

Standing BB Curl: 3x8
Preacher Curl: 3x8
Hammer Curl: 3x8

Tricep Pushdown: 3x8
Skull Crushers: 3x8

DONE.

I mean, I know i use to be somewhat like this just focused on my arms and chest but I mean, come on, I know training is all relative but do they want to look like freaks?

Some days I just train biceps and leave. I hope no one is judging my entire training strategy off of what they see in only one workout.

I learned in my college gym that you can’t do that. There was one dude who used to come in, do One arm dumbell benches on a swiss ball (using 110’s), do some front squats, and be gone.

It never quite made sense to me, but he was one of the larger guys at the gym, and you really have no idea what they’re doing on the days you don’t see’em.

Judging anyone in the gym is a waste of time. I just used to lift and get the fuck out. Let others do what they want, as long as they’re not shaking my monkey tree, I’m fine.[/quote]

I usually train at two different gyms. I also only train legs at one of them. This means there must be some kid telling others that I never train legs.

If you want big arms, train them directly and begin taking advice (now I realize this may shock a few of you) from people WITH big arms.

No one is downplaying compound movements, but if you are still under the impression that “indirect work” is all that is needed for optimal development, some of you need to quit reading whatever source gave you that idea.

Is this the point where newbies act as if I am talking about “any growth at all”?

my arms are sneaking up on 18 inches and i only do direct tricep work 3-4 heavy sets per week and curl once a month or so. I do chins or rows almost everyworkout though. I dont do a bodybuilder split.

agh, i werent saying that curls are shit, just my experinces, i personally like reverse curls, yet i just havnt put them in my program specifically, i seem to be gettin my head bitten off withevery post i make

my arms are 14.5 inch and it pisses me off its the only part of my body that isnt getting bigger, i do west side for skinny bastards but now im adding in extra days where i just work out my arms because i really just want to hit 15-16 inch, if i can reach that my life will be complete lol

[quote]rander wrote:
my arms are sneaking up on 18 inches and i only do direct tricep work 3-4 heavy sets per week and curl once a month or so. I do chins or rows almost everyworkout though. I dont do a bodybuilder split. [/quote]

Yeah, theres more than one way to get bigger, no one doubts that.

Squating and deadlifting involve calves, but my calves are still small as hell.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
If you want big arms, train them directly and begin taking advice (now I realize this may shock a few of you) from people WITH big arms.
[/quote]

Why is this have to be true, you can get big arms just doing curls 3 times a week if you do it for 10 years anyone can do it doesn’t mean its the right way to do it. People can get big in many ways, you should experiment with a lot of different ways and see what works best for you.

[quote]shizen wrote:
Professor X wrote:
If you want big arms, train them directly and begin taking advice (now I realize this may shock a few of you) from people WITH big arms.

Why is this have to be true, you can get big arms just doing curls 3 times a week if you do it for 10 years anyone can do it doesn’t mean its the right way to do it. People can get big in many ways, you should experiment with a lot of different ways and see what works best for you. [/quote]

Why is this have to be true?

I’m sorry, are you saying there are people with huge arms who ONLY train their arms 3 times a week and nothing else? Are you making a claim that you will build your arms to their greatest potential by never doing any direct work for them?

Are you saying I should listen to someone with 14" arms as they tell me how to build big arms?

What the hell are you saying exactly?

I wrote this:

Which you conveniently left out of your quote so you could nitpick.

Unless you are about to claim you WILL build your arms to their greatest natural potential by avoiding all direct work for them and that this is how those with a goal of big arms should approach their training, why are you even responding?