Armed & Dangerous

Posted by Mike Wheeler

Big arms, you gotta love em’.  

Peaked biceps…

Horseshoe triceps…

Full, round, cannon ball delts…

If there is a red-blooded man with an even an ounce of testosterone who doesn’t want a pair of thick, muscular arms, I haven’t met him yet.  

Although every man who trains wants them, few fulfill their potential to build jacked arms.  

But with the right approach to training you can be one of the “lucky” few.  Here’s how you do it:

1. Use LESS weight on curling exercises

If you’ve followed Renegade training methods for any length of time you know we’re all about getting strong, training heavy, and progressive overload.  But if you’re not executing exercises with textbook form, using heavy weights is doing more harm than good.  

A LOT of guys butcher curling exercises and inadvertently take tension off their biceps, which is exactly where they want it to be.  

Learn what good form is.  

Use less weight until you master execution.  

Then work on getting stronger over time. 

2. Don’t Ignore Your Triceps

Let’s face it; curling is fun, easier than a lot of other exercises (the way most guys do it), and you get to stare at yourself in the mirror while you do it.  So, most guys put a lot more energy into their bi’s than their tri’s.

Big mistake.  Your triceps actually make up more of the overall girth of your arm than your bi’s.  Developing them will make your arms noticeably bigger and make you stronger on all your pressing exercises.  

The triceps get a lot of stimulation during vertical and horizontal pressing.  That helps build the foundation of triceps strength and size. But to really make them pop, you should finish them off with some pump/bodybuilding style isolation work with reps in the 12-15 range.  You can even look at yourself in the mirror while you do it. 

3. Learn How to Do Lateral Raises

Lateral Raises are NOT an ego lift.  

Some of the biggest, strongest guys in the world rarely use more than 20-25 lbs. for this exercise.  

So, there’s no need for the average Joe to try to heave 30’s around.  Not only will you not build your shoulders but eventually you’ll end up with an injury.  

The shoulders respond well to a bit higher volume and longer time under tension.  Use weights you can handle with picture perfect form. Squeeze/contract your delts to initiate each rep, pause at the top for a 1 count and squeeze them even harder, and slowly lower the weight in 3-4 seconds.  Do 2-4 sets of anywhere from 10-15 reps and 30-45 seconds rest between sets.  

With the plethora of tools at your disposal, there’s really no excuse for walking around with a pair of noodle arms.  

The tips above will have you well on your way to a pair of jacked arms any man would envy.  If you want to learn how to do the same for every other body part and take your physique to the next level, join us in Renegade Strong today.