Want to put size on your arms? Other than working on your triceps, start doing more chin-ups (palms facing you) and pull-ups (palms facing away from you) and less bicep curls.
Too many people spend too much time doing endless number of curls. Biggest mistake ever. Isolation exercises like dumbbell curls or cable curls don’t stimulate your bicep muscles as much as compound movements like chin-ups do.
A lot of people look at bodyweight exercises as something for beginners. That’s just absurd. Think about it this way — what’s more impressive, curling a 25, 30, or even 50 pound dumbbell or lifting your bodyweight (assuming you weigh over 100lbs) over and over again against the force of gravity? C’mon now.
Because the chin-up is a compound exercise, it doesn’t just develop your arms. Your upper back, lats, rhomboids, forearms, and even abs all come into play when performing chin-ups. It’s a no-brainer as to why it’s one of the best exercises you can ever do, and all you need is your body and a pull-up bar.
I wouldn’t say that I have the biggest arms or back, but I can attribute their growth with all the chin-ups and pull-ups I’ve done over the years. It has become one of my all-time favorite exercises, and because of that I am now able to perform them with added weight. Over 50% of my weight in fact.
In the clip, I tried to go for 5 reps but only managed to get 4. Oh well, maybe next time.
Should you stop doing bicep curls forever then? Not at all. They’re great… but only if you have a foundation already. If you aren’t happy about the strength and size of your arms, then it’s time to ditch the bicep curls and start doing more chin-ups.
looks easy!
Dan, these were chin-ups that were intentionally done with a bicep-focus. For lats, pull-ups are the way to go like you said. Just not as heavy of a weight attached though haha
And for those who aren’t sure of the difference…
chin-ups = underhand grip
pull-ups = overhand grip
Dan, I rarely do any isolation arm exercises. Like you, my back day usually takes care of the arm work.
What if you can’t do a chin-up yet? Are there any good alternatives to work your way there?
Great post & great web site Von …you are officially my new favorite trainer at X-Sport
@Dmarkette Ha thanks man!