How to pump up your arms in a month: a training program for quick results

Author of the article

Andrey Belozertsev

Drawing up programs for effective muscle mass gain.

A beautiful body and strong arms are the result of systematic painstaking work on yourself.

With maximum effort, noticeable improvements can be achieved in just 30 days.

In this article, we’ll look at how to pump up your arms in a month, paying attention to your biceps and triceps.

We will analyze in detail the principles of proper training and describe in detail the most effective exercises.

Basic program for 4 weeks

Developed arm muscles can be achieved in the shortest possible time if you adhere to systematic and comprehensive training.

Comprehensive program for hands

Training biceps in isolation is ineffective. When selecting exercises, be sure to use your chest and back.

Complex program for biceps + pectoral muscles (set/repetition):

4/12 – bench press from a lying position;
3/15 – lying dumbbell lift;
4/12 – barbell back press on a bench;
3/15 – hand abduction in the simulator;
3/10 – lifting the barbell with emphasis on the biceps;
3/15 – isolated seated dumbbell lift;
20 min – light jogging.

Triceps and back workout:

4/10 – pull-ups;
3/15 – chest pull of the upper block;
3/15 – thrust to the waist of the lower block;
4/10 – close grip bench press;
20 minutes – light jogging.

Super set for biceps and triceps

A super set is a sequential performance of 2 or more strength exercises, between which there is a maximum of a minute of rest.

If the choice fell on super sets, the exercise is performed in 3 sets and 10 repetitions for each set.

This way, an athlete can “shock” his muscles with a new volume of load and overcome the “plateau effect” in muscle growth.

Super set for hands:

arm curls while standing in a machine;
from a lying position, bench press with a narrow grip;
curling arms with dumbbells in a sitting position on a bench;
extension of the arms in the block.

The sequence of sets can be changed or supplemented with other effective exercises.

Exercises without weights

You can pump up your arms at home using your body weight, without using additional weights.

Arm workout without weights:

“Diamond” or diamond push-ups with a narrow grip. Place your palms on the floor so that the thumbs and index fingers of both hands touch each other. A triangle is formed between the fingers, which is called a diamond. The elbows are pressed as closely as possible to the body. Lower yourself until your chest touches the outer sides of your palms.
Bench push-ups. Starting position - arms and legs stand on opposite chairs, and the body balances between them. The chest is pushed forward and the back remains straight. Lower yourself until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Straighten up and repeat everything again.
Extension. Stand near a wall, placing your hands on it at a distance of 15 cm from each other. Place your feet 1 m from the wall. Maintain tension throughout your entire body so that it maintains the appearance of a straight line. Bend only your elbows, lower your whole body closer to the wall so that your head drops slightly below your hands. The elbows perform only flexion-extension movements.
Reverse grip pull-up. Use a close grip to hold the bar with both hands, with your palms facing you. Keep your core and buttocks tense. Bring your shoulder blades together and smoothly pull them down. As soon as your chin is above the bar, lower yourself back.
Horizontal type of pull-up. Lie on the floor under the bar, grab it so that your palms are turned away from you. Tighten your torso and stretch until your chest touches the bar. Go down.

Pumping up your arms at home

To have pumped up, sculpted arms, you don’t have to go to the gym. If you have standard weights at home, you can do all the necessary exercises at home.

To do this, you need to have sports equipment such as a barbell, a set of dumbbells, and a horizontal bar. All exercises performed with these equipment are simple and do not require any special effort. To make it interesting to practice even alone, the training can be performed to your favorite music.

Igor May 4, 2016

Exercises with weights

Weights promote muscle growth. We present the best examples of exercises that will help you pump up your arms effectively in 30 days.

The best exercises with weights:

Dumbbell row in an inclined position. Rest your hand and knee on the bench. Keep your back straight. Reach the projectile to waist height. Then lower until the joint is fully extended.
Lifting the barbell. Grasp the bar with a wide grip downwards. Bend your knees and bring your shoulders closer to your body. Using your biceps, pull the barbell to the top peak of the joint, hold for 1-2 seconds, then lower back. You should roll so many pancakes so that the lifting is carried out without rocking.
French press from a prone position. Lower yourself onto a bench with the barbell positioned above your chest. Grasp it. Bend your elbows so that your shoulders do not move forward or backward. Fix and return the projectile back up.
Arnold press. Keep your arms with dumbbells down, palms facing forward. Bend your elbows while moving through your chest. Turn your palms forward and move the dumbbells above your head. Take your time, go back and repeat everything from the beginning.
Reverse wide grip barbell presses. The projectile is pressed against the body with straight, lowered arms. The biceps pulls the projectile to the chest. At the highest peak, a fixation occurs for 1 second. The weight is then lowered into full elbow extension.
Scott Bench Curls with Dumbbells. Place your hand with a dumbbell on a Scott bench at a 75-degree angle. Slowly raise your hand towards your face. Stay in the peak for 1 second and return your hand back.
Swing forward. Hold dumbbells in your hands facing your body. Raise your arms with the weights parallel to the floor and 5 seconds. hold this position. Repeat the action with the second hand.

Calm down

Your success will largely depend on your recovery. The first thing to ensure is adequate sleep. Eight hours a day is a must, but an afternoon nap is even better. If you can't go to the gym, don't think about it. Thinking about your hands 24/7 will only burn you up inside and hinder your progress.

Help yourself recover: this could be a massage, a steam bath, a sauna, a walk with a girl in the fresh air and a fun get-together with a group of like-minded friends.

Training intensity

To pump up your arms, it is not enough just to do this or that exercise.

There are a number of principles that influence the intensity of the lesson:

Regeneration of triceps and biceps occurs in 36-48 hours, so you should train every other day.
The triceps muscle provides 70% of the volume of the shoulders, so to pump up your arms you can’t focus only on the biceps.
The girth of the arms grows only after the total body weight increases, that is, to increase the limbs, a “base” is needed.
Multi-joint exercises stimulate the production of testosterone, which has a positive effect on muscle growth.
Working only with dumbbells will lead to disharmonious pumping of the arms. For beginners, parallel bars, a barbell and a horizontal bar are suitable.
The growth of biceps volume is limited by the growth of the antagonist - triceps.
Good muscle building with high-repetition exercises is necessary.
For the arms, the negative phase of the exercise is much more productive than the positive one.
Muscles soon adapt to the volume of loads, so you should periodically change your training program.
Nausea and cramping of the biceps muscle when trying to bend the arm are criteria for normal biceps tension.
There are no completely isolated loads on the biceps that would not involve other muscles.
It is necessary to observe progression in loads. This means that with each training day you need to try to increase the working weights, the number of repetitions or approaches.
Attention to pumping the hands and forearms. These zones are the most deprived in terms of loads. The hand and forearm are strengthened with exciting exercises or a wrist expander.
The importance of warming up. The shoulder and elbow joints are quite fragile. If they remain “cold” while performing exercises, there is a high risk of injury. A warm-up of 5-10 minutes is required. The training should be completed with a cool-down.
Technique is no less important than weights. Mistakes in performing exercises can cost a person’s health.

What is biceps?

The biceps is the biceps muscle of the arm located on the shoulder. It is quite large and very noticeable under the skin.

Muscles perform a very important function for the human body. It allows the shoulder to flex at the shoulder joint and the forearm to flex at the elbow joint.

The biceps is the most popular muscle among bodybuilders, who are constantly trying to increase its size through intense training and work.

The results of many athletes are simply amazing.

Nutrition for muscle growth

If you combine work in the gym and the right diet, you can expect the volume of muscles in your arms to grow 2 times faster.

Products for gaining muscle mass

A balanced diet supplies the body with nutritional supplements, vitamins and minerals that promote muscle growth.

The most valuable foods for an athlete are those containing protein:

Fish – salmon, tuna. These types of fish contain fatty acids and other components involved in the absorption of protein foods. Milk and fermented milk products. Contains vitamin D and calcium. They are necessary not only for muscle growth, but also for bone development.
Homemade or full-fat (over 3.2%) milk reduces muscle pain after intense exercise.
Egg white. It contains vitamins E, A, D and valuable natural protein.
Low-fat meat. It is better to opt for veal, turkey, and chicken breast. Poultry meat contains 50% protein. It is important to consume it boiled without skin.
Beans and cereals are “slow carbohydrates”, amino acids and protein. Don't be afraid of carbohydrates, as they are a source of vigor and strength. Intensive training is not effective without energy.
Vegetables and fruits. They contain important vitamins and fiber. The most popular among athletes are: green apples, grapefruits, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce and cabbage.
Spices. Ginger is a fat burner, turmeric warms up the body, and soy sauce can easily replace salt.
Seeds and nuts - restore the lack of essential fat and vitamin E.
Dark chocolate produces the hormone endorphin in the body, which is also called the hormone of happiness.

Menu for gaining muscle mass

By correctly arranging the products, you can develop an optimal menu for yourself that will be tasty and very beneficial for the body, as well as for the growth of muscle mass.

Approximate diet:

Breakfast. A glass of oatmeal is steamed with boiling water, 1 apple and a handful of crushed nuts are added to it.
Meals at lunch. Meat steak, steamed zucchini/eggplant, 200 g buckwheat or baked potato.
For dinner. Steak (150 g) steamed fish + egg salad with spinach, 150 g low-fat cottage cheese.
Snack before training. Live yogurt with fruits and berries + toast with jam + a couple of slices of marmalade + fitness bars with dried fruits.
Snack after training. Seafood salad, curd cream, 200 g chocolate milk.

You can build beautiful and sculpted arms in a month by following the principles of a balanced diet, working out the muscles with complex exercises with and without weights.

Beginners should pay attention to simple programs, and advanced athletes are recommended to train with intense super sets.

Eat well and fully

You are not a girl in adolescence, so your meals should be hearty. There is no point in increasing the size of your arms if your overall weight does not change. Eat 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, 3-4 grams of carbohydrates and 0.5 grams of fat.

Stick to this diet for 5 days and then change it up for 2 days by cutting your carbs to 1g per pound of body weight and doubling your fat intake.

As a rule, for every extra centimeter you gain on your arms, you need to gain 2 kg of muscle mass

This will ensure that you don't develop insulin resistance, which will keep your body stressed. People with poor carbohydrate tolerance (you know if this applies to you) can follow a diet that is 5 days low carb and 2 days high carb.

At the same time, high protein intake is maintained. In terms of fluids, you should consume a liter of water for every 20 kg of body weight per day, so an 80 kg athlete will need about 4 liters of water per day.

If your workouts are in hot, humid areas, drink more fluids during your workout. Study the site for more information about the principles of nutrition for weight and do your own experiments.