Most people recognize a bodybuilder by his muscular arms. The arms are usually the first muscle people notice. If your arms are developed then you have a good start on your bodybuilding career.
The main muscles of the upper arms are the bicep and tricep. Let’s first talk about the bicep.
The bicep is a two headed muscle, having two tendons of origin and a single tendon of insertion. It is primarily a muscle of the elbow joint. The two heads of the bicep converge to a common tendon of insertion. They have a common action at the elbow joint.
The tricep is a three-head muscle, the long head, the lateral head, and the medial head. The tricep is two-thirds of the upper arm and should be worked as hard as the bicep. It takes complete balance of the tricep and bicep to make an impressive arm.
Complete arm development has to have a good forearm. The forearm pronates and supernates(sic), which means turns right and left. It also flexes and extends, which means up and down.
There are many exercises that can be done to work the arms. No one exercise can build a muscle to its fullest. While working the bicep you have to make sure you’re working both heads of the bicep, and while working the tricep you have to make sure you’re working all three heads. It takes months to find the right arm program for you. A bodybuilder should try many different exercises to see which is best for him. I’ve been on the same arm program for three years and my arms always seem to get better in shape. The most important thing in working any body part is consistency. You can’t give up after three months. I’ve won fifteen best arm trophies and have won best arms in two Sr. Mr. U.S.A. contests.
Many people ask me who has the best arms in bodybuilding. I would have to say Arnold Schwarzenegger, Boyer Coe, Rick Wayne, Dave Draper, Doug Beaver, and don’t forget, Pat Neve.
Here is my arm program, I hope you will find success in this routine.
I superset bicep and triceps every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Incline Curls with DB, 4 sets, 8 reps
Super set with:
DB French Press, 4 sets, 8 repsnext:
BB Curl, 4 sets, 10 reps
Superset with:
Lying Tricep Ext., 4 sets, 10 repsnext:
Preacher Bench Curl with BB, 5 sets, 15 reps
Superset with:
Tricep Pushdowns, 5 sets, 10 repsReverse Curls with BB for forearms, 5 sets, 15 reps.
I try to do all my exercises strict and slow, with a lot of mental concentration. Also remember, it’s not how big your arms tape, it’s how it looks that counts, for that best
arms trophy.
Get your rest, and eat good food, and you should get the reward you want � GOOD ARMS!
I saw Pat Neve take third at the 1975 Mr. America. Very impressive he was and could easily have been crowned the winner. I can recall his being quoted in one of the muscle mags (probably Iron Man) as saying, “If you don’t dread your workout, you’re not training hard enough”–very profound, I thought.
Haha wow he didn’t mince words with that quote! I think Pat was incredibly underrated during and after his career