I feel kind of corny asking this kind of a question, especially since I’m a trainer, have a good awareness of my genetics (for someone with not so cut family members, I have pretty long muscle bellies…), etc. However, despite having a lean physique (around 9-10% bf), pretty chisled abdominals and legs, I feel like my arms (16" dia; I’m 5’6" btw) while thick and muscular, don’t have sufficient definition like the rest of my body.
I usually spend most of my arm time blasting away with heavy narrow barbell curls, heavy hammer curls, and heavy incline tricep extensions, but none of this seems to change the relaxed look of my bis/tris.
I’m working to bring my bodyfat down to 8%, but will this really make a noticeable difference in my arms considering the rest of my shows good definition?
I hope I’m not eaten up for such a seemingly silly question, and I know arms are always spoken about a lot, but perhaps not purely from the definition angle, as opposed to hypertrophy angle. Any individual experiments that resulted in better visual arm “cuts” would be great.
I used to threw in an arms day once a week.High rep moderate weight, lots of different grips. Good sized bi’s are nice, but for realy destructive looking arms, go for big tri’s.
Your bench will thank you.
This could be off base, but I’ll give you my thoughts. This just happens to be a place your body holds fat. So even though you are quite lean ( @9-10% bf) this is an area that is “soft.” Not really much you can do about it, except lose that additional bf. Is it worth it to have to live such a strict lifestyle to have cut arms is a decision you’ll have to make. You can’t spot reduce such an area so just learn to live with it and keep pumping.
sasquatch could be on to something with the idea of fat store areas. I know for myself I have been down to 7.2% bf at my lowest and I was shredded everywhere but I still carried visual fat on my lower abs and love handles. One can assume this is linked to genetics.
What do you mean by heavy training? Since heavy is relative, do you mean heavy for the average gymgoer or for you. If you can handle 12 reps with the weight, although it maybe more than everyone else is lifting, it means its not heavy for you.
Try dabbling in heavier training for the arms like in the 4-8 rep range. I think it was CT that said, lifting heavy will increase resting muscle tones. Not being toned in the misused sense of definition, but a more flexed rather than relaxed look…esentially making you look harder. Maybe give it a try.
-Matt
i find concentration curls in a moderate rep range work well for hardening the muscle…whatever gives you a pump is good but going slow on concentration curls w/ a squeeze at top for 8 to 10 reps 3 sets is pretty dang good…also I finish all my bicep workouts w/ a single rep exercize…essentially go into the chinup positions w/ palms facing your face, grip should be narrower than shoulder width, hold as long as you can…you should slowly fade to the point were your arms are fully extended…but that fade should be involuntary.
many thanks for the responses! i think the bf argument is most accurate; i’ll need to drop to about 7-8% bf before my arms get reasonably “shredded”; i store very little fat on my core, so hopefully it’s an achievable goal.
in terms of my intensity level, i usually play around the 8 rep range but interweave 3-4 rep sets as well. i do a good job at really feeling a strong, hard pump both for the bi’s and tri’s and do hit at various angels with different grips.
i really do think my genetics are such that i store fat in my arms. oh well.
Ok… here is a good way of increasing bicep definition.
When i do this at the gym i get a lot of questions, because the exercise uses little weight but is really nasty.
Open your right hand, look at your palm.
Bend your 4 fingers inward as if you wanted to touch the palm.
Where the fingers bend, thats where you are gonna place a 20-25 lb dumbell.
Now, sit down and lay your whole arm out on the cushioned pad used to do bicep curls (sorry! i dont know the name of this seat and pad at the gym).
Keep your palm facing the ceiling, and do some bicep curls.
Notice how ONLY your bicep is working? Bring it all the way up and squeeze!
This exercise is hard on the wrist but really kills the bicep…
Remember to keep the dumbell as far out towards the tip of your fingers as possible.
Good luck !!
He didn’t ask how to get bigger arms which is what all of your advice is geared towards. He asked how to increase bicep definition. There is only ONE way to increase bicep definition. Lower you body fat. That’s it.
I know well that one can only increase defenition in the arms through an overall reduction in bodyfat. Genetics play a role in where we lose fat first. I WAS suggesting that he try some heavier training to increase muscle tonus, which is a partial state of contraction in the muscles. In an article on T-Nation (I forget which and by what author), the author stated that heavier training will give the muscles a different look. Not necessarily making them larger, but “more flexed” so to speak.
-Matt
The article is CT’s “Pendulum Training” and the quote is
"Lifting heavy weights will also improve neural efficiency, which will help you recruit and stimulate more muscle fibers when you get back to bodybuilding training. It’ll also improve your resting muscle tonus. I know, I know I used the dreaded “T” word. But tonus is a real phenomenon that?s due to a partial activation of your muscles even at rest. This is improved by training methods focusing on the nervous system (such as heavy lifting and explosive lifting).
Lifting heavy will also build a lot of muscle mass by itself and give you a very dense look. All these things will allow you to reap greater rewards from your bodybuilding-type training."
I agree that all of these suggestions with concentration curls and specific exercises are pretty much unfounded and based on placebo effect. Stick with the basics.
-Matt
I remember reading Francis Benefato who was very ripped say that he thought he got better definition in some bodyparts when he avoided the pump for them-a) primarily training them heavy for 4-6 reps/set and trying to increase the unpumped size. He felt that extra subcutaneous water got stored around muscles that were chronically getting pumped up (high cortisol-whatever) I just remember he said that he didn’t pump up for a contest because he got spot subcutaneous water retention.
You might want to try the 7 days to super leanness article (I think that’s what its called) involving sodium and water loading and depletion. You basically increase sodium and water intake 200-300% for 4 days, and then cut back just below baseline.
I also think Yohimbe is supposed to selectively remove appendicular (arm and leg) fat. I never liked it but again, just thoughts.
Do you have much vascularity in the arms?
Also, I know it doesn’t sound scientific, but I thought maybe local ice massage might help.
I know well that one can only increase defenition in the arms through an overall reduction in bodyfat. Genetics play a role in where we lose fat first. I WAS suggesting that he try some heavier training to increase muscle tonus, which is a partial state of contraction in the muscles. In an article on T-Nation (I forget which and by what author), the author stated that heavier training will give the muscles a different look. Not necessarily making them larger, but “more flexed” so to speak.
The article is CT’s “Pendulum Training” and the quote is
"Lifting heavy weights will also improve neural efficiency, which will help you recruit and stimulate more muscle fibers when you get back to bodybuilding training. It’ll also improve your resting muscle tonus. I know, I know I used the dreaded “T” word. But tonus is a real phenomenon that?s due to a partial activation of your muscles even at rest. This is improved by training methods focusing on the nervous system (such as heavy lifting and explosive lifting).
Lifting heavy will also build a lot of muscle mass by itself and give you a very dense look. All these things will allow you to reap greater rewards from your bodybuilding-type training."
I agree that all of these suggestions with concentration curls and specific exercises are pretty much unfounded and based on placebo effect. Stick with the basics.
-Matt
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I’ve read the same article. I read every article. Is CT on to something with “lifting heavy weights will affect muscle tonus”? Possibly. Just so you know I don’t always buy everything I read from the authors of T-Mag hook, line, and sinker. I read everything on the site, investigate other sources, apply the knowledge, and use common sense to decide what I think is core (i.e. what is really going to make a difference in my training) and what is context (i.e. what isn’t going to have much impact).
The guy was asking how he can gain more definition in his arms. The 95% solution to that problem is to lose more bodyfat. Following this suggestion will make a visual impact fairly quickly. The 5% (or less) solution you suggested was to do heavy arm training. After years of training this may have some visual effect but will contribute very little to arm definition. You also made this suggestion without also mentioning that he should further reduce bodyfat (aka the 95% solution).
Just so you don’t misunderstand me. I agree everyone that wants larger, denser arms should do heavy arm training. But to obtain more “arm definition” lose enough bodyfat and you will have achieved the desired outcome.