Massive upper arms in 31 days

No, I'm not kidding!

You can build significantly bigger arms in just 31 days!

How much bigger?

Well, that depends on a lot of factors. You weren't able to choose your parents, so you have to live with your genetic predispositions. You may have good muscle building potential, or you may have average (or even below average) potential like the rest of us.

If you've been training for a while and you're the proverbial "easy gainer" who has good genetics, then you probably won't be reading this article. If you're an easy gainer, then pretty much anything will work for you when it comes to building bigger muscles (I've always hated those guys).

If you're like the rest of us, you've had to sweat blood and water for every gram of muscle you've built. Don't feel bad about it, you're not alone!

But back to my original question: how much can you increase the size of your upper arms in 31 days?

If you follow the right arm specialization program and do everything else right (nutrition, recovery, supplements, etc.), then I think it can be possible for a person with an average genetic predisposition to gain 2.5 centimeters in arm circumference.

Can I guarantee that?

No, it could be more, but it could also be less. But even 1 centimeter more arm circumference can be quite an impressive change in your body.

How do we start?

First, if you're following any kind of specialization program, you need to reduce the volume and frequency of training for the rest of your body. While you're focusing on your arms, you just want to maintain the rest of your muscle mass. We will be pushing your recovery ability hard with more frequent training for the arms combined with increased volume and intensity, so you need to somehow maintain that critical balance in terms of your recovery ability.

Here is a basic training program to follow during the 31 days (this program does not include arm training. We'll cover that in more detail in a moment):

Monday & Friday

Squats	3 sets	8 to 12 repetitions
Bench press	3 sets	6 to 10 repetitions
Pull-ups	3 sets	8 to 12 repetitions
Dumbbell shoulder press sitting	2 sets	8 to 12 repetitions
Standing calf raises	2 sets	12 to 20 repetitions

The first thing most people will think is that this program is quite basic and simple. This is absolutely true! As I mentioned earlier, we are simply trying to maintain our body development while focusing on arm development.

If you've been training at a significantly higher volume for some time and your gains have stagnated, then you may well even see strength or mass gains in one muscle group or another.

That's great! It's probably a sign that you've been overtraining and not giving your body enough recovery time to make gains. This shortened program will also give your body a chance to recover and overcompensate, causing muscle growth.

A few notes on the above program:

• Don't go to absolute muscle failure on every set. Your last repetition should be quite hard, but not lead to muscle failure. You should be physically able to perform one more repetition if you go to muscle failure.
• Use the same weight for all sets of an exercise. Let's take squats as an example. If you can do 12 reps on all 3 sets, then it's time to increase the weight. If you can do 12 repetitions on the first set, 10 repetitions on the second set and 8 repetitions on the third set, then stick with the same weight for the next training session.
• If you notice that your strength increases during the 31 day arm specialization program with these exercises, then definitely increase the weight.
• Rest only 90 to 120 seconds between sets

Arm Specialization

Now comes the fun part. We're going to start your new 31 day arm training program.

You will train your arms three days a week. I would recommend Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

On Monday you will train your arms following the full body workout described above.

Here is your plan of attack for Monday:

Monday Arm Specialization

Standing dumbbell curls (in superset with...)	5 sets	12 to 15 repetitions
Dumbbell tricep presses sitting	5 sets	12 to 15 repetitions

A few guidelines:

• The seated dumbbell press is performed with a dumbbell that you hold with both hands on one side and the plate and lower behind your head while your elbows continue to point towards the ceiling.
• Depending on what you prefer, the standing dumbbell curls can either be performed alternately or both dumbbells can be moved upwards at the same time. Personally, I prefer to do them alternately as I feel I can concentrate better on the muscle I am working and direct more contractile force to it.
• These two exercises are performed as a superset. First perform a set of standing dumbbell curls and then immediately follow this with a set of seated dumbbell presses. This is counted as a superset.
• Never perform less than 12 repetitions of these exercises. If you need to reduce the weight on the last sets to reach 12 reps, then do so.
• Don't go to absolute muscle failure on every set. Your last repetition should be quite heavy, but not lead to muscle failure. You should be physically able to perform one more repetition if you were to go to muscle failure.
• Rest only 45 to 60 seconds between each superset.

Wednesday arm specialization

Standing barbell curls	5 sets	5 to 8 repetitions
Horizontal tricep presses with a SZ bar	5 sets	6 to 8 repetitions

Some guidelines:

• This is your "heavy" day. Try to use as much weight as possible while still maintaining good exercise execution form. It's okay to fudge a little on the last repetition.
• The rests between sets will be longer than during Monday's training session. Rest as long as necessary to build up your strength so that you can give it your all in the next set.
• Every Wednesday, try to use a little more weight than you used in the previous week's training session

Friday arm specialization

Barbell or dumbbell Scott curls	3 sets	8 to 12 repetitions
Tricep presses on the cable pulley	3 sets	8 to 12 repetitions

Some guidelines:

• For the Scott curls, you can use a barbell or dumbbells depending on your personal preference.
• These sets are all performed to temporary muscle failure. In other words, this means that you continue until you are no longer physically able to complete a repetition with good form.
• Rest only 90 seconds between sets.
• On Friday, do your arm workout before the rest of your body workout.

Nutrition

I've said it before and I'll say it again. You will never make any significant gains unless you eat plenty of high quality food with an emphasis on protein...preferably 4.5 grams of complete protein per kilogram of body weight.

What is a complete protein? A complete protein is a protein source that contains all the essential amino acids your body needs to support growth. These sources are: red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. Other foods such as beans and nuts also contain protein, but these are not complete proteins. These proteins do not contain all the essential amino acids - or only small amounts of certain essential amino acids - needed to support growth, so you should not rely on these protein sources to meet your protein needs. Just eat plenty of whole foods and try to avoid sugary junk food - although a little here and there won't hurt.

If you're following a specialization program and trying to build as much arm circumference as possible in 31 days, then I wouldn't worry if this comes with gaining a few pounds of fat. It is almost impossible to build significant muscle mass without some fat gain.

Below you will find an example of the type of diet you should follow to build some good muscle mass. Diet is very important. Both myself and my clients couldn't build muscle mass until we started eating a very large amount of protein. It makes a big difference. I don't expect you to jump right in and eat all of this on the first day. I want you to eat progressively (just like you train progressively) and try to eat a little more each week.

You don't necessarily have to use protein powder. You can just drink milk or use milk powder. A protein drink can be mixed with milk powder instead of commercially available protein powder.

Breakfast

• 250 grams of meat
• 3 eggs
• 2 slices of wheat toast
• Milk or protein shake

Snack

• 250 gram cottage cheese
• fruit
• Milk or protein shake

Lunch

• Tuna sandwich (180 grams of tuna)
• 250 grams of cottage cheese
• salad
• Milk or protein shake

Snack

• Cheese sandwich with 60 grams of cheese
• Milk or protein shake

Dinner

• 250 grams of chicken
• One large baked potato
• Boiled vegetables
• salad
• Milk or protein shake

Snack

• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• fruit
• Milk or protein shake

This type of diet is also very convenient as most of these foods can be prepared at home and taken to work in a food storage container.

I have learned a secret that many successful bodybuilders know and use - a positive nitrogen balance for muscle growth. A positive nitrogen balance means that there is always complete protein (protein is the only nutrient that contains nitrogen) in the bloodstream for growth and repair. The secret is to never let more than three hours go by without consuming high quality, complete protein. Consistently sipping a protein shake throughout the day should accomplish this.

Conclusion

I'm sure that if you follow this program and strive to continually increase your training weights while eating plenty of good food, you can't help but make gains.

I wish you success in your training and hope that over the next 31 days you manage to gain the magic 2.5 centimeters on your arms.

From Doberman Dan