Stick to Compound Exercises for Mass
January 7, 2008
If you are skinny, and you want to gain muscles, stop reading musclehead magazines that tell you to do 3 sets of dumbell curls and 3 sets of wrist curls to get 20″ arms. My arms didn’t become 16″ from doing any bicep curls or tricep kickbacks (don’t accuse me of having “great” genetics because my arms used to be sticks like 9-10″). My arms get a great workout from doing compound exercises such as close-grip bench press and pull-up. You never see skinny 120 lb guys in the gym with 20″ arms from doing bicep and tricep workouts 3-4 times per week.
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What I’m about to say is a stereotype of a typical skinny guy who wants to gain muscles: Either joins the gym or buys a pair of light dumbells. Does couple sets of dumbell curls, and finishes workout. Doesn’t eat or drink anything for post-workout nutrition, but maybe a soda and some potato chips. He then goes up to the mirror and flexes his biceps. After 2 hours later, his biceps are just as skinny as usual. He does the same weights and exercises for his biceps the next day. He then wonders why his arms never get huge. After a week, he gives up “working out”, and blames his genes.
Arms are a small muscle group. Your legs carry the most muscles, followed by your chest and back. If you don’t have much time in the gym, just do a quick few sets of bench press, deadlift, and squat. Those 3 are the basic power move, and they also burn a lot of calories.
If you still can’t give up doing bicep workouts because of your ego, lay off the bicep workout for a month, and do back exercises such as pull-ups, seated cable rows, lats pull-downs, bent-over barbell rows, just to name a few, and then go back to doing your normal bicep routine. You’ll feel a lot stronger to lift heavier weights for your biceps. Same goes for your triceps. Stop doing tricep workouts such as tricep kickbacks and pulldowns, and do close-grip bench press and chest dips to get bigger arms.
