Just like sprinters are known for having well-developed glutes and legs, gymnasts have some of the most enviable biceps in sports. Why? In short, pull-ups and chins are great for upper arm development. Under the superficial biceps muscles lays a smaller muscle called the brachialis.
Yes, pull-ups can contribute to bigger arms, particularly the biceps and forearms. They primarily target the latissimus dorsi (the large muscles in your back), but they also engage the biceps brachii, brachialis, and other muscles in the arms and shoulders.
Pushups, pull ups, chest presses, bicep curls, triceps extensions, and lateral raises all help tone the arm muscles.
Alternate Grip Pull Up
Hold the Pull Up Bar with one hand pronated and one hand underhand. Perform a pull up. Swap hands between sets. MULTIPLE MUSCLES: This exercise targets your traps, biceps, and core.
There are no definitive guidelines, but the number of pull-ups that are generally considered strong is 12+ for men and 8+ for women. If you can do this many, you're considered an advanced athlete. However, you are still considered an above-average athlete if you can do more than 8 (for men) or more than 3 (for women).
Yes, the best exercise for forearm training might be an exercise you already include. It's important to understand that many of the exercises you're already doing in the gym are improving forearm and grip strength: deadlifts, chin-ups, pull-ups, and others.
Beginner: Start with 2-3 sets of 3-5 pull-ups, 2-3 times per week. Intermediate: Aim for 3-4 sets of 6-10 pull-ups, 3-4 times per week. Advanced: Perform 4-5 sets of 10-15 pull-ups, 4-5 times per week, incorporating variations such as weighted pull-ups or different grip positions.
If you are training arms twice a week, eating enough protein, and (if weight loss is required) following a moderate calorie deficit (find out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight here), you should begin to see improvements in around 4-6 weeks.
Getting rid of skinny arms entails training the muscles directly 3-4 times per week. The key is to train both biceps and triceps and use heavy, moderate, and light weights throughout the week to increase strength, size, and vascularity. It's also important to train the arms using a full range of motion with good form.
Pull-ups: The ultimate thick back builder with a simple setup, challenging your lats, biceps, and core by pulling your body weight, enhancing strength, and engaging stabilizer muscles with minimal equipment needed.
To be considered intermediate, men should be able to do between 12 and 15 pull ups, depending on their weight (lighter men can typically do more pull ups than heavier men). To be considered strong or elite, lighter men should be able to do 26–39 pull ups while heavier men closer to 220 pounds (100 kg) should do 20–28.
#3 – GIVES YOU SIX PACK ABS
Many don't realize it, but during the performance of a strict pull-up, your lats, abs and midline have to work together to stabilize the shoulders AND lift the lower body. In terms of building your six-pack abs, strict pull-ups give you a lot of bang for your buck!
Pull-ups build muscle mass
If you want to build muscle, the pull-up is your friend. Strength-training exercises, like pull-ups, are proven to increase muscle mass and even reverse age-related muscle loss. This is crucial for maintaining strength and functionality as you get older.
Pull ups and chin ups are a multi-joint movement, meaning that they engage multiple muscle groups (lats, biceps, shoulders, and upper back). They promote overall upper body muscle development and can lead to some serious strength gains.
Therefore, a standard push-up can definitely increase the strength and size in these muscles, providing they have the correct loading. So, when you combine push-ups and additional upper-body exercises, you can increase the size of your arms, but what do I mean by 'correct loading'.
This is because the upper arms are composed of both fat and muscle, and the ratio of fat to muscle can vary significantly from person to person. Additionally, the upper arms have fewer blood vessels than other areas of the body, which makes it more difficult for the body to burn fat in this area.
If you want to gain some serious size on those arms, you'll need to focus on hypertrophic training. More specifically, we need you to increase muscle protein synthesis. Studies suggest that the best way to do this is by working out the arms three times per week with about two days of rest in between.
As a general practice, doing a 3 sets of 8 reps routine with 60-90 seconds rest between sets is a good place to start to stimulate the muscles to grow. You can then progress to 3 sets of 9 reps, 3 sets of 10, and building up all the way to 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Average Pull Up Counts for Different Fitness Levels
Those at an intermediate level can do around 14 pull-ups, showing good technique and strength. Advanced lifters can do about 25 pull-ups, and elite lifters can do 37 or more. These numbers help people know their level and set realistic goals for getting better.
Forearms Have Complex Anatomy
With how complex the forearm anatomy is, and how they're naturally smaller than many other muscle groups, it's somewhat difficult to isolate and target them with resistance training.
Mean left forearm in males (28.5 cm) was significantly larger (p < 0.001) than that in females (22.5 cm). Average Forearm (Lt FAL) of the participants ranged from 17.25 to 35.75 cm in males and 12.2 to 34.3 cm in females.