How to get bigger arms as an ectomorph
If you are an ectomorph, you probably have thin arms. These are the ones that show up when you wear a t-shirt, so it’s only natural that you want to work towards having bigger arms. With that said, I recommend that you follow a complete training plan, but read on if you want to work towards bigger arms.
The arm is made up of two main muscles: the biceps and the triceps. Many people think that curling will make your arms huge. This could not be further from the truth. It will help add mass to your arm, but it is important to note that the triceps makes up 2/3 of your arm. It is also the easiest muscle to build. You also have the option of strengthening your forearm, which will make the entire mass appear larger, this is even more overlooked than the triceps.
That doesn’t mean you should neglect your biceps! In fact, I recommend that you work on both and do it consistently.
The standard bicep curl is good, but it can be modified to gain even more mass. I suggest doing incline bicep curls, where you sit on an incline seat and do pushups that way. You can also do hammer pushups, which is where you hold the dumbbell perpendicular to the ground. These are great because they work a lot on your forearm too, so you’re hitting both at the same time. Preacher curls are another great part that the brachialis will work, making the bridge between the upper arm and the forearm larger.
For your triceps, I recommend the close grip bench press, if you can get out of shape. This is a fantastic exercise. What you need to do is go to the bench and grab the bar with 4-6 inches of space between your hands. Hold the bar tightly and lower it to your chest; be sure not to push it to the stomach. Then push it up. When you lower the bar, you can slightly stretch your elbows. Another good tricep exercise is the tricep cable pulls. Cable exercises are good because there is always tension in the muscle, which means that you are always exercising. I would also recommend skull crushers.
Your forearms will naturally grow in size, but there are some exercises that can help. The barbell reverse wrist curl is pretty good. Basically, you sit down and hold a barbell and then use your wrists to lift it. You can find images by Googling the term. Another good way to strengthen your biceps and forearms is to do pull-ups. They are the same as chin-ups except that the palms of the hands are facing you.
If you do these exercises, you will have great arms in no time.