One of the most popular muscle groups that bodybuilders seek to build is the biceps, with possibly the most common question asked of well developed weight lifters from impressed onlookers being "how large are your arms?" Bodybuilders will focus upon a wide range of biceps movements in order to improve the size of their arms, but despite such a targeted focus with isolation exercises, many weight lifters find that their upper arm mass does not reach what they would consider to be an acceptable level.

What is the seemingly secret method that many weight lifters avoid while seeking upper arm growth? Other than wasting time with numerous exercises when only 1-2 are necessary for total biceps development, the most common mistake is believing that impressive upper arm size is contingent solely upon biceps growth, while in reality, there is a much more vital factor impacting upper arm mass.

Most are oblivious to the fact that the bulk of upper arm size is occupied by the triceps, and since many weight lifters in hopes of producing maximum upper arm size concentrate solely upon a wide range of biceps exercises, triceps are often neglected, which amazingly, has more of a detrimental impact on upper arm size than if a weight lifter were to completely avoid direct biceps training. Since biceps shape cannot change regardless of the lifting technique or weight training exercise selection (this characteristic is genetically determined), instead of wasting time on a wide range of biceps exercises, choose the most effective movements (such as standing barbell and preacher curls) for the biceps, and focus an equal amount of effort and volume on the triceps muscle to encourage far greater overall size improvement.

Even weight lifters who already feel as if they have nicely developed triceps should not neglect direct triceps exercise in favor of extra biceps work, because improving triceps thickness by 1-2 inches will immediately result in an apparent biceps size increase, a fact that many weight lifters do not realize. Many seek to reach a specific arm size, but since approximately two-thirds of the upper arm is occupied by the triceps muscle, logically, the triceps actually becomes far more critical than the biceps in achieving this goal, despite many referring to this as a "biceps" measurement (nobody seeks to learn the size of a weight lifter's triceps, when this is a more significant factor comprising upper arm muscle size). There is no effective way of measuring the biceps without also accounting for triceps thickness, and although this may seem obvious, there are many weight lifters who do not consider that producing massive triceps also provides an illusion of bigger, thicker, more impressive biceps muscles.

Although the triceps occupy a greater percentage of upper arm volume than the biceps, a bodybuilder need not train the triceps with more sets (volume), as the heavier weight used during triceps exercises will address the size disparity. The goal is to train the triceps and biceps with an identical total number of sets, realizing that overloading both for maximum growth will produce impressive upper arm mass. Bodybuilders who have reached a lengthy plateau in biceps size may find that by training the triceps in a more focused way, upper arm mass will begin to increase, and the added triceps growth will at least offer the appearance of improved biceps development.

Lastly, make sure that you avoid isolation movements for both the biceps and triceps, such as concentration curls and triceps kickbacks, as these are not mass building movements; instead, focus on exercises that allow for heavier weight (such as standing barbell curls and close grip bench press) to encourage maximum size gains in the upper arm region. If you begin focusing on the triceps muscle with as much emphasis as the biceps, you will find that upper arm size will experience a renewed size improvement spurt that others will mistakenly assume is due to added biceps mass.