In a recent Reddit thread, natural bodybuilders shared their secrets for building big arms—and it’s not about any one exercise, but actually about making sure your triceps are getting enough attention in your lifts.
Athletes on the r/naturalbodybuilding subreddit are always asking—and sharing—lifting advice, from the most effective physique-changing exercises to which exercises will make you look yolked with a shirt on.
Now, one user wanted to understand how to grow his biceps and triceps at the same rate in which his chest and shoulders have grown.
“What is the secret sauce to big arms?” the original poster asked. “I can’t get my arms to grow— my incline curl has progressively gone up though. I’ve also been trying out the Arnold split for dedicated arm training.”
One of the top upvoted comments was a user who shared a meme, alluding to the idea that the secret sauce lies in growing your triceps.
“I have recently come to realize that my bicep-focused arm day isn’t anywhere close to as important for arm pump as chest and tricep day. I just feel more swole on my arms but the appearance isn’t what stands out,” another user agreed.
A lot of guys hyperfocus on biceps when trying to build bigger arms, but the triceps actually accounts for about two-thirds of your arm size. The triceps have three heads—the long, lateral, and medial—so targeting all of them with exercises like skull crushers, dips, and pushdowns is key for serious arm growth.
“You can have bad bicep peaks genetic wise, but monster triceps will make your arms look huge regardless,” one user said.
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