If building stronger, more defined arms is your main fitness goal, establishing the correct training frequency is essential to achieving results. While you may feel inclined to train your arms daily, carving out time for rest and recovery is equally important for success. We spoke with a personal trainer who pinpoints just how many days a week you should train your arms to build muscle and are here to spill the tea.
How Many Days Should You Train Your Arms To Build Muscle Definition?
Ronny Garcia, CPT, Blink Fitness, recommends training your arms two to three times a week to achieve noticeable muscle definition. “This cadence allows enough time for muscle growth while also allowing for adequate time for recovery,” he points out.
Being mindful of frequency is imperative because your muscles need to be stimulated regularly to grow. “Regular training allows enough stimulation for growth, but not overtraining,” Garcia notes. “Muscles also grow during rest, so you want to be careful about overtraining and allow adequate time for recovery.”
Key Factors To Consider When Determining Arm Workout Frequency:
- Sets and Reps: Garcia recommends shooting for 10 to 20 sets weekly per muscle group to stimulate your muscles.
- Progressive Overload: Slowly increase the reps, weight, and intensity as time passes. “This challenges your muscles and encourages them to continue adapting,” notes Garcia.
- Compound Exercises: These types of exercises are most productive for firing up multiple muscle groups simultaneously, compared to isolation exercises. Consider exercises like pushups, bench presses, and rows.
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It’s important to note that although compound exercises set the foundation for muscle size, you shouldn’t nix isolation exercises altogether. Garcia recommends a healthy balance of compound and isolation movements, allowing you to focus on muscle shape and mass. “Isolation exercises allow you to target specific muscles to enhance shape,” he adds.
Garcia recommends incorporating the below exercises in an arm-focused routine to achieve maximum muscle definition:
- Bench/Dumbbell Press (incline/flat/incline)
- Rows
- Pull-ups
- Bicep Curls
- Hammer Curls (neutral grip), Reverse (pronated grip), and Traditional (supinated grip)
- Tricep Extensions
- Lateral Raises (for the medial—side—deltoids)
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
