If you want to wear that tank top or sleeveless shirt with pride, it's time to beef up your arms. Alas, for skinny guys -- often called ectomorphs or hardgainers -- that's easier said than done. Don't waste your time spending hours in the gym or searching for the magic fitness supplement. For the fastest results and the biggest arms, you need a combination of muscle-targeted workouts and the right lifestyle changes.
Blast Your Biceps
Your biceps run down the front of your arm. It's the traditional muscle that people think of when you refer to muscular arms. While there are dozens of exercises that hit the biceps, the most effective exercise to get you the fastest results is the standing barbell curl. Not only does it hit your biceps hard, but it also works your forearms for overall arm development.
Stand straight and hold a barbell in front of you with your hands oriented so your palms are facing forward. In the starting position, the barbell should be hanging downward with your arms straight. Without moving the rest of your body, especially your shoulders, raise the barbell up by bending your elbows. Pause when your elbows pass the 90-degree angle, then return to the starting position. For the biggest and fastest muscle gains, use a barbell that's heavy enough that you can only do two to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions.
Target Your Triceps
Your triceps are the major muscles in the back of your arms. While building your biceps is great, you also need to hit your triceps to build uniformly large arms. For the fastest results, don't spend time doing ineffective tricep workouts. In a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, researchers found that the triangle pushup was the most effective triceps exercise.
Get into the standard pushup position. Facing downward, your torso should be straight and supported on your feet and on your straight arms. However, instead of having your palms positioned under your shoulders like in a normal pushup, your hands should be touching under your chest with your thumbs and forefingers meeting to create a triangle shape on the ground. Aim to do two to three minutes of triangle pushups.
Eat Like a Big Man
Your diet must provide the surplus calories necessary to support your new workout regimen. One reason skinny guys see slow progress is because they don't eat enough. After all, your arm muscles need extra energy to grow. It's time to eat like the big guy you want to be. When you start your new arm exercise routine, add 500 calories to your daily diet. After three to four weeks, check yourself for weight gains and size gains. If your progress is still stalled, add another 500 calories. Repeat until you start seeing gains.
Take a Break
Going to the gym every day will not get you bigger arms faster. In fact, it could actually slow down your muscle development. Muscle growth and strength increases happen during your resting phase, so speed up your arm gains by resting. Sleep for seven to eight hours every night. Additionally, allow your muscles to rest for at least 48 hours between gym days. By doing less, you'll get more results faster.
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