Upper-Arm Exercises

I want to begin a new arm-routine to gain mass with 3 exercises/muscle. Now, my question is:

Are there exercises that should'nt be combined? I mean, I don't want to do the same thing twice. For example: i don't see the difference between a barbell-curl and dumbell curls.
I ask this question becouse i think the outer-side of my tricep is more developed than the inner (closest to my back). And in this new routine I'd like to train both sides equally.
So could someone please advise some exercises for my routine and tell me what part of the muscle is mostly targetted in each exercise(inner/outer-biceps/triceps)

Thanks.

well thats a relatively complex question but if we break it down we can handle it.

for biceps the barbell curl is probably the best exercise to do to gain mass. i think that if you did 3 sets of just barbell curls you'ld find it pretty amazing

the difference between barbell curls and dumbbell curls is that with dumbbells you can concentrate on one arm at a time and one bicep isn't doing more work than the other

moving on to triceps, i think it strange that your outer head would be more developed than the inner just because its smaller, but i find that doing seated dips gets the inner part of my tricep the best.

when you work out its sometimes easy to get the wrong parts by not concentrating on what your working

i'ld need a more complete overview of your work out to correct assess it but if you have anymore questions feel free to post

I don't want to do the same thing twice. For example: i don't see the difference between a barbell-curl and dumbell curls.

There is a difference between barbell and dumbell curls. Like supremefresh said, dumbell curls force each arm to lift it's own weight. Barbell curls are the cornerstone of a bicep workout, since they allow you to lift the most amount of weight. Even though these two exercises are different in this way, the bottom line is you're still working out the biceps, and because of the function that muscle, or any muscle really, you are limited to a certain number of exercises you can do. Three different exercises per muscle group is great, but keep in mind that those exercises are going to be somewhat similar to each other no matter what.

Moving on to the inner/outer head thing- I've heard that a wider grip is supposed to work out the inner head of the biceps and a closer grip is good for the outer head- as for the triceps, if you do tricep pressdowns, lying tricep extensions and dumbell kickbacks, that should cover the various angles you can hit the tri's from.

On another note, why only the arms? What about the rest of your body? If you're not working everything else with the same intensity you're interested in for your arms, your arms will not get that big- You cannot curl real heavy weights if your lower back is proportionally weaker, for example. You never see anyone with twenty inch biceps and tiny shoulders either- If you only work out your arms, you'll hit a plateau and not be able to lift any more.
Of course, I don't know what the rest of your workout looks like- I don't want to be putting my foot in my mouth if you already have a workout schedule that does include everything.

And then.. we have to point him to Max-OT because.. (no I'm not brainwashing anybody)

Those exercises they list for arms will pretty much cover the entire development and help growth. Just by doing the heavy basics.

Posts were on the money.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

ok, thanks,
but i still have a few more questions:
-how is the hammer curl different from a normal curl? And a twist curl?
-for triceps: pressdown - rope extensions - sitting dumbbell rear curls. Is this a good and complete tricep routine?

I'm not a total beginner. I'm 20y old, (1m78) 5'10'' and weigh about 72 kg (156 lbs) I'm training for almost a year now, and I do have a workout schedule for the entire body. I just want to make shure that what i'm doing is right.

Definitely check out the link to Max OT MDA put up there- It's worth looking into, especially if you want to put on mass. MDA pointed it out to me, I've been using it for about three months now, and I've seen more results in that amount of time than I have in the past year and a half.
Post your training routine in the "critique my training" forum, you'll get a more comprehensive idea of which exercises you might want to pick up or which ones to drop.
As for your questions, I've found that the hammer curl is different from a regular curl when it comes to the forearm muscles involved- A twisting curl involves more of those muscles.
The triceps workout question, I can't really help with- I'm not sure what the rope extensions are, or the seated dumbell rear curls.

I do pressdowns.. I do rope extensions because they feel great, and I'm not sure about sitting dumbbell rear curls...

Skull-crushers are a good one.. overhead triceps presses are good for bulk. Anything that you can do big weight on without sacrificing form. Sometimes rope extensions.. they aren't as much for size as for the contractions and pump you get.

I agree with cpl.. gotta post the whole workout routine and such.. sounds like mostly you are on track.. just a few movements that are good for overall feeling but maybe not size. They wouldn't be heavy basics. But still valid exercises.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com