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Squatting strengthens everything.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

The body is one thing.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Since we're quoting Dan John,
1. Pick Stuff Off the Ground 2. Put Stuff Overhead 3. Carry Stuff for
Time and Distance

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

"I have to ask, I really can't see how squatting strengthens the arms?" - medic002

Heavy squats and deadlifts cause a natural increase in anabolic hormones, so they help you bulk up all over ... not just in muscle groups that are actually worked.

"Doing back exercises to bring up your biceps is dumb. There's a reason why every single person with decent arms does direct arm work..." - robertscott

I haven't done direct arm work in years, and haven't seen any loss in muscle mass. Meanwhile, I've gotten a lot stronger.

Look at the guys in the gym. The big guys you will notice do not do isolation work. Now if you are a body builder and your bicep is lacking, I'd say go for it. Other than that... you don't need it and it is a waste of time (unless you are rehabing a torn bicep).

If you want big arms, squat. As Matt Z said - you'll get the greatest hormonal response that will stimulate the growth of assistance muscles like the bicep and make them bigger when coupled with your other training. You can do it if you want, but it is absolutely not necessary. I'll even venture to say that you run the risk of overtraining if you do isolation work.

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Thanks TimD.

has the planet gone mad?

How will adding back exercises bring up his biceps? Obviously the biceps get worked during back stuff, but they are not the limiting factor, so they are not getting worked to their full potential. Adding 3 sets of curls at the end of your back/upper/whatever routine is just good sense.

Or is every bodybuilder/physique competitor on the planet doing it wrong?

I've almost came full swing on this issue. I think it's probably a genetic thing.

For example, my forearms are quite big and i've never done any direct forearm work. Same with calves. Well, not done any in about, um, 5-6 years.

I don't do arm work. I actually try to, because I am now convinced lack of arm work is a weak link. It bores the hell out of me, though, so it's a mental struggle.

Anyway, point is, i'm one of the biggest squatters and deadlifters in my gym, at about 180lbs b/w, and there are boatloads of people with bigger arms than me. I also do rows and weighted pull ups with more than most in my gym, and press more than most in my gym, although pressing isn't my strong point. It also pains me slightly to see guys come in who can barely squat their bodyweight yet can probably curl more than me, if not more then around the same.

I used to train with a guy who said the same - Squat for bigger arms. It worked for him. I seen this guy pendlay row over 400lbs. However, you should of seen his calves. None existent, almost. He squatted 590lbs at the time.

So i think it depends.

However, when it comes to beginners, I think they focus too much on the little things. You need to have your whole body getting stronger, have your whole body growing before any single body part will grow. Everything is a weakness when you are a beginner.

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Thanks TimD

and squatting does NOT bring up your biceps. That's just something they tell noobs to discourage them from doing nothing but curls in the gym. It's like telling kids sitting too close to the tv will give them square eyes to discourage them from watching tv all day...

so train it all! Even those arms ;)

One of things that stays on my mind with things like this is the following quote

"If your family was captured and you were told you needed to put 100 pounds onto your max squat within two months or your family would be executed, would you squat once per week? Something tells me that you'd start squatting every day. Other countries have this mindset. America does not.

– John Broz"

Change the goal (or ransom?) to adding size to your arms.

Would you curl?

I would.

KPj

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Thanks TimD

You are on the verge of an epiphany here robertscott. Squatting brings up those biceps more than curling - when coupled with all your other training (rows, chins, etc.). You can curl, but it is unnecessary - unless you are a body builder and your biceps are lagging behind.

Think about it from another standpoint - if curlz was the answer to big arms, you would see a multitude of monster arms out there, because that is all that noobs do. For the non-chemically engineered out there, who has the monster arms - strongmen, powerlifters, and O-lifters. I know a few strongmen and several powerlifters. I know of none who curl. Your arms will grow in proportion to the rest of your body. You want big arms, increase your overall muscle mass. Best way to increase overall muscle mass - Squat.

Rob King, quoteing CP explains it better:
http://www.robkingfitness.com/supplements/how-squatting-gives-you-bigger-arms/

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Thanks TimD.

but it doesn't have to be one or the other. Squat AND curl!

in my opinion the training goal is the biggest factor to decide to do curls or not. if you are training to get stronger for a competition, a sport or the daily life, you just do exercises which train many muscles and have a very natural movement. a bigger biceps dont gives you advantage at a sport or a competition, if your back is not stronger. and in daily life it could maybe be easier to masturbate and to drink milk out of a large bottle :-D

but if your goal is mainly the look of your body and the size of your arms, then curls make sense.

just my 2 cents

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

I've only ever said curls are not necessary. The OP was asking for options - don't curl is a viable option with no side effects. You want big arms... Squat. It is pretty well established that you need twenty pounds of muscle to gain 1 inch on your arms. The best way to grow - compound lifts. The best compound lift (IMO) is the squat. Consequently the best way to grow your arms... Squat.

If you want to curl, curl. Knock yourself out. The only two negative things I'll say about curls is that they are pretty much a waste of time (unless you are a bb or rehabbing as i stated way above), and they can cause you to overtrain your arms.

There is one exception I'll relent on. If you are using steroids, you will have plenty of synthetic hormone in your body that if you just curled, your arms will grow. You don't need the compound lifts to get the hormones flowing.

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Thanks TimD.