Short answer
The biceps do; the triceps lag. When 29 people did only lat pulldowns for 10 weeks, biceps thickness rose 6.10%, no different from the 5.83% with curls only. An arm doing only dumbbell rows grew half as much as an arm doing only curls, and the long head and the triceps as a whole grew only when a triceps exercise was included.
Do your arms grow without separate arm exercises?
'Big lifts use the arms too → no need for arm exercises': is it true?
Some say that since the arms work during bench presses and lat pulldowns, separate arm exercises are unnecessary. Others say arms only grow with curls and triceps exercises. We checked the biceps first, then the triceps.
Do the biceps grow from pulling alone?
Lat pulldowns only 6.10%, curls only 5.83%
29 people trained 2 times a week for 10 weeks: one group did only lat pulldowns, the other only barbell curls, 3 sets each. Biceps thickness rose 6.10% with pulldowns and 5.83% with curls, with no difference. Strength also rose 10.40% and 11.87%, with no difference.
What if you add arm exercises to big lifts?
Biceps thickness did not grow more
29 people did only bench presses and lat pulldowns for 10 weeks, or the same plus arm exercises. Biceps thickness rose 6.5% and 7.04%, with no difference. In a study of 20 people with over 2 years of training, done the same way for 8 weeks, the change in arm size around the arm also did not differ.
Dumbbell rows grew the biceps half as much as curls
Two arms of one person: curls 11.06%, dumbbell rows 5.16%
10 people trained for 8 weeks, one arm doing only dumbbell rows and the other only curls. Biceps thickness rose 11.06% on the curl side, twice the 5.16% on the row side. In another study of 20 beginners over 8 weeks that added arm exercises to big lifts, arm size around the arm rose 5.2%, more than the 4.0% with big lifts only.
What about the triceps?
The outer head grew with bench presses, the long head with triceps exercises
When 7 people did only bench presses 3 times a week for 24 weeks, the triceps got thicker from week 5 while the biceps did not change. In a study of 43 people, total triceps size grew only in the three groups that included a triceps exercise. The outer head grew more with bench presses, and the long head grew more with the triceps exercise.
Summary: big lifts alone grow the arms
To grow them more, curls and triceps work came out ahead
Lat pulldowns alone grew the biceps as much as curls, but dumbbell rows grew them half as much. Bench presses alone grew the outer head of the triceps, while the long head and the triceps as a whole grew only when a triceps exercise was included. Adding arm exercises never came out behind. Short on time, big lifts alone are enough; to grow the arms more, adding curls and triceps work does the job.
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