Arms: Frequency & Timing

[cesmeister]

I've heard so many different opinions in muscle mag about how many times a week you should do arms. Ive heard guys say they havent seen results in anything by training twice a week and then ive heard training arms twice a week is good. What do u guys think. Once a week or twice a week? I'm into the whole get a pump go home and rest thing, but for arms im not sure. I know your muscles grow when they rest and that more rest=more muscle shit but im kinda skeptical about how many times a week you should do bis and tris. I'm about to try a 6 week thing where you do chest, back + bis, shoulders + tris, legs, then bis + tris. Let me know

We are the animals in the gym brothers
-CES

[Bear]

I hit my arms once a week. I use to train bis with my back and shoulders with triceps.. I stopped training my biceps with back because I felt I was putting too much strain on them from the pulling movements, and now I trains arms solo.

[Freakshow]

Biceps are once a week for me, triceps are twice a week, and forearms are 3 times a week.

[Rotlex]

Once a week for me, as an assistance movement only. I find my arms grow quite nicely without a whole lot of direct work. I do however perform a LOT of heavy rowing, dips, pressing movements etc. which tend to wear them out without a whole lotta extra effort!

[Angst]

I think its different for everyone, give that split a try and see if it works for you. Its better to keep an open mind and try different things.
I've been training arms once a week on their own. For one week, i would super set bis and tris, total of 9 sets for bis and 9 sets for tris, 8-12 reps per set to get a good pump.
For the next week, i would do bis first and then tris. Where i do 2 moves for each, 2 warm ups before 1 working set, kinda like HIT training. So i only do 2 working sets for bis and 2 working set for tris.
I alternate the 2 workouts from week to week, also I only do compound exercises, with absolutly NO isolation moves at all.
I've been doing this for about 2 months and have seen very noticable results.

[deeder]

Very little direct arm work for me. Not a bodybuilder though so I don't really need it.

[Thorgrym]

I train my arms seperately. I used to try and work them on the same days as other muscle gorups (bi's with chest and tri's with back) but didnt find i got good results or a good pump from it so I goruped them together on a seperate day. Cant complain about past results and Im hoping to get the same results now that Im back in the gym.


Thor

[RedIron 392]

I hit mine four times in 8 days with two sets for bi's and two sets for tri's each time. One heavy and one light. My arms did not respond well to one day a week with multiple sets or twice a week. Being a structural steel Iron Worker my arms were hit hard every day and I think they got used to it and need constant stimulation. It depends on the routine you use and your ability to recover, as well as genetics.

Later

[Arbalest]

I think arms get enough work w/ Presses and Deadlifts.

Heck, mine grew a 1/2" within a 2month span just from not working them seperately, and just letting them get hit on Bench and DL day.


To each his own though

[NickSP]

I like once indirectly, once directly. Bis get assistance work on back day, so I separate them, same with tris and chest. My routine is

back/tris
rest
shoulders
legs
chest/bis
rest
rest

[TortureKiller]

I train bi's, tri's and shoulders all in the same day. I've been doing this for about 6 months with good results only once a week though.

[cortlandh]

I train arms once a week and separating arms from chest and back and doing them separately. 5 day workout Chest, Back, Shoulders/Traps, Arms, then legs. I alternate bicep and triceps exercises which produced enormous gains, for me.

Arbalest put it best, “to each his own” gotta experiment

[Aengus]

I find that numbers are an inadequate explanation, as there is something more important at work here. You should certainly not train arms more than three times a week (arnold did just three) but how often is a function of how hard you hit them. If you are going for 10-12 reps with moderate-heavy weight, maybe 3 exercises per muscle, you could easily go three times a week if you are seasoned.
But when you hit them till you can't move, in a blur of a workout that is marked only by pain and popping blood vessels -- say something close to the ARMory workout or Wrath's insane deathmarch -- you should stick with 1 or 2 times a week. If you get a terrifying back and chest workout too, they indirectly work the arms. The heavy ones tend to add up harder and longer, and require you to take a little more time off. One good way to compensate is to switch between heavy days (close grip bench, heavy barbell curls, heavy pressdowns, heavy dumbell curls, and similar) and more sculpting movements (preacher curls, rope pressdowns, kickbacks, concentration curls) on light days. This gives your muscles, and more importantly, your support structure of tendons, ligaments, and bones a chance to heal and catch up.

Hope this helps

[D-Bomb]

i focus on tricep work. makes you thick as heck and your guaranteed to have a massive pump if you work triceps correctly.

close grip bench and tricep pushdowns both heavy as hell work.

[karmazon]

I workout biceps and triceps once a week, in a little unorthodox way. I give each of them, their own separate day. Works for me.

[A.FITNESSGUY]

I work bis and tris together.......on their own day. However, I do tris first.
It seems that when I do tris first, my arms are so pumped that when I do bis I have to add more weight to feel the burn. I think its because my arms are preoccupied with the pump of my tris, that i can work past the last poundage I used for bis.......and I have noticed significant growth since doing it that way.

[Trooper]

I have tried a variety of arm splits, and am still discovering what works for me. I used to traing twice a week, with triceps after chest and bi's after back, with an arm day on Fridays. I then switched to just an arm day, and found they developed a little better. I am actually finding now a combination of high/low rep schemes is making them pop.

[Wolf Man CHG]

I like to train arms seperate.....start with tri's one week then bi's the next... every few weeks i'll throw in tri's with chest and bi's with back to mix things up, keep the routine from becoming stale.....

I trained arms tonight....best ever i think...my arms were twitching so bad i could barely write in my training log afterwards

[ransom.holland]

My arm workout might be the most different out of everyone here.
BICEPS- 'A' day is 2 days rest, 'B' day is 3 days rest, and 'C' day is 4 days rest.
TRICEPS- 'A' day is 2 days rest, 'B' day is 3 days rest, and 'C' day is 4 days rest.
Sometimes they fall on the same day, other times they don't, each Day Type (A,B,C) is a different intensity type of training for my arms, that keeps them growing strong, and big. I beleive a lot of people have their arms resting too long ( 5-6 days at a time), and aren't gaining as much as they could. This pricnipal also applies to other bodyparts (but we're discussing arms today).

[deeder]

I find that numbers are an inadequate explanation, as there is something more important at work here. You should certainly not train arms more than three times a week (arnold did just three) but how often is a function of how hard you hit them. If you are going for 10-12 reps with moderate-heavy weight, maybe 3 exercises per muscle, you could easily go three times a week if you are seasoned.
But when you hit them till you can't move, in a blur of a workout that is marked only by pain and popping blood vessels -- say something close to the ARMory workout or Wrath's insane deathmarch -- you should stick with 1 or 2 times a week. If you get a terrifying back and chest workout too, they indirectly work the arms. The heavy ones tend to add up harder and longer, and require you to take a little more time off. One good way to compensate is to switch between heavy days (close grip bench, heavy barbell curls, heavy pressdowns, heavy dumbell curls, and similar) and more sculpting movements (preacher curls, rope pressdowns, kickbacks, concentration curls) on light days. This gives your muscles, and more importantly, your support structure of tendons, ligaments, and bones a chance to heal and catch up.

Hope this helps

Yup.. Periodization should be built in to every routine. You just make it sound more hardcore!

[deeder]

I think arms get enough work w/ Presses and Deadlifts.

Heck, mine grew a 1/2" within a 2month span just from not working them seperately, and just letting them get hit on Bench and DL day.


To each his own though

Yeah I've seen similar results without direct arm work... But the bros with 18+ inch arms just aint gonna grow as easy as us smaller guys do. I guess it also depends on your goals. I don't care how big my arms get as long as they keep getting stronger!

[Arbalest]

Yeah I've seen similar results without direct arm work... But the bros with 18+ inch arms just aint gonna grow as easy as us smaller guys do. I guess it also depends on your goals. I don't care how big my arms get as long as they keep getting stronger!

yeah, we got it pretty easy. Sitting @ 16" (defined) people think mine are "huuuge" lol

I'm actually trying to just get my arms super strong and not much bigger right now. Working on evening out my body, i.e., bringing the chest up.

I think if you want some really thick arms, the tri's are super important. Weighted Dips blew mine up when i first started. Those combined w/ Close-Grip Bench and Pushdowns -- like D-Bomb suggested will make them explode!

[D-Bomb]

I think if you want some really thick arms, the tri's are super important. Weighted Dips blew mine up when i first started. Those combined w/ Close-Grip Bench and Pushdowns -- like D-Bomb suggested will make them explode!


ah damn thats what i need this year a waist belt to sit some major weight to blow the triceps up as you say! thats a good buy for this year...
yeah man i bet if i keep adding weight/reps to close grip my arms will keep getting bigger!
the gym im at you can position the triceps machines bar...so you can focus so much more weight.

[Arbalest]

I know D-Bomb. I want a waist belt sooo bad. The gf is set on getting me something for Valentines day. Nothing shows love like a nice waist belt i think =)

Hmmm, guess I should start hinting.

[D-Bomb]

I know D-Bomb. I want a waist belt sooo bad. The gf is set on getting me something for Valentines day. Nothing shows love like a nice waist belt i think =)

Hmmm, guess I should start hinting.

gotta love the fairer sex!

[area51]

i do back and bi's chest a tri's and iv seen improvments

[asaint]

Hey I was wondering, can you train your arms too much? I have been training my arms 3-4 times a week, and I am wondering if this will lead to Catabolism. I take the Pak,M-Stak, and Max along with Cell Mass

[G Diesel]

Hey I was wondering, can you train your arms too much? I have been training my arms 3-4 times a week, and I am wondering if this will lead to Catabolism. I take the Pak,M-Stak, and Max along with Cell Mass

Yeah bro... Not to make any grand sweeping generalizations, but 3-4 arms workouts weekly are way too much. Your arms are also hit when training chest, back and delts. I'd say blast them once a week all out and then let them grow. You cannot build upon what you are continuously tearing down. Peace, G

[reven12]

Agree with G diesel, thats too much man. Once a week hardcore should be enough. Usually do mine after leg day or an off day to get them ready for war.

[NickSP]

In the gym is not where you grow, but slack in the kitchen and your gains will be slow.

IMHO 3-4 is way too much, I like my assistance work during back (bis) and chest (tris) plus hitting em directly once a week. If you're really inclined to do more, throw in 3-4 light sets of bis after your back session and same with tris after chest. Just enough to give em a good pump.

[IronHouse]

Once a week is perfect, if you get the right amount of rest, food etc, then Two times a week it TOPS! Listen to G Diesel. He knows what he is talking about.

-peace out-
IronHouse

[vIShuS]

Quality over quantity bro. Hit em once a week hard and heavy. Use some dropsets, supersets, and giantsets with this day too. LIke G Diesel said, you also use ur arms on chest, back, and delts day. So they get worked in a way more than once a week. Hope everything does well with the training.

-SiSu

[LuvsThePain]

Yeah bro... Not to make any grand sweeping generalizations, but 3-4 arms workouts weekly are way too much. Your arms are also hit when training chest, back and delts. I'd say blast them once a week all out and then let them grow. You cannot build upon what you are continuously tearing down. Peace, G

Diesel nailed it for you brother. Tris are hit indirectly on chest day. Biceps are hit indirectly on back day. Give them both a little rest and then dedicate one day just for arms and that's more than enough for one week brother.

[JUGGERNAUT]

Yeah bro... Not to make any grand sweeping generalizations, but 3-4 arms workouts weekly are way too much. Your arms are also hit when training chest, back and delts. I'd say blast them once a week all out and then let them grow. You cannot build upon what you are continuously tearing down. Peace, G

One stop shopping here with G. I do wonder how some of these guys can even function that often after training for real (I guess they are not)

[Pokoritel]

I used to hit my arms just like you 3-4 times a week, but they didnt start growing faster until i was hitting them once a week. Also never think that the more you workout the same body part the more results u will see, sometimes you have to work less inorder to gain a lot.

[bovat]

if you work out your arms that many times a week then you are over training them, if you did a good workout then you should be to sore to do another one that quick. if you do a workout mon. wait til thurs. at least. thats enough time, unless your arms are still sore then wait another day, if your arms aren't sore, then do more sets or change your workout cuz maybe your use to it or something, maybe you aren't fatiguing the muscle and thats why you not sore, if thats the case, look to do 12-15 sets for your body parts. maybe not as much for your smaller parts, biceps like 10-12 sets. any questions just write me a message, i know what im talking about, even though im fifteen. future trainer here.

[NickSP]

I think 12-15 is way too much for arms, hell I do 12 for chest, used to be 9. And being sore isn't the best way to tell if you've had a good workout or not.

[bovat]

I think 12-15 is way too much for arms, hell I do 12 for chest, used to be 9. And being sore isn't the best way to tell if you've had a good workout or not.

well i read that many set from ronnie coleman, but i also said that may be to much for biceps. hell that ain't too many sets. that four exercise for four sets each, for my chest 16 sets. i like to do 12 sets for my arms. i haven't experienced overtaining them so its fine. and for being sore, thats just something i thought of might tell you that you fatigued the muscle, i'm always sore and so is everyone else i know, so whatever man.

[BitterNdThenSome]

ive removed an arms only day from my routine, i hit tri's with chest and bi's with back, and ive noticed much better gains, especially in my triceps mass, and am noticing more pronounced peak in my bi's. not saying you gotta remove your arms only day, just make sure your not overtraining.

[bovat]

ive removed an arms only day from my routine, i hit tri's with chest and bi's with back, and ive noticed much better gains, especially in my triceps mass, and am noticing more pronounced peak in my bi's. not saying you gotta remove your arms only day, just make sure your not overtraining.

i do the same thing you do, i just heard training bis with tris from bodybuilders and they say more blood flow to the arms, so your arms react better. makes sense, but i don't do that cuz it hurts to much to straiten my arms on pressdowns after doing curls and having a crazy pump.

[NickSP]

No offense bro, but at 15 you shouldn't be taking any kind of advice from ronnie, hell most of us here shouldn't be, we ain't got the genetics, experience or juice, let alone all 3.

[pdiesel]

arms 3 times a week is way too much for your age..ill tell you what--you want big arms? give them a chance to rest and throw some squats and deadlifts in your routine..that will REALLY make your arms grow..

[BigAnt]

Hey I was wondering, can you train your arms too much? I have been training my arms 3-4 times a week, and I am wondering if this will lead to Catabolism. I take the Pak,M-Stak, and Max along with Cell Mass

Three times a week is over training...Hit them hard with basic movements once a week! rest-eat--GROW!

[bovat]

No offense bro, but at 15 you shouldn't be taking any kind of advice from ronnie, hell most of us here shouldn't be, we ain't got the genetics, experience or juice, let alone all 3.

hey man, i take advice from everywhere and fix it to me, if i can't do something thats alright. im pretty sure i've gotten some good advice from you in one of my posts, PEACE

[cuts280]

Way too much volume in my opinion. Try to reduce the volume. Increase the intensity. Train like there is no tomorrow......strive on perfect form and full range of motion. Focus on progressive overload. One thing i have always believed that train for the strength and the size will follow. Stick to the basics.....barbell curls, hammer curls, parallel bar dips close grip bench press etc. Train them hard and heavy once a week only. Arms also get a lot of indirect work from bench presses, military presses, barbell rows etc. Strive on having a well balanced nutrition program whereby you are having protein enriched meals every three hours or so. Make sure you also pay attention on proper rest and recovery.

[ThickasabricK]

Wayyyy tooo much .

Your arms have two things :

1) They are among the smallest muscles that we train .

2) on chest and shoudlers days , ur triceps gets blasted like heck if you are training seriously hardcore .On back day , you tear the shit out of your biceps on every movement .

so ....

they dont need that much training , you are overtraining them way too much .

Slow down on your arms , they will never grow like this . period.

Let go the idea that the more you do something the better the results and the bigger you will get , not in bodybuilding baby.

[Toni69]

Hey,

I am with everyone else here too. Your arms get a workout in when you train chest since the pushing motion hits tri's. Your bi's get in a wo when your train back since its a pulling motion. I leave arm day for friday and blast 'em hard then, focusing on just bi's and tri's. I leave arms for the last day of the week so during the week they dont fail on me when I train heavy for bigger bodyparts.

[BeastofBurden]

I leave arm day for friday and blast 'em hard then, focusing on just bi's and tri's. I leave arms for the last day of the week so during the week they dont fail on me when I train heavy for bigger bodyparts.

Exactly my method as well.. g2g, shoulders in 15 mins

[Lethal_Banana]

Just a small addition - Remember that supplements won't replace the food (protein, carbs, fat) that you haven't eaten. So remember to eat your meals and get enough rest. I started seeing very fast growth as soon as I added more and bigger meals to my diet - not more supplements.

[IronLeague]

I don't have an arm day.. My arms get wrecked on heavy chest and back day.

Respect,
IronLeague

[Aengus]

Here is a good way to tell if you are training too hard/too much/the wrong way:

'If Arnold were here, would he smack me for doing this?'

If you are hitting arms more often than the Pros, you are hitting them too often.

[Big Jimmer]

9 sets for biceps and 12 sets for triceps you can add forearms if you need to. that is what i have used, with great results. if your arms cramp after the workout i think its too much. i never used to be able to shave after arms. i stick to wraths guns workout. its awesome.

[peterpyper]

ya thats way too much 4 times a week lol,i use to do alot on biceps but wasnt growing so i took it ez now i do 9 sets tops for biceps triceps too,well i train biceps 2 times a week 1 day weights and next time i do alot of chin ups,depend on how fast u heal

[IronLeague]

Here is a good way to tell if you are training too hard/too much/the wrong way:

'If Arnold were here, would he smack me for doing this?'

If you are hitting arms more often than the Pros, you are hitting them too often.

What is it with everybody and "Arnold"?? He was a big chest and a set of bi's, fuck what Arnold did. His training methods were not something you should model your training after. Great competitor in his time, yes.... Forget about what arnold would do/think, it's 2007..

Arms are not a huge muscle group, so train them hard and heavy but not often.. FEED.

Respect,
IronLeague

[bobbyj654]

dude, all you gotta do is do some weighted pullups with an underhand grip, close together

it give you such a good pump, maybe not as good as curls

but think about it, your arms would be forced to grow if theyre pulling 190 +.

[Aengus]

What is it with everybody and "Arnold"?? He was a big chest and a set of bi's, fuck what Arnold did. His training methods were not something you should model your training after. Great competitor in his time, yes.... Forget about what arnold would do/think, it's 2007..

Arms are not a huge muscle group, so train them hard and heavy but not often.. FEED.

Respect,
IronLeague

I agree. I was just makin' it simple and throwing in someone I thought was a good role model. It is also more entertaining because most people think arnold was overtraining.

[Arnold JR]

I am thinking about switching up my routine a little. What do you think if I do tri's/bi's the day after i do chest.

[T_N_Muscle]

i do one bp per week

shoulders
back
quads
chest
bi/tri
hammies

[JMC]

I do that now...it's worked well so far.

[HAWK]

Sounds good...try it out for a few weeks, see how you like the results.

[NickSP]

Not a fan personally, I'd rather give my tris time to recover.
My current split

back
chest
off
legs
arms
shoulders
off

[Arnold JR]

Exellent. I didn't know if maybe my tri's would be to fatigued to geta solid workout in. Thanks for your input

[The TITANIC]

your tri's gonna be a bit out of it if u really slam chest the day b4.
y dnt u rather train legs the nxt day then arms the following...u knw,js to make sure u get the best out your arms

[gsb239]

Not a fan personally, I'd rather give my tris time to recover.
My current split

back
chest
off
legs
arms
shoulders
off

I'm on the same split pretty much. But I do shoulders before arms, don't like to have sore tris for military presses etc.

[focused]

I like mine, its workin well.
Chest
off
Back/bi's (only a few lifts)
Shoulders
Legs
Bi's/Tri's
off

then ab work everyday

[Everyonedoes]

i do this
chest/calfs
bis/squats/leg presses
tris/hamstrings/quads
shoulders/delts
back
i do abs everyday and cardio anytime time will allow

[humanforklift]

Try it out. When my split gets messed up and I have to do arms the day after chest, my strength is way down on my close grip bench press and overhead dumb bell extension. See how your strength is and adjust from there.

[Liftbig21]

Not a fan personally, I'd rather give my tris time to recover.
My current split

back
chest
off
legs
arms
shoulders
off


You want to give your tris time to recover,then why do you do shoulders the day after tris?

[TufffGuY]

I like this one

Back
Chest
Legs
Shoulders
Arms

alternate calves and abs every workout and forearms with arms

[donk]

i used to do chest/bi and back/tri back to back day and had no problems with my tri's but now i've moved to bi/tri with atleast 2 days between chest and strenth has literally blown out the roof man. i say try it for a while and later try it with a day or two rest between chest and see how it treats ya.

[stumblin54]

With biceps and triceps on their own day you're going to get a great pump regardless of whether or not you train chest the previous one. My current split goes like this (my week starts on Monday): Back, Legs, Chest, Arms, Shoulders, with one body part per day and calves/abs on Mon, Wed, Fri. It's working pretty good so far but is constantly tweeked. I enjoy changing little things up every week or so and whole routines every few weeks to keep my body guessing and feel a different kind of soreness all the time. I would suggest you to tweak yours all the time too to work your muscles from every angle. Peace.

Stumblin

[TheLeanMachine]

Right now I'm in a contest for body transformation, and I'd like to do an extra day for arms, just to REALLY blast my arms. I'd like your guys' input on whether or not I should do it, my routine is as follows.


Day 1 (Monday)

BB Bench 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
DB Incline Bench 4 x 8
BB Bent Over Row 5 x 5
Side Lateral Raise 3 x 12 OR Some Oly Lift (Usually Clean)

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Back Squat 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
Front Squat 4 x 6
RDL 2 x 8
Single Leg Squat 3 x 8

Day 3 (Friday)

Weighted Chins 5 x 5
Seated Hammer Curl 3 x 10
Close Grip Bench 3 x 8
Arnold Press 4 x 8

I'm thinking of putting this in between Days 1 and 2

BB Curl 8,6,5,8
Pushdown 4 x 10
DB Military Press 4 x 8
Cable Curl 3 x 10
Tri Extension 3 x 8

Nothing TOO heavy on this day but enough for a good pump

BB Curl

[dominate77]

Right now I'm in a contest for body transformation, and I'd like to do an extra day for arms, just to REALLY blast my arms. I'd like your guys' input on whether or not I should do it, my routine is as follows.


Day 1 (Monday)

BB Bench 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
DB Incline Bench 4 x 8
BB Bent Over Row 5 x 5
Side Lateral Raise 3 x 12 OR Some Oly Lift (Usually Clean)

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Back Squat 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
Front Squat 4 x 6
RDL 2 x 8
Single Leg Squat 3 x 8

Day 3 (Friday)

Weighted Chins 5 x 5
Seated Hammer Curl 3 x 10
Close Grip Bench 3 x 8
Arnold Press 4 x 8

I'm thinking of putting this in between Days 1 and 2

BB Curl 8,6,5,8
Pushdown 4 x 10
DB Military Press 4 x 8
Cable Curl 3 x 10
Tri Extension 3 x 8

Nothing TOO heavy on this day but enough for a good pump

BB Curl

i think putting your arms on their own day is a great idea, i know i could never blast them hard enough after chest or back, i've seen some great improvements now that i gave them their own day

[Preston]

Both biceps and triceps are used during other lifts! As for bench press, you're using some of your biceps. Deadlifts, hanging weight, puts strain on your triceps. Each muscle works in coordination with the other...so if you train chest, you're simultaneously training your biceps. If you train your back, you're training somewhat your triceps also...and a bit of shoulders if you have crappy ass form....

I'm all for having an arms day all on their own, that way you have the energy to put all out for your arms and that's it....just an arms day....and if by chance your arms falls on a fri. after a shoulder "thursday," take friday off to rest your arms, then hit em up on saturday...I did this for 3 months and had some good response....that was my body, and this is all IMO.

[Lowdown5]

Both biceps and triceps are used during other lifts! As for bench press, you're using some of your biceps. Deadlifts, hanging weight, puts strain on your triceps. Each muscle works in coordination with the other...so if you train chest, you're simultaneously training your biceps. If you train your back, you're training somewhat your triceps also...and a bit of shoulders if you have crappy ass form....

I'm all for having an arms day all on their own, that way you have the energy to put all out for your arms and that's it....just an arms day....and if by chance your arms falls on a fri. after a shoulder "thursday," take friday off to rest your arms, then hit em up on saturday...I did this for 3 months and had some good response....that was my body, and this is all IMO.



Agree 100%

[Preston]

Right now I'm in a contest for body transformation, and I'd like to do an extra day for arms, just to REALLY blast my arms. I'd like your guys' input on whether or not I should do it, my routine is as follows.


Day 1 (Monday)

BB Bench 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
DB Incline Bench 4 x 8
BB Bent Over Row 5 x 5
Side Lateral Raise 3 x 12 OR Some Oly Lift (Usually Clean)

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Back Squat 8,6,5,4,3,3,2,2
Front Squat 4 x 6
RDL 2 x 8
Single Leg Squat 3 x 8

Day 3 (Friday)

Weighted Chins 5 x 5
Seated Hammer Curl 3 x 10
Close Grip Bench 3 x 8
Arnold Press 4 x 8

I'm thinking of putting this in between Days 1 and 2

BB Curl 8,6,5,8
Pushdown 4 x 10
DB Military Press 4 x 8
Cable Curl 3 x 10
Tri Extension 3 x 8

Nothing TOO heavy on this day but enough for a good pump

BB Curl

Uhhhh, you're totally missing shrugs...db or bb...not only that, but IMO I would work in some front and rear db raises....

Another thing I don't understand is that your days are very scatterd..as I'm looking at your days it seems like your attempting to do everything at once.

You have the right idea on your lifts for size...and strength....but you need to do them in coordination with the right muscle group.

Say on your shoulder day, for example.

Db Military Press
Front, Rear, Side Lateral Raises
Shrugs
BB Miitary Press

That way you get a concentrated blood flow to one certain area, and it's not jumping around from doing biceps, triceps and shoulders all in one session!

As for your triceps, you have great workouts, but again, keep them together.

Close grip bench
Pushdown
Tri-Extention
Overhead extentions
Reverse cable curls ( Like bicep, only reverse the direction )

This is all for bloodflow, a good "pump," if you will...which is what you're going for...if this doesn't make any sense, tell me so....

Again, IMO it just makes more sense to group them together so that way you have a more concentrated pump!

[TheLeanMachine]

Oh, I get that, right now I'm moving more away from bodybuilding splits and modeling my program after Joe DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards to build a base before I start into splits in September/October.

And to Preston...

Both biceps and triceps are used during other lifts! As for bench press, you're using some of your biceps. Deadlifts, hanging weight, puts strain on your triceps. Each muscle works in coordination with the other...so if you train chest, you're simultaneously training your biceps. If you train your back, you're training somewhat your triceps also...and a bit of shoulders if you have crappy ass form....

I'm all for having an arms day all on their own, that way you have the energy to put all out for your arms and that's it....just an arms day....and if by chance your arms falls on a fri. after a shoulder "thursday," take friday off to rest your arms, then hit em up on saturday...I did this for 3 months and had some good response....that was my body, and this is all IMO.

Don't you mean triceps on bench/biceps strained when hagning on DLs/training biceps with back? Or am I missing something everyone else knows?

[Preston]

Meh, whatever, either way you train your secondary muscles ontop of training your primary muscles that your working out.

I was just pointing out some things you could do, and either way....you can't have a nice set of arms without some nice cannonball shoulders....or a pair of twig fore-arms aren't gonna get you anywhere...might want to throw in some wrist curls one of those 3 days of arm training.

[TheLeanMachine]

Good call on the forearms. Do you think I need more shoulder work?

[hjayss]

Dont really nead to hit em twice..If your are than hit em heavy then licht the next bb's one time then db's the next...but you know youo are hitting them secondarily on most of the routine you are doing like the b row chin up etc...so be carful not to ...you know that word dont wanna say it might start a big thing here...

[Preston]

Dont really nead to hit em twice..If your are than hit em heavy then licht the next bb's one time then db's the next...but you know youo are hitting them secondarily on most of the routine you are doing like the b row chin up etc...so be carful not to ...you know that word dont wanna say it might start a big thing here...

over-train.

[TheLeanMachine]

over-train.


NOOOOOOOOO!!

But seriously, I'm gonna do this today, but it's gonna be nothing too heavy. My next upper body day's not until Friday, so I'm not too worried.

[Preston]

The only thing you can do is give yourself 8 weeks with this split, and see what changes occur with your body.

[dominatetheiron]

Go Heavy or Go Home! u want those arms make an arm day you want really big arms seperate bicep day and tricep day go heavy and hard. peace.

[Terranova1340]

I have done some research on here and read some great articles on here how to work your training splits but I was wondering if you guys think training tris and bis directly would be okay. For instance doing something like

Chest/tris
Back/bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs
Tris/Bis
Dayoff

I feel like I don't hit tris and bis hard enough when I do them on chest and back day however i feel like i should hit them on those two days as they are already pumped up, I'm not talking smash them I'm talking just throw a couple of exercises in since there already tired. Then on Bis and Tris day to totaly smash them..... Let me know what you think. Thanks

[rcrott1]

really, it is all about Personal Preference, you will probably get a million different responses on here, and to be honest...if it works for you, Keep doing it.

[krazyassmexican]

that split is nice i've done something like that and it's great just eliminate the triceps and biceps day
hit them hard enuff on chest and back day
I have done some research on here and read some great articles on here how to work your training splits but I was wondering if you guys think training tris and bis directly would be okay. For instance doing something like

Chest/tris
Back/bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs
Tris/Bis
Dayoff

I feel like I don't hit tris and bis hard enough when I do them on chest and back day however i feel like i should hit them on those two days as they are already pumped up, I'm not talking smash them I'm talking just throw a couple of exercises in since there already tired. Then on Bis and Tris day to totaly smash them..... Let me know what you think. Thanks

[widdlewade44]

many opinions will probably follow but do what works for you. Keep a log (if you're not already) and I would suggest that, for example, with Triceps (day) add in 3-4 sets (total) for biceps.

You've already got that arm pump and doing the opposing muscle group flushes more blood in and jacks up the pump. Blood + nutrients + intense work + rest = strength and size over time.

And switch up (with my example) on the other days; give me a holler if you have more questions. Good luck, peace.

Kevin
widdlewade44

[dominatetheiron]

its all about personal preference if you want to do it that way try it and see if you like it i personally train one muscle group a day and beat the hell out of it and only take an off day if i have to thats what works for me i wrestle and during season i dont get off days so i dont use them when i train. just make sure you dont over train your arms and screw up the symmetry of your physique.

[Terranova1340]

Thanks for the responses so far the Split I use currentally is:
Chest/Tris
Back/Bis
Legs
Shoulder/Traps
Day Off

But I feel like my arms specifically the definition in them is lacking at best, and from what I've seen alot of people do an "Arm day" but your arms are getting a work out when you do back or when you do chest or shoulders, soo thats kinda where the question comes in should i hit them lightly on back and chest day and give them there own day, not hit them at all on back and chest day and give them there own day or just keep smashin away on chest and back day

[Riesjs]

If you really want to blow them up I personally like the split where arms (bi tri) get their own day. I would not specifically but in bis with back or tri with chest/sh. They are getting indirectly hit anyway. So they are getting like a mini-workout, i would save the arm blasting for a specific day.

[NATBB74]

Try taking a break mid week. This split has worked for me.
The workouts are a little longer, but that is because I train forearms, abs
and calves twice per week. How long have you been using your current
routine?

Mon: Chest/abs/forearms
Tues: Back/Calves
Wed: OFF
Thurs: Delts, Traps, Arms
Fri: Legs/abs

[the-craig]

i know like said above its different for every1 but just a split that worked for me

chest, biceps and abs
quads, hamstrings and calves*
shoulders and triceps
back, traps and abs

the day for calves can be moved about depending on how long been working out for or if still sore for week before
it gives enough time for the secondary muscles to recover.

[ChandlerXJ]

Check my split out on my journey, I have a dedicated arms day because I make sure to hit them very hard. I was never too amped about doing chest and tris or chest and bis, I just felt like it was a waste. Chest needs its own day unless you're doing leg presses and maybe some moderate squats, that's my philosophy. Too much tearing in the upper body for me if I did bis/chest shoulders/tris

[the-craig]

Check my split out on my journey, I have a dedicated arms day because I make sure to hit them very hard. I was never too amped about doing chest and tris or chest and bis, I just felt like it was a waste. Chest needs its own day unless you're doing leg presses and maybe some moderate squats, that's my philosophy. Too much tearing in the upper body for me if I did bis/chest shoulders/tris

i want an arms day its just fitting it into my split, how long does it usualy take you to train chest?

[the-craig]

and delts actualy it doesnt take me long enough for them to have their own day

[steven.lyman]

i have started a new routine this past year that seems to be working quite well i lift each indiviual muscle group by itself in one day. chest, back arms, ext.
sample split
day1 chest
day2 back
day3 shoulders
day4 arms
day5 legs
and i will repeat this most of the time without a rest day (unless i really need it)hitting every muscles till it is sore for a while and if it is not i repeat
now i too feel that sometimes i am not hitting my arms enough or that my arms are lagging behind so i will run this split
day 1 arms
day 2 chest
day 3 legs
day 4 arms
day 5 shoulders and back(sometimes i like to work them together for rear delt)
day 6 arms again (but this tends to be a light day just to hit them again almost like an acctive recovery theory to break up lactic acid crystals)
day 7 rest
i only do this for a short while at a time cuz u dont want to over train.

hope this helps u out

[dominate77]

I have done some research on here and read some great articles on here how to work your training splits but I was wondering if you guys think training tris and bis directly would be okay. For instance doing something like

Chest/tris
Back/bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs
Tris/Bis
Dayoff

I feel like I don't hit tris and bis hard enough when I do them on chest and back day however i feel like i should hit them on those two days as they are already pumped up, I'm not talking smash them I'm talking just throw a couple of exercises in since there already tired. Then on Bis and Tris day to totaly smash them..... Let me know what you think. Thanks

if your not seeing any new signs of growth with your current program or split than you have nothing to lose by hitting them twice a week, i say try it out

[CaptainBarbell]

Chest/tris
Back/bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs
Tris/Bis
Dayoff


thats my routine right now

[ChandlerXJ]

It takes me about an hour - an hour and a half to do my thing at the gym. the only reason why I would ever take longer than an hour of hard training is if I was forced to shoot the shit with an old buddy I ran into, or if my training partner had something to say. We usually save the sallying for the car ride, when we train, we hate each other, ya know?

I do 3 exercises per body part. On chest day, I might do 4 chest movements, one of them always being some sort of iso machine. I've noticed way more by doing way less.

Ever see those guys at the gym who are there for like 3 hours, who do 90 different bicep movements? Doesn't work for the normal human being.

[k1usa]

I use Wrath's split...love it...feel it...respect it....growing with it

[BigAnt]

I have done some research on here and read some great articles on here how to work your training splits but I was wondering if you guys think training tris and bis directly would be okay. For instance doing something like

Chest/tris
Back/bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs
Tris/Bis
Dayoff

I feel like I don't hit tris and bis hard enough when I do them on chest and back day however i feel like i should hit them on those two days as they are already pumped up, I'm not talking smash them I'm talking just throw a couple of exercises in since there already tired. Then on Bis and Tris day to totaly smash them..... Let me know what you think. Thanks

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARMS, GUNS, VEINS RUNING UP THE BICEPS, HUGE HANGING TRICEPS...WE ALL WANT THEM!

Maybe try one body part a day, and hit your arms after an "off" day-day of rest---Intensity rules!

Make sure you boat-load the carbs the day before you train arms!

Again, in a down poor, a 6 oz. cup will only hold 6 oz. No more!

Hit them hard-heavy with basic compund exercies, and every 3rd-4th workout kill them with high rep sets like 20 reps!

Close grips, skull crushers, dips, tricep pushdowns, barbell-dumbbell curls, hammer curls, reverse curls and preacher curls....will get the job done!

Keep me posted!

[Terranova1340]

Thanx everyone

[The Underdog]

On my current workouts, I train arms on Fridays. I'm getting ready to start a new workout on Monday which, with my work and class schedule, would call for me to train arms on Mondays. Is training arms this Friday (tomorrow) and this coming Monday a bad idea? After this weekend, I'll be doing arms on just mondays, btw. Thanks.

[Rexor91]

On my current workouts, I train arms on Fridays. I'm getting ready to start a new workout on Monday which, with my work and class schedule, would call for me to train arms on Mondays. Is training arms this Friday (tomorrow) and this coming Monday a bad idea? After this weekend, I'll be doing arms on just mondays, btw. Thanks.

Nah bra, prob close to 72 hours recovery time in total. Should be golden

[Rexor91]

What kinda pump session you got goin' on?

[The Underdog]

This is what I'm starting on Monday :


Cable Tricep Pushdowns superset w/
Standing Curls (EZ curl bar)

* Set 1: 15 reps (warm-up)
* Set 2: 12 reps
* Set 3: 10 reps
* Set 4: 10 reps
* Set 5: 8 reps (drop weight and do another 8 reps)

Close Grip Bench Press superset w/
Preacher Curl Machine

Close Grip Bench Press:
o Set 1: 10 reps
o Set 2: 10 reps
o Set 3: 8 reps ( do a double drop set of 8 reps each)

Preacher Curl Machine
o Set 1: 12 reps
o Set 2: 12 reps
o Set 3: 8 reps do a double drop set of 8 reps each)

Tricep Dip Machine superset w/
Seated Dumbbell Curls

Tricep Dip Machine

o 12 reps x 3 sets

Seated Dumbbell Curls

o 10 reps x 3 sets

The workout I'm doing now is okay, but I wanted to go with an individual workout (arms on monday, back on tuesday,ect.) for intensity purposes. I found this on bodybuilding.com ( http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/animalpak78.htm ).

[Rexor91]

Sweetness looks, pretty good... one thing though, personally I honestly HATE preacher machines... ever tried doing db's on a preacher, awesome concetration on the muscle. Dont have to go very heavy, awesome stretch and contraction every rep

[Shaffer_515]

I dont see anything wrong as doing them so close...(not for any extended time i mean)..they are smaller muscles so a 2 days rest for them should do the trick...

[The Underdog]

I've never even thought of that. I'm sure it probably rock my forearms too, since I'd be using them to stabilize the weight more than I would with an EZ-Bar,ect.

[Rexor91]

I've never even thought of that. I'm sure it probably rock my forearms too, since I'd be using them to stabilize the weight more than I would with an EZ-Bar,ect.

No dount, every now and then switch back and forth form the e-z to regular barbell... awesome stuff. But yeah, the DB preachers are friggin' ballin'

[Roland]

Just remember your arms(biceps) are getting hit indirectly with alot of different stuff such as back..etc. I would recommend you hitting it 1 time a week and just go all out and it should grow. You have to give it time to grow....and EAT.

[Rexor91]

Just remember your arms(biceps) are getting hit indirectly with alot of different stuff such as back..etc. I would recommend you hitting it 1 time a week and just go all out and it should grow. You have to give it time to grow....and EAT.

Truth. I normally do about 6 goods sets of bis after back and same for tris after chest... then have one balls out arm day. But I thought he was just looking to change from Friday's to Monday's, and his question reguarding recovery was just for his 1st trasition week?

Hey Roland, what's it like to get to train at the famous Koluseum?

[Riesjs]

too redundant, especially for such a smaller muscle group. 2x a week is too much let alone 3 days apart

[Lionstrong]

Shouldn't be a prob. If it were me I would just do 3-4 heavy sets Friday. But since your not me, I don't know if that would work for you. My philosophy being a few sets to keep them worked but not enough to need 1 week to heal. I'm a pretty low volume trainer as it is. Biceps are usually 6-8 work sets one a week....give or take

[The Underdog]

I think I'm just going to have a light arm day tomorrow, just enough to get a decent enough pump going then do some abs and cardio afterwards. I'll be resting and eating all weekend, then I'll come back into the gym on Monday and do my new arm workout with the usual weight I'm going for.

[Lionstrong]

sounds good, I have never gone to the gym with the goal of a pump but whatever works. I don't even think it's a "sign" of progress of growth....just a mere byproduct like emissions from a running car out of a tail pipe. Really no one would ever say the emissions are a way to guage a running vehicle. I can get a pump by dropping down right now and a few push ups....but I've done nothing for growth.

[simpleguy]

Just remember your arms(biceps) are getting hit indirectly with alot of different stuff such as back..etc. I would recommend you hitting it 1 time a week and just go all out and it should grow. You have to give it time to grow....and EAT.

yeah, agreed

[need2getBIG]

i think you should give that routine a try and see how it goes,it wouldnt be a journey if we didnt have to learn how our body works

[XIronAcesX]

when I first performed bicep workouts, I would work them out 2x a week and I found out; I wasn't getting much results. My biceps were flatting out, therefore I began training only once a week with heavy low-rep range and I found out that my body responded well. Maybe people will disagree with me on this one, but im doing what feels right to me.

[violator]

I do bis & tris on seperate days, usually in a 3 day rotation...i like em heavy, static holds & intense stretches afterward....

[Firzen]

How many times a week do you guys think arms should be trained in order for them to grow and to avoid overtraining? Once? Twice?

[zanderfever]

How many times a week do you guys think arms should be trained in order for them to grow and to avoid overtraining? Once? Twice?

Once for just an "arms" day and then the secondary work they get from back, chest, and shoulders should be plenty. If you have freaky arms though that can take a whole lot of beating, then you can add tri's after chest/delts and bi's after back. Be careful if your trying the latter and watch yourself.

[Matt Dickerson]

How many times a week do you guys think arms should be trained in order for them to grow and to avoid overtraining? Once? Twice?

Everyone is unique and some people have better recovery abilities than other. There are many factors involved. Many bodybuilders train their triceps 2-3 times per week. Once on chest day with all the pressing movements and another day with direct work. If you have a separate shoulder day where you do overhead pressing, you will be working them a third time as well.

Over time you will learn what is too much and what isn't enough. The only way to know what will work for you is to consistently train over a long period of time.

[YoungDiesel]

I was wondering if the order in which you train your arms matters. For example, who trains bi's first and who trains tri's first, or do you switch it up and superset them together?

[IronWilson]

I superset a bicep excercise with a tricep excercise. For instance, bicep curls with close grip bench press. The reason why is it gives the muscle time to recover while you working on some excercises, but on other excercises, the other will be involved to a small extent.

[prowrestler]

whichever im feeling first, i do. i like to pump my bicep[s up first to give my triceps a nice cushioning affect for close grip dips. works for me.

[jeff00z28]

i only train my arms every 2 weeks when i have an arm day. But other than that on every week i dont have an arm-day i sometimes do a few sets of triceps with chest or shoulders, and a few sets of biceps with back

[InkdMuscle]

I train my arms one day direct and prob once more durring the week when the are the secondary muscle getting hit like in benching and over head presses. that seems to work for me.

[InkdMuscle]

I train my bi's on chest and tris on shoulders. but thats only a secondary training. when i do my direct training for arms. I do bi's first then my tris. I find for myself if i go tris first i cant get a good pump from my bis.

[newbreed]

I don't train them on the same workout anymore but when I used to I would train biceps first because that was the lagging one of the two so I wanted to hit that with full strength and focus. I supersetted sometimes too but every couple weeks. Work whichever one seems to need more work first.

[js71474]

Right now I hit bi's first, then tri's but I have supersetted one with the other and when I do that I get an insane pump going. It really comes down to feeling, I have heard you train bi's first but really don't think it matters. Go hard bro!

[general]

I switch it up from week to week. One day I will start with biceps and the next week I start with triceps. I know for me, whichever one I do first, takes away from the one I do second even though one is push and the other is pull. I guess alot of that has to do with the amount of intensity you train with as well.

[Frankie86]

In my Opinion i feel it is better to do tri's first due to the fact that it is a bigger muscle and a bigger part of your arm..like stated usually the first muscle you train will of course tire you out somewhat leaving you a little less energetic for your second workout..since the tricep also helps you out in just about all pushing exercises i want it to get the best possible workout i can give it so on arm day i train tris first..hope this helps

86

[sanga]

I do Bis first as I find my elbows are nice and warmed up ready for Tris.

[Macrobolic]

I was wondering if the order in which you train your arms matters. For example, who trains bi's first and who trains tri's first, or do you switch it up and superset them together?

I have typically done my triceps first as they are the bigger of the two muscles.

However, now that my biceps are much too small for my liking, I am training them first.


I guess I would recommend switching it up between the two.

[BrotherInArms]

I always work the muscles that need the most work first.

I hit tris before bis, but only because my tris need more work than my bis do. Either way, hit 'em hard, hit 'em often, and you're sure to keep growin'.

[Hoffdogg]

Supersets...FTW!

[Tron]

Supersets...FTW!

Amen... 30+ sets in an hour! That'll tax them.

[Hoffdogg]

Amen... 30+ sets in an hour! That'll tax them.
Leave you swoll the fuck up

[sanga]

I can do 30+ sets in 20 mins and not move let alone an hour, lol

[twisted_steel]

I like to superset my bi's excercises with my tri's ones. And then move onto forearms and superset those excercises together. Preferably 16-20 sets for my arms usually all together. Again, I go as heavy as I can while keeping good form and doing a decent amount of reps to build muscle.

[shizz702]

I were to do a split I would want to do biceps on back day and triceps on chest day. Because with back and biceps you're typically simulating pulling movements, and with chest and triceps you're doing pushing movements. Best to hit them after they've already been worked in my opinion.

For example if you're doing your chest and do bench, dips, flyes, etc. you've already worked your triceps some so you mine as well finish them off with some skull crushers and some rope pulldowns or what not. Same principle applies with me on back and biceps.

That is how I would do it if I were to do a split. I don't really do splits though, usually full body routines.

[SizeMatters]

you wanna get your arms to grow? STOP TRAINIING THEM... focus on heavy movements on back and chest day and watch tme grow.

[BigAnt]

I was wondering if the order in which you train your arms matters. For example, who trains bi's first and who trains tri's first, or do you switch it up and superset them together?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Me personally I hit my tris first, they need more work to balance out my arm developement than do my bis. Also a tricep = a three headed muscle can withstand a tad more work than the bicep=a two headed muscle...

Sometimes I like to stager tri-bi work...example---Close gip bench 4x5-8 Standing barbell curl 3x6-8, Skull crushers 4x8-10, standinh hammer curls 3x8-10, tricep push downs 3x12-15, preacher machine curls 2x15, dips 3x10-12, cable curls 2x10-12.....

[Aaron590]

I usually do Bi's and Tri's on the same day. I usually do a bicept workout then a tricept and rotate. That way while Im doing one workout, Im letting the other muscle to get a few minutes to recover.

[shizz702]

you wanna get your arms to grow? STOP TRAINIING THEM... focus on heavy movements on back and chest day and watch tme grow.

I agree. I actually don't even do any direct arm work other than some curls every now and then. It's funny cause my arms grew even more from not training them then they did back when I used to train them.

[The Hulk2011]

I do arms witch includes bench press skull crushers tricept extension dumbbell curls... Then when I do back and tire lifts I get more arm training.

[XIronAcesX]

I train my bis and tris the same day once every 2 weeks, i'm not really into arms that much.

[Aaron590]

I destroy my arms once a week. Its about an hour, hour and a half, workout. Do bi's and tri's on the same day....It works for me.

[mancunian'freakshow]

hey guys jst wondering how i can improve the size of my arms so they split the sleeves of all my best shirts lol. i train them once, maybe twice a week depending on how i feel on the day but although i have some size in that area i only seem to get stronger in my arms......not bigger, could anybody gimme a sample workout maybe or just a few tips on how many times i should train them a week and especially wat exercises and should i focus on more reps or more weight??? any help would be great

[simpleguy]

lol haven't seen this thread in a while... honestly, for me anything I tried (yes, including not training them) was with little results... I just noticed that as the rest of my muscles grow, the arms do the same thing, so right now I'm not looking for the latest way to add an inch in 2 weeks, I know that it takes time, but they grow slow and steady

[Aggression]

With arms, just like everything else, you have to find the right groove for your own body. I usually do about 9-11 sets for both biceps and triceps, training them together on the same day; its what works best for ME.

[Woolsey]

You've probably heard alot of people talking about super settin bi's n tri's n it might seem like shit but believe me its mad! the pump in your arms is huge n you will get so much stronger through the sets in each exercise cuz the antagonistic muscle has been exhausted. Honestly give it a try. Iv packed a good inch on ma arms in the past month or so since i started.

Good luck n remember your arms aren't your most important body part.. your not a spice boy your an animal

[In Flames]

I recently just started Mentzer's HIT training workouts. I do Shoulders & Arms on the same day once per week.

Delts
1 x 6-10 Standing Side Laterals
1 x 6-10 Bent-over Rear Raises

Biceps
1 x 6-10 Underhand Grip Pull-downs

Triceps
1 x 6-10 Pushdowns Superset w/
1 x 3-5 Dips