Growing Your Arms: Breaking Through A Plateau

[ace]

well... i've been working out for almost 3 years now (not continuiously though) .. and i see the trasformation that i got.. pretty convincing for my age and time i spent at the gym.. but i've always had a problem.. my arms .. especially my biceps, no matter what exercises i do or how intense they are. or how heavy i lift they seem to be growing really slow! the tricpes are kind of defined.. but size is what i aim for..

sooo any suggestions ?

[PlacentiaBay]

If you havent already, change up the exercises. Don't stick to the same exercises you body adapts to them quickly. Keep it guessing about the next workout.

[TheSailorMan]

Try changing up your rep scheme every month.

[karmazon]

Try to do slower, more controlled reps, and emphasize negatives. I am a firm believer in the whole "time under tension" thing. There's no way your muscles won't grow that way.

[ItsSteveBlack]

i agree on this one as well, try shocking the shit outa your arms as well try the armory workout in the training section just to switch things up its a pretty high intensity supersetted arm workout, like already mentioned you have to be switching things up as well as trying not to over train your arms stick toi just 3 exercises for your biceps and 3 for your triceps its very easy to overtrain such a small muscle group because theyre getting destroyed on back days and chest days as well..........

Black

[Hellreaver]

In my opinion, the best exercises for growing bigger biceps is the basics. Barbell curls. If you have to cheat a little, so be it. Some people swear to cheating, some vehemently deny it. For me, cheating can be useful, but don't overuse it. Heavy-ass barbell curls. Personally, I love preacher machines also, because with the added leverage I can go super-fucking heavy. Just like these guys are saying, change up your exercises. Change your routine. Hell change your rep scheme. Sometimes I'll shoot for a weight that allows 8-12 reps, but sometimes you gotta load that fucking bar and pull out 3 or 4 reps. One thing I constantly do in between sets is flex and stretch, allowing more blood flow to the muscles. Keep us posted on your progress bro. Peace out.

[ace]

..that's what i've been doing for a while now.. biceps twice a week.. saturday three exercises and on wednesday another three..
do you think i should use the less-weight but slower form technique? you know go easy on the weight but concentrate more like while i'm going back to the starting postition of the dumbell/barbell , i'd do it a little slower?

[Ammotroop]

Cheat to win!!

[HELLYEAH60]

You really need to mix up what excercises you do. I have finally gotten my biceps up to 18 inches simply because i have never done the same trainning scheme in continuous weeks. I always mix it up and try to keep my muscles guessing. Thats really all you can do. Just try that and be patient. It takes time, but at the same time it takes persistance and dedication. STAY STRONG BROTHA YOULL GET THERE!!!!!

[Iron_Man]

well... i've been working out for almost 3 years now (not continuiously though) .. and i see the trasformation that i got.. pretty convincing for my age and time i spent at the gym.. but i've always had a problem.. my arms .. especially my biceps, no matter what exercises i do or how intense they are. or how heavy i lift they seem to be growing really slow! the tricpes are kind of defined.. but size is what i aim for..

sooo any suggestions ?

dude..i had the same problem..until then my body was like at 205lbs n my arms were only like 15.5 inches...basically my arms got bigger by doing this thing called xrep. it works. yall might have heard it. xrep.com. yeah in 2 months time my arms grew bigger. n if you choose to try it. id advise to it with cable curls.

[NASH]

well... i've been working out for almost 3 years now (not continuiously though) .. and i see the trasformation that i got.. pretty convincing for my age and time i spent at the gym.. but i've always had a problem.. my arms .. especially my biceps, no matter what exercises i do or how intense they are. or how heavy i lift they seem to be growing really slow! the tricpes are kind of defined.. but size is what i aim for..

sooo any suggestions ?

Are you training your forearms too? This helps with your bicep gains. And also remember to do different techniques such as Negatives, or 21's. If you have any questions just PM me. Biceps has always been my strongpoint.

[Hatred]

More importantly. What have you discovered that HASN'T worked over the last three years?

I've been capped at 18's for a year. Basically because I am a pussy.
I kept addding weight but stayed with relatively low reps.(8/10)
Know what the definition if insanity is?
"Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results."
I'm now doing 15+ reps and about 12 work sets.
Ive added a half inch to my arms in a month.
I'm talking about going til it is excruciating and the burn travels up the side of your neck and makes your thoughts puke.

[spartan300]

Might I be so bold as to suggest working your arms once every every 8-10 days. Don't get me wrong Annihilate 'em when you do. 20 sets bi's, 20 sets tri's, 6-10 reps with all the basic barbell and dumbbell movements (no machines!) Bump your protein up and try to maintain a positive nitrogen balance by taking in a steady stream of protein daily. I personally mix up a quart of protein at a time and sip it throughout the day when I'am not consuming whole food meals. Oh yes it would probably be a good idea to work them together and follow them up with a leg day.

[ace]

.. soo when it comes to biceps, weight doesn't matter as much as the reps and the form do ?
well right now what i'm doing is that i do the barbell curls with a 15LB plate on each side (6-8 reps) and right after that i drop down the weight to say around 5LB plates and do another 10 reps, actually 'till the point where i can't move the bar another inch.. any comments?

[karmazon]

.. soo when it comes to biceps, weight doesn't matter as much as the reps and the form do ?
well right now what i'm doing is that i do the barbell curls with a 15LB plate on each side (6-8 reps) and right after that i drop down the weight to say around 5LB plates and do another 10 reps, actually 'till the point where i can't move the bar another inch.. any comments?

Well yes and no. You always want to either increase the weight or reps from workout to workout. I am a firm believer in good form, and lifting using the muscle NOT momentum. Try doing slower negatives, they are very helpful in overcoming plateaus.

[viperman]

i had the same problem. i said "had", but i wouldn't mind to have bigger arms anyway ;)
the funny thing was - they were small, but damn strong.
my solution was - less is more.I droped number of working sets for biceps from 10 to just 5-6, but various range of reps. Also went heavy on supplements.

[TheNaturalG]

Whats your weight, height and size of your arms to give us an idea. So many of my friends talk about how small there arms are meanwhile it is because they are small and there arms are really in proportion to their bodies. If you want bigger arms you really just gotta gain weight throughout your whole body.

[okiron247]

Make sure you are not just doing isolation exercises. Hit the heavy compund movements and get a good solid foundation for those arms. Also, make sure you're not overtraining them.

[WaNNaBeSoLDieR]

What worked for me? Train 'em twice a week...both biceps AND triceps. Never, EVER forget your triceps work - they account for about 2/3 of your arms' size. Day one, do exclusively barbell work (close-grip bench, skulls, etc)...Day two, do exclusively dumbbell work...and don't leave the Big Three outta the rest of your program. Compound lifts will help you add size all over.

[Wolf Man CHG]

different stokes for different folks on this one....the main tip you should take from all the advice is to make sure when you are training biceps......it's your biceps that are taking the grunt of the stress and strain.....so going really heavy and heaving the weight up does little good.... focus on the keeping the stress on the bicep muscle and not the joints

[IntensityJT]

i used to have the same problem and heres what i think you should do that helped me out a lot...

if you arent already...leave a separate day for Arms (biceps, triceps) this will make sure they are being worked first and this will help to strengthen both..

also, go nice and slow, especially on curls...make sure its a controlled motion

changed your rep range...and the order of your exercises

last but not least....superset biceps and triceps...this will give you a great pump that im sure will help you


best of luck

[DWARFx10]

Bro, If you want hugh Biceps, get a Job where you do a lot of lifting or box moving or whatever, this plus going to the gym, your arms will mutate!


Peace

[Ironone]

ok i'll put my 2 cents in. Try running the rack. Start with a db that you can get an easy 15 reps with each arm. drop em and pick up the next lightest. for example I will start with 45 then 40,35,30,25,20,15,10 all with no rest. when you finish with the 10s take a short break and now go up the rack,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45. This counts as one set. now do it 2 more times and watch you arms explode.

[pdiesel]

full range of motion..i have crazy arms and its bc ive always gone the full way down on my exercises..its a lot harder and you wont be going as heavy, but it stretches the hell out of your muscles..

[Demolitionist]

Ok so lately ive been lookin at the mirror and my arms almost seem like they are smaller then they were 3 months ago. I'm really liking everything else, but its really bugging me and I dont know what to do because I cant put arms in my sched a second time considering rest = growth. What the hell do I do?

[Fury317]

Arms are tough for me too (calves as well). Not all of us are blessed with pipes like Wrath. What I do is superset everything adn that seems to get a great pump. Make sure youre getting full range of motion too. And for limit swaying, ie use your arms and not your back. Heres basically what I do

BB Curls s/s Skulls
DB Curls s/s Pressdown
Concentration Curl s/s Extensions
Hammer curls s/s Overhead extension
Forearms at the end

My arms have grown quite a bit since I started supersetting everything. Im sittin at a little over 18 inches and they feel like they grow little by little every week. Hope this helps, good luck bro.

[Budsbythebeach]

work some arms into your regular routine. I have small arms vs. the rest of me, although it was mostly my fault for not working them with intensity.

Now i really attack tris when i work shoulders, and bi's when i work back or legs.

Even only one hard excersice for arms after your main workout would help.

[JB69]

Yeah like fury said supersets they have really helped me. i like to do supersets every other week and each time switch which part of the arm you train first e.g 1 week superset bi's with tri's next week superset tri's with bi's

[TwoTon]

Help me! Whats the problem heres my stats

I started lifting..Well I dont even know when 3-6 months tops ago

Bench started at 180-200ish max now its 250 max

Dead lift started 240 with horrid form to 300+ with good form

Squat started about 200 now is about 300

BB curl Started about 120-130..And now its about the same

Arm size started at 14.5 unflex and 16.5 flex..and its the exact same..

im 6'1 210-220 lbs I do 5 day split Chest back legs arms shoulders

ive tried mark rippetoes SS for a while then went to the 5 a week I can really smash my arms and no matter what its rare they even feel tight next day I take lots of protine i take creatine I eat eggs and all that fun stuff..What can I do? should I try shocking them with random craziness or what? they just wont change shape or anything..or strength im broken! lol help me out brothers i know someone must of experianced something simalar and has a trick or 2 thanks to any and all who respond!

[dominatetheiron]

need to see what your diets like and how you train your arms man.

[hjayss]

How much cardio you doing...what supps you taking a lot envoled bro..fill us in we got you...

[WillWest]

is the lack of growth out of proportion to the rest of your body? Chest etc?

[Space Cowboy]

1) Whats your bodyfat like before you started and now?

2) Whats your arm routine like?

Maybe you had excess fat/water to make your arms the size they wer before lifting, you could have lost size in fat/water reduction and replaced with muscle to go back to the same size. Kinda like when people jus read the scales but dont realise losing weight/building muscle evens weight out at a point.


EASI

[king1]

Either your blessed with arms or you arent. You can find how other people work out their arms, and how they diet to grow. You will get the most growth out of your tris from heavy pressing (especially lockout) and free weight extensions. Your biceps will get biggest from heavy pulling and free weight curls. THATS ALL THERE IS TO IT. EAT AND THEY WILL GROW

[in_traning]

hey, i was wondering if any one could give me some advise on thickening the biceps , i am blessed with a natural skinny physique ive been eating lkike a dog have put on a few kilos of muscle body fat is still very low but yeah my biceps need to thinking up
peaccceeee

[ironshaolin]

use the search, there's tons of threads already on here about getting bigger biceps. The real secret? Its not doing more curls. For biceps, start doing heavier barbell rows. Try to add 5lbs or 2 reps on every single week. Curls are secondary.

[rcrott1]

hey, i was wondering if any one could give me some advise on thickening the biceps , i am blessed with a natural skinny physique ive been eating lkike a dog have put on a few kilos of muscle body fat is still very low but yeah my biceps need to thinking up
peaccceeee

oh, and the other secret in addition to searching for it around here,....EATING more than you currently are.

[Spikes079]

Reverse Curls and Hammer Curls, thoose will make your arms appear wider and more full

[ChandlerXJ]

i think doing heavy ass BB curls, mixed in with light ass BB curls works wonders, especially if you're getting a good squeeze and your form is on-point.

This weekend I was curling 135 for 3 solid reps, then I would drop down to 115 for 10, then for 2 sets I think I did 65 for 20, then maybe a quick 10 with just the bar.

Mix it up, keep your arms guessing!!! EAT BIG!!

[Shaffer_515]

ive heard that every 10lbs of wieght you gain is about an inch on your arms...i think that is on the new real gains add

[MetalAsh12]

i think doing heavy ass BB curls, mixed in with light ass BB curls works wonders, especially if you're getting a good squeeze and your form is on-point.

This weekend I was curling 135 for 3 solid reps, then I would drop down to 115 for 10, then for 2 sets I think I did 65 for 20, then maybe a quick 10 with just the bar.

Mix it up, keep your arms guessing!!! EAT BIG!!

Heavy ass combined with light ass...sounds good Chandler.. lol

[osiris]

If its bigger arms you after, focus more on your triceps. That sucker's the biggest muscle in the upper arm, he'll make your arms look bigger when your arms are hanging at your sides.

[simpleguy]

yup, these are all good tips, but just like it has been mentioned, the most important thing is eating all the time big... eat even when you're full, or whatever, just throw the damn food into your throat... make sure you get plenty of carbs , mostly complex... eat every 2-3 hrs, protein at every meal... add some peanut butter or olive oil, whatever ... good luck

[HOLLYWOOD2]

all of this is true, just make sure your form is good so you can isolate your muscles. and remember to gain the most hypertrophy aim for 6-12 reps

[MassMonster]

food, Chins, Rows, curls, repeat.....

[Riesjs]

Heavy rows, BB curls, and cable preacher curls. oh yea...eat till you cant anymore...then have a snack

[hjayss]

I just typed in bicep...
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=486&page=11&highlight=bicep

[cviewmike851]

Now, I just started--after a lot of research and what Big Al and I spoke about, I do 2 exercises-2 sets of tri on chest day and 2 exercises-2 sets of bis on back day...very very heavy, low reps 6-8 using machines...my arm day workout is a bit higher reps using basic compound exercises...reps 8-15

If I where you...try just training them alone one day a week, using the compund exercises..close grips-dips-skull crushers-barbell-dumbbell and hammer curls reps 6-12....

Try for 5-7 weeks-get plenty of carbs the day before arms and use vey good form and train heavy after a very good warm up!

---This is what BigAnt said to me when I asked him how to get bigger arms. Hope this helps bro

[DMH56308]

Find and read Big Ant's "Armed and Ready" article. I have switched that routine and has been going great!!!!!!!!

[PECK88]

hey everyone, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get your arms bigger, i train all week
monday-chest
tuesday-back
wensday-shoulders
thursday- bis and tris
saturday- legs

and the next day i am sore with all days expect for thursday, the arm night. i wake upo friday and it feels like i never touched my arms, and i train them just like the rest of my body. open for suggestions on everything as in arms lifts and maybe a change in the routine.
my current stak is PAK,TEST,PUMP. and ofcourse i eat like a horse, i try and take in about 250-300 grams of protin a day, i eat about every 2 hours or so.thanks bros

[ironshaolin]

progression, homeboy. Keep a log book. Don't change your routine until it goes stale. my suggestion is to keep track in a notebook of not just your arm stats, but your back stats as well. Heavy rows and chins will help beef up your arms, as heavy benches and presses will help your triceps. Make sure that every single week you either add weight, or reps. Once you can't add weight or reps, then change excersises. Eventually, you will get ridiculously strong and the size will come with that. I've never known anyone that can curl 135 with good form for at least 8 reps that had small arms.

The other piece of the pie is make sure you eat like a fiend, lots of protein so those babies got what they need to grow. Just remember, you can use every schock tactic possible; dropsets, negatives, rest/pause, supersets, whatever but if you aren't getting stronger, you aren't getting bigger.

[Testpolska]

How many sets are you doing for them? You might be doing too many. I used to do 9-12 sets for tris and 9 for biceps. Now I do 3-4 sets each tops. Arms are hugely a genetic thing, Some people are blessed, others cursed.

[StockRock]

My Split:
Mon - Legs
Tue - Chest
Wed - Back
Thu - Arms
Fri - Legs

Arm Day
Standing BB curls
Standing DB curls
BB Preacher curls
Standing Hammer curls
Single Arm DB Preacher curls
Tricep Cable Pulldown
Skullcrushers
Overhead DB Extension
Dips

Alternatives:
Cross body hammergrip curls
EZ Bar Preacher Curls
EZ Bar Standing

I can barely reach my head to wash my hair, if that gives you any incetive how intese the split is.

I normally do three sets of each and differ reps as i go on.
To add an inch to your arm you need to put on 8-10lbs of quailty mass.

Eat often.

[Torque757]

You are giving them to much attention, thats why they arent growing. Biceps are the most overanalyzed, overemphasized muscle on the body, yet it is one of the smallest. All bis need is a few sets of bb curls, and possibly followed by a few of a db movement. As for tri's, dips and skullcrushers.

Try doing bi's after chest and tri's after back. This will give you an extra day of growing instead of the extra day of tearing down you have now. Go heavy and intense on these and your arms will grow. As mentioned earleir, KEEP A LOG BOOK, this is very important. To grow, you must get progessvely stronger. Not a killer pump(although you most likely will get one), not being really sore the next couple days, but every workout getting stronger by doing more reps, weight, or both each workout.

[Ronnie Chop]

Just because pros do it like that doesn't mean you can. Their splits are tough and not for everyone. You probably need more recovery time than you think

[ItsSteveBlack]

wellllll you could try a differet split but like someone said already not really until it goes stale...

Chest/Biceps
Back
Shoulders/Triceps
Legs

EZ Bar Curls
Preacher Curls
Seated Dumbell Curls
Standing Hammer Curls

V Bar Cable Extension
Skull Crushers
Seated Dip Machine
Seated Over Head EZ Bar Extension

my .02

[PECK88]

thanks alot everyone, that was some good advice i will consider all that.


i just started keeping a log book this week and i will continue to do so. i started the book when i started my new stak. and i usally do 3 to 4 exercises for bis, and tehn 3 to 4 exercise for tris. and i uesally do 3 to 4 sets for each. is that doing to much?

[Giant Killer]

Change what you're doing...if I could wager a guess you've been doing the same comfortable exercises, switching it up a little bit, but not enough to really stimulate new fibers. Totally change your perspective, pick a handful of arm exercises that you've never done before, change your rep range, number of sets, decrease sets before increasing sets which sounds like it doesn't make sense, but trust me it might just work. Put them on a different day in a different grouping you've never used before.

Switch it up and force those bitches to evolve.

[Tron]

Maybe try this 5-day split:

Monday - Arms
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Chest
Thursday - Back
Friday - Shoulders

This'll hit your arms first thing in the week, making you less overall fatigued. Also with the legs in between you have more rest and don't hit your arms 4 days in a row like you have been. That's a suggestion to try.

And EAT and SLEEP.

[Roland]

progression, homeboy. Keep a log book. Don't change your routine until it goes stale. my suggestion is to keep track in a notebook of not just your arm stats, but your back stats as well. Heavy rows and chins will help beef up your arms, as heavy benches and presses will help your triceps. Make sure that every single week you either add weight, or reps. Once you can't add weight or reps, then change excersises. Eventually, you will get ridiculously strong and the size will come with that. I've never known anyone that can curl 135 with good form for at least 8 reps that had small arms.

The other piece of the pie is make sure you eat like a fiend, lots of protein so those babies got what they need to grow. Just remember, you can use every schock tactic possible; dropsets, negatives, rest/pause, supersets, whatever but if you aren't getting stronger, you aren't getting bigger.

Well said.

[LHS Monster]

maybe try the search button it will make your arms bigger

[simpleguy]

maybe try the search button it will make your arms bigger

hahaha

[Torque757]

thanks alot everyone, that was some good advice i will consider all that.


i just started keeping a log book this week and i will continue to do so. i started the book when i started my new stak. and i usally do 3 to 4 exercises for bis, and tehn 3 to 4 exercise for tris. and i uesally do 3 to 4 sets for each. is that doing to much?

I would def go with 1-2 lifts for bi's and 2-3 for tri's. Concentrate on good basic lifts and progressing strength wise to add size.

[malink]

ok guys i just went from 14'' to 15 '' in a month and that size for me looks really big

this workout was done with a buddy of mine to keep the aggression and focus...the diet did do a major role too :P

monday....chest then biceps

ok first off....a good 5 to 10 minutes to stretch your arms real good

#1 3 sets of bb curl,6-8 reps
#2 3 sets of incline db curls, 6-8 reps
#3 3 sets of 21's

now to kill the bicep...when we did the 21's me and friend, I do one set and when im done I give him the bar and vice versa (ur break is when your friend is doing is set )and believe me...you'll be dead if you push yourself to the limit

thursday: back and bicep

#1 3 sets of alternating db curls, 6-8 reps
#2 3 sets of concentration curls, 6-8 reps
#3 3 sets of chin up till failure

now i know that training bicep twice a week isnt that good but i was at a point where i needed to shock them....there is no way they can adapt to that if you push yourself and if you want result...SLEEP AND EAT LIKE AN ANIMAL

peace

malink

[Pizzalamp]

i will try this out
thanks!

[musclealchemist]

nice stuff bro

[jeff00z28]

my arms grow as everything else grows. I have never rly been able to target arms

[RoJoHen]

Lately, my arms are the ONLY thing I can get to grow. I'll keep this in mind for later, though.

[sanga]

Thanks for sharing this with us malink.

[squattingtillipuke]

nice post. I have noticed that when I hit ruts there is nothing that my bi's like more then to do some 21's and then run the rack.

One thing is don't forget that the other side of your arm (tri) is just as important to develop as your bicep...beat those fuckers up really good too.

[krazyassmexican]

you guys are gonna start bashing me and i dont care, but i have done it all light weight, heavy weight, super sets, giant sets drop sets, 21s and my fuckin biceps are still flat, that is why i gave up and dont give a fuck about them anymore

[Big Rich]

you guys are gonna start bashing me and i dont care, but i have done it all light weight, heavy weight, super sets, giant sets drop sets, 21s and my fuckin biceps are still flat, that is why i gave up and dont give a fuck about them anymore

#1 The tricep is the laregst muscle in your arm and will make them look huge if well-developed. Don't overwork the bicep.
#2 Arms will grow by themselves from working other muscle areas particularly the chest and back.

[krazyassmexican]

#1 The tricep is the laregst muscle in your arm and will make them look huge if well-developed. Don't overwork the bicep.
#2 Arms will grow by themselves from working other muscle areas particularly the chest and back.

right now i am doing a powerlifting template and my triceps are looking great and gettin strong

but biceps are the problem

[speedster00]

I did a similar routine and realized that I was overtraining arms. I do arms once a week due to chest and back days working them as well. I think its easy to overwork them if your not careful. Below is my routine...

Staight BB curls- 4sets HEAVY
lying Skull Crushers- 4 sets- very heavy then close grip bench it until failure
Hammer Curls- 4 sets 8-10 reps
push downs- 4 sets 8 reps
rope curls- 4 sets light- 12-14 reps, heavy burn
rope pull downs- light 4 sets 12-14 reps.

By the time I've done all that, my arms are completely toast. And its done a great job of adding size on me.

[Enforcer]

http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=27

Read Oct.21st gives great insight on training your biceps.

[simpleguy]

you guys are gonna start bashing me and i dont care, but i have done it all light weight, heavy weight, super sets, giant sets drop sets, 21s and my fuckin biceps are still flat, that is why i gave up and dont give a fuck about them anymore

I hear you krazy... my arms are one of those parts that grow extra-slow... now I can't say they are the same like when I started lifting but I got a long way to go

[Torque757]

Biceps are way too overated. Tris are (SUPPOSED to be) 2/3 of the arm, but all you ever hear about is biceps...

[malink]

keep in mind that i did that routine for just under a month to shock the bi's and if you do it you have to take care of everything else to...i slept one to two hours more and made sure i could get a lil more calories....

right now im just doing a basic routine

bb curl 3 sets 8 reps
preacher curls 3 sets 8 reps

there is no need to train your arms with a gizilion sets...just get a good pump and make sure you do over do it

peace

malink

[V23]

Sounds like a great routine! Nothing wrong with shocking
the muscles twice a week for a while. Especially supinating
DB curls, whether seated or standing. A lot of people forget
an action of the biceps is to supinate the forearm.

[RogueLion]

Congrats on the new growth. My arms get a sick pump when i do the animal arm workout in the AOM. Its crazy good. I add my shit in of course, but I just pound at away at Bi's and Tri's with mindless abandon. I won't even guesstimate about my arm size, with or without pump, but they are enourmous veiny limbs when pumped post arm workout. Peace

[jeff00z28]

Biceps are way too overated. Tris are (SUPPOSED to be) 2/3 of the arm, but all you ever hear about is biceps...

but who doesn't want to have big biceps too?

[Torque757]

but who doesn't want to have big biceps too?

Everyone, obviously... But alot of peaple are far too focused on them, giving them way to much attention... and for some peaple, thats the reason they arent growing enough in the first place.

Big biceps+mediocre tris= shitty arms.
Big tri's + mediocre bis=pretty good arms

[Ricky P]

#1 The tricep is the laregst muscle in your arm and will make them look huge if well-developed. Don't overwork the bicep.
#2 Arms will grow by themselves from working other muscle areas particularly the chest and back.

Not only is the tricep the biggest muscle in the arm, the bicep is the smallest.

Like Big Rich said, don't overwork the biceps. It's very easy to do that because it's such a small muscle and people place such a large emphasis on them.

[Devoted 2 Iron]

For the past year I have been busting my ass trying to ut seze on my arms to no avail. I have tried low volume, high volume, intensity techniques, prioritization...evverything. I need help with this one since ding after it on my own just is not working. Im currently at 15 1/2 maybe 16 inch arms which is nothing shy of pitiful considering all the effort I put into it.

[LHS Monster]

i usually do 2 exercise heavy and low reps biceps being Barbell Curls and Alt. DB Curls then usually around 8-10 reps then triceps being Pushdowns and CGBP then do to excercises like Hammer Curls and Preacher Curls or SkullCrushers and kickbacks for high reps in the 15-20 range it really pumps u up good ... this is the technique i used this past 7 months to put 3/4 of an inch on my arms usually training tris before bis bc i feel the other way screws my rom bc my bis are pumped

also you need to keep that diet in check eating for some mass bro

[Pokoritel]

For the past year I have been busting my ass trying to ut seze on my arms to no avail. I have tried low volume, high volume, intensity techniques, prioritization...evverything. I need help with this one since ding after it on my own just is not working. Im currently at 15 1/2 maybe 16 inch arms which is nothing shy of pitiful considering all the effort I put into it.

Just curious...how old are you? If your young then you just need to give it some time..

Plus the main reason could be that your not eating enough...you might be overtraining...not enough sleep...etc...

All these things matter.

[bovat]

For the past year I have been busting my ass trying to ut seze on my arms to no avail. I have tried low volume, high volume, intensity techniques, prioritization...evverything. I need help with this one since ding after it on my own just is not working. Im currently at 15 1/2 maybe 16 inch arms which is nothing shy of pitiful considering all the effort I put into it.

have you gone a whole year without bicep gains, including size and strength gains?

are you making gains on other bodyparts?

You could have bad bicep genetics, i have horrible arm genentics and am playing catchup to my shoulders.

Just send a bunch of info youd think would be helpful for us to figure out what your dilema.

[zanderfever]

I have a suggestion to make. Why don't you post your training split and your diet. A lot of things could be causing this problem. Also, i'd suggest you take a week off from training and eat a boatload of food.

[bovat]

i usually do 2 exercise heavy and low reps biceps being Barbell Curls and Alt. DB Curls then usually around 8-10 reps then triceps being Pushdowns and CGBP then do to excercises like Hammer Curls and Preacher Curls or SkullCrushers and kickbacks for high reps in the 15-20 range it really pumps u up good ... this is the technique i used this past 7 months to put 3/4 of an inch on my arms usually training tris before bis bc i feel the other way screws my rom bc my bis are pumped

also you need to keep that diet in check eating for some mass bro

Ya when i trained arms together id get that problem with my bi pump, but in articles and shit they always say to train bis before tris....still havent found out why that is.

[zanderfever]

Ya when i trained arms together id get that problem with my bi pump, but in articles and shit they always say to train bis before tris....still havent found out why that is.

Because everybody likes their biceps more than triceps. Tri's should be trained first becuase they make up more of your upper arm than your biceps.

[Pokoritel]

I dont know why anyone would be so concerned with arm training anyways...

do you have a big ass chest, boulder shoulders, vicous quads....just sayin thats the shit I work on.

I dont really care right now how big my arms are..I want all the bigger bodyparts to be huge first.

[bovat]

Because everybody likes their biceps more than triceps. Tri's should be trained first becuase they make up more of your upper arm than your biceps.

.....doesnt sound very scientific

[zanderfever]

.....doesnt sound very scientific

Sometimes vanity clouds the mind. After all, the question is "how big are your biceps?" And its not as much fun to train triceps.

[Yolo]

For the past year I have been busting my ass trying to ut seze on my arms to no avail. I have tried low volume, high volume, intensity techniques, prioritization...evverything. I need help with this one since ding after it on my own just is not working. Im currently at 15 1/2 maybe 16 inch arms which is nothing shy of pitiful considering all the effort I put into it.

my suggestion would be to back off on arms completely for some time and then go about it with a fresh start

[Devoted 2 Iron]

I have a suggestion to make. Why don't you post your training split and your diet. A lot of things could be causing this problem. Also, i'd suggest you take a week off from training and eat a boatload of food.

Alright, this is what my current split looks like.
1- chest - incline 4x10 flat 4x10 flies 4x10
triceps- skull crushers 4x10 cable pushdowns 4x10
2- back - pullups 4x12 t-bar row4x12 cable row 4x11
biceps - barbell curl 4x10 dumbbell curl 4x10
3- shoulders - barbell press 4x10 dumbbell press 4x8 upright row 4x12
traps - barbell shrug 5x15
4- legs - squat 4x12 leg press 4x13 leg hack squat 4x12 stiff leg dead lift 4x12 lying leg curls 4x10

I eat every two hours usually getting around 20-25 grams of protein and 30-40 grams of carbs. I always make sur Im never feeling hunger.

Despite all this, im not seeming to grow much except for in the lats.

[zanderfever]

Alright, this is what my current split looks like.
1- chest - incline 4x10 flat 4x10 flies 4x10
triceps- skull crushers 4x10 cable pushdowns 4x10
2- back - pullups 4x12 t-bar row4x12 cable row 4x11
biceps - barbell curl 4x10 dumbbell curl 4x10
3- shoulders - barbell press 4x10 dumbbell press 4x8 upright row 4x12
traps - barbell shrug 5x15
4- legs - squat 4x12 leg press 4x13 leg hack squat 4x12 stiff leg dead lift 4x12 lying leg curls 4x10

I eat every two hours usually getting around 20-25 grams of protein and 30-40 grams of carbs. I always make sur Im never feeling hunger.

Despite all this, im not seeming to grow much except for in the lats.

Ok, you need healthy fats. Eat lots of nuts and fish. I also stand by my suggestion earlier of taking a week off of training. Another thing you could do would be to take out the bi's/tri work with back and chest and put in a day 5 for bi's and tri's

[Roland]

Are you progressing with the weights/your bodyweight/your food? everyone wants huge arms but the truth is right now it probably matches your body just fine...it's gonna grow bigger once your whole body starts growing, you have to be eating up to a level of bw you want to get to , you have to keep progressing with your food intake and progress with weights and I bet you will start growing.

[MrMonday]

Most of the posters above me have touched on the issues that need to be addressed, but let me break it down into really simple terms here.

1) How much bodyweight have you gained in the last 6 months?

2) How much more weight are you barbell and dumbell curling now, compared to 6 months ago?

[Devoted 2 Iron]

Most of the posters above me have touched on the issues that need to be addressed, but let me break it down into really simple terms here.

1) How much bodyweight have you gained in the last 6 months?

2) How much more weight are you barbell and dumbell curling now, compared to 6 months ago?

I have gained 20 pounds in the last six months yet my curls have not progressed in weight at all. With four sets of six I can only get up to 95 maybe 100 lbs curl. The problem has got to be a lack of weight progression. I just have not been able to bump up in weight.

[MrMonday]

I have gained 20 pounds in the last six months yet my curls have not progressed in weight at all. With four sets of six I can only get up to 95 maybe 100 lbs curl. The problem has got to be a lack of weight progression. I just have not been able to bump up in weight.

That's awsome that your bodyweight progression is right on track, but its exactly what you said, your arms aren't going to get any bigger until you start curling heavier weights. You could have put another inch on your arms from that 20lbs you gained, but you didn't force them to get stronger so your body had no reason to do so.

As a general rule of thumb, if you go 3 workouts in a row with a certain exercises and you haven't been able to do more reps, or more weight than the last time, you can safely assume that youve just stagnated on that exercise (or that you aren't pushing yourself hard enough but i don't think this is the case with you).
Either way, no big deal! You just change it up, maybe do preacher curls and hammer curls instead for a while, and keep piling on the weight and blasting them until you reach your strength limit with those exercises (until you stagnate with them). Then you can go back to barbell and db curls feeling fresh.

[bovat]

for a while i was only curling 120, but then shortened up my rest periods, thats always a good shock if your used to resting over a min, and at first the weights dropped, but soon they were more then what i was doing before, and i was resting shorter. In a few weeks of changing the rest up i gained 20 lbs on my curl.

[londontom]

I've always found that biceps respond really well to pyramid training for two weeks when you reach a plateau with them - is a bit girly, and feels like your wasting effort, but has always worked for me - give it a go, can't do any harm.

[prowrestler]

I dont know why anyone would be so concerned with arm training anyways...

do you have a big ass chest, boulder shoulders, vicous quads....just sayin thats the shit I work on.

I dont really care right now how big my arms are..I want all the bigger bodyparts to be huge first.

find me a guy with 33 inch quads, 25 inch wide shoulders and a 60 inch chest and tell me he has pea shooter arms. not fuckin lickley.

big benches and rows make triceps and biceps grow.

[LHS Monster]

Ya when i trained arms together id get that problem with my bi pump, but in articles and shit they always say to train bis before tris....still havent found out why that is.

bc most articles in magazines are just bullshit quick slapped together and no one really cares but they call it the workout of the century"cough" flex magazine COuGH

[LHS Monster]

I have gained 20 pounds in the last six months yet my curls have not progressed in weight at all. With four sets of six I can only get up to 95 maybe 100 lbs curl. The problem has got to be a lack of weight progression. I just have not been able to bump up in weight.

whoa found your problem with 15 and a half inch arms your doing BB curls with 95 lbs??!?
mine are almost 18 inches now and i only use 85 lbs just slow the reps down and use good form dont go swinging it aroudn jsut trying to use big weight and make sure your arms completely extend at the bottom i see A SHIT LOAD of ppl who only move there arms half way through the motion and not letting their arms extend at the bottom of the rep they are still half bent but they move their elbows to make it look like they go all the way down

[Devoted 2 Iron]

find me a guy with 33 inch quads, 25 inch wide shoulders and a 60 inch chest and tell me he has pea shooter arms. not fuckin lickley.

big benches and rows make triceps and biceps grow.

Ok with that said, if I hit my arms hard the first day in my split, would it be stupid to hit backk and chest the day after even if my arms are sore from the day before? I could wait a two days doing legs on one of them to give my arms time to revamp before I hit the big exercises or I could get it over with and let my entire body revamp for the rest of my split. Recommendations?

[prowrestler]

Ok with that said, if I hit my arms hard the first day in my split, would it be stupid to hit backk and chest the day after even if my arms are sore from the day before? I could wait a two days doing legs on one of them to give my arms time to revamp before I hit the big exercises or I could get it over with and let my entire body revamp for the rest of my split. Recommendations?

its fucking stupid and down right counter productive to do chest back and bis tris afterwords.

give the tricpes and biceps 72 hours rest after chest and back and delt work.

[Devoted 2 Iron]

So i am trying a split now with arms first in the week. WIth heavier weight, lower reps, and higher intensity I hope to spark some growth. But is it wise to lift back or chest the day after I train arms if they still are sore? Or will that overtrain my arms?

[Big Wides]

Here is what I would do, this is just me....dont train arms. Use a 4 day split that focuses on the compound movements, make them heavy. Dont worry about hitting a certain amount of reps, just load up the bar, use proper form, and do as many as you can for that set. Make the next set 10-20lbs heavier and repeat. What I am saying is no seperate arm day, try the four day split for 6 weeks then go back to training arms

[prowrestler]

Here is what I would do, this is just me....dont train arms. Use a 4 day split that focuses on the compound movements, make them heavy. Dont worry about hitting a certain amount of reps, just load up the bar, use proper form, and do as many as you can for that set. Make the next set 10-20lbs heavier and repeat. What I am saying is no seperate arm day, try the four day split for 6 weeks then go back to training arms

exactly what works for me. arms cook well on the back burner. do a few sets of triceps after chest and delts and some biceps after lats.

[Devoted 2 Iron]

its fucking stupid and down right counter productive to do chest back and bis tris afterwords.

give the tricpes and biceps 72 hours rest after chest and back and delt work.

No bro I did tris and bis first in the split. You saying to give them 72 hours rest before I hit back and chest?

[Big Wides]

No bro I did tris and bis first in the split. You saying to give them 72 hours rest before I hit back and chest?

If you still want to hit arms, I would suggest something like this:

Day 1 - Back/Tris
Day 2 - Off
Day 3 - Legs
Day 4 - Shoulders
Day 5 - Off
Day 6 - Chest/bis

Just a suggestion

[prowrestler]

No bro I did tris and bis first in the split. You saying to give them 72 hours rest before I hit back and chest?

yep.

[Gunz]

i like to stick to the mass builders and stay no more than 12 sets per exercise... GO HEAVY!!! but not too heavy as to where you cant feel the muscle.. for me, arms training is all about the feel.. you gotta feel it working the whole time.. for tri's dips, close grip bench, skull crushers.. Bi's barbell curls, standing alternating curls, and seated incline curls... all these exercises are responsible for putting my arms where they need to be in my opinion

[shizz702]

find me a guy with 33 inch quads, 25 inch wide shoulders and a 60 inch chest and tell me he has pea shooter arms. not fuckin lickley.

big benches and rows make triceps and biceps grow.

I fully agree. In my opinion heavy presses hit your triceps pretty much good enough as is, as well as heavy rowing and pulling hit your biceps good too. There isn't much need of arm isolation exercises except for the sake of fun, gratification, and fine tuning once you have already achieved a solid foundation of mass.

[bovat]

I fully agree. In my opinion heavy presses hit your triceps pretty much good enough as is, as well as heavy rowing and pulling hit your biceps good too. There isn't much need of arm isolation exercises except for the sake of fun, gratification, and fine tuning once you have already achieved a solid foundation of mass.

i dont agree at all, i never trained my tris before, and they didnt grow at all, same with rear delts, now im playing catch up, a muscle group isnt gonna grow for shit if you dont hit it directly.

And i dont know how people are getting bi gains from rows, why are you taxing anything else besides back on back day with back movements.

[bovat]

bc most articles in magazines are just bullshit quick slapped together and no one really cares but they call it the workout of the century"cough" flex magazine COuGH

k...ive gotten flex and muscle and fitness for like three years now, and ive never read workout of the century, its just a substitute and an example workout, which i believe could help some people when i see how shitty their created routine looks like. Truth is, i usually find something with some value and worth in most of the mags i get. (a lot is repeated tho)

And the thing no one as really touched on yet.....i didnt say they just threw a workout together and wallla.....i said that in the noted section, they specifically said to train bis before tris.....What would it matter what order you trained it in, if they took the time to right that, then obviously they have a reason why.

[shizz702]

i dont agree at all, i never trained my tris before, and they didnt grow at all, same with rear delts, now im playing catch up, a muscle group isnt gonna grow for shit if you dont hit it directly.

And i dont know how people are getting bi gains from rows, why are you taxing anything else besides back on back day with back movements.

Bro what muscles do you think you are using when you do, for example, bench press? Your chest, and...your triceps! Tell me what is the difference between your triceps getting worked from some heavy presses compared to isolating them with some light weight kickbacks? The press not only hits the triceps but a ton of other muscles, stimulating far more strength gain and growth if one gets in adequate recovery and doesn't waste their time with too many isolation exercises. And also, what do you think you are pulling with on back movements? Your biceps! In simple terms your triceps are pushing muslces, and your biceps are pulling muscles. Whether you realize it or not your tris and bis are getting a lot of work from push/pull compound movements and too many arm iso exercises will do nothing but interfere with growth and recovery. Nothing wrong with a little bit of isolation work I suppose but too much is just flat out counter productive. I adhere to the training principles I'm speaking of here and have been making great gains by doing so.

[MrMonday]

There is a big difference between a muscle contracting during an exercise, and a muscle recieving enough stimulus to grow.

You won't find many big and experienced guys that actually have good development saying "avoid arm training".

And I'm sorry but if you are trashing your biceps when you work your back... you are doing your rows and pullups with poor form. This should NOT be happening.

[shizz702]

There is a big difference between a muscle contracting during an exercise, and a muscle recieving enough stimulus to grow.

You won't find many big and experienced guys that actually have good development saying "avoid arm training".

And I'm sorry but if you are trashing your biceps when you work your back... you are doing your rows and pullups with poor form. This should NOT be happening.

I don't want to get into a big debate or argument, that's not what I'm here for. We all have the right to our opinion, and I respect and understand what you're saying here. I didn't say direct arm work is totally unnecessary, but too much of it is counterproductive. In my opinion too many novices waste too much time hammering away at their arms while they don't even squat, bench, or dead decent weight yet and wonder why their arms aren't that big. All I'm saying is one should focus on the big compound movements, especially in the novice stage. And also you missed my point about working your back, whether you realize it or not your biceps are used as secondary muscles when pulling, good or bad form. Me personally, I'm very strict with my form on all exercises. To each their own man.

[MrMonday]

I don't want to get into a big debate or argument, that's not what I'm here for. We all have the right to our opinion, and I respect and understand what you're saying here. I didn't say direct arm work is totally unnecessary, but too much of it is counterproductive. In my opinion too many novices waste too much time hammering away at their arms while they don't even squat, bench, or dead decent weight yet and wonder why their arms aren't that big. All I'm saying is one should focus on the big compound movements, especially in the novice stage. And also you missed my point about working your back, whether you realize it or not your biceps are used as secondary muscles when pulling, good or bad form. Me personally, I'm very strict with my form on all exercises. To each their own man.

If that is what you meant, then maybe that is what you should have said?

It is clear that the OP isn't the typical frat boy that only wants big arms and a six pack, so why would you tailor your advice in that manner?

It's a trend I see a lot lately, and truth is it is just a pendulum swing from your typical "bench&curlz!" guy.But this isn't powerlifting. If bodybuilding is your game, then adding weight to your barbell curl is just as important as adding weight to your squat.

[Devoted 2 Iron]

I don't want to get into a big debate or argument, that's not what I'm here for. We all have the right to our opinion, and I respect and understand what you're saying here. I didn't say direct arm work is totally unnecessary, but too much of it is counterproductive. In my opinion too many novices waste too much time hammering away at their arms while they don't even squat, bench, or dead decent weight yet and wonder why their arms aren't that big. All I'm saying is one should focus on the big compound movements, especially in the novice stage. And also you missed my point about working your back, whether you realize it or not your biceps are used as secondary muscles when pulling, good or bad form. Me personally, I'm very strict with my form on all exercises. To each their own man.

I get what your saying in terms of hammering away at the big compound exercises. Seing the guys in the gym only curling wondering why their arms dont grow pisses me off too. That is not my case however. I bust ass on compound exercises from squats to the bench press. I just have reached a point where pilling on more weight i becoming a problem. I cant seem to grow anywhere anymore because I cant move up in weight. Arms especially.

[shizz702]

I get what your saying in terms of hammering away at the big compound exercises. Seing the guys in the gym only curling wondering why their arms dont grow pisses me off too. That is not my case however. I bust ass on compound exercises from squats to the bench press. I just have reached a point where pilling on more weight i becoming a problem. I cant seem to grow anywhere anymore because I cant move up in weight. Arms especially.

Yea bro I was just generalizing in my comments. I wasn't referring to you as a novice or someone that only does curls lol, but it just gets frustrating cause the majority of the training masses think that in order to get big arms all they have to do is arm work, and neglece the big lifts where the growth is really at. Anyways man just make sure your rest, nutrition, and of course training is on point, as long as all the things are taken care of all you have to do is persist, and eventually you will get where you want to be.

[SizeMatters]

everytime someone starts a post liek this, i always say the same thing...stop training them. odds are your overtraining, stop trainign them for a month blast the fuck of of your chest with heavy presses and back with heavy row dls and pulldowns/pullups and then pm me in a month and tell me if they havent grown.

[R-Man]

Supersets/Trisets/Giant sets do them and they will grow! Right now i do trisets and the pump is real nice.

Biceps
Barbell curls with reverse cambered car curls then sit down alternating dumbell curls

Triceps
Lying dumbell extensions with dips then either diamond pushups (to failure) or rope pushdowns or overhead dumbell extensions.

I always switch up tri's the pump is always good no matter what.

[speedster00]

everytime someone starts a post liek this, i always say the same thing...stop training them. odds are your overtraining, stop trainign them for a month blast the fuck of of your chest with heavy presses and back with heavy row dls and pulldowns/pullups and then pm me in a month and tell me if they havent grown.



your right. most of the time when secondary muscles like arms dont grow, people want to do more. When if fact, doing less is what they need. Arms get hammered on back and chest day. your constantly flexing them. Adding a day for just arms, often overtrains them. Stick to the basic 3 and they will grow.