Biceps, disappointed

fakearms123

Okay well here's a quick background, I have always been athletic, doing sports and going to the gym, I have just finished up my final year of college and during my final year I had a choice between weight training and MMA, my choice was MMA. Now since the start of the summer (end of may) I have got back into weight training and I am seeing great gains in my workouts but here is the problem.

I am putting a little extra focus this year into my biceps because I have always seem to neglect them for squats, deadlifts, etc. Now in my Arms and Chest workout I have three Bicep exercises: seated preacher curl (currently 30kg), concentration dumbbell curl (currently 16kg each arm) and standing bicep curl (currently 35kg). My biceps dont seem to be growing that much, its kind of disapppointing, maybe I need to keep at it and let them develop. Any advice?

Killme00

There is more to big arms than biceps.

Magic Eight Ball

fakearms123 wrote: »

I am putting a little extra focus this year into my biceps because I have always seem to neglect them for squats, deadlifts.

:eek: Tell me I'm not the only one..

TommyKnocker

Killme00 wrote: »

There is more to big arms than biceps.

This is so true. If you look at the guys with realy big arms, the thing that you will notice is how well developed their triceps are.

Also if you look at the programs Starting Strength or Strong Lifts 5x5 you will not see any bicep/tricep exercises, even though these are Full Body Workouts.

Your biceps/triceps will get plenty of work with heavy compound movements. It could be that you are actually overtraining your biceps by adding in the bicep isolation exercises.

Have a look at the arm developement of the guy in the video below. His name is Transform and he is a regular poster on this forum. He very rarely does bicep/tricep isolation exercises and has amazing upper arms and forearms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXqBiIVB1dU

M

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Killme00 wrote: »

There is more to big arms than biceps.

I personally found pull ups & chin ups way better for my arms than curls, maybe add in a heavy set of curls after the pull ups, if you want to isolate the guns.
If you're already good at pull up / chins, try doing weighted ones. Low reps high weight.

It'll stand well to you in the MMA training also, having strong arms, back and grip versus having strong biceps.

rubadub

Chins n' dips

fakearms123

B-Builder wrote: »

This is so true. If you look at the guys with realy big arms, the thing that you will notice is how well developed their triceps are.

My triceps are well developed and my gains for my triceps are moving at a faster rate than my biceps.

Last year I used to do whole body workouts and they were good but now I am isolating parts of my body and I am getting huge gains, better than I have ever gotten.

These are my three workouts - Arms & Chest, Shoulders & Back and Legs & Core (note that I do more than one of these workouts per week and I also train my abs everyday with this workout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk_usVg7Fp0)

In my arms and chest workouts, I warm up with resistence bands then I have 3 biceps workouts (above), 3 tricep workouts and 3 chest workouts.

Could I be overdoing my arms??

Hanley

The best way to train any muscle is to ignore training it directly.

fakearms123

Hanley wrote: »

The best way to train any muscle is to ignore training it directly.

I dont really understand this, do you mean if I want to see improvement in my biceps I shouldnt be doing bicep curls but instead things like chin ups and bent over rows and stuff?

Magic Eight Ball

Hanley wrote: »

The best way to train any muscle is to ignore training it directly.

Reverse physiology huh? :pac:

Will Heffernan

B-Builder wrote: »

He very rarely does bicep/tricep isolation exercises and has amazing upper arms and forearms.

Or so he says

I know a lot of trainers and coaches that say that....and have caught a lot of them sneaking in some curls.

arybvtcw0eolkf

B-Builder wrote: »

Have a look at the arm developement of the guy in the video below. His name is Transform and he is a regular poster on this forum. He very rarely does bicep/tricep isolation exercises and has amazing upper arms and forearms.

With all due respect to Transform I wouldn't have said he has "amazing upper arms and forearms", however he is in remarkable shape.

OP, speaking only from personal experience I've found all muscle growth & developement, and most esp. with the small muscle groups came about through gaining weight all round, and concentrating on those muscle groups you feel are lagging.

It used to be said years ago, long before everyone relied on internet sources that for 1inch of muscle growth on your arms you should look to gain 14lbs weight. Unfortunetly I can't source any science behind that, but speaking from personal experience again - it worked for moi.

It also appears to me that your relatively new to lifting. I know you've been athletic through college, however I do think it takes many years of hardcore training to develope hard, dense muscle fiber & real growth.

Finally, I don't know one person who has not done a lot of work on their arms who have naturally (or unnaturally!!) made big gains in their growth.

Will Heffernan

Kiera Wooden Juice wrote: »

Finally, I don't know one person who has not done a lot of work on their arms who have naturally (or unnaturally!!) made big gains in their growth.

Exactly....no one has ever taken performance enhancing substances and no one ever does direct arm work

Hanley

fakearms123 wrote: »

I dont really understand this, do you mean if I want to see improvement in my biceps I shouldnt be doing bicep curls but instead things like chin ups and bent over rows and stuff?

Well no... I'd be very much on the side of actually training something you want to see improvements on. It's a radical idea, but it works.

A lot of people here seem to think pull ups and dips are enough to make your arms grow, but I don't buy it at all. Why would you actively seek to avoid training something you want to improve?!?

I'm not saying spend 60 minutes just doing curls and extenstions, but give your arms 15 minutes 2x per week, superset some bicep and tricep exercises in that time and try to get stronger on the movements, make sure you're eating enough and you should see growth.

Will Heffernan

Hanley wrote: »

Well no... I'd be very much on the side of actually training something you want to see improvements on. It's a radical idea, but it works.

A lot of people here seem to think pull ups and dips are enough to make your arms grow, but I don't buy it at all. Why would you actively seek to avoid training something you want to improve?!?

I'm not saying spend 60 minutes just doing curls and extenstions, but give your arms 15 minutes 2x per week, superset some bicep and tricep exercises in that time and try to get stronger on the movements, make sure you're eating enough and you should see growth.

Agreed....people always ask me why I put direct arm work in programs....I do it because I know whether I put it in there or not athletes are going to do it....so I might as well control what they do....when they do it...and prioritise it appropriately....i.e...throw it in at the end after they've squatted, deadlifted, benched, pressed etc etc etc.

fakearms123

Kiera Wooden Juice wrote: »

It also appears to me that your relatively new to lifting. I know you've been athletic through college, however I do think it takes many years of hardcore training to develope hard, dense muscle fiber & real growth.

I dont know how you would think that I am new to lifting, in previous years I would do circuit training in the gym such as the Randy Couture circuit or grappling circuit, I had a chest and arms circuit but this year I am isolating these areas and breaking things up a bit, I will add a circuit to my training eventually but right now I am see great gains.

Like my bench press, Ive gone from comfortable benching 50kg 2 months ago to now comfortably benching 80kg.

I will post a picture of myself soon just have to blur out the face

arybvtcw0eolkf

fakearms123 wrote: »

I dont know how you would think that I am new to lifting, in previous years I would do circuit training in the gym such as the Randy Couture circuit or grappling circuit, I had a chest and arms circuit but this year I am isolating these areas and breaking things up a bit, I will add a circuit to my training eventually but right now I am see great gains.

Like my bench press, Ive gone from comfortable benching 50kg 2 months ago to now comfortably benching 80kg.

I will post a picture of myself soon just have to blur out the face

Well I wasn't slagging you off so don't get so defensive.. Btw, that post, the bit about Randy Couture - makes me think your relatively new to lifting.

But I'm an ol' fart, same age as Randy - with a bigger belly, so don't pay too much heed to my rantings.

You've got one massive going for you, motivation!.. Hanley & Will speaketh the truth, its worth people's time here hanging on their word.

brianthebard

fakearms123 wrote: »

I dont know how you would think that I am new to lifting, in previous years I would do circuit training in the gym such as the Randy Couture circuit or grappling circuit, I had a chest and arms circuit but this year I am isolating these areas and breaking things up a bit, I will add a circuit to my training eventually but right now I am see great gains.

Like my bench press, Ive gone from comfortable benching 50kg 2 months ago to now comfortably benching 80kg.

I will post a picture of myself soon just have to blur out the face

Instead of the picture, just tell us what you weighed when you started this weights programme and how much weight you've gained since.

fakearms123

fakearms123 wrote: »

I dont know how you would think that I am new to lifting, ....................
Like my bench press, Ive gone from comfortable benching 50kg 2 months ago to now comfortably benching 80kg.

Benching 50kg two months ago would suggest you are new to lifting, unless you are a jockey.

fakearms123

RoverJames wrote: »

Benching 50kg two months ago would suggest you are new to lifting, unless you are a jockey.

i better clear this up, the reason why I was at 50kg 2 months ago is because I took a year off weight training because I was in final year of college and didnt have the time, im 22, ive been doing weights training since I was 18, I was given a weight lifting program when I was on the Irish basketball team a few years ago, these days I dont play basketball so much (reason i live in kerry now, they only play football down here)

fakearms123

Kiera Wooden Juice wrote: »

Well I wasn't slagging you off so don't get so defensive.. Btw, that post, the bit about Randy Couture - makes me think your relatively new to lifting.

But I'm an ol' fart, same age as Randy - with a bigger belly, so don't pay too much heed to my rantings.

You've got one massive going for you, motivation!.. Hanley & Will speaketh the truth, its worth people's time here hanging on their word.

ive been doing weight training 3/4 years which would probably make me relatively new to lifting

fakearms123

brianthebard wrote: »

Instead of the picture, just tell us what you weighed when you started this weights programme and how much weight you've gained since.

I weighed 11 stone now I weight 12 and a half stone

brianthebard

I should've asked height as well but unless you are quite short (seems unlikely for a bball player, even an Irish one) you need to gain a lot more weight before you'll see significant gains on your arms.

fakearms123

brianthebard wrote: »

I should've asked height as well but unless you are quite short (seems unlikely for a bball player, even an Irish one) you need to gain a lot more weight before you'll see significant gains on your arms.

actually im quite small for a basketball player, im 5'9"

fakearms123

here is a photo, now after a year of not lifting weight i was very skinny 2 months ago but after the weight training, taking my protein and eating as much as I can, as well as the weight training I have mentioned in a previous post I am getting good gains except for my biceps

arybvtcw0eolkf

fakearms123 wrote: »

here is a photo, now after a year of not lifting weight i was very skinny 2 months ago but after the weight training, taking my protein and eating as much as I can, as well as the weight training I have mentioned in a previous post I am getting good gains except for my biceps

Honestly, if I were you I'd be pretty please with that.

Diet, hard intelligent training, listening to the right people and time will bring you your gains.

sfag31

an intensive dedicated arms day is fine.
2 sets of bicips and 1 - 2 sets of tricips.
Progress will be slow - Think 1/52 of an inch per week.

fakearms123

Kiera Wooden Juice wrote: »

Honestly, if I were you I'd be pretty please with that.

Diet, hard intelligent training, listening to the right people and time will bring you your gains.

Thanks Kiera Wooden Juice, i think its case of presistence with my arms, the gains will come eventually, ive always had an easier time with my legs and back over the years, I was actually introduced to squats, lunges and deadlifts first so its only now that Im putting focus on arms, never really needed muscly arms in basketball

arybvtcw0eolkf

fakearms123 wrote: »

never really needed muscly arms in basketball

Not because da chic's don't dig basketballer's

Best of luck with the gains, looks like you've a solid base to start with.

fakearms123

I thought Id take this opportunity to put up my arms & chest workout (no particular order - obviously i wouldnt do two bicep exercises in a row), any criticism would be helpful

Resistence Band Bicep Curl - 3 x 20
[*]Dips (bodyweight) - 3 x 10
[*]Concentration Dumbbell Curl - 3 x 10
[*]Dumbbell Flye - 3 x 10
[*]Tricep Kickback - 3 x 10
[*]Barbell Bench Press - 3 x 10
[*]Standing Bicep Curl - 3 x 10
[*]Overhead Bar Press - 3 x 10
[*]Swiss-Ball Pushup - 3 x 10
[*]Seated Preacher Curl - 3 x 10


I know that seems like a lot, im dedicated a little bit more time to it though

Brian?

fakearms123 wrote: »

I thought Id take this opportunity to put up my arms & chest workout (no particular order - obviously i wouldnt do two bicep exercises in a row), any criticism would be helpful

Resistence Band Bicep Curl - 3 x 20
[*]Dips (bodyweight) - 3 x 10
[*]Concentration Dumbbell Curl - 3 x 10
[*]Dumbbell Flye - 3 x 10
[*]Tricep Kickback - 3 x 10
[*]Barbell Bench Press - 3 x 10
[*]Standing Bicep Curl - 3 x 10
[*]Overhead Bar Press - 3 x 10
[*]Swiss-Ball Pushup - 3 x 10
[*]Seated Preacher Curl - 3 x 10


I know that seems like a lot, im dedicated a little bit more time to it though

Instead of doing all that arm work in one session, why not spread it out across all your workouts? Pick an isolation excercise for bi's and tri's and do 3 sets of each, i'd superset them to save time.

fakearms123

briankeating wrote: »

Instead of doing all that arm work in one session, why not spread it out across all your workouts? Pick an isolation excercise for bi's and tri's and do 3 sets of each, i'd superset them to save time.

Well I do this workout twice a week, this allows me to rest my arms the following day if im doing legs, gives them a break i suppose, i do like the idea to maybe do a superset workout for the preacher curls and then maybe overhead bar press, does that make sense? or superset dumbbell curls with tricep kickbacks to save time?

chadmustang

rubadub wrote: »

Chins n' dips

Nothin better!!

47

I`ve never targeted my biceps directly,I started powerlifting and strongman training a number of years ago. My arms measures 15,5 inches in the begining now 4 years later my arms measure 20 inches with fairly good bicep development. Its all down too genetics I find my calves are stuborn feckers

discus

Will Heffernan wrote: »

Agreed....people always ask me why I put direct arm work in programs....I do it because I know whether I put it in there or not athletes are going to do it....so I might as well control what they do....when they do it...and prioritise it appropriately....i.e...throw it in at the end after they've squatted, deadlifted, benched, pressed etc etc etc.

Yeah, I was wondering why I'm having yet another summer where chicks don't come up to me on the beach and start rubbing my guns... You've been wrecking me with single leg squatting, benching, planking... when I should have been curling!

ANOTHER LONELY, LONELY SUMMER DAMN YOU HEFFERNAN

JJayoo

Just throw in a superset at the end. Have recently started adding a curl/skull crusher superset to the end of my gym session. Only takes 5mins

Transform

Will Heffernan wrote: »

Or so he says

I know a lot of trainers and coaches that say that....and have caught a lot of them sneaking in some curls.

wow i have not even said anything and i am a liar!!!