bi and tri question

[mish12345]

is doing just two exercises for my biceps and two for my triceps enough? i train them every six days - i do four warm up sets and then two heavy work sets of 4-6 reps. any1 able to tell me if they think its enough? thanks

 

[cwc73]

I think 2 is plenty enough! So many times do I see guys doing like 8 sets of bicep work. That is rediculous to me unless you are a bb working on preping for a show or something and on some of the good stuff.

 

[blut wump]

I train triceps once a week at the moment and do one exercise for three or four sets. I train biceps two or three times about once every three months and I'm thinking of skipping this next one.

I hope you do lots of benching or rowing or similar if you're only working arms once a week. If you're doing very little extra work then that's probably not enough for your arms. If you are doing lots of heavy compound exercises like squats, deads, overhead pressing, rowing, etc, it might be too much. You can only answer such a question within the context of the whole program you're running.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

I'm in full agreement with blut wump on this. Heavy overhead pressing, bench pressing, rowing, and chinups is what will give you bigger arms. The majority of gains are made through these movements.

Bigger poundages, with street logic, equates to more size, no? At the same time, the amount of tension generated on those muscles is usually greater with compound movements, despite the abscence of the fabled "burn", associated with the efficacy of isolation work. So not only street logic agrees with the idea that isolation work is mostly garbage.

Now, I can see it as touch-up work, if you want to run a cycle or two doing such a thing, but the slabs of mass and functional strength will come from mainly compound movements.

Powerlifters and strong men know, though, that some assistance work for the triceps can be helpful, should you notice a sticking point at, I believe it's the top of the movement, during a bench press. You, however, aren't training for a sticking point, are you?

 

[DaPit26]

Blut and Tom know their shit. I try doing about 4 sets for tri's and maybe sometimes will superset them with some bicep work like standing bb's, preacher or concentrations. I really don't hit bi's all that much, maybe during a back routine or like i said a superset with tri'a once in a while. Other than that, I'll just do about 3-4 sets of tris after a chest workout. skull crushers, some heavy rope work, kick backs and pushdowns are my favs.

 

[tgriff]

I would say it depends on what kind of chest and back work you do and how much...Lots of pushing and pulling then you should be fine

 

[musketeer]

Since I started doing push presses (in conjuction with bench, dips and pullovers) I have had no need to work triceps directly. Biceps get worked directly, once every other week. When I deadlift heavy (500lbs+) my bis are frazzled too. Curl-grip chins are awesome for arm flexors because they work the muscle from both the origin and insertion - think hamstrings being worked by leg curls and stiff leg raises...