Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
Ideal bi workout?
- Thread starter bran88
- Start date
What are your current stats?
Do you train with the basic compound exercises and give us some examples of the weights you are using? If you can't pull 2x bw from the floor you have no business doing an arm specialization program imo.
Do you train with the basic compound exercises and give us some examples of the weights you are using? If you can't pull 2x bw from the floor you have no business doing an arm specialization program imo.
Well when I work out my biceps it is part of my back, bi, shoulders. The other two muscle groups focused for that work out seem to be improving with mass and strength. I will usually do four excercises per muscle group. Starting light and finishing heavy.
I do:
4 supersets between my last back work out and standing arm curls
3-4 sets of preacher curls
4 sets of dumbbell curls
3 sets of curls on the iso-fly machine.
What about your stats? Height, weight, and bf%
I bet your arms are in proportion to the rest of your body. The best thing I have done for my bis is get really strong at deadlifts, squats, barbell rows, and chins. Along with eating a shit load of food. I know this is a vague answer, but focusing on the above lifts and getting brutally strong at them will cause your bis to grow. Your bis will only grow in proportion to the rest of your body, so focusing on progressing these lifts are key. All bicep/forearm exercise should be secondary to these. To add one inch of upper arm mass you must gain 10-15 pounds of overall body weight.
I bet your arms are in proportion to the rest of your body. The best thing I have done for my bis is get really strong at deadlifts, squats, barbell rows, and chins. Along with eating a shit load of food. I know this is a vague answer, but focusing on the above lifts and getting brutally strong at them will cause your bis to grow. Your bis will only grow in proportion to the rest of your body, so focusing on progressing these lifts are key. All bicep/forearm exercise should be secondary to these. To add one inch of upper arm mass you must gain 10-15 pounds of overall body weight.
stick to the basics and go heavy...real heavy...
For an arms only workout, stick to free weights and go heavy...
For an arms only workout, stick to free weights and go heavy...
^^^^ your main compound movements are what is going to give your arms size. Not isolation movements. Think about it....you can lift tons more weight in your chest press, deadlifts, rows, pullups etc.. and are utilizing your biceps in all of those. I know lots of guys who NEVER isolate there biceps and they have HUGE arms. Certainly not from curls
Keep progressing in your compound movements and your arms will catch up!
Five foot eight, 161 lbs, 11 BF.
^^^^ your main compound movements are what is going to give your arms size. Not isolation movements. Think about it....you can lift tons more weight in your chest press, deadlifts, rows, pullups etc.. and are utilizing your biceps in all of those. I know lots of guys who NEVER isolate there biceps and they have HUGE arms. Certainly not from curls
Keep progressing in your compound movements and your arms will catch up!
Is there anyway with my back exercises and the rough bi work out I have that I'm overtraining my biceps? I mean, I know that when you do a lot of back exercises work biceps as a secondary muscle group.
Doubtful. Not sure what your program/split is but hitting those biceps more than once a week is fine. Like traz said, get rid of the machine and use free weights only (combo of bar and db). To get your weight up you might consider dropping a set and working on your rep ranges instead. Again, mass won't be built with these but imo they are a good addition to a program (assuming you have been lifting a bit and have your compound weight up - sounds like you do). No arm curls for the new guys.
I agree with SL - if you can't pull 2x bodyweight from the floor put down the dumbbells and forget the bicep workout. You can't do a thing with your arms until they are strong enough to lift heavy on your compounds. Again, I am making an assumption that you ARE looking for mass. Keep with it, don't get discouraged. We all progress differently and your biceps will come around.
Chrisco915
Banned
YES!!!!!! Please for the love of god break that day up. Did you say Back, Bi AND Shoulders? Holy crap...........i feel overtrained just reading that.
Chrisco915
Banned
How many days can you train? You need 4 minimum for this routine......5 would be ideal
Chest/Bis
Legs
Off
Shoulders(Includes traps)/Tris
Back
Off
Repeat.
This routine is old as time itself.
Chest/Bis
Legs
Off
Shoulders(Includes traps)/Tris
Back
Off
Repeat.
This routine is old as time itself.
Day 1: Chest/tris
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Back/bi/shoulders
Day 4: Rest
Then repeat. I intake a lot of protein, eat 4-6 times a day, do abs every other day, and do about 20 mins of cardio every 3 days.
Really? I train chest, shoulders, triceps, back width and back thickness in one workout, then I come back two days later and train biceps, forearms, calves, hams and quads. I'm not overtrained at all!!
I'd probably recommend a 5x5 for the OP.
This isn't meant as a rip on you....I do not understand why people pair shoulders and traps. The way you have the body part order listed you do traps the day before back. Your traps run down 2/3 of your back. I would never recommend direct trap work a day before a back workout.
Exactly!!!!
How big do you expect your arms to be at 160 pounds? I am not trying to rip on you, but if you want bigger arms bulk up to 200 pounds. At 5'8" you would have a decent arm size weighing 200 pounds. Do you know the fastest way for you to get there? Well, I can tell you it isn't BS body part splits. Train "progressively" on the basic compounds and hit the buffet often.
Alright sounds good. I'm by no means a shrimp. I have naturally a really broad chest, wide frame, etc...
Bro thats what I thought in may, I was 138lbs and 5foot5
Now Im 5foot 6 and 160lbs. You might put on a bit of chub like I did put seriously, you dont know bulk untill you take advice from the god bro's of EF
Chrisco915
Banned
How could I take it as a rip when that is the way the best BBs of all time do it? Yates, Haney and Jackson all recommend it. So they are wrong then????
Chrisco915
Banned
That's DC training.
Low volume and Very high intensity. One work set per body part Rest-paused for three mini sets all taken to failure. It works very well for someone who has their shit together. It is not for n00bs or people that do not know their body. I have been doing it for 8 months now and I have seen tremendous gains in size and strength.
No you're right. Those guys are great. I just don't see the point is all. My main back exercises are Deadlifts, BB rows, and Chins. If *I* were to train traps the day before back, then my back workout would suffer. Most trainers (especially nOObs) do not need any direct trap work imo. DLs and BB rows will work your traps enough.
Oh...and let's take also consider that the "Best bodybuilders of all Time" are genetically elite freaks who used enough gear at any one time to kill a horse. Most of the time "their" advice is actually Joe Weider's advice. At least if it is coming from one of the muscle rags.
Tell that to this guy:
That's Dave Henry. He won the new 202 lb. class at the Olympia (he's like 5 foot nothing). He trains that way too. So do a lot of other people (a few pros and many NPC competitors).
Like SouthernLord said, it's DC Training, and it's not for everyone. If what you're doing is working, by all means keep doing it. But you can't say something's not humanly possible just because you've never tried it. Thousands of people are doing this.
Carry on then.
Chrisco915
Banned
I was actually coming into ask that very question. DC Training is another beast altoughter. That I get. You mentioned 5x5 and that threw me off. I was also thinking a full routine of 2 compound and 1 Iso movements for each BP would be insane. I actually learned from Yates himself in the early 90s and I like the one working set concept very much. Tons of Rest/Pause, Negatives........drop sets. We had a day when the whole workout was BB Rows. Max weight for 8...drop 2 45s and do 8 more....the drop and do 8 more and drop and do 8 more. Most intense set I have ever done. That was it. Called it a day after that. Could not move for 2 days.
Blane
New member
You are missing it pal....
Dead lift. i didnt believe it before i started doing it.
As my dl and squat are getting heavier. My arms are getting bigger as well.
your bi's will grow when you start to dl..... Not as an afterthought. Deadlift heavy...
MetalDead
New member
Bro thats what I thought in may, I was 138lbs and 5foot5
Now Im 5foot 6 and 160lbs. You might put on a bit of chub like I did put seriously, you dont know bulk untill you take advice from the god bro's of EF
It's true: not only will you gain weight, you'll grow an inch too!
=P Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Your bis will never grow doing all that!!! Stop working them right away, give them 2 weeks off and start the intermediate 5x5 and follow those rules, no clusterfucking please! You might wanna incorporate chin-ups to that program.
With all the pulling and pressing your arms will grow, as long as eat and rest properly.
You will probably keep doing it all wrong, but at least we tried to point you on the right direction! Oh it might not be that impressive but I'm an original small bone structure 5 10 110lbs ecto, now 193lb and not working arms over 2 months (they are close to 17 inches...) maybe squatting and deadlifting, pressing and rowing do work after all... just saying
Can you give me a quick run down of the 5x5? Thanks.
Great! Thanks!
2evil
Well-known member
As the others have said your big compound movements will add the most size and are the cornerstone of a good program.
Most of my friends that complain about their biceps overlook the fact that they have no legs and back. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench and Rows. Build your program around these. If you want to hit your biceps on back day or something do a couple of sets of reverse barbell curls as heavy as you can.
Most of my friends that complain about their biceps overlook the fact that they have no legs and back. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench and Rows. Build your program around these. If you want to hit your biceps on back day or something do a couple of sets of reverse barbell curls as heavy as you can.
