No direct biceps/triceps work

[IronandGravity]

Do you think dips and seated overhead presses are enough for triceps? And how about pull-ups and barbell rows for biceps?

Will they grow without isolation movements?

 

[SAGAT]

well, i've heard that bis+tris don't need their own training day a lot of times, so i decided to test this for myself (partly because of a forearm injury as well). conclusion; doesn't work for me, my arms haven't gotten any smaller but they haven't gotten any bigger either. and somehow they look smaller in a way.
so i would say YES bis and tris should be trained separately, but that's just my opinion.

 

[MattRecc]

depends on the person really. my biceps explode from doing chins, dumbell rows and deads, but my triceps didnt grow until i directly worked them

 

[Tom Treutlein]

If you can, it wouldn't hurt. Try without direct work if you'd like, but you may be disappointed with the results.

 

[TheOak84]

seeing when you work your back you wanna pull with your elbows to minimize bicep usage, i dont think your bis will actually get really worked through back untill the last 2-4 reps, when your REALLY using your biceps. u can use your bis to cheat out a few more reps.. my biceps really ever get pumped when i concentrate of my back.. only through forced reps with rows etc..

as for triceps, you cant minimize them when doin any kind of presses.. but i feel when i do heavy negatives on bench, my tris get the most work from the lock out to mid point position..

 

[supreme]

I think it all depends on your training age & the amount of weight used.

Usually novice lifters (1-2 years) can get good results with heavy compound movements as long as the weight is heavy. I only do arm work if there is time after the major pushes & pulls, but I'm training for maximal strength & sports performance.

It also depends what you want, size, strength or both. If your goal is arm size then you need some direct arm work with a fairly high volume. Can be either low reps & high # sets or moderate reps & moderate sets - depends on your fiber distribution. Also since arms tend to recover in approx 36 hours, you can train them more frequently without overtraining.

If you go to www.testosterone.net & search under Charles Poliquin you will find his test for determining fiber type distribution in muscle groups.

A kick ass book for arm training is "Winning the arms race" by Poliquin! This book will definately pack on arm size!

S

 

[IronandGravity]

Basically I just want to keep the gains I've made, slim down a little more, and be generally strong/healthy/muscular.

 

[Tweakle]

dips are pretty much the best thing you can do for tris IMO but I'd add some direct biceps work

 

[IronandGravity]

Thanks, all. I think I'll stick with my current routine:

Monday-squats, lunges, sldl's, extensor curls, oblique curls.
Wednesday-dips, seated overhead presses, medium bench presses, shrugs, weighted sit-ups, standing calf raises
Friday-deadlifts, pull-downs, barbell rows, biceps curls, flexor curls.

 

[Dave949]

dips are pretty much the best thing you can do for tris IMO but I'd add some direct biceps work

What he said......