Training arms directly Vs indirectly?

[princeshock]

Should arms be directly hit just as much as chest for as much growth as possible? I'm confused right now because i havn't been hitting my arms directly for a while and I thouhght it might help but they arnt really growing much at all. Your arms get trained indirectly with plenty of other exercises, but I'm in confusion if its nearly eanough to trigger growth. Should you be hitting your arms really hard directly?

 

[ExtraMile]

some people say there is no point as they will grow from the indirect work. Others say why wouldnt you train a muscle?

some people say training legs and back is enough because the whole body grows the arms do too, and you wont be able to build big arms if you dont build the rest of your body, but on the other hand bodybuilders restricted to a wheel chair build big arms and Im pretty sure they arnt hitting legs hard or doing DL's lol

 

[2DIEZEL]

Should arms be directly hit just as much as chest for as much growth as possible? I'm confused right now because i havn't been hitting my arms directly for a while and I thouhght it might help but they arnt really growing much at all. Your arms get trained indirectly with plenty of other exercises, but I'm in confusion if its nearly eanough to trigger growth. Should you be hitting your arms really hard directly?

You answered your own question in the second sentence.

If that was the case BB's wouldint train arms at all.

 

[Nomak666]

Its better to focus more on the big lifts like bench press, deadlift, barbell rows, chin ups, etc. but you should still work them to isolate. some people isolate too much, seems like you arent isolating enough. add 2-3 exercises, 3 sets each for biceps and do the same for triceps, do it after the main muscle (chest then triceps, back then biceps) or just split them and have arms on their own day like i do

 

[johnwest]

I think most people don't realize how easy it is to overtrain arms with all of the work they do indirectly. Example if I did 6 sets of back and 6 sets of chest on tuesday i'm not going to do 6 sets of bis and 6 sets of tris next work out, more like half that. On gear is a whole different story though.

 

[Creepusmaximus]

I would say over training is a big problem but no training isn't good either. You want to go after your triceps the most. The bi's get over trained very easy. No right answer for everyone,it also depends on how your arm is put together.

Give this a try. Do tri's after your chest and do three exercises. Close grip barbell press 3 sets 10 reps good form. Tri pull downs another 3s 10r G form. Then just use two benches with your heals on one and your hands holding you up on the other. Simple up down for 10 reps, another 10-15 reps and then burn your tris out. I like anything that involves moving your body weight through space.

Bis do with your back and three excerises there. Light weight perfect form barbell curls for 3 sets 10 reps. Next take an easy curl bar hold your hands palms up about 6 inches apart. 3 sets 10 reps don't get your back involved. Next move your hands all the way out to the plates palms up. 3 sets 10 reps.

Give it a try for two weeks and see if you feel it. If not, so be it, move on to something else.

Now for the rest of you who are going to say I'm not right blah blah blah. That worked for me for a while. But like everything
you need good form, if your back is doing your arm work it is useless. Also the arms need to have the routine changed every so often or your arms will simply get use to what you are do. I said 10 reps a set but high reps are where you want with arms. I didn't say you couldn't switch to 20 reps a set.

Good luck if you try this I would like to here if it works for you.

 

[Nomak666]

I think most people don't realize how easy it is to overtrain arms with all of the work they do indirectly. Example if I did 6 sets of back and 6 sets of chest on tuesday i'm not going to do 6 sets of bis and 6 sets of tris next work out, more like half that. On gear is a whole different story though.

You don over train from doing too many sets, you over train from not getting enough food and rest. i do 20 sets for biceps alone 4 exercises 4 sets each

 

[princeshock]

Awesome.

 

[burnthiscorpse]

You don over train from doing too many sets, you over train from not getting enough food and rest. i do 20 sets for biceps alone 4 exercises 4 sets each

thats 16 sets.

 

[JDid23]

You don over train from doing too many sets, you over train from not getting enough food and rest. i do 20 sets for biceps alone 4 exercises 4 sets each

but no simple addition i guess that's too hard

 

[jaybois]

I destroy my arms once every 10 days or so and i enjoy it!

 

[Creepusmaximus]

I destroy my arms once every 10 days or so and i enjoy it!

I assume this guy is not very advanced. You won't help him by saying what someone who has been training for 20 years or so is doing.

I could say he needs a gram of test a week and eat 5000 calories a day minimum. Hirer on as a brick layer. I bet those put together would get you big arms fast.

 

[jaybois]

I assume this guy is not very advanced. You won't help him by saying what someone who has been training for 20 years or so is doing.

I could say he needs a gram of test a week and eat 5000 calories a day minimum. Hirer on as a brick layer. I bet those put together would get you big arms fast.

I laboured for a bricklayer in high school, dude had massive traps and tri's he also had a large gut and was a fucking prick!

 

[Nomak666]

thats 16 sets.

Your right, but most of the time ill do 5 exercises, it was late when i wrote that last night.

i start with tanding ez bar curl, the wide grip
then standing or incline db curl alternating
then v-bar cable curl to hit the insides of the bis
the single arm preacher curl in the machine
, ill finish with single arm cable curls or the high cable curls

2 warm up sets, 1 heavy set, another heavy set to failure, and sometimes when im bored ill do a drop set after the last set of each exercise and take off half the weight.

 

[Nomak666]

but no simple addition i guess that's too hard

Was that an insult?

 

[Peanutz26]

Gotta have an arm day. I love training arms.

 

[Nomak666]

it depends on how your body reacts to the different types of training. high intensity, low volume. or moderate intensity and high volume. i do high volume and high intensity for the last set of each exercise meaning i go to maximum failure on the last sets

try 4 exercises, 4 sets each for a few weeks, then try 2-3 exercises, 1 warm up set for each exercise, then load up the weights and do 1 set to failure 6-8 good reps then maybe 1-2 reps with a spotter or a little cheating.

 

[the.gladiator1987]

From what I see/read it seems like you should work your arms after you have worked out your compund lifts. Dont start your back/bi day with curls, do deadlifts. Some people dont get it.

but i will be adding an arm day because i feel like I need it. Sure they will get growth from other compund lifts, but it is a muscle still so it should be isolated, just not to the point where it is more of a priority than deads, bench, squats, rows, pullups

 

[Nomak666]

From what I see/read it seems like you should work your arms after you have worked out your compund lifts. Dont start your back/bi day with curls, do deadlifts. Some people dont get it.

but i will be adding an arm day because i feel like I need it. Sure they will get growth from other compund lifts, but it is a muscle still so it should be isolated, just not to the point where it is more of a priority than deads, bench, squats, rows, pullups

Dont listen to gladiator. he gets jacked just watching tv. he eats mcdonalds and still stays at 3% bodyfat.
Im jus kidding. exactly, either work out 4 days per week which would look something like this:

Chest/Triceps
Legs
Back/Biceps
Shoulder/Traps

or

Chest/Biceps
Legs
Back/Traps
Shoulders/Triceps

or

Chest/Biceps
Legs
Back/Biceps
Shoulders/Traps


For 5 day routine

Chest
Legs
Back
Shoulders
Arms

 

[the.gladiator1987]

Dont listen to gladiator. he gets jacked just watching tv. he eats mcdonalds and still stays at 3% bodyfat.
Im jus kidding. exactly, either work out 4 days per week which would look something like this:

Chest/Triceps
Legs
Back/Biceps
Shoulder/Traps

or

Chest/Biceps
Legs
Back/Traps
Shoulders/Triceps

or

Chest/Biceps
Legs
Back/Biceps
Shoulders/Traps


For 5 day routine

Chest
Legs
Back
Shoulders
Arms

Your avi looks yummy! Im gettin it right now

 

[RottenWillow]

The titular question is a great one. A lot of sound advice has already been posted.

Only little bit I might add is keep direct arm training fairly low volume. As some people already pointed out, many other upper body exercises hit them fairly hard already, particularly bis, so they probably could not benefit from a high volume of direct work. If you really dig high volume though, maybe just do direct arm work every other workout to allow more time for recovery/overcompensation.

 

[C.K.]

My bi's and tri's are never sore from chest and back day so they deserve their own <3