What the hell is wrong with my arms?

[Thaibox]

Here's my dillema...

I think I've gotten okay growth from all bodyparts(with the injured exception of legs) except my damn arms. I'm wider than most of my buddies but have smaller arms. I have tried every approach I could think of over many years.

BTW, my senior year of high school I could wrap my fingers around my upper arms and touch my fingertips. Do you guys think I'm just genetically fucked???

Pics would be better, but I have my reasons for staying anonymous on the board., so here's my measurements cold:

6'2" 257-260lbs

Shoulders 59.5"
Waist 34.5"
Neck 19"
Chest 52.5"
Calves 18.5"
Arms 17" (just barely)
Forearms 14.5"
Legs 27" I'm awaiting surgery, don't laugh too much

Is this disproportionate as hell or is it just me?

Anyone else face this problem? Suggestions?

In the last couple years I switched from size training to strength training and do mostly heavy fun stuff. Very little isolation work.

Thanks

 

[revexrevex]

60 inch shoulders and 34 inch waist? damnmnnn

 

[coolcolj]

what sort of exercises are you doing - sets and reps too?

if you want big arms then you'll have to hit them directly as well

 

[Spectre]

Thai, I am right here with you brother. Almost identical numbers, I need to know too...

 

[rippedtrojan]

my arms are small too

check out my thread...you might decide to give what i'm doing a try. i hope it works.

 

[Vortexx]

I know what you mean, I have stubborn delts that require an unreasonable huge investment for some minor returns, while my arms can grow from just doing a view strict sets once a week....

Anyway, since my arms repsond well , I could quickly measure the results of several approaches and for me it's clear now that my biceps and triceps grow best when done on a seperate day and very much attention for using VERY strict form (leaning against wall or pole when doing barbell curls etc, doing the db curls seated rather than stanfing and use the scott bench etc).

We use some RESTPAUSE SETS (extend the set after just 15 seconds of rest, crank out another few reps, this counts as one set) and some triple drop sets.....

If the following routine doesn't work, go find new parents:

BICEPS 1 : choose:
- BB CURL AGAINST WALL or
- EZ BB CURL AGAINST WALL or
- WEIGHTED PULLUP USING CLOSE PARALLEL GRIP ATTACHMENT set 1: 8 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: reps 6-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 12 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

TRICEPS 1: choose:
- CLOSE GRIP BENCHPRESS or
- WEIGHTED DIP
- JM PRESS
set 1: 10 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: reps 8-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 14 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

BICEPS 2 : SEATED ALTERNATE DUMBELL CURL
set 1: 8 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: reps 6-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 12 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

TRICEPS 2: choose
- BB OVERHEAD EXTENSION ON INCLINE BENCH
- DB OVERHEAD EXTENSION ON INCLINE BENCH
(note: this is not the 1 arm overhead db extension)
set 1: 10 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: reps 8-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 14 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

BICEPS 3 :choose:
- 1 ARM SCOTT DB CURL or
- INCLINE DB CURL
set 1: 10 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: 8 reps 8-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 14 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

TRICEPS 3: choose
- BB SKULL CRUSHER ON DECLINE BENCH or
- 1 ARM DB SKULL CRUSHER ON DECLINE BENCH
- BB SKULL CRUSHER Supersetted with close grip benchpressing
set 1: 10 reps RESTPAUSE
set 2: reps 8-4-4-4 TRIPLE DROP SET
set 3: 14 reps (burnout set) RESTPAUSE

when supersetting skull crushers with close grip bp go like this:
set 1: 10 reps skull + bp to failure
set 2: 8 reps skulls + bp to failure
set 3: 14 reps skull + bp to failure

BICEPS 4, Finishing movement, Choose:
- db concentration curl
- cable curl (standing, lying 2 head , 2 ears, 1 arm, 2 arms etc)
set 1: 10 reps
set 2:12 reps
set 3: 14 reps

TRICEPS 4, Finishing movement, Choose:
- Slow weighte dips between benches
- pushdowns (v-grip , straight bar, reverse grip, Y-rope etc)
- kickbacks (db or cable)
set 1: 10 reps
set 2:12 reps
set 3: 14 reps

 

[Thaibox]

what sort of exercises are you doing - sets and reps too?

if you want big arms then you'll have to hit them directly as well

I've tried giving bis/tris their own day for a long time. I've done bis/chest and tris/back, as well as tris/chest and bis/back. I still do sometimes when my back or knee keep me from doing squats or deads, I'll spend my time hitting arms.

My schedule always changes, but here it is roughly, when I was incorporating some arms into it and more isolation stuff.

Sunday: Chest (limited do to rotator injury)
-Incline BB 5 sets
-HS incline 3 sets
-cable flys 3 sets
-clossgrips 4 sets
-overhead tris 4 sets

Tuesday: Back
-Deads 5 sets
-BO Rows 3 sets - cleans about everyother week
-Chins 2 sets
-Shrugs 3 sets
-standing bb curls 4 sets
-incline alternate curls 3 sets

Wednesday: rest

Thrusday: Legs
-Squats 5 or 6 sets
-presses 3 sets
-seated calves 4 sets
-standing calves 3 sets

Friday: rest

Saturday: Shoulders
-BB Overheads 4 sets
-Db overheads 3 sets
-laterals 3 sets

Sunday: rest

Abs every other day

Currently, I'm ditching most isolation things and doing more powerlifting. I want to start olympic, but I can't find a damn coach.

 

[Thaibox]

Vortexx,

Thanks bro, when I do an arm day, it looks just like that. And, unfortunately, I'm kinda stuck with my parents. I always use super strict form when doing arms also. I've tried virtually every training principle I've come across. I hope I don't sound like a whiny bitch, but after a LOT of hard work, its getting frustrating. Just like what you said about your delts.


Ripped Trojan,
Thanks, I'll check it out

 

[gymtime]

How to put this........................QUIT YER BITCHIN'



The correct answer is "Yes, it's just you." Arms might be a tad out of proportion, but 17" is hardly anything to scoff at.

Grasshopper too much worry.

 

[Thaibox]

Thank you Sensei

 

[coolcolj]

To tell you the truth I have the same problem as well, in terms of genetic proportions. My calves are still larger than arms, but thankfully arms grow faster than calves, and are catching up quickly

natural body proportions tell you a lot about how many fibres you have in each musclegroup and their proportion of fast twitch to slow twitch fibres. White fibres are very large. My legs and calves are naturally bigger than the rest of me. I have mesomorph legs and ecto upper body

 

[Thaibox]

You're lucky for the meso legs. Most people have it the opposite way. Or, they aren't willing to do the work required to discover that maybe they do have it.

 

[vinylgroover]

I'm a big believer in genetics Thaibox. 17" arms is pretty decent in itself, but you're a big boy which is why they may 'look' small.

Calves and arms should always be dead even, or at least within 1/2 an inch of each other to look proportioned.

I seriously don't think there is anything you can do. If there is, let me know as well

 

[Lord_Suston]

If you still train to fight then that would limit the size of your arms...

Other than that I would suggest a lot of supersetting and isolation excercise after compound excercies. Genetics might make it hard for you but it doesn't mean it will stop you....

 

[needsize]

I was in the same boat, but I've specialized on my arms for the passt eyar and put almost 2" on them. What i do is have a heavy day set aside just for arms, and it's all about heavy compound exercises for lower reps. Close grip, weighted dips, skull crushers, overhead extensions with ez curl bar for tris, standing barbell, incline dumbell curls, and preacher for bi's.
The on back day I do some light and fast bi work,a nd the same thing for tris on chest day. This has worked for me to the point where most people never guess that arms were always my weakest point

 

[Thaibox]

Lord S,

I'm not fighting anymore. Just lifting. Doing both was pretty tough, and I've been fighting so long that my body is pretty wrecked. I'm going to start formally studying a more gental art soon.

NS

I know that you're one that understands my problem here. 2" in a year is pretty damn good. I've been thinking of doing just what you said. Maybe even putting rest days before and after arm day. In a couple weeks I'm going to be hitting test/eq/win/slin after a while of nat training so I think that'll help a little Maybe the strands of spaghetti hanging off my delts will start growing.

 

[CrimsonKing]

this might sound weird but its true. My arms grew 1/2 each arm when I didn't do any specific arm exercises and did 20 rep breathing squats! Really! In reading, I found that that exercises is so intense that it creaste a surge of HGH in your body which mean you grow all over.. and I did!.. give it a try you won't be sorry.

 

[SAGAT]

well if you've tried about every training regime there is, i don't think i could help you. but i'll say this: 17"is nowhere near small, mine are only about 15" at about 185, and i'm just as tall as you are. so quit your whinin'

 

[needsize]

Thaibox, if you train heavy and hard with that cycle you mentioned, you should be able to gain some decent arm size, just be careful of that winny, it dried my joints out really bad and as a result all my old injuries came back

 

[Thaibox]

Thaibox, if you train heavy and hard with that cycle you mentioned, you should be able to gain some decent arm size, just be careful of that winny, it dried my joints out really bad and as a result all my old injuries came back

I'm thinking of replacing the Eq with Deca for that very reason. I've just never tried eq, so I wanted to.

When I said that I know you understand my problem I meant your past. Obviously not your present condition. You've got guns. I figured you didn't think that, but just wanted to clear that up

 

[Thaibox]

this might sound weird but its true. My arms grew 1/2 each arm when I didn't do any specific arm exercises and did 20 rep breathing squats! Really! In reading, I found that that exercises is so intense that it creaste a surge of HGH in your body which mean you grow all over.. and I did!.. give it a try you won't be sorry.

Thats actually when I had the most response from my arms, when I started hitting heavy deads and such.

 

[SofaGeorge]

Thai... I don't know if this will help you... but it helped me.

I tried Polquin's German volume training... went up 3/4 of an inch on my arms in just a couple months.

I've never made better gains than I got on that one GV routine... and I was never able to repeat it with the same kind of gains.

I went up on everything... lifts and bodysize.

I don't remember how much weight I gained... but I think it was 7-8 lbs without juice.

 

[JDarty6173]

What worked the most for me was switching to a strict WSB powerlifing routine.. With the heavy focus on tricep strength my tris started to blow up.. Currently i weigh just under 230 lbs with 19 inch arms. I started WSB about 3 months ago and have put on about 1 1/4 inches on each arm in that time.. And the odd thing is, I haven't done anything even resembling a curl the entire time..

 

[louden_swain]

Arms have always been my problem area. My torso muscle groups are well developed, but I would still like some more arm size. Just stick to the basics.

 

[TC2]

My arms used to be my problem area and I dropped my volume WAY down.

Now I just do 3 sets of 8 heavy

Standing EZ bar curls and hammer curls, thats all I do anymore and my arms have been growing like hell.

 

[Thaibox]

Thanks everybody. I'm compiling everything here and I'll figure something out to make my pencils grow.