Building arms, triceps and biceps mainly.

[vene-nemesis]

Hey folks ive been working out for 5 moths now and my arms aint getting bigger.

My main problem with this is that my triceps limitate my bench press and upper chest press.

Is there any progam that can help me build both biceps and triceps strenght more efficently? and how can i make my arms even, ive been woring them the same way but my left arm isnt giving me the same amount of reps as the right one (I stop working when my left arm get tired so i dont train the right arm more than the left one).


BTW my chest and legs are growing fine and my back is a lot stronger now.

[Geoff St. Germaine]

What are you doing for biceps/triceps (exercises/sets/reps)? What is your split?

[vene-nemesis]

Originally Posted by Geoff St. Germaine

What are you doing for biceps/triceps (exercises/sets/reps)? What is your split?

split????? mind im from spain and might not get some technical stuff.

I work my biceps once a week doing:

1x12 20kg
1x7-8 26kg
1x5-6 26kg
1x10 20kg

Triceps get worked out 3 times every 2 weeks in non consecutive work outs doing this exercise where you pull down a bar attatched to a string in a pulley:

1x12 35kg
1x12 40kg
1x10 40kg
1x8 40kg

[FL Knifemaker]

Lift pounds not kilos

[BuffaloBass]

Hey, he's from Florida, dont mind him.

Actually, pushups are your friend. I beleive you'll get ALOT more muscle build by pushups than by weight lifting. Do them until you fatigue. Rest for a few minutes, do them again.

See if it burns more than the weight training.

After pushups, do dips. Burn it hard. If you are not quivering like a bowl of jello, or a very fat women running when you're done, you are NOT done.

Biceps are for photo shoots anyway.

BTW, this is to be done DAILY for a few weeks. Yes I said DAILY. I think you're not seeing progress becuase your workouts are spaced too far apart. Puhsups you can do right in your room, anytime.

So GET ON IT solider. I jest, there are enough killers in this world already, but take this advice from an ex solider, you'll have hard arms in a very short time. We want you to look good on stage!

When you get back to the weights, but all means allow your muscles to rest a few days before working them again.

Using your body weight, burn them daily for a while. I am not a body buidler, but was an " athlete" for a while.

[v-12]

i did this routine-
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ryanm12.htm
(documented in the weightlifting thread) and put 3/8 of an inch on each arm, permanent growth.

i like bar/bench dips along with close grip bench for tri's, and chins (with perfect form) superset with cable curls for bi's. don't be afraid to experiment using cables, bands, dumbbell, barbell, etc. and see what looks best for you.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBass

Hey, he's from Florida, dont mind him.

Actually, pushups are your friend. I beleive you'll get ALOT more muscle build by pushups than by weight lifting. Do them until you fatigue. Rest for a few minutes, do them again.

I believe you're wrong, actually. Doing pushups works muscular endurance, you will not gain strength or appreciable size once you can do more than 10 or 12, same as any exercise. You gain strength lifting 80%+ of your muscle's one-rep max, and that is not by doing pushups.


OP, make sure you're developing your whole body. It's fine if you want there to be an emphasis on your upper body, but your body will prevent muscle groups that are out of balance from growing any more to prevent imbalances. What are you working with when it comes to bench, squat, and barbell row?

[BuffaloBass]

Yes, I should have qualified that since by looking at this training schedule and weight, I assumed he was a relative beginner and I believe he needs the endurance as much as mass. 12-15??. No, he should shoot for a minimum of 30.

You kids should be able to do 35 easy.

OK, if you stick to weights , I'd do a bench/ dip/ pull down ( what you are doing now)routine 3 times a WEEK. Do you know what a dip is? Two parallel bars, you raise and lower yourself between. They burn! Well, if you're 110Kg like me they do.

Again, if you're not suferring from muscle fatigue, which for me is muscle quivering, then you havent pushed hard enough. "Pyramiding" is also very effective. Start with a weight that you can barely do a few times. Then lower the weight, and do as many as you can. End up with a very light weight, which will seem like its BIG!

I always get a kick out of folks that dont know me watching me struggle intensely as I;m trying to curl, on a Nautilus machine, 50 lbs or something, sometimes less. Girly man I am! Its the end of the pyramid and I;m toally wiped out!

[dmq89]

Big, HEAVY compound movements (benches, military press, dips, rows, squats) are your friends - you'll pack on more muscle doing those than you will doing isolation exercises (i.e. cable curls, kickbacks).

Also, stay away from the machines, as these lock you into a plane of motion and don't bring the stabilizing muscles into play. Big HEAVY (as heavy as you can go for 8-10 reps) free weights will do the trick.

Use the isolation movements as "burners" at the end of your workout (ie, bicep curls after heavy rows, or tricep pushdowns after dips or French presses) - you'll have "pre-exhausted" these muscles doing the compound movements. Do 3-4 sets of moderately light weight and go for the pump (fill the muscle with blood).

Try to hit each muscle group twice per week for now. A two on-one off-two on-two off schedule works well. For example, you could do all of the "pushing" muscles on Day 1 (chest, shoulders, triceps, quads), and all of the "pulling" muscles on Day 2 (back, biceps, hams, calves). Take a day off and start over. Then take the weekend off - you'll need it if you've been lifting heavy!

(Note - make one set of two days your "heavy days" - preferably earlier in the week when you're fresher, and one set of days lighter days.)

Try this for six weeks and see what haoppens to your whole physique, not just your arms!

Also - EAT EAT EAT!!! You should be striving to take in 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day - balance that off with 1 gram of carbs (ie a 2:1 ratio) and LOTS of water. Spread your food out over six or seven small meals in a day to keep your metabolism running.

It's a pain to count calories and protien and carbs, but it's well worth it!

Of course, YMMV...

Good luck!!!

[Wally Malone]

One of the best exercises for triceps is the skullcrusher. Use one of the curved bars where you can grip both hands in the center of the bar, use a bench, bring the hands down to the forehead. I was a power lifter a one point. I could bench 315, squat 365 and deadlift the same. I eventually got hurt, I was deadlifting 370 and used bad form using too much arm instead of my legs and tore my bicep tendon. Decided I didn't want to go that heavey any longer. I was doing a steady show at the time, Tony & Tina's Wedding in SF. My sub loved it since that was the most work he had during that ten week period.

Wally

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBass

Yes, I should have qualified that since by looking at this training schedule and weight, I assumed he was a relative beginner and I believe he needs the endurance as much as mass. 12-15??. No, he should shoot for a minimum of 30.

That's muscular endurance, not strength. My point was that once he can do that many, after that all he's adding is pushup numbers, not pounds to his bench press or inches to his chest/triceps.

You kids should be able to do 35 easy.

Agreed.

OK, if you stick to weights , I'd do a bench/ dip/ pull down ( what you are doing now)routine 3 times a WEEK.

That's not good either. You should train your whole body, but your legs and back both require more frequency. Twice a week will reap plenty of strength and size gains while allowing you time to work your whole body (so you can avoid looking like a lightbulb.)

Do you know what a dip is? Two parallel bars, you raise and lower yourself between. They burn! Well, if you're 110Kg like me they do.

I'm very aware of what a dip is. I do them weighted, twice a week.

Again, if you're not suferring from muscle fatigue, which for me is muscle quivering, then you havent pushed hard enough. "Pyramiding" is also very effective. Start with a weight that you can barely do a few times. Then lower the weight, and do as many as you can. End up with a very light weight, which will seem like its BIG!

Starting off with high reps and working up to singles and/or doubles at 85-95% of your 1RM is a more effective way to build strength.

[jumbosilverette]

More sets and more reps. Try this...

30 reps 10
20 reps 15
15 reps 20
12 reps 25
8-10 reps 30

You find the weights you want to work with, I just made up the weight numbers. You do that and you'll get bigger.

[eedre]

Actually - you gain more fast twitch muscle mass by doing less reps and more weight.

[Geoff St. Germaine]

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

split????? mind im from spain and might not get some technical stuff.

I work my biceps once a week doing:

1x12 20kg
1x7-8 26kg
1x5-6 26kg
1x10 20kg

Triceps get worked out 3 times every 2 weeks in non consecutive work outs doing this exercise where you pull down a bar attatched to a string in a pulley:

1x12 35kg
1x12 40kg
1x10 40kg
1x8 40kg

The split is how you split up your body parts. For example, day 1 quads, day 2 delts/traps, day 3 rest, day 4 lower/upper back/hamstrings/biceps, day 5 chest/triceps, day 6 & 7 rest. I'm not sure what your goals are for size, but IMO you are not doing sufficient volume for maximum muscle growth (unless you're doing a lot of heavy compound movements). I'd want to do at least 2 to 3 exercises each for triceps and biceps.

[vene-nemesis]

Originally Posted by Geoff St. Germaine

The split is how you split up your body parts. For example, day 1 quads, day 2 delts/traps, day 3 rest, day 4 lower/upper back/hamstrings/biceps, day 5 chest/triceps, day 6 & 7 rest. I'm not sure what your goals are for size, but IMO you are not doing sufficient volume for maximum muscle growth (unless you're doing a lot of heavy compound movements). I'd want to do at least 2 to 3 exercises each for triceps and biceps.

My split is made for 2 weeks consisting in 2 different day alternating routines :

day one: chest

-bench press 4x12 15kg per arm
-Dumbbell flys 4x12 12.5kg per arm
-Incline dumbell press 4x12 15kg per arm
-free motion cable crossovers 4x10 15kg per arm
-then i die in exaustion.

day 2: back/shoulders/triceps:

shoulders:
-Seated Dumbbell Deltoid Presses 4x12 12.5kg P.A.
-Two Arm Front Deltoid Dumbbell Raises 4x12 6-7kg P.A.

Back:
-Machine rows 4x45-50 kg
-then i do this exercise for my lower back wich name i dont know but is like doing abs but backwards so i lift my body with my back. 4x12 sets.

triceps: explained in my first post.

I work out mon-weds-fris.

then i do mons and fris
-squats 3x5 52 kg.
-forearm weightliftings.

And 1 day a week i do my biceps (explained in the first post) because i dont want to overtrain them.

[DigMe]

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

BTW my chest and legs are growing fine and my back is a lot stronger now.

Don't work out your legs. That look is OUT:

my arms - DAMN

bc

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Aaron Saunders

I believe you're wrong, actually. Doing pushups works muscular endurance, you will not gain strength or appreciable size once you can do more than 10 or 12, same as any exercise. You gain strength lifting 80%+ of your muscle's one-rep max, and that is not by doing pushups.


OP, make sure you're developing your whole body. It's fine if you want there to be an emphasis on your upper body, but your body will prevent muscle groups that are out of balance from growing any more to prevent imbalances. What are you working with when it comes to bench, squat, and barbell row?

+1

Also, for triceps, do a mix of close grip push ups, start adding weight to your back once you get going well with them, but also do dips (either in a dip rack or against a bench or something).

Doing 100s of pushups will do nothing but improve edurance, and will not have a huge effect on increasing size and strength.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

then i do mons and fris
-squats 3x5 52 kg.
-forearm weightliftings.

3 reps for 5 sets
or
5 reps for 3 sets?

Maybe worth aiming for a few more reps either way, in at least one the first set you do.

Have you been at it long? And how much do you weigh? (sorry if its in the thread, i didnt notice).

I think you should add another day of squats if possible.

[Tsal]

More weight, less reps. If you can do more than 6 reps per set, the weight is too small to gain strength at a decent pace. Also, narrow grip on bench press and pull-up (I assume these are the exercises you need the arm strength for) stresses your arms more than your chest/back.

[The Golden Boy]

Originally Posted by DigMe

Don't work out your legs. That look is OUT:

my arms - DAMN

bc

The first thing I thought of.