Help growing biceps and pecs?

[Kelectronic]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to give you some background information before I get to the point. I'm 21, and collectively have been lifting for about 2 years. The only problem is, I have a history of working out for 6-8 months straight, and then taking close to a year off because of multiple reasons / excuses. Anyways, I started back up again in mid February. I've been making pretty good progress, I feel. I just seem to have the same problem that I've always had. My biceps and pecs do NOT want to grow.

I'm not looking to increase the size of my arms, as my triceps are growing just fine. My biceps, however, lag pretty far behind. They are pathetic, and barely make a bump when I flex (I'm exaggerating a bit). The worst part is, my left bicep is very very very noticeably smaller / different than my right. For some reason, on my left arm, only my lower bicep is developed. A double arm flex is a pose I am very self conscious of doing because of this. My left bicep is more like a long curve than a bump. To give you a bit more info, my arms are 14 inches. I'm 6'2", 210 lbs.

The second problem is my pecs. My pecs are just... awful. The only time they like to show themselves is on chest day when I have a good pump. I will add that my body fat percentage is probably on the higher end, like 15-20%.

Here is my current workout routine for arms and chest.

Arms:
Incline DB curls 8-12 reps x 3
Standing DB curls 8-12 reps x 3
Hammer curls 8-12 reps x2
Preacher curls 4-8 reps x2
One arm concentration curls to failure, and then negatives immediately after

Chest:
Incline bench 6-10 reps x2
Decline bench 6-10 reps x3
Flat DB press 6-10 reps x2
Decline DB press 6-10 reps x2
Decline cable flyes 6-10 reps x2
(I'm currently doing more decline exercises to develop my non-existent lower pecs)

**NOTE** These routines change a little bit per week depending on how I feel, so don't take it as set in stone.

I workout 4 days a week, Mon Tues Thurs Fri. This is because of work from 9-5 and class from 6-9. This also means that I hit each body part with an 8 day gap. For example, chest on Mond, next week chest on Tues. This is because I'm working 5 body parts into 4 days. Can you guys help me develop a new routine for 4 days? Do you think that has to do with why my biceps and chest don't grow, because they aren't being worked enough?

Thank you for any and all feedback.

[auswest]

have been lifting for about 2 years. The only problem is, I have a history of working out for 6-8 months straight, and then taking close to a year off because of multiple reasons / excuses

You dont think this has anything to do with it.....?

You only get out what you put in.

[Kelectronic]

I agree, however like I said when I previously was working out I also had a lot of difficulty growing my chest and biceps. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm pretty sure you should be able to make some pretty good, noticeable gains in a spectrum of 6 to 8 months. Am I wrong?

[BBJT200]

Hand placement has a lot to do with targeting the pecs.
Closer grip = more chest activation for me.
Standard grip, the way my joints line up, is purely a shoulder exercise for me.
I didn't realize this for the longest time, and ended up with big shoulders, big arms, and no chest whatsoever ...

Find a range of motion that only works your pectoral muscle, and stay in that range of motion. Doing a lift with 'perfect technique' is not perfect for everyone.
Human beings have odd shapes and sizes, find what works for you and stick to it.
I do some pretty wierd looking exercises, but they isolate my chest and it is doing amazing things for me right now.

[BBJT200]

Also, look up ronnie coleman's bicep workout.
He explains how you want to stretch the muscle all the way out, and contract it all the way up. I personally think you're doing too few sets w\ too many different exercises.
For example, I like 6 sets of 10 one exercise, 4 sets of 10 another exercise, and 2 sets of 6-10 of another exercise for each muscle group.
Works well for me, and is outlined in the slingshot training method.

[AD]

your routine looks pretty decent. there's nothing much you can add to it.

try getting the biggest guy in the gym to check your form, and make sure you're doing the exercises correctly.

try increasing the weights and/or decreasing your rest time between sets.

eat well and rest well.

[tigerspawn]

The chest is a group of muscles that are hit best by heavy pressing movements. I always aim for a total of 9 working sets. Doing chest should be done using free weights since free weights are far better for adding mass as they incorporate stabilizers. I have found that lower reps help me add mass and strength so I train chest with at least 6 reps. I usually do flat bench press, incline bench press, and leaning forward weighted dips.

[auswest]

I agree, however like I said when I previously was working out I also had a lot of difficulty growing my chest and biceps. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm pretty sure you should be able to make some pretty good, noticeable gains in a spectrum of 6 to 8 months. Am I wrong?

6-8 months is a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things so no not really..

Ok so you have listed how you are breaking down your muscle, but no mention of how you are feeding/repairing/growing your muscle...I'm talking about diet

Asking the "biggest" guy in the gym to check your form makes no sense, because they are big they are a expert in form, not a chance.. Much more to muscle development that bigger is better, what works for one doesn't work for all..

Let me get this straight with your lifting experience, you've "lifted" for 2 years, 6-8months of that was spent "lifting" then you had a year off then u started back up again in February so that's been 2 months?

[AD]

6-8 months is a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things so no not really..

Ok so you have listed how you are breaking down your muscle, but no mention of how you are feeding/repairing/growing your muscle...I'm talking about diet

Asking the "biggest" guy in the gym to check your form makes no sense, because they are big they are a expert in form, not a chance.. Much more to muscle development that bigger is better, what works for one doesn't work for all..

Let me get this straight with your lifting experience, you've "lifted" for 2 years, 6-8months of that was spent "lifting" then you had a year off then u started back up again in February so that's been 2 months?

Whatsup bro. You sound angry today.

[marcus300]

Your not training hard or intense enough. Stop going through the motions even though you may think you aren't you will be with only 2 yrs worth of experience. Train harder and dig deep into those fibres and create some serious overload on them.

[baseline_9]

your routine looks pretty decent. there's nothing much you can add to it.

try getting the biggest guy in the gym to check your form, and make sure you're doing the exercises correctly.

try increasing the weights and/or decreasing your rest time between sets.

eat well and rest well.

Is this a joke?

[AD]

Is this a joke?

i didnt intend it to be. what did you see that was humorous?

[AD]

maybe i should have said it in more general terms.

"get someone to check your form."

better?

[auswest]

Whatsup bro. You sound angry today.

Haha nah sorry bro, just the way it was read/came acceoss

A little frustrated with ops lack of effort but high expectations however.

[cj111]

He was probably referring to the fact you said "the biggest guy" Just cause your big doesn't mean you have good form.. I see huge dudes with terrible form, but to each their own right whatever gets the job done

[oatmeal69]

Listen to Marcus. Really examine whether you are training HARD enough, not how often. I re-examined my arms routine recently based on his advice and found that, yeah, I'm doing lots of exercise, but am I really digging deep and exposing every fiber to overload? I re-designed my entire biceps workout, and just my last workout, I feel I hit them harder than I have in years.

[tigerspawn]

I agree being big doesn’t mean anything. I have seen rather large gentlemen with horrible lifting habits. I would find the most knowledgeable person in your gym and ask them for help. Personal trainers with at least a year’s experience are fountain of knowledge waiting to be tapped.

[cj111]

Watch some Kai Greene videos on training, I've been into them lately, he really does know what is up

[tigerspawn]

Thanks ci111. That was very helpful. Kai Greene's video was very informative. I definitely will be watching as many of his videos as I can get my hands on.

[AD]

He was probably referring to the fact you said "the biggest guy" Just cause your big doesn't mean you have good form.. I see huge dudes with terrible form, but to each their own right whatever gets the job done

I personally like to follow the big guys. Thats why Marcus' thread in the lounge is so popular.

[auswest]

The biggest issues here is consistent effort at training and I would imagine diet given that you have mentioned you may be around 20%

Start eating correctly and training consistently.

And obviously lift with the muscle you are training. Mind muscle connection, good form controlled 3-4 second negatives, training through failure, drop sets super sets.. Oh and did I mention spending longer than 6 months in the gym and eating correctly and losing bodyfat, you will never have a good chest at 20% bf nor a well defined bicep..

[Kelectronic]

Hey guys, sorry for the gap between responses. I'll try to answer as many questions as I can... I just want to say quickly, that I had an arms day and really decided to change things up. It worked well, I think. I did a pure dumbbell routine, with some preacher curls and burnt out with negatives. I made sure to work my left bicep a little harder than my right, and I felt it the next day, and even more so the day after. I had chest today, and decided to scrap my ego lifting mentality. I didn't do a single barbell routine, and my chest has never felt so pumped in an exercise. Usually my chest day just makes my whole upper body swollen, but today, my chest actually feels exhausted. The dumbbells really seem to hit my chest harder than barbell. Here's what my two routines looked like these past few days:

Arms:
Incline DB curl 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Standing DB curl 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Hammer curls 2 sets of 4-6 reps (went heavy)
Preacher curls 3 sets of 6-8 reps (squeezed the hell out of my arms at the top)
One arm DB negatives on preacher pad

Chest:
Incline DB press 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Decline DB press 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Iso Lateral chest press machine 3 sets of 4-6 reps (went heavy)
Iso Lateral incline chest press machine 2 sets of 6-10 reps
Decline cable flyes 2 sets of 10-15 reps
Iso Lateral decline chest press machine 2 sets of burn out negatives

I also noticed a few people had questions about my diet. Here's what my diet looks like on a daily basis.

Every night I cook up two gigantic chicken breasts, probably about 2 lbs worth, and some jasmine rice or brown rice. Also I cook up a frozen package of broccoli, corn and peas. I then portion this out between four meals that I eat every 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours when at work.

Breakfast: Jimmy Dean breakfast delight w/ protein shake and a couple of nuts
Meal 2: Prepared chicken rice and veggie meal from the night before
Meal 3: Same thing as meal 2
Meal 4: Same thing as meal 3
PWO shake
Meal 5: Same thing as meal 4
Meal 6: Whatever my mom makes for dinner, usually a good protein source with some complex carbs
Meal 7: My night protein shake (1 scoop of whey 1 scoop of casein) and usually some other protein source (turkey lunch meat, chicken lunch meat)

I'm definitely getting enough protein and carbs. I just don't know if I'm getting enough fat and calories. My guess is I'm eating maybe 3,000 calories if I'm lucky?

Thanks again for the responses guys, I appreciate all the help.

[kingshahin]

my bi's are lagging in comparrison to my back and chest. What else can i do to bring them up?

[Armykid93]

my bi's are lagging in comparrison to my back and chest. What else can i do to bring them up?

Make your own thread brotha. That's the first step.

[Scottsdale]

workout no less than 5 days a week. only put ONE day of rest in between 2 or 3 training days. I hate doing back to back off days. Not to mention its not as effective. off days should be used to recover from an intense workout, or be used to assist a certain muscle group grow after you trained them (sculpting what you want to sculpt). Also, you will never maintain your gains if you take months off lol.

When you work out your arms, if you are noticing one is stronger than the other or a size difference then you need to start doing separate weight for each arm (like dumbbells or double cable). I do a LOT of self-assisted reps because I've had this same problem. Grab a cable, position it at its lowest point, do a one armed curl and guide that arm's forearm for support, squeeze at the top of your reps and focus on strengthening both arms equally. bar curls can subconsciously lead to recruiting more power from one muscle more than the other. Still do them, but incorporate focused lifts with both arms.