Bicep problems...

[Deadpool]

Need some help guys...I've been working out for about 2 1/2 years and have a good idea how all the lifts work. I've managed to put on about 40lbs since I started, but for some reason my biceps just dont want to grow like they should....A normal routine looks something like:standing barbell curls four sets of ten,alternating dumbell curls four sets of ten,hammer curls four sets of ten,and preacher curls three sets of ten...I dont think I am going to heavy and my form seems to stay in check...I dont really seem to get a pump like I should. Any suggestions?

[im83931]

You can ditch the normal routine. Not because there is anything wrong with it. Just to shock you system. Change it to something completely different.

[admirals56]

superset, drop set i do and my pumps are so strong i cant take my shirt off on an arm day

[Deadpool]

How many sets/reps would you for supersetting, or am I going more by feel than anything?

[admirals56]

wat are your splits with biceps

[Deadpool]

I train them after back near the beginning of the week and on a seperate arm day during the later part..

[admirals56]

do drop sets if its with back so you can get the best out of your back.. once you can pm, pm me and ill give you an arm w/o that you could try but you have to go with it and not quit

[naturalsux]

I train them after back near the beginning of the week and on a seperate arm day during the later part..

do they get sore the next day? if your not getting a pump, i would think your

going too heavy. practice on form. i also wouldnt do that many sets every

week.

[Deadpool]

No I'm not really getting a pump atleast no where near what my other body parts seem to get.. but I dont think I'm going to heavy I dont seem to cheat I dont lean with the lifts.... And very rarely am I sore the next day.

[naturalsux]

No I'm not really getting a pump atleast no where near what my other body parts seem to get.. but I dont think I'm going to heavy I dont seem to cheat I dont lean with the lifts.... And very rarely am I sore the next day.

well you most probably using other muscles to lift the weight, instead of your bis.

lighten up the weight or use NO weight at all and practice the exercise, getting a pump.

focusing on your bis telling them to lift the weight, i know it sounds dumb but it works.

if you cant get a pump, then how do you expect to with weights?

this what i use to do when i was in your same situation.

at home with nothing i would do standing curls with my eyes closed squeezing

bis each time till they hurt. then i would slowly add weight, the second you

add too much weight you will lose that good pump feeling.

[Deadpool]

Thanks for th imput...I'll try that out and see how it works

[naturalsux]

Thanks for th imput...I'll try that out and see how it works

it takes time to get a good mind-muscle connection. im still not where i would

like to be in the bi department, but ive made progress. i like starting off with

preacher curls with 5's on each side, those take concentration.

[Undecided09]

Thanks for th imput...I'll try that out and see how it works

I think twice a week, and at that volume is overtraining...

How many back exercises do you do a week?

How many quad exercises?

Both of these muscle groups are much larger than biceps, yet I doubt they get the attention your biceps do.....

For the small muscles groups, I believe in rest/recovery, and direct work only once a week, 7-9 sets total....

For overall mass you should always have one compound exercise each day...allowing you to only need direct small muscle group work once a week...Just make sure when you do em, pick two exercises, prefereably a mass builder, then a shaping exercise (i.e. Standing barbells, followed by preaches) and go at them all out, with good form, 4 sets a piece, or 4 sets then three sets....

Last thing, with bi's, ALWAYS make sure you are going all the way down with the weight, it stretchs out the muslce, and hits them from top to bottom...


9

[Deadpool]

Maby 4 exersizes for back 3 sets per and...3 exersizes for quads 4-5 sets for squats three sets for the others....

[Undecided09]

Maby 4 exersizes for back 3 sets per and...3 exersizes for quads 4-5 sets for squats three sets for the others....

Exactly, 12 sets for Back (which is about right), and 12-14 for Quads (also sound about right)...Now I don't know the choices of exercise, but the total volume of those is pretty good....

So how can a muscle group that is 1/5 the size of your back or quads occupy 15 sets of your time, directly, two times a week?

Overtraining...

[Deadpool]

Ok thanks, will try to switch things up and get more recovery time in.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Too much volume, too many exercises, improper form and starting off your bicep workout with the wrong exercise..Try inverted uni-lateral preacher curls! Other than that it's mostly your genetics.

Do you have big forearms?

[hobbs9963]

I do shoulders and arms on the same day,with a days rest before. Goes something like this for the arms: Warm up with standing ez curl 3 sets of 15. Scullcrushers 3 sets of 15. Then move to bench press where you're going to do close-grip presses. Get a set of dumbells and put under the bench (weight you can do 4 sets of 10). Put on weight with the close grip that you can do 4 sets of 10. Start with the close grip immediately followed by alternating curl, immediately followed by tricep pushdowns from the universal machine, Go heavy here. That's one set. 4 total. Follow with 5 sets of cable curls at 15-20 per. Hope that made sense, and hope it works for you.

[Dukkit]

i also have a hard time with getting my bis to grow. i started splitting up my arm day. so i do bi's with chest. that way my arms are not totally beat and i can really concentrate on the contraction. also i think you may be over working them. i do barbell curls with dumbbell hammer curls and have seen darn good improvements.

[Salient]

Since I started doing arms on their own day they've grown and gotten stronger.. when i was working them with back or something else they didn't seem to grow or change. I work them 1 day a week after a 2 day rest, and after arm day i do legs than a 1 day rest.. i would suggest that.

Day1 - Chest/Calves
Day2 - Back/Shoulders
Day3&4 - Rest
Day 5 - Arms
Day 6 - Legs
Day 7 - Rest

Just what works for me..

[novastepp]

sounds like too much bicep work. throw them in at the end of back day and hit them with 3 sets of 12 of standing barbell curls and 3 sets of 12 of preachers or incline curls to really torch them.

[Undecided09]

Since I started doing arms on their own day they've grown and gotten stronger.. when i was working them with back or something else they didn't seem to grow or change. I work them 1 day a week after a 2 day rest, and after arm day i do legs than a 1 day rest.. i would suggest that.

Day1 - Chest/Calves
Day2 - Back/Shoulders
Day3&4 - Rest
Day 5 - Arms
Day 6 - Legs
Day 7 - Rest

Just what works for me..

I'd put your legs first thing in the weak...chances are your legs aren't your strongest point, so hit em while yor CNS and Body is fresh off a weekend of rest...Also, they are the biggest muscle group on the body, they raise natural test and GH better than any other group, sets up the rest of the week nicely.....

[chitownhoker]

sounds like too much bicep work. throw them in at the end of back day and hit them with 3 sets of 12 of standing barbell curls and 3 sets of 12 of preachers or incline curls to really torch them.

agreed, except i think 12 reps is a lil high for all sets, I had the same problem a year ago and i ended up figuring out that I was just over working them. I cut back to lifting bi's on back days only and my arms have expanded greatly! I would just cut back on so many sets and reps, I usually stick around 8

[Salient]

I'd put your legs first thing in the weak...chances are your legs aren't your strongest point, so hit em while yor CNS and Body is fresh off a weekend of rest...Also, they are the biggest muscle group on the body, they raise natural test and GH better than any other group, sets up the rest of the week nicely.....

So you would suggest switching arms with legs, my weekend is day 3/4 which is thurs friday so start of my week is sat pretty much.. i work out on the weekends because its the least busy time .. my univ gym isn't big enough to support all the people that go

anyways thanks for your advice didn't mean to hijack this thread just sayin that worked well for me with my arms..my legs are pretty good naturally from genes/sports but i might give this a try, basically i am doing it at the first of the week also.. just doing arms the day before so maybe ill switch that up.

[Undecided09]

I guess a better way to put it is, do legs first in your SPLIT...Whenever that my start....

9

[Deadpool]

Too much volume, too many exercises, improper form and starting off your bicep workout with the wrong exercise..Try inverted uni-lateral preacher curls! Other than that it's mostly your genetics.

Do you have big forearms?

Yes my forearms are a strongpoint...I try to keep strict form but they might be coming into play to much.