arm training

[Grizzly]

I use to do that before, but after a good chest workout, my tri's are shot. I can not get a good workout using heavy weights as I like on tri's. And I feel like I am overtraining when I do so.

And that, to me, is the exact reason not to have an arm day. Well, ok, there's actually a whole slough of reasons, but I won't get into that here. Let's just look at it like this :

Bench, incline, overhead presses, dips, decline bench, etc. is a gigantic tricep workout all week long.

Chins, barbell rows, seated cable rows(yuck!), dumbbell rows, even deadlifts and upright rows to some extent is a gigantic bicep workout all week long. Actually, bi's get less than tris as they are less incorporated into traditional movements, but they still take a beating.

My point is that they get worked all week long. There is a billion dudes who will harp on overtraining this and overtraining that, but, at the same time, they will completely blast their chest and back(which toasts the bicep/triceps) and then they will STILL, despite their fear of overtraining, spend an hour and a half beating the shit out of their arms. If you ask me, it's plain overkill. I think Oldlifter seems like a pretty damned good guy, but I think his arm theory is seriously, 100% whacked out!

Of course, I should talk anymore these days with how small and pathetic I have become. Then again, given that I am fairly fortunate to get into the gym to lift 4 times a month anymore, I guess that's to be expected.

Hey, hey, not too bad of a post for a drunk guy, eh? I think anyway. I might not be of the same opinion tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to y'all.

 

[kenneth]

go

go grizz, my thoughts into words exactly. it's beat not being able to get those workouts in isn't it? I'm not feeling the pain of 4 workouts a month but i'm working 2 jobs right now and i'm just not getting in there the way i want/need to be. if the situation gets any worse for me i'll be cutting out arms all together.

 

[rob3412]

i personally got my arms from 13 inches to 19 in about 3 years, i do alot of sets ill do about 13 setsjust for biceps, preacher,dumbels,barbell

 

[Grizzly]

You may be right. I'm certainly in the minority by advocating no direct work. Well, it's not that I so much advocate as advise it to most people. For a period of a few months anyway. I, myself, don't really do any, but that's because I'm an athlete and I try to keep my workouts to those exercises which would promote better strength/athleticism.

You are right about bodybuilders and arm days. You're also right that there is a difference between PL and BB. However, my contention is that arm work could be accomplished with SIGNIFICANTLY less effort, focus and thought than most people put into it.

Honestly, though, I do think that only the biceps need to be worked. With no direct arm work whatsoever for over a year, I managed to keep my arms at 19 1/2". They're an inch smaller these days, but I'm a lot smaller,too. I just can't train MMA and lift to be huge at the same time. Plus, it's actually better to be a little less muscular for endurance purposes.

But that's me. Now, one might say I'm just asserting a theory by saying that direct work isn't necessary for huge arms. I say that the physiques of strength athletes world wide refutes this. I don't know the exact workout of Mariuz Pudzianowski, but I can guess at it and I would lay money on it that he does very, very, very little direct arm work and that motherfucker can step onstage and win...right after he finishes pulling a train.

 

[kenneth]

i'm not trying to be an ass or anything but 13's are bound to grow no matter what u do

 

[kenneth]

oops, i don't know where the hell the thread is that that last post was meant for but someone said something about 13 inch guns to 19's.

 

[Grizzly]

It's this post. Don't worry.

 

[kenneth]

It's this post. Don't worry. [/QUOTE

good thing, i found it, for now on i'll hit the quote thing. bigkarch good point about the PL and BB differences, i have a bad habit of not thinking in those terms at all, once someone starts talking about growing my mind goes to more powerlifting theories without even realizing it. it's from trial and error i guess, because i know if i try and do 9 sets for my bis they'll probably shink not grow. it's always going to be under 4 sets for me.

 

[Bob Smith]

You may be right. I'm certainly in the minority by advocating no direct work. Well, it's not that I so much advocate as advise it to most people. For a period of a few months anyway. I, myself, don't really do any,

I havent done any direct, specific arm work for at least 3 months. Besides making my workouts a little shorter, my arms are continuing to grow at least as well as when I hit them directly.

In total I am only doing 6 movements per week, my workouts average about 30 minutes, I rarely hit failure (and never on purpose), and Im growing like a weed (naturally).

 

[kenneth]

this is why..

I havent done any direct, specific arm work for at least 3 months. Besides making my workouts a little shorter, my arms are continuing to grow at least as well as when I hit them directly.

In total I am only doing 6 movements per week, my workouts average about 30 minutes, I rarely hit failure (and never on purpose), and Im growing like a weed (naturally).

this is why i believe that even people who intend on being bodybuilders in the future should start out with more powerlifting style training until they achieve whatever mass they are looking for. is this a bad train of thought?

 

[Grizzly]

No, it's not a bad train of though. It just depends on what you consider a PL style that shoud be followed. If you're simply referring to the type of movements chosen, then you are right on. I don't, however, think that beginners should be working in the 1-3 rep range.

 

[kenneth]

yes..

No, it's not a bad train of though. It just depends on what you consider a PL style that shoud be followed. If you're simply referring to the type of movements chosen, then you are right on. I don't, however, think that beginners should be working in the 1-3 rep range.

yes, that is precisely what i meant, movements chosen.. i agree with what u just said all together

 

[rob3412]

i'm not trying to be an ass or anything but 13's are bound to grow no matter what u do

6 inches in 3 years

 

[kenneth]

it..

6 inches in 3 years

just want to be sure that you know it wasn't meant as a put down, hell i haven't seen 19's yet

 

[AnimalMass]

Griz and Bob and other are pointing you guys in the right direction.

I am a powerlfiter, but recently have started incorporating some bicep work in at the end of my upper body days. The reason is two fold: one - after several years of no direct bicep training, I felt they were weak and could tear on a heavy deadlift.

and two: I'm obviously gay and want bigger biceps. (Ok, I'm not really gay, not that it would make most of you bodybuilders upset anyway - lol) - anyway, if you look at the pic of me deadlifting on the deadlift thread you'll notice my triceps don't need any work as they get pounded all week long, but the biceps could use some help.

So basically at the end of my workouts I knock out about 3-4 sets of biceps- occasionally I go as high as 5 or 6 sets total but I never do more than 2 exercises. It's usually centered around ez bar curls (my forearms can't handle straight bar - long lasting injury there) and some form of dumbell curls, which are usually hammer curls.

What I'd advocate for bodybuilders is to work on a 4 day split: 2 upper body, 2 lower body - and at the end of your upper body workout (after you've done back), knock out about 4-6 sets of biceps - heavy and compound like anything else.

Matt