52-year-old looking for advice on how to grow my biceps bigger

Training
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I’m 52 and I’ve been lifting for over 15 years, started TRT around 10 years ago. I’m taking 200mg Test Per week, and my labs are very stable. So my arms have been stuck at 16 to 16.5 inches for the last couple years. I’ve tried progressive overload but hit brick walls for increasing weight and reps, doing as much as 75 pound concentration curls for 5 reps, but then injured a tendon.

My current bicep workout goes like this twice per week; 2-3 sets of good form chin ups 10 to 12 reps.

Then I do 3-4 sets of Concentration dumbbell curls starting with 65 pounds for each arm 10 to 12 reps, then 55 pound 10-12 reps, and a set at 50 pounds 10-12 reps.

Next 1 set of preacher dumbbell curls 45 pound 12-14 reps.

Finally Incline dumbbell curls 35 pounds 10-12 reps.

So I do around 12-14 sets per week total.

Looking for advice. Maybe I need to reduce the weight and try much higher reps for hypertrophy? Like 45 pounds for 25 reps or?

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If you haven’t tried it yet: Hammer curls and neutral-grip exercises to emphasize the brachialis, which sits under the biceps brachii. When that muscle grows, it pushes the biceps upward, making the arm look thicker from the front. It’s not so much a “biceps” exercise, but might give you the results you’re wanting since you mentioned arm measurements.

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What does your triceps work look like? That’s 2/3 the arm circumference.

Ever tried playing with giant sets or really high volumes or any of that? Or reducing frequency and really getting after it one day a week?

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I am a natural lifter. For me:

  1. The upper arm is made up of the biceps, triceps, brachialis and brachoradialis (crossing the elbow). Hammer curls are essential to hit the last two.
  2. Triceps are bigger than biceps. Weighted dips and close grip benches work them well. Pull-ups and chin-ups are essential upper arm exercises, but there is no shame in using assistance in the form of Gravitrons or bands.
  3. I feel upper arms respond better to high volume and moderate weights.
  4. I thought I had become as big as I was going to get after lifting for many years. I was wrong. Overhead work (Smith machine overhead, overhead loaded carries and Viking presses) made my shoulders and yoke much bigger. This, to a modest degree, carried over to my upper arm.
  5. Kroc rows, heavy and with mediocre form, were surprisingly effective at making my biceps bigger. I was doing them more for the back.
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I’d forgotten about hammer curls I used to do them a lot in the early days. Def worth a shot thanks!

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Triceps have been one muscle that I naturally have hardly had to work and they are definitely more obvious then my biceps. I just usually do after my chest workout overhead tricep extensions, but I haven’t gone after them really hard in a while. I’ll have to look up the Krok rows, that sounds interesting too, thanks!

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Triceps after Chest? Does this mean you do Biceps after Back?

If so, your arm muscles might be too fatigued to grow after the big pressing and pulling moves.

Maybe adjust the routine and try Biceps after Chest and Triceps after Back (or maybe shoulders) so you can hit the arms fresh.

Or even Arm Day for maximum arm readiness.

I agree about the brachialus and hammer curls. If you’ve been neglecting that area, maybe try a move with neutral grip (hammer curls) and a move with reverse grip ( reverse curls, zottman curls) to really get after the area around your elbows.

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If you really want to focus on arms, I’d agree to give them their own day

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Hammer curls should be done as below, but I have never seen anyone except me do this in the gym. Very easy to work out the wrists too, with practically no extra time or effort really required.

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My arms need to be worked 4-5 days a week to grow. No amount of volume or intensity could do it, had to up frequency. My calves are the same; IME the smaller the muscle, the lower the CNS strain and ligament/tendon/joint strain, and the more frequently it should be worked.

Just a thought, maybe you’re the same

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How much weight have you gained in last two years? And did you maintain bf levels?

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Some great tips here thanks everyone! I started doing back first then my biceps a few years back and had my biggest biceps gains I’ve ever had. My arms grew like 2 inches over a year. Because of that I’ve continued the same. I hadnt considered doing an “arms only day”, or doing 4 or more days. My weight has stayed similar for the last 2 years around 180-190 pounds, and I’m 5’9”. My body fat has been higher than I’d like at 15-18%. I’ve done a few “bulking” and cutting phases but my body composition didn’t change much unfortunately.

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THIS​:flexed_biceps::flexed_biceps::

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In order for size to increase, weight has to increase. They say to add an inch to your arms, you need to add 10lbs of muscle to your frame.

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Sometimes it’s not the volume or number of exercises, but the exercise execution. If you show us what your sets look like, we could get a better clue into what could be holding you back. I also agree with @Chris_Shugart that hammer curls would help a lot with your arm size, and with @TrainForPain that nailing Your Tricep work is equally crucial. Again, exercise execution definitely comes into play here.

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Well I tried a new arm workout today and it was a killer. My heart rate was hitting 160s and I ended up with a major pump in my biceps and triceps! I did back to back biceps then triceps without rest and it took me nearly 45 minutes! I added Hammer curls and Kroc rows. For triceps did laying extensions and cable push downs. I also did 6 sets of chest afterwards to destroy the triceps some more haha. Thanks a lot for all the advice I feel encouraged after today!