I am on an upper/lower split. I do for upper body 2 push and 2 pull exercises, then 1 exercise for biceps and triceps, 2-3 sets for each. And after that lateral raises or shrugs.
I try to add weight or do more reps each week. When progress stops, I take a recovery week and start again. My weights have slowly increased along with leg, chest and other measurements. Only arms doesn’t grow well.
I’ve heard of limbguys and torsoguys… maybe i’m the torso guy. Is there anything I can do to make them grow on this split, add more sets? I have increased weight for CGBP and BB Curls but the arms haven’t got bigger.
[quote]Mr.Y wrote:
I am on an upper/lower split. I do for upper body 2 push and 2 pull exercises, then 1 exercise for biceps and triceps, 2-3 sets for each. And after that lateral raises or shrugs.
I try to add weight or do more reps each week. When progress stops, I take a recovery week and start again. My weights have slowly increased along with leg, chest and other measurements. Only arms doesn’t grow well.
I’ve heard of limbguys and torsoguys… maybe i’m the torso guy. Is there anything I can do to make them grow on this split, add more sets? I have increased weight for CGBP and BB Curls but the arms haven’t got bigger.[/quote]
I would never do only one exercise for biceps and triceps. That is probably where your problem is. But hey, you are following a brand name split so it MUST be right, huh?
I agree with Prof. X. Try to change up your arm movements. Adjust your sets and reps as well. Go high volume one week, a little lower the next week, ramp it up the next week, and so on and so forth.
Sorry I didn’t get your point or was it sarcasm? Anyway english is not my native language and i’m not from USA.
In my country upper/lower isn’t popular at all, everybody are doing splits 1x per week, chest on monday, legs on tuesday…
You say I should do more than 1 exercise for biceps and triceps every workout? 2 is enough? More seems odd because I do 2 exercises for chest and back and bi&tri aren’t that big muscles.
Btw. I have changed all the exercises but the CGBP for tris. I have done dips, skullcrushers, extension lying, seated and standing with barbell and dumbbells. Though I haven’t changed rep schemes, 6-8 on Monday and 8-10 on Thurday.
*I have gained weight… like I said all the other muscles are growing, even forearms and calves.
But what about not recovering? From what I have read here people don’t do arms or do just as little as I do on Upper/Lower splits. Isn’t that true? Then could you tell me how much you do? I can discuss it with nobody in my country because like I told everybody does here 1x per week splits and recommends me to do so.
I am starting a new cycle again and I would really like to get them growing… I appreciate anykind of help.
Hard to translate all the food here… I eat about 3700 kcal. I tend to think it is about the training because I gain weight, strength and size on other bodyparts.
*I follow what works for other people. Squats, deadlifts and bench presses work. I got all them in. I just got the problem with arms. I got everything else working… I try and use different rep schemes, exercises for myself - I didn’t copy someone’s routine.
I just use upper/lower split, the rest I have made myself. Maybe got some advice with arms, I don’t want to be recommended totally new routine if that’s what you want me to do? Maybe in some months…
[quote]Mr.Y wrote:
But what about not recovering? From what I have read here people don’t do arms or do just as little as I do on Upper/Lower splits. Isn’t that true? Then could you tell me how much you do? I can discuss it with nobody in my country because like I told everybody does here 1x per week splits and recommends me to do so.
I am starting a new cycle again and I would really like to get them growing… I appreciate anykind of help.[/quote]
Are you sure all the recovering you’re doing is necessary? If you’re asking about recovery and how to make your arms bigger, it comes across as being a beginner. Beginners don’t need to deload that much. Adjust volume week to week, as I advised earlier, and go as hard as you can for every rep.
First how much have you actually increased in other areas? You say “My weights have slowly increased along with leg, chest and other measurements”. So how much have you actually increased everything and in what kind of time frame?
A 1/4" to your chest/leg measurements is going to come alot easier then a 1/4" to your arms. So it may be as simple as impatiants or lack of overall progress.
Second if you want to add more arm work I would just do a different bicep/tricep exercise on either upper body day and do 4 sets instead of 2-3. This will not be a huge change but realisticly is a significant amount of change. Keep each exercise until you don’t progress on it for 2 consecutive weeks.
Whatever weak point may you have,you’re going to have to work it hard. I usually do two exercises for my biceps and two for my triceps. Thats what works for me. Sometimes,when I’m pressed for time, I can only work my arms with one exercise.
But they’re not my lagging body part. Nevertheless,if you’re not growing in a certain area,or just not getting any overall growth,then it always boils down to two things:
Are you working that body part hard enough with enough,effective exercises?
[quote]Mr.Y wrote:
But what about not recovering? From what I have read here people don’t do arms or do just as little as I do on Upper/Lower splits.[/quote]
I used to, and I had the same problem that you are having now. I tripled the volume ONLY for my arms (which was almost nihil before), and they have restarted to grow.
I am starting a new cycle again and I would really like to get them growing… I appreciate anykind of help.[/quote]
What I do is:
1st WO of the week:
lower body
5*5 barbell curls
5*5 hammer curls
5*5 triceps kickbacks
5*5 narrow grip dips
2nd WO of the week
upper body
10*3 hammer curls
10*3 narrow grip dips
10*3 narrow grip bench press
10*3 concentration curls
3rd WO of the week
lower or upper, depends
same as before
I onyl w/o 3 days a week b/c i also cycle/dance/play soccer 3 days a week so I can’t overload
Hard to translate all the food here… I eat about 3700 kcal. I tend to think it is about the training because I gain weight, strength and size on other bodyparts.[/quote]
Ok then you first have to reach around 180 lbs in order to see the gains
I know I am tiny you don’t have to remember me that. I used to be even lighter, I have put on some mass and I need to do it for some more years before I am in a “decent shape”. The problem was when I gain muscle, I want to gain it equally everywhere, not just chest, back and legs. Arms are my weakest bodypart.
Anyway, it is getting late here, I have got some ideas now and I will try them out. Thanks for them!
[quote]Mr.Y wrote:
I know I am tiny you don’t have to remember me that.[/quote]
Hey, I didn’t want to do that. Just that generally arms, being smaller than other body parts, require an higher increase in overall body weight in order to get bigger.
[quote]Mr.Y wrote:
I know I am tiny you don’t have to remember me that. I used to be even lighter, I have put on some mass and I need to do it for some more years before I am in a “decent shape”. The problem was when I gain muscle, I want to gain it equally everywhere, not just chest, back and legs. Arms are my weakest bodypart.
Anyway, it is getting late here, I have got some ideas now and I will try them out. Thanks for them![/quote]
It’s simple your arms just need something different than what you are doing to grow. It is common sense man if your arms aren’t growing now then what you are currently doing doesn’t work. Change it to higher volume probably. And what pro x said is right, people are quick to join the “no direct arm work” bandwagon.
We are the same height. I started lighter than you however. You are going to have to add in more volume of training, in the arms and the compounds. And add more calories.
I went from 130 lbs to 220 lbs at 6’1. This was done with tons of food, hard work and time. You will have to train more, and eat more if you want your arms to grow. At 220 lbs, I only have 17.5" arms. It takes time.
My advice would be quit doing arms for 6 weeks concentrate on powercleans, and weighted dips and chins as your only arm exercises. And also build your deadlift.
Watch powerclean something like 225 for the first time, deadlift 400 for the first time, do chins with extra 25 lbs for sets, and dips with extra 25 to 50 lbs.
and take a look at your arms. they will be solid guaranteed.
then go back to some hypertrophy training. Just build a decent base.