Bicep Issues: No Growth

Training
1

Ok I have been training almost 2 years consistently, these are my current tested numbers:

Bench - 310x1 / 295x2x2
Squat - 400x1 / 390x2x2
DLift - 460x1 / 450x2x2

I posted those first so that people don’t try to attack me with generic responses like, “Get Bigger”, “Get Stronger”, and all the parroted things people try to answer every single thread with.

My question is this: Biceps specifically have stopped growing for months.

The only DIFFERENCE in my training has been that I switched to a much more ‘powerlifting’ oriented routine( I will post my current training routine below ).

HOWEVER, with that being said, I still have relatively high bicep volume being done once a week, on a day different than when Back is trained. Thus, I am really not understanding what is the problem.

Legs have grown 3.5 inches in the past 6 months, triceps are noticeably bigger/stronger, Back is wide…literally everything is responding except my biceps.

I already know people are going to read this and roll their eyes, and quite honestly I don’t care. I’m not a total newb, and every week I am stronger on every single lift, and am making very good progress; I have one bodypart that isn’t responding and I want it to, so I’m asking for legitimate help.

CURRENT TRAINING PROTOCOL…

Mon - Bench Day (+Chest/Bicep emphasis)

Wed - Deadlift Day (+Back/Tricep emphasis)

Fri - Press Day (+Shoulder emphasis)

Sun - Squat Day (+Leg emphasis)

The Bicep work specifically might looks something like this:

#1) Cross Armed Hammer Curls - 4 sets / 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (2 failure)
#2) Straight Barbell Curl - 3 sets / 10, 10, 8 reps (3 failure)
#3) Preacher EZ Bar Curl - 3 sets / 10 , 10, 10 reps (2 failure)
#4) DB Concentration Curl - 3 sets / 12, 10, 8 reps (2 failure)

So although I do pretty specific powerlifting training for the Bench/DL/Press/DL ; the Bicep work is still high volume and body-buildesque.

What is the problem?!

Should I add Biceps 2X a week instead? (Do them again with fewer sets on Shoulder Day?)

Thanks

2

Seems like you already know the solution to your problem. The routine looks good, I would for sure do them 2x a week. I’ve never had mine grow only hitting them 1x a week. Hit them with the same routine or a similar one on Friday + add a few sets of curls on weds if you feel up to it.

3

Alright, I already figured one of the best solutions would be to also do Biceps on Friday.

Thank you for confirming this, and I appreciate the input; do you think I should use the same volume as well?(9-12 sets?). Also, it’s interesting you said to possibly even throw some bicep work in on Wednesday[back day]; I keep hearing for muscle growth purposes that 2x a week training should be the maximum, while 3-4x is based more on strength adaptation.

I hope some more people can chime in ; my goal aside from just becoming really strong is to also have 18+ inch arms and 28+ inch legs

4

What weights are you using for your 4 biceps exercise

5

Hammer Curls top set is usually 55-60 for 6+ reps, Barbell Curl I can do 100x10?, Preacher Curl I use about 65-70, DB Concentration Curls I will use 35-40’s. They’re not earth shattering by any means, I know some people on this website can barbell Curl 135 for 20 reps, but I am doing the best I can for how long I have trained & I don’t really cheat except on Barbell Curls, I might give a little swing to the last few reps on each set.

I already have a feeling people are going to tell me to increase my barbell curl to 135x10 or something, then I will see growth…but I see plenty of people at my gym with 18-19 inch arms that are using ~60/70/80 pound barbells

6

Wrong.

You are using.too.much weight. How do I know? I use.less weight even.when doing.db curls.frst

Lower all ur weights and.focus.on.squeezing hard as.fuck

7

how is “get bigger” not a good response? you want BIGGER biceps correct?

are you eating enough to gain muscule? how about listing your diet

8

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
how is “get bigger” not a good response? you want BIGGER biceps correct?

are you eating enough to gain muscule? how about listing your diet[/quote]

[quote]Ethan7X wrote:

Legs have grown 3.5 inches in the past 6 months, triceps are noticeably bigger/stronger, Back is wide…literally everything is responding except my biceps.

[/quote]

Bump

9

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
how is “get bigger” not a good response? you want BIGGER biceps correct?

are you eating enough to gain muscule? how about listing your diet[/quote]

Biceps is an itsy, bitsy tiny muscle, that, admittedly, looks good.

Not sure if that is his problem.

Either he lifts most with his back, then his weights are to heavy, as has already been mentioned, or he does not do enough that would recruit his biceps secundarily, like pulling heavy stuff, or he has shitty biceps genetics which makes it look smaller than it really is, or he he is just so damn swole that his biceps lack in comparison.

Should it be the last one OP, congrats, work your biceps more often.

10

[quote]zraw wrote:
Wrong.

You are using.too.much weight. How do I know? I use.less weight even.when doing.db curls.frst

Lower all ur weights and.focus.on.squeezing hard as.fuck[/quote]

Thank you for this advice.

So basically, just drop all my weight on everything and go for a hard squeeze? Should it be a slow negative too? I already do slow negatives on my hammer curls, and I feel my preacher curls are very controlled & slow. BB Curl & Concentration definetly are not though, so maybe making all of them have a hard squeeze will do it.

11

Well you should try to be squeezing thru the whole rep… so basically your bicep is flexed as if you wanted to “show your biceps” to a girl or a friend or take a pic whatever… u get the point

When using more weight you lose that contraction… it becomes more of a “contrat/decontract” movement pattern… (not sure this makes sense to you…just try withtout weight… just do a bicep curl “going thru the motion” and then do one while focusing on having your biceps flexed as hard as you can thru the whole movement both on the way up and down… wont feel the same"

I would do 3seconds negative only on one exercise, the last one

I would focus on an extra squeeze at the top for the preacher curl and work mostly the middle range of the rep

12

[quote]zraw wrote:
Wrong.

Lower all ur weights and.focus.on.squeezing hard as.fuck[/quote]

^^this^^ Good advice…

Going too heavy only gave me sore joints and wrists. Wasn’t unitl I lowered the weight and used better form/concentrated/squeezed hard did I start seeing results.

13

[quote]zraw wrote:
Well you should try to be squeezing thru the whole rep… so basically your bicep is flexed as if you wanted to “show your biceps” to a girl or a friend or take a pic whatever… u get the point

When using more weight you lose that contraction… it becomes more of a “contrat/decontract” movement pattern… (not sure this makes sense to you…just try withtout weight… just do a bicep curl “going thru the motion” and then do one while focusing on having your biceps flexed as hard as you can thru the whole movement both on the way up and down… wont feel the same"

I would do 3seconds negative only on one exercise, the last one

I would focus on an extra squeeze at the top for the preacher curl and work mostly the middle range of the rep

[/quote]

Perfect response. And in fact this response could probably be universal to many problems/questions on this forum.

14

You guys are all awesome. Thank you very much

15

[quote]zraw wrote:
Well you should try to be squeezing thru the whole rep… so basically your bicep is flexed as if you wanted to “show your biceps” to a girl or a friend or take a pic whatever… u get the point

When using more weight you lose that contraction… it becomes more of a “contrat/decontract” movement pattern… (not sure this makes sense to you…just try withtout weight… just do a bicep curl “going thru the motion” and then do one while focusing on having your biceps flexed as hard as you can thru the whole movement both on the way up and down… wont feel the same"

I would do 3seconds negative only on one exercise, the last one

I would focus on an extra squeeze at the top for the preacher curl and work mostly the middle range of the rep

[/quote]

zraw,

Would beginners benefit from this style of training? I'm still in the beginners category in terms of poundages and I find it really hard to progress on bicep exercises (Have to drop to the 6 rep range) and I lose the ability to squeeze the muscle if I attempt to do a heavier wegight.

Or is progressive overload still the way to go in this stage for me? Tks!

16

[quote]redondo wrote:

zraw,

Would beginners benefit from this style of training? I'm still in the beginners category in terms of poundages and I find it really hard to progress on bicep exercises (Have to drop to the 6 rep range) and I lose the ability to squeeze the muscle if I attempt to do a heavier wegight.

Or is progressive overload still the way to go in this stage for me? Tks![/quote]

I’m not Zraw (although I wish I was every time I look at his competition thread :slight_smile: ) but yeah man you’ll absolutely benefit from training like this. If you are forcing yourself to go heavier on biceps exercises than you should then you’ll just be swinging the weight around which’ll not be growing dem arms.

17

Also understand that you’re still achieving progressive overload…you’re just increasing your abilities to curl strict/with a squeeze as opposed to earlier when it was more of a +weight at all costs.

18

[quote]zraw wrote:
Well you should try to be squeezing thru the whole rep… so basically your bicep is flexed as if you wanted to “show your biceps” to a girl or a friend or take a pic whatever… u get the point

When using more weight you lose that contraction… it becomes more of a “contrat/decontract” movement pattern… (not sure this makes sense to you…just try withtout weight… just do a bicep curl “going thru the motion” and then do one while focusing on having your biceps flexed as hard as you can thru the whole movement both on the way up and down… wont feel the same"

I would do 3seconds negative only on one exercise, the last one

I would focus on an extra squeeze at the top for the preacher curl and work mostly the middle range of the rep

[/quote]

Great advice. CT recommended the same thing in a spill a while back.

http://www.T-Nation.com/strength-training-topics/537

19

MOAR FOOD,

okay dude

when I’m really working on bicep growth I like to start with HEAVY ASS HAMMER CURLS.

we are talking the most sloppy cheating bullshit curls in the world (I’ll use between 90 and 105lb dbs) and OH YEAH for sets of 10+. HEAVY weight HIGH reps BITCH.

then barbell curls because you’re a fag if you don’t like moving heavy azz weight.

then hammer strength preacher curls (squeeze)

then THE FINISHER those things that kai green does on an incline bench with light weight focusing on the squeeze of the muscle with tiny breaks between sets.

FINISHER:

20

My arms aren’t huge, but in the last 2.5 months I’ve worked on them and added almost 3/4". All curling done seated, and on an incline or decline, hammer’s too. 2x a week. 3 different ones, 4 sets of 10, moderate weight. Squeeze.