First off some info about me. I’m 25 and have been training for approx. 4 years now. Put on decent size since I started and sitting at about 230lbs at 5’10" and around 11-12% bodyfat. Strength wise everything is going great, even on my arms where I feel I lack size. However I don’t see myself as a powerlifter but more a bodybuilder so size > strength.
Size wise I think most bodyparts are up to par and pretty much everything (except arms) is growing. Chest could use some more size and my delts and quads are overly dominant. My arms however don’t match my frame. Currently rocking a mighty 16.5in flexed and they have been this size for about a year now, no noticable growth. At the moment I train arms about once every 5-6 days and do forearms first, then triceps and biceps after. Forearms are growing as I never really targeted them before.
Triceps;
Cable pushdown (bar or rope) 4x15
Bar dips (weighted) or closegrip bench press 4x pyramid 12-4 reps
DB tricep extension 4x10
Biceps;
DB curl 4x 10-8 reps
Preacher curl (machine) 4x 10-8 reps
Cross body hammer curl 4x 10-8 reps
Above is what I’ve been doing lately but before I’ve tried numerous things like:
Mountain dog arms (article here on T-Nation)
Higher rep / volume workout (15-20 range)
High intensity low volume workout (4-6 range)
Switched bicep exercices to basics like bb curl etc
Train arms every other day
Train arms only once a week
None seem to really make a difference. And it’s not like I only did this for a week but usually for 4-6 weeks and still nothing. Also noteworthy, biceps never get sore the day after. I do keep a strict form with no ‘throwing’ and it does burn like crazy during the workout. I don’t really know what else I can try at this point because visually it’s getting worse because my delts keep growing and they overpower my arms. Other muscles are growing so it’s either in the workout or it’s some genetical barrier…
Maybe the solution is something simple and I just can’t see it anymore. Just wanted to post this to see if anyone can relate
4 years time is considerable, but also, we don’t know where you started. For someone who started at 14" arms, packing an extra 2.5 is nothing to sneeze at, especially if it’s lean gains. Considering you haven’t made recent noticeable progress, I would agree that something new might be in order.
I know a lot of people get great results from having an ‘arm’ training day (bis and tris togther), but in all my years of liftingI never took that approach myself. In MY opinion, and this doesn’t mean other methods won’t work, I made decent gains by focusing solely on trashing one muscle, and not concerning myself with the awesome pump you may get by hitting antagonists in the same session, which while blood flow is great (nutrient delivery, fascia stretching etc), it doesn’t always guarantee that you’ve stimulated a growth response.
Have you always had an arm day, or have you ever made use of throwing in the smaller arm muscles after larger muscle groups? I always liked hitting biceps after back for example. The biceps were already warmed up and worked to some degree, and then I’d target them specifically with additional exercise selections. This may not be the final, amazing, ground breaking solution you’re looking for, but if you’ve never made use of this common bodypart split, it may just be.
[quote]GS2014 wrote:
sitting at about 230lbs at 5’10" and around 11-12% bodyfat[/quote]
Fo realz?[/quote]
16.5 inch lean arms are not small but on someone this size they would seem small.
OP, if your biceps and triceps aren’t growing (noticeably) then why are you hitting forearms first on your arm day? Do you think that prefatiguing your forearms/grip is hindering your biceps/triceps training?
Increase your frequency. Try keeping your arm day but throwing in a few extra sets of triceps on chest day and biceps on back day. That could help.
[quote]gregron wrote:
OP, if your biceps and triceps aren’t growing (noticeably) then why are you hitting forearms first on your arm day? Do you think that prefatiguing your forearms/grip is hindering your biceps/triceps training?
Increase your frequency. Try keeping your arm day but throwing in a few extra sets of triceps on chest day and biceps on back day. That could help.[/quote]
Looks like he already tried increasing frequency (trained them every other day)
One thing that worked for me was to do one set of barbell curls every night in addition to my normal training. I started with a weight I could get about 10 reps with, and worked that up to 20 reps over time. Then I added weight and started back at 10 reps again.
OP, care to post some pictures of your arms and the kind of poundages you are working with on close grip bench etc?
[quote]GS2014 wrote:
been training for approx. 4 years now. Put on decent size since I started and sitting at about 230lbs at 5’10" and around 11-12% bodyfat.
…
Currently rocking a mighty 16.5in flexed and they have been this size for about a year now, no noticable growth.[/quote]
Like Stu said, some perspective on this would help.
What kind of bodyweight/bodyfat were you 4 years ago, and a year ago when the stall started?
Definitely not that way I’d do things. Common sense.
As was said, 4-6 weeks isn’t much time to give a new method a fair shot, especially when you’re trying to address a “problem area”. The Mountain Dog arms program alone is written as a 12-week plan. If you really want to fix the problem, make it your priority for around that long.
[quote]gregron wrote:
OP, if your biceps and triceps aren’t growing (noticeably) then why are you hitting forearms first on your arm day? Do you think that prefatiguing your forearms/grip is hindering your biceps/triceps training?
Increase your frequency. Try keeping your arm day but throwing in a few extra sets of triceps on chest day and biceps on back day. That could help.[/quote]
Looks like he already tried increasing frequency (trained them every other day)
One thing that worked for me was to do one set of barbell curls every night in addition to my normal training. I started with a weight I could get about 10 reps with, and worked that up to 20 reps over time. Then I added weight and started back at 10 reps again.
OP, care to post some pictures of your arms and the kind of poundages you are working with on close grip bench etc?[/quote]
Ahhh I missed that part of his post, thanks for pointing it out.
[quote]GS2014 wrote:
I’m 25 … about 230lbs at 5’10" and around 11-12% bodyfat. [/quote]
Ummm, do you have a picture?[/quote]
Yeah yeah so he probably has misjudged his bodyfat percentage. I thought maybe ONE time on this board we could forget about that and focus on the point of the thread. lol
I’ve been focusing on tempo during my arm training lately and have been pleased with the results, my triceps I feel are noticeably thicker. I’ve been going with a 3.1.2.0 tempo on most exercises, the MMC is great!
Only thing I could imagine is that you’re not working you are not placing the tension on the target muscles. The goal should be to place tension on the bis and tris, not to just lift the weight up. I would choose ONLY exercises where you feel the most comfortable and in control and work on mind-muscle connection with those.
Even if it’s only two exercises per muscle group, doesn’t matter. Drop the forearm shit, or put it at the end. Get a weight that you can do 12-15 reps all out, tighten your abs and body, shoulders down, grip that motherfucker so that every muscle in your arm is squeezed and contracted, and pump out 6-8 reps like that. Pure muscle action. It doesn’t have to be slow or grinding to failure. None of that. Just full control with every muscle of the arm(bis, tris and forearms) contracted. Just my 2cents. Try it for a month.
[quote]Majin wrote:
Only thing I could imagine is that you’re not working you are not placing the tension on the target muscles. The goal should be to place tension on the bis and tris, not to just lift the weight up. I would choose ONLY exercises where you feel the most comfortable and in control and work on mind-muscle connection with those.
Even if it’s only two exercises per muscle group, doesn’t matter. Drop the forearm shit, or put it at the end. Get a weight that you can do 12-15 reps all out, tighten your abs and body, shoulders down, grip that motherfucker so that every muscle in your arm is squeezed and contracted, and pump out 6-8 reps like that. Pure muscle action. It doesn’t have to be slow or grinding to failure. None of that. Just full control with every muscle of the arm(bis, tris and forearms) contracted. Just my 2cents. Try it for a month. [/quote]
I agree with the advice to drop the direct forearm work. Maybe it’s the gyms I’ve trained at, but I’ve honestly never seen an impressive looking guy working forearms
[quote]gregron wrote:
Take your vitamins and say your prayers at night and you too can have huge arms.[/quote]
Dang what’s mark bells little brothers name that says this in the bigger faster stronger documentary…
