Arm Training Frequency

When I was younger my arms would be sore after I worked them. Since I started back lifting, that has changed. I can do set after set, low reps, high reps, heavy, light, super sets, drop sets, it does not matter. I have intentionally worked my arms so hard that I think there is no way that I will be able to shave the next morning…nothing. My chest gets sore, my back, my legs… What gives? I can’t even tell that I have worked them.

They are getting bigger and more defined, but they never get sore. Does anybody else have this same thing or have I developed some miraculous arm recovery power that will enable me to train arms as hard and heavy as I want to each and every day?

When I was in my late teens and early twenties I worked my arms quite a bit. However, as I progressed in weight, the immediate strain would be there, but the day after aches were really non-existent. I got to a point where I’d finish my arms doing 8-10x70 lbs hammer curls and not really feel anything the next day.

Since coming back to training after a long hiatus, I really only work my arms to supplement my back workouts. I only ever seem to notice tension in my forearms as opposed to my biceps. I personally don’t perform a full on arm day type workout, so I’m not sure if I’m even experiencing the level of work that you are, and this may be irrelevant.

As long as you’re seeing the progress you want, I’d say don’t worry about it. However, I wouldn’t recommend working them every day, just to be safe :wink:

I’ve had workouts where I just knew there had to be soreness the next day, and . . . zip. Then a totally different exercise, a lot at once, and I’m sore.

Are you concentrating on any negative (eccentric, stretching) movements in your exercises? Or is the force on contracting movements?

I have mixed it up pretty good. Negatives, isolation work, speed driven movements, even some cheats and forced reps. I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t understand it. Maybe I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

[quote]cavalier wrote:

Are you concentrating on any negative (eccentric, stretching) movements in your exercises? Or is
[/quote]

This.

DB curls on an incline bench and lying EZ bar tricep extensions on a decline bench never fail to make me sore, but take it for what it’s worth I have the arms of a 9 year old girl.