Hello,
Whats a normal progression of strength for someone who has only been traning 8-9 months and mainly for hypertrophy? iv’e noticed that iv’e gone up well in terms of load for the bench,squat, etc but in terms of bicep isolation exercises such as Hammer Curls my RM has only gone up 15.lbs while my working weight for sets has only gone up by about 7-8lbs on each arm.
Thank’s
It sounds like your pretty much right on track. Even training “just for hypertrophy”, if you’re brand new to weight training, your strength will increase. Those smaller movements like curls and whatnot won’t be going up as much as the bigger moves because…they’re smaller moves. Unless you’re entering a hammer curl contest, it’s no big deal. As long as you’re getting stronger and bigger, keep doing what you’re doing.
[quote]Minotaur wrote:
It sounds like your pretty much right on track. Even training “just for hypertrophy”, if you’re brand new to weight training, your strength will increase. Those smaller movements like curls and whatnot won’t be going up as much as the bigger moves because…they’re smaller moves. Unless you’re entering a hammer curl contest, it’s no big deal. As long as you’re getting stronger and bigger, keep doing what you’re doing.[/quote]
Thanks minotuar, it’s Good to know 
People still use biceps isolation moves?! Emm, well, I’ll be over here, far away from you, using the squat rack…
[quote]SpeedStrength wrote:
People still use biceps isolation moves?! Emm, well, I’ll be over here, far away from you, using the squat rack…[/quote]
What’s a squat rack? Are you talking about the curl rack?
[quote]SpeedStrength wrote:
People still use biceps isolation moves?! Emm, well, I’ll be over here, far away from you, using the squat rack…[/quote]
There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting in a few sets of ‘bicep isolation’ exercises.
But way to try and sound so weight savvy. Yah, way to cool and knowlegable to do a curl over here.
[quote]sasquatch wrote:
SpeedStrength wrote:
People still use biceps isolation moves?! Emm, well, I’ll be over here, far away from you, using the squat rack…
There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting in a few sets of ‘bicep isolation’ exercises.
But way to try and sound so weight savvy. Yah, way to cool and knowlegable to do a curl over here.[/quote]
STFU, you’re trolling…
It was a joke but none-the-less, I wouldn’t touch the ‘curl rack’(its becoming a god-damn global crisis/epidemic lol). Idiots trying to do curls and sh1t at the power rack.
[quote]SpeedStrength wrote:
People still use biceps isolation moves?! Emm, well, I’ll be over here, far away from you, using the squat rack…[/quote]
What are alternative excercises that will stimulate bicep muscle growth and size increases that dont involve isolation??
I could spew reams on this topic(or any topic… with plenty of blank pages) but one very well liked by many T-member is the pull-up. The squat should do you; it may not target the biceps but the hormonal response should make a difference.
Also, eating will do wonders. Go up to a larger beer. Start buying kegs and curling that up to your face and then hold at peak contractiong while you chug it.
I really don’t buy this shit about squatting making you stronger in the bicep curl. I agree that squatting will help you add more total body mass, which may indirectly help build your biceps, but if you want big biceps, you better do exercises that involve the biceps, such as curls or supinated pulling movements.
Show me a pro bodybuilder that doesn’t do curls…
What about doing curls to increase your pull ups?
[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
I really don’t buy this shit about squatting making you stronger in the bicep curl. I agree that squatting will help you add more total body mass, which may indirectly help build your biceps, but if you want big biceps, you better do exercises that involve the biceps, such as curls or supinated pulling movements.
Show me a pro bodybuilder that doesn’t do curls…[/quote]
I don’t buy shit period. It is overprice CRAP!!! HAHAHAHA!!!
Now, onto more important matters.
It very well may be true that curls will build the biceps better than a passive movement(in the sense that it doesn’t target the biceps) but nonetheless, PULL UPS man!!!
And when doing curls, you should be curling some food up to your maw so as to pile more food in. Thats what will REALLY build your biceps or any other tissue in your body.
If you do curls properly you’ll notice and increase in weight… Just lean forward when you have the bar in your hand and then when you flex your bicep just throw your body back and “help” the weight up… but you HAVE to hear your back cracking hard…
You should be able to lift an additional 40 pounds like this…
Smoking crack helps too!
Use 3x10 @ 75-80% between sets of deadlifts for about 6 wks.
It will work very well.
What is the deal with people avoiding direct biceps work lately? Why is anyone doing this? Could someone show me a lifter who got his arms to 20" with no direct biceps work…ever?
Quick, someone tell Ronnie Coleman he shouldnt be doing direct biceps work to build his biceps, to the pull up station he goes! Some people just dont get it…
I hope the avoidance of curls is more along the lines of beginners focusing on learning and doing compound lifts… instead of doing just benching and curls.
There is a time and a place for everything…
[quote]Professor X wrote:
What is the deal with people avoiding direct biceps work lately? Why is anyone doing this? Could someone show me a lifter who got his arms to 20" with no direct biceps work…ever?[/quote]
I couldn’t agree more. It needs to be a combo of both compounds and isolation. Isolation work is a great supplement to the compound movements.
I am starting to add direct arm work back into my program. Haven’t done a whole lot of it in the past few months and it is really catching up to me, my arms are crapping out long before the rest of my body now, oh well, live and learn.
Algian, thats a compound lift known as the “reverse grip clean”. Bodybuilders want nothing to do with compound lifts. Something about hardwork and what not.