lagging arms

[mikeystrong]

height: 5'11" weight: 190lbs b/f: 12-15%
hey guys so im starting to notice my arms are lacking a bit. I think the problem is my training split,
day1= chest, triceps, abbs
day2= back, traps, biceps, cardio
day3= shoulders, quads, hams, calves
day4=REST DAY (then repeat).
Im not a guy who makes excuses and blames everything on genetics so if that's what you are going to tell me plz keep your coments to yourself. On day1 I usually smash my chest and get a super pump but then my triceps are so tired from doing all the chest exercises I only have enough gas left in the tank for like 4-6 sets of skull crushers with a decent weight. then my arms are dead and exhausted. and I know when my arms are "dead" this means they are fully worked so I should be getting gains... but as my chest is growing my triceps seem to be lagging behind (same exact situation with day2). ive been training for roughly 5 years and I have found that I personally have always responded better to volume training, like 5-8 exercises per body part with 8-15 reps and around 30secs to 1min rest interval between sets and 2-3mins rest between exercises. the "powerlifter" approach hasn't realy helped me much, even for putting on size. doing 1-5 reps with a big ass weight has never visibly yielded any gains ive kept. anyways guys any tips or help is appreciated. oh also im currently 6 weeks into a 16week cycle of 600mg EQ + 500mg Test-C per week.

 

[xmen1234]

On your back exercises such as pull-downs and rows, I would suggest using a reverse grip so you are also hitting the bi's in somewhat of a curl movement. You will feel big pumps and be warmed-up to move right into your bicep exercises.

 

[mikeystrong]

hmm. ya that would be worth a try. maybe do 1 back exercise followed by a bicep exercise? for back I usualy do 2-3 sets of wide grip chin ups, 5 sets deadlifts, 6 sets t-bar rows, 4 sets 1 arm rows, 5 sets barbell shrugs, 2 sets dumbbell shrugs, and sometimes a couple sets of hyper extensions. and for biceps the sets change as to how I feel but usualy 6-7 sets of each, barbell curls, e-z bar preacher curls, standing curls, hammer curls.

 

[Magnus82]

I felt just like you. Bi's and tri's were trashed by the time I got to them. I revamped my entire training for arm growth. Went to a two way split going every other day, sometimes two on, 1 off. My split is chest/shoulders/bis/calves and legs/back/delts/tris. I found for arms I can do arms with moderate volume and of course high frequency. I do 3 sets of of 3 different exercises for both bis and tris. You can adjust from there. I did however do a synthol run back in September that gave me a nice boost, but switching to this not only helped maintain the size, but managed to add an additional 3/4" I'm the last 6 months. Below is my progress pics from the last 8 months.

 

[AtomAnt]

As much as genetics are preached, it has been shown that different movement patterns (exercises) elicit different neuromuscular connections and will contract the muscle fibers in unique ways specific to each movement pattern. Often times it takes using a variety of angles, rep ranges, loads, intensity techniques and frequencies to stimulate growth.

So although genetics are going to play a role, you can train in way that is most effective to your unique genetic structure. I feel that often times people overlook this when they hear about a good program. If they are not genetically geared towards certain types of training and all of the variables unique to that program then the program will not be optimal for them.

In the words of Dante, "Get weird with it" (referring to exercises). Do something out of the box. Widowmakers, drop sets, odd angles, partials, statics, negatives, hundreds.... get funky.

Another thing that I have used is strategic over-reaching (different from over-training, which occurs after a prolonged period of stress, both physical and mental). Up the volume and/or intensity and up the frequency. Your body has two choices, adapt or fail. Give it the nutrients it needs and it will adapt. After just a few weeks reduce the volume and frequency and you'll see the response. It worked for me in bringing up legs and arms.

 

[mikeystrong]

Magnus82! fuck ya man! that's a cannon! im going to copy your split for the next few weeks! im not a guy who ever lacks motivation but right now im like motivation OVERLOADED!!!!!!! u felt like me.. now you have bazookas for banana peelers?! im gonna keep hammering my body parts to keep the growth going up in general but for the next few weeks im going to single out arms a bit more, and do some funky stuff, thanks a ton AtomAnt. ive been trying some stuff like that recently and feeling good pumps so I will keep going with it and try some new stuff.

 

[Ironbuilt]

Sasquatch error no 3

 

[Ironbuilt]

Double post..dam phone.

 

[Ironbuilt]

Well looks like Mikey has a wanted summer bromance and im not about to interfer with a man with those buffalo knees as arms..
Looks like Magnus and Atom said the right protocols as always.. Good job guys and Mikey keep the arms guessin bro..ib

 

[Magnus82]

Thanks for the compliment. I, like atom, also like to get freaky with it. John Meadows is spot on when he says do what feels good to YOU. Mess around, see what feels good. I found a few things that work well for me. Grab a dumbbell with one arm and lean over and support yourself against the wall or a machine with the other ( like your going to puke) Let your arm arm hang and begin to curl almost cross body keeping constant tension throughout. The top of the movement (peak contraction)should be the hardest since the tension will be the greatest because the weight never goes over the elbow like in traditional curls. Weight is not near as important as intensity. At the peak, flex and squeeze like you are trying to make them explode. Finish bis with medium grip chins 30 seconds up/30 seconds down. You can also jump up to get you to the contracted position and do some negatives. Don't forget to squeeze like your life depends on it. A good one for Tris is a bench with a preacher attachment. Use this as a backrest instead of an incline bench. This allows you to get into a position that feels best for you. Drop the weight behind your head and instead of bringing it back to above your chest and creating a rest, make it feel like your are trying to throw it back behind you. This keeps constant tension also. Good luck and take pictures and measurements. Its hard to see progress when it happens so gradually.

 

[Magnus82]

Well looks like Mikey has a wanted summer bromance and im not about to interfer with a man with those buffalo knees as arms..
Looks like Magnus and Atom said the right protocols as always.. Good job guys and Mikey keep the arms guessin bro..ib

LOL! Buffalo knees! Damn you crack me up! I finally caught my breath to type this. I would love to see a pic of those Yetti cannons, then I would have to take mine down.

 

[swolesearcher]

i`d suggest you to read this article
http://www.anasci.org/vB/john-mountaindog-meadows/29836-mountain-dog-arms.html

 

[chrisr116]

I gonna go and say the first thing that came to my mind when I saw your split and probably get flamed for it....overtraining. I personally work my muscle groups once every 6 to 7 days. But, I know that I may be the minority in this training approach. I think these type of things vary from individual to individual, but if you haven't tried to reduce your training days per week, maybe try it for a few months and see what happens.
When you do train each body part that one day, fucking kill it and then give it another 5 or 6 days to recover and grow. When I get done working arms, I have trouble putting on my shirt and belt, or tying my boots in the locker room after the workout. Legs, I limp out of the gym. For me, one hard training session a week works great.
Exception, is probably calves though.

I edited to add one other thing, diet!!

Are you eating like a starved cow? I mean really putting down the groceries. I get teased daily at work for eating 3 full meals in my 8 hour shift. Yesterday, I ate (according to myfitnesspal app) 340grams carbs, 430 grams protein (chicken, pork, and eggs), 216 grams fat, total calories for the day was 5033 calories. All good quality food, no bullshit foods. That has as much to do with muscle growth as training, imo.

 

[mikeystrong]

great article (mofo). and thx to everyone, im going to single out my arms with the tips and advice ive gotten. and hopefuly in a few months u don't see me on here again bitching about my arms lol

 

[Roman]

great information, i've been having a similar problem. thank you everyone.

 

[Enigmatic707]

So Chris said over training and I say train more LoL-

Again learn what works for you. My arms are by far my best body part and I work bi's 3x week and usually one of those days is ultra heavy.

But again I respond to volume and intensity, the question for you really is "what do I respond to?"

 

[xvvfacevvx]

As much as genetics are preached, it has been shown that different movement patterns (exercises) elicit different neuromuscular connections and will contract the muscle fibers in unique ways specific to each movement pattern. Often times it takes using a variety of angles, rep ranges, loads, intensity techniques and frequencies to stimulate growth.

So although genetics are going to play a role, you can train in way that is most effective to your unique genetic structure. I feel that often times people overlook this when they hear about a good program. If they are not genetically geared towards certain types of training and all of the variables unique to that program then the program will not be optimal for them.

In the words of Dante, "Get weird with it" (referring to exercises). Do something out of the box. Widowmakers, drop sets, odd angles, partials, statics, negatives, hundreds.... get funky.

Another thing that I have used is strategic over-reaching (different from over-training, which occurs after a prolonged period of stress, both physical and mental). Up the volume and/or intensity and up the frequency. Your body has two choices, adapt or fail. Give it the nutrients it needs and it will adapt. After just a few weeks reduce the volume and frequency and you'll see the response. It worked for me in bringing up legs and arms.

Nature vs nurture..... Nature always wins

 

[AtomAnt]

Nature vs nurture..... Nature always wins

But you can change the activation pattern to get the most out of nature.