My arms are being weird

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Sueven
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My arms are being weird

Post by Sueven »

So,

I started lifting a year ago. Most of my muscle groups have been progressing well, and in concert. Almost every muscle group is very close to twice as strong as it was when I began.

But my biceps and my triceps are acting strangely. When I started, my biceps were substantially stronger than my triceps. I understand that this is normal. I treat the two muscles very similarly. I don't do a whole lot of work which isolates them. Usually, I'll do sets of tricep extensions and bicep curls, and that's about it for isolation. I do plenty of other exercises that engage those muscles-- chest presses, pec flies, lat pulldowns, dips, push-ups, pull-ups, seated rows, wide rows, dumbell pullovers, etc etc etc. I think that there's a roughly even balance between exercises that engage the biceps and those that engage the triceps here.

The weird thing is: My triceps are growing and gaining strength at monumental rates. I've probably tripled my tricep strength, and the muscles themselves have grown pretty huge (at least, huge relative to my overall muscle mass, which is not that much). My biceps initially started growing and gaining strength, but have now stagnated for several months. I haven't been able to increase my reps or weights on bicep curls for a long time, and they haven't really been growing, either. I'm now at the bizarre point where I do precisely as much weight on my triceps as I do on my biceps.

What should I do? Just focus on my biceps more and do more exercises for them? Don't worry about it? Eat more protein?
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Tegellan
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by Tegellan »

Do more isolation exercises for your biceps.

Biceps and triceps need isolation just like every other muscle group. Depending on how much you wworj out, I would say at least two isolated exercises for your biceps and three for your triceps. You work the triceps more, since it is actually a three headed muscle and can stand more exercise, also working your triceps a lot will of course make your guns look bigger. =)
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noel
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by noel »

My personal favorite exercise for biceps is rather old fashioned... the pullup. If you're not doing those I highly recommend them.

Beyond that... Add in some hammer curls to work on the peak of your bicep, and do some concentration curls (good form is hard on those) and some preacher curls where you don't lift your butt off the seat. You can also do some reverse curls for extensor strength in your forearms.

I guess the one thing you should be glad about is that most people overwork their biceps and neglect their triceps, so you're ahead of the curve there.

Kwon gave me this link a long time ago, and it's great if you're looking for exercises for a specific area: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
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Kwonryu DragonFist
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by Kwonryu DragonFist »

YOU HAVE TO SHOCK THE MUSCLE!

Your biceps has adapted too well to your workout! SHOCK THE BICEPS!

Do Pyramid-sets! Change angles!

Finish your biceps with Concentration Curls to FAILURE!

Implement the Preacher Curl to your regimen, and after you are done with your 3-4 Exercises for your biceps for the day, Finish with Conc Curls to failure!

Another day, another week, do Arnold Curls to failure!

Another day, do Light weights 20 reps, then raise the weight and do 10, then more weight and do 8, then HUGE weight and do 6 reps per set.

Then do a crazy set of Conc Curl, Arnold Curl or Preacher Curl to Failure as a finish.

Use the Armblaster when you do standing barbell curls. I used to use it OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS, pure focus on your GUNS of DOOM!
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NEVER let the biceps feel comfortable. Change exercises all the time.

On one arm-day, do a normal 3x8. If you can do more reps than 8, the weight is too light!

Another day, do Pyramids!

MuscleContact! PUSH SQUEEZE AND PUMP!

GOOD LUCK!

PS. Also, don't forget the Hammers for the Brachialis, will make your arms look bigger from the front and wider, adds thickness. Nothing is more laughable and pathetic than huge arms from the side with peaks and thin arms from the front.

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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by Tyek »

You forgot the photos of all the needles he stuck in his ass.
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by noel »

True story... I used to own an Arm Blaster. In concept, it's a great tool, but in practice, try it out before you buy it because really you need a certain width of shoulders to be able to use it well/as intended. The Arm Blaster is really just to help you keep good form, so if you're good at keeping good form, you don't need it (not saying it doesn't have it's uses).

I agree with Kwon though. Everything he said is dead on. Shock the shit out of the muscles by serving them up things they've never seen before. If you usually do sets of 8-12 do sets of 4-8 with all you can handle for a few weeks.
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Sueven
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by Sueven »

Kwon, I love you. That was a hell of a post.

The rest of you too-- thanks for the advice.
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Kwonryu DragonFist
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Re: My arms are being weird

Post by Kwonryu DragonFist »

Sueven, you don't even need to BUY an Armblaster.

Most gyms have em. :)

Most peoples triceps grow quickly because the triceps are shocked as hell when you first start training in the gym.

Depending on your work, you usually don't pressure the triceps so much, but when you start training them in the gym with intense pull-downs, they become really shocked and grows to adapt to the sudden attack/pressure.

Just keep bombing your biceps from every angle and changing execises constantly and thou shalt see the results.

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Here are some biceps exercises you can variate with
http://www.shapefit.com/biceps-exercise ... curls.html
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