Bad Genetics?

[SmallArms]

I have been training seriously for 9 months now and have made steady progress on all parts with the exception of arms.

I have been carful not to overdo the volume and frequency, I think!

Average methods for arm training are 8-9 working sets in the 7-10 rep range every 5-6 days.

There was initial growth at the start, but then boom nothing for the last 4 months or so, not a millimetre in 4 months of dedicated training and eating like a horse and consuming the hundreds of pounds of quality supplementation.

Am I just never to have big arms? Am I too impatient? Or should I get drastic and try something completely off the wall in the way of training principles?

[nfraher]

What else are you doing on your arm day? Its fairly hard to gauge what you may be doing wrong without a full workout posted. Have you done SS or a similar compound routine focusing on the big lifts?

Many people find the best day to train arms is on a day with big compound lifts, so you may want to do them on squat day. Either way, I think more info is needed before any conclusion is reached.

[weetza]

8 sets is way to much, I would try twice a week mon and friday-ample time for rest, 2 exercises for bis and 2 exercises for triceps. Low volume high weight. 2 or 3 sets maximum. Hit Biceps on back day "pull" after back training, and triceps after bench or "push"day. Arms are easily overtrained because they are involved in so many other movements. Me myself, I stopped working them out completely, except for dips and pull ups and they responded great.

[TheRealDeal930]

No matter what your genetics are you can get bigger. If you train arms on a day by themselves you should be doing more. I train arms every wednesday by themselves. Lift heavy and do 12 sets for triceps and 12 sets for biceps. I don't worry about forearms because they get work on back day

Straight bar curls build biceps' mass
Close grip bench and weighted dips build triceps' mass

[nfraher]

Lift heavy and do 12 sets for triceps and 12 sets for biceps.

I'm not sure it is a good idea for him to jack up his sets. 12 sets for the smallest muscle group in the body is just too much most likely.

[aj24]

12 Sets is way to much.

Im young but am seeing results by what I am doing.

Im on SS. and Eating

So far ive only made gains.
Eat a lot and work hard on the big compounds, your arms will follow with the rest of your body.

[SmallArms]

So basically what I can deduce from the various replies is:
Strip it down from 8-9 sets to around 4-6 sets or even less and work on compound basic movements.
Other than Staright bar BB curls, Close grip benches, dips. What are the other compound arm movements? Or by compounds are you referring to squats, deads ect to induce overall growth?

What I have been doing I the past is for example:
3 sets of BB curls, 2 sets of hammer curls, 2 sets of preacher curls
3 sets of close grip benches, 3 sets of skull crushers, 3 sets of heavy pulldowns

Above is the usual arm routine I would do, obviously altering it a little here and there. I get a nice thick pump and stiff doms which is great but where the **** is the growth? Somethings being done incorrectly and I'm geting frustrated at not being able to see what it is.

[SmallArms]

I should mention I am 35 years old. 110kg. Arm measurments cold flexed are: Left just over 16" Right 16.5".

[Yeti Sandwich]

I should mention I am 35 years old. 110kg. Arm measurments cold flexed are: Left just over 16" Right 16.5".

How much weight have you gained in those 9 months?

[aj24]

So basically what I can deduce from the various replies is:
Strip it down from 8-9 sets to around 4-6 sets or even less and work on compound basic movements.
Other than Staright bar BB curls, Close grip benches, dips. What are the other compound arm movements? Or by compounds are you referring to squats, deads ect to induce overall growth?

What I have been doing I the past is for example:
3 sets of BB curls, 2 sets of hammer curls, 2 sets of preacher curls
3 sets of close grip benches, 3 sets of skull crushers, 3 sets of heavy pulldowns

Above is the usual arm routine I would do, obviously altering it a little here and there. I get a nice thick pump and stiff doms which is great but where the **** is the growth? Somethings being done incorrectly and I'm geting frustrated at not being able to see what it is.

Drop your sets yes, build for mass which is about 5 reps. Eat a lot. Lift with heavier weight. The other compound movements are squats and deads. Do the Big 3, Bench, Squat, and Dead. Like I said above, your arms will follow with thise big 3 compounds going up. Do Chin Ups, Dips, and Barbell Curls for arm accessory work. Try not to lift both Dumbell and Barbells in one day since they work different parts of the muscle (Dumbell is Isolation making the Muscle longer also called toning and Barbell is Shortening the muscle making it bigger also called mass.)

Im only 16 but read a lot on this site, Look around this site for more help. Your question will get answered somewhere.

[SmallArms]

How much weight have you gained in those 9 months?

About 20kg.
The first 4 months or so i was orerdoing the carbs. I would eat carbs with every meal, even late at night!
I have stopped eating so many carbs from eveings on, but still eat a lot so it def aint the lack of calories!

[TheRealDeal930]

12 Sets is way to much.

Im young but am seeing results by what I am doing.
.

If you eat enough protein and get enough rest there is never way too much!
when lifting a body part per day everyday you get ample amounts of rest
so you must train hard and heavy
I sometimes do more than 12 for each bi's and tri's
Maybe you should try to train harder

[NickAus]

8-12 sets for biceps is good if you are doing an "arms day".

[Pure Water]

Try not to lift both Dumbell and Barbells in one day since they work different parts of the muscle (Dumbell is Isolation making the Muscle longer also called toning and Barbell is Shortening the muscle making it bigger also called mass.)

What??? I've never heard that before... is that true?

[aj24]

8-12 sets for biceps is good if you are doing an "arms day".

Did not know this, and also PureWater ive only heard that from previous bodybuilders. Not sure if its right.

And you can do to much, its called overtraining.

[Chris Rodgers]

What??? I've never heard that before... is that true?

No it's not true. AJ24, please don't say things like that when you really don't know what you are talking about. I know you were trying to help and your other advice seemed pretty good, but the DB vs BB and the isolation, loger, shorter mumbo-jumbo you were speaking was useless.


So, Smallarms, you have gained 44 lbs of bodyweight in 9 months? It took me 7-8 years of powerlifting to gain that much weight. I would say that is pretty amazing gains unless 43 lbs of it is fat, lol. What was your arm measurement to start?

[SmallArms]

No it's not true. AJ24, please don't say things like that when you really don't know what you are talking about. I know you were trying to help and your other advice seemed pretty good, but the DB vs BB and the isolation, loger, shorter mumbo-jumbo you were speaking was useless.


So, Smallarms, you have gained 44 lbs of bodyweight in 9 months? It took me 7-8 years of powerlifting to gain that much weight. I would say that is pretty amazing gains unless 43 lbs of it is fat, lol. What was your arm measurement to start?

My arms were about 15" left and 15.5" right. So about an inch in just over 5 months and then nothing for the last 4!
Weight gain is a bit of fat yes, but still fairly meaty gains on chest and back.

[jreed110]

Your genetics are clearly not favourable for your arms, I think if I gained that much weight in 9 months I'd have added at least two inches to my arms just in fat without lifting a thing! However, your arms are a decent size at present, personally I wouldn't worry too much if they've started to stall as long as you're seeing increases elswhere.

[Travis Bell]

my arms have always responded better to high rep stuff that I get off my back days.

I haven't had a dedicated arms day in years and I have 18.5" arms

[skhandelwal]

Whats wrong with this disorder?
http://www.who-sucks.com/people/mons...iency-pictures
(dont forget to look at the last picture.)

[joey54]

my arms have always responded better to high rep stuff that I get off my back days.

I haven't had a dedicated arms day in years and I have 18.5" arms

And you are also an example Travis of one needing to be relatively big overall to achieve arm size like that.

[Mick Manley]

If you eat enough protein and get enough rest there is never way too much!
when lifting a body part per day everyday you get ample amounts of rest
so you must train hard and heavy
I sometimes do more than 12 for each bi's and tri's
Maybe you should try to train harder

youre 156 lbs, there is such a thing as too much.

[Allen Cress]

First thing you need to realize is progress is not linear and you will have plateaus and even regression sometimes depending on life. So you can't always expect gains all the time.

Some of the comments being made in this thread are very untrue. BB, DB, or cable; they all work and can be used to build size and should be used to train the muscle at different angles and ranges of motion for full development. Also its fine to have an arm day if hypertrophy is your goal and 12 sets is fine for each muscle. There is no magical rep range to build size as that come with time as well as gaining size all over. You can use anywhere from 6-15 reps for arms for great development. I have been surfing the curve for many years and I have 17.5 in arms relaxed and 19 in flexed at a bodyweight of 210lbs.

Ther is no one exercise for biceps or triceps that builds mass or rep range. Proper stimulation is needed for full development. Innervate the muscle correctly and train the muscle and not the movement will cause better development then just tarining for strength. Train correctly and strength will come so if your main goal is size don't focus soo much on how much is on the bar but how much stress the target muscle is under.

[pigout789]

Wow This thread was answered with one post ^^^^^^^^^

[Off Road]

Wow This thread was answered with one post ^^^^^^^^^

So, what is the answer? What did you learn? I'm confused, maybe you can clear it up for me?

From what I can tell, that post told the OP to do exactly what he has already been doing but not seeing the results he was looking for. But perhaps you got more out of it than I did, so please explain it to me.