Tricep and Bicep strength balance?

[SkinnySadMan]

Okay...if you can Hammer curl 60 lbs. should you be able to do 60 lbs. with Overhead (1arm) dumbell tricep extension ?

Should the tricep be stronger than the bicep or weaker?

Or alternatively...

Max bench press of .... say 225 lbs.

Max barbell bent over row of .... say somewhere near 225 lbs. a bit more or less ?

[drew]

Triceps are larger, they should be stronger than biceps.

[drew ali]

triceps are i think 75% of the arm

[Prodigy06]

I can def hammer more then on tri extension. Tris maybe larger but doesn't the extension isolate the tricep while the hammer curls use the bicep and the forearm? You're using more muscles, so wouldn't it make sense you should be able to hammer more?

[JConrad]

I can def hammer more then on tri extension. Tris maybe larger but doesn't the extension isolate the tricep while the hammer curls use the bicep and the forearm? You're using more muscles, so wouldn't it make sense you should be able to hammer more?

Going by personal experience (rather than scientific knowhow) I would have to agree. Especially when it comes to isolation excercises. My favourite excercise is the one arm overhead tricep extension, but I can lift more with the hammer curl. I think the reason is a lot to do with the forarm, but you also use the delt and chest muscles a little with the bicep curls, whereas with the one arm tricep extension you have nothing but the tricep to utilize.
Though as I say, this is just my own experience.

[Guido]

Triceps should be a lot stronger than your biceps. Comparing bicep curls to OH tricep extension is probably not the best comparison, however, because the position of the upper arm versus one's head is very different, and it isolates the muscle much more than a hammer curl. Perhaps comparing the curl to close grip bench or narrow grip dips would be more beneficial in judging strength ratios. Most people can move more weight with those two exercises than they can doing curls.

[Bigwhitemale]

Okay...if you can Hammer curl 60 lbs. should you be able to do 60 lbs. with Overhead (1arm) dumbell tricep extension ?

Should the tricep be stronger than the bicep or weaker?

Or alternatively...

Max bench press of .... say 225 lbs.

Max barbell bent over row of .... say somewhere near 225 lbs. a bit more or less ?

There should be a bicep and tricep strength balance, just like there should be a strength balance between chest and back, front and rear delts , etc.
When it comes to arms, consider how much you can curl with a straight barbell or EZ curl bar...That should be the same amount of weight you should do for barbell tricep extensions. I figured this out by myself through a lot of trial and thinking. Same thing goes for the bench and the 70 degree(Dorian's style) barbell bent over row, you should use the same weight, that will give you the best lats/chest proportions. I'm glad I'm not the only one who figured this one out...

[Davidelmo]

The best way to find out would be with cable curls or cable pushdowns. Triceps should be stronger because they are much bigger.

As for rows and bench - my row is actually stronger. I can barbell row around 200lbs, but my bench... well it sucks. I put that down to ****ty chest structure and a mild case of pectus excavatum though! I have doubled every lift apart from my bloody bench!!

[SkinnySadMan]

Hmmm, my Barbell rowing is 10-20 lbs. weaker than my bench pressing.

[ShockBoxer]

Mine was even and then I changed to a wider underhand grip and my working sets dropped sixty pounds. It's coming up VERY quickly as I get used to the new grip but I can't see it equaling my bench any time son.

[mrelwooddowd]

I barbell row a lot less than i barbell bench, but I dumbbell row more than I dumbbell bench.

It's like...
bb row and bench
165 vs 225 for a couple reps

and
db row and bench
100+ vs 85 for a couple reps


not like any of this matters in the least.

I couldn't curl a 60lb dumbbell if my life depended on it.