i did look for some tris and bis posts but honetsly could not see much
I am a newbie here so thanks you in advance for any advice you chuck my way.
I was hoping to get some advise on how to really get some good definition on the arms both front and back. (bis and tris - tris in particular)
quick back ground about me, 29 years old, have been working out in gyms on and off for 7-8 years but i would say my real gym training age (i have been training consistantly) would be 8-9 months.
i stand 5'11 and weigh about 80kg, so i am pretty happy with my current weight.
now over the last 2-3 months i have been really happy with the way i have been growing; my body shape has really come along nice, but i really want to get a more defined look going on on my arms... they are growing but my chest and sholders are looking more cut than my arms are.
i am eating 6-7 times a day,
porridge in the morning with berries,
1 boiiled egg
fruit
boiled chicken sandwich for lunch,
nuts and protien shake
dinner chicken breast again with steamed veg.
normally another snack before bed also, penut butter on toast is my thing at the moment(organic of course)
i am doing a fair amount of isolation work on my arms,
curls, hammer curls, lying tricep extentions- an bunch of cable extentions and raises, and bicep curls doing the 21's (which is a killer!)
i do a healthy amount of other exercises also inc compounds.
but i wondered is there a good program i can follow or any particular exercises your guys have found worked really well? is my diet enough or is there room for improvement?
Definition is all about fat content and where it happens is all about genetics.
That being said, I can see you having bigger defined arms at, say, 190lbs lean. There is only so much arm to be had at 5'11" and 176lbs. The weight that you are happy with may have to change upwards.
For the first time in my life I'm seeing my arms get bigger. I've been putting on weight and the arms seem to be growing. When I was younger and doing lots of isolation stuff my arms never grew. But, I've been eating big and doing lots of rows, overhead press, etc and for the first time they seem to be getting bigger. But, I do know isolation stuff at all. Not that I think that its bad, but I don't need the extra stress and fatigue after doing lots of heavy (for me) compound movements.
Not advice....just telling you whats happening with me.
I haven't done any "bi or tri" isolation movements for years, and my arms have grown.
Neither do I have any clients doing curls etc... (save injury related issues)
How? pullups, heavy rows, benching, pushup variations, and other compound movements.
I see tons of guys in my gym doing arm days and they never change, never improve.
Go get Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength or New Rules of Lifting and work off of those programs and don't copy the bros in the gym.
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You've gotten good advice here. It's also motivational to do some of your favorite exercises. Feel free to do 10 minutes of iso work at the end of a workout. It's not going to hurt, and if it is curls, the pump will surely make you look and feel bigger for a while. A guy needs to feel pretty.
You've gotten good advice here. It's also motivational to do some of your favorite exercises. Feel free to do 10 minutes of iso work at the end of a workout. It's not going to hurt, and if it is curls, the pump will surely make you look and feel bigger for a while. A guy needs to feel pretty.
No! No! No! Isolation exercises are only permissible on Fridays and Saturdays, or before a big date!
For the biggest arms, you need isolation movements. Sure, I see plenty of people that never do isolation movements for arms, but they only have 13-15" arms.
However, do not neglect your compound movements. Your arms will get hit with all the compound lifts (except for squatting).
With that said, my basic routine for biceps (which I place on my Back day to pre-fatigue them) is as follows:
a. Heavy Dumbbell Curls 4x6-8
b. Pinwheel Curls 4x6-10
c. Preacher Curl 3x8-10
d. Cable Curls 3x10-15
My basic routine for triceps (which I place on my Chest day to pre-fatigue them) is as follows:
a. French Press 4x8-10
b. Seated DB Extension 3x6-8
c. One-Arm Pulldown 4x10 (Each arm, both supinated and pronated grips)
d. Dips 4x8
Thanks Fulmen, That looks like a good routine, i will add those to my back and chest days this week to change my routine and i will also make sure the extra calories are there for this week also.
I'll run with this for what 2-3 weeks?
Should I leave off the cardio when trying to bulk up? I normally run 3-4 times a week on my lunch breaks; these are 20-30 min jogs, heart rate gets to 180bpm+ on these.
I heard somewhere I should reduce cardio when trying to increase size, so have not run for the last 2 weeks. I feel like I am getting some mass gains, but i dont want to lose my cardio fitness.
Thanks Fulmen, That looks like a good routine, i will add those to my back and chest days this week to change my routine and i will also make sure the extra calories are there for this week also.
I'll run with this for what 2-3 weeks?
Should I leave off the cardio when trying to bulk up? I normally run 3-4 times a week on my lunch breaks; these are 20-30 min jogs, heart rate gets to 180bpm+ on these.
I heard somewhere I should reduce cardio when trying to increase size, so have not run for the last 2 weeks. I feel like I am getting some mass gains, but i dont want to lose my cardio fitness.
Flumen's got big arms and is pretty advanced. You don't need that sort of volume yet.
The running eats up calories. The key is to eat more than you burn, so if you have trouble, eat more and/or run less. You should be able to maintain your cardioness with a run or two per week. Try hill sprints or more aggressive lifting. Those get your heart, too.
I might do ISO work on my arms once/week if I'm lucky because of time constraints. All my size and strength has come from pullups, rows, pressing, etc... my one iso complex is below. Also, keep in mind I don't have body building goals like Fulmen, just someone who wants to be athletic looking and functioning (I'm 196lbs at 11% right now).
4sets x 8reps each exercise...do the 4 exercises as 1 giant set, rest 1 min (strict, watch the clock) repeat:
Standing curls (stay very strict on form)
skull crushers
pull overs
close grip bench press
Do at the end of an upper body workout.
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For the biggest arms, you need isolation movements. Sure, I see plenty of people that never do isolation movements for arms, but they only have 13-15" arms.
Mine are close to 16.5" and I do at most 3-5 sets of arms twice a week. Usually less.
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Your arms obviously don't function since they're big and strong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fulmen
lol
Obviously his arms function, but the for the sports I do there comes a point where being bigger is a detriment and not an advantage. There is a balance to be found between size, strength, flexibility, endurance, etc... depending on what your lifting goals are. For a bodybuilder size trumps everything else, but that's not necessarily true for other sports.
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"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T.S. Eliot
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."-- Aristotle
Obviously his arms function, but the for the sports I do there comes a point where being bigger is a detriment and not an advantage.
This is my whole point. What "functional" means is determined by the actions that need to be performed. For some sports (sprinting, cycling, long distance running), hypertrophied arms are probably completely unnecessary for performance and probably actually a negative. On the other hand, for a linebacker in football, strong and big arms are almost a must. And for those of us who aren't and don't need to be serious athletes in SPECIFIC sports, having big and strong arms does nothing to reduce function, as there are probably no actions that it interferes in during day to day life (plus they look good and stronger arms = stronger on other lifts).
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