Describe your arm training

Synyster

Synyster

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Trusted Member
Normal warmup shit..10 min treadmill + cable warm up for bis, tris, forearms, rotator cuffs.

-cable push down (half warmup)
4 x 15-30
Superset with
-cable barbell curls
4 x 12-20

-Smith close grip reverse banded with BIG bands. Or smith JM press
Failure @4-8 + failure @9-15
-EZ bar french press (my fav tricep movement)
4 x 8-20
-floor laying rolling db extension
3 x 6-10 + last set a cluster set 4 x 4 reps
-cable pushdowns on knees (heavy)
4 x 8-12
-standing BB pinwheel curl
Failure@9-15 twice plus partials down to nothing each set
-standing bb curl
4 x 12-20
-preacher curl machine one arm
Failure @ 10-20 + partials to failure and negatives to Failure. 2 sets


Whats your arm routine look like?
 
Triceps on push day: Close grip weighted dips, close grip push-ups, skull crushers or cable pushdowns.

Bi's on pull day: Chin-ups, hammer curls, preacher curls (also like doing them with one arm at a time).

Not currently dedicating a day to just arms, as I rather hit pull twice, and push twice, and be fully recovered.
 
Tricep pushdowns light 2x30
Dumbbell hammer curls 3x 14
Tricep pushdowns heavy 3x 20
Barrbell curl bar 3x 15
Overhead tricep press Dumbbells 2x14
Dumbbell curls 2x 15
Close grip bench smith machine 3xfailure
 
Synyster said:
You find that's enough volume for them to grow?
Would you say you have naturally good arms?
Click to expand...
Nah not naturally good at all.

I'm a firm believer of intensity & quality over volume. I've done all the 4x8-12 stuff but since I switched to low volume/high intensity my progression has been through the roof. Trained like this for a year or two now.
 
Friday is always International Arm Day for me haha, nothing better than a good bi and tri pump for the weekend. I start out with biceps and do either a standing cable curl or Barbell curls for 3 sets of 12, 10, 8. 2nd Bi exercise is either seated alternate dumbbell curls or two arm incline dumbbell curls, 3 sets of 12, 10, 8. Lastly I will pick something to to target the peak and pump out 3 sets of 20 reps. For triceps I always start out with a standing cable pressdown with the cambered bar attachment. I go really heavy on these, something I don't see anyone doing in gyms anymore. 2nd tri exercise is always something bringing the weight behind the head and getting a good stretch, barbell, cable, machine(if available). I don't do anything with a dumbbell anymore b/c my elbows get very cranky. Lastly I will do a lying french press with a cambered bar on the decline or use a machine/cable attachment. All heavy sets, 12, 10, 6-8. I never got anything out of doing high reps for triceps. Also, the big compound moves like close grip bench, and dips never did much for growth or shape. I remember reading Lee Haney and Dorian saying they weren't fans of those two movements as well. I would say my triceps are a strong point, always getting compliments etc. Biceps are definitely a genetic weakness, as I was blessed with the huge gap in between my bicep and forearm, also tearing my bicep in March didn't help matters(always paranoid going heavy on bi's nowadays).
 
Mix it up constantly with compound and isolation movements with free weights and some cable work.
Barbell Curls
Hammer Curls
Incline Curls
Drag Curls
Tricep Pushdowns
Close grip press
Skullcrushers
Reverse grip pushdowns
Other movements thrown in the mix as well, but they are my staples.
Slow controlled movements emphasizing both the concentric and eccentric plus squeezing the muscle when appropriate. Mind muscle connection is super important with these small muscles
 
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ABMonkey said:
Nah not naturally good at all.

I'm a firm believer of intensity & quality over volume. I've done all the 4x8-12 stuff but since I switched to low volume/high intensity my progression has been through the roof. Trained like this for a year or two now.
Click to expand...
Intensity as in heavy weight or high rep beyond failure?
 
Jestopherson said:
Intensity as in heavy weight or high rep beyond failure?
Click to expand...
All of it. Good working weight, to or beyond failure, forced reps, rest pause..

Tbh whether it's arms or legs all my sets are to true failure with good form. Every exercise is logged and aim to beat the logbook every session whether it be adding 2.5lbs, adding a rep or two or increasing TUT. Will only take an exercise beyond failure if I'm feeling good, recovering good & usually it'll be the 3rd or 4th exercise.

First set generally falls somewhere between 5 and 9 reps. Second back off set usually anywhere between 10 and 15 reps.

Give it a try, it's been a gamechanger for me. If you want to learn more about this type of training guys like Jordan Peters, Matt Jansen, Kuba Cielen, Dorian Yates are good places to start.
 
Tris
- 4 sets close grip bench
- 4 sets one arm overhead tricep extensions
- 4 sets cable push downs
- 3 sets skull crushers
-3 sets rope pull downs

Bi's
- 4 sets standing alternating DB curls
- 4 sets preacher curls
- 4 set cable chambered bar curls
- 2 sets BB 21's

I'll change a few exercises out every few weeks.. but more or less stays the same.
 
Arms area a tough one for me. I only have about 15% use of the right one and about 70% of the left. Its so easy to strain them. I have a real inflammation problem.

They hurt all the time from the extensive nerve, arterial and tissue grafts.

I like to superset and use Peak contraction. I'll pick 3-4 exercises for triceps and bicep and superset. A lot of high rep with low weight.

My right wrist, hand and forearm have developed bone necrosis from failed grafting's. I require a brace when doing arms, chest or delts.

Like it or not my right arm below the elbow will require amputation in a few years. I have staved it off with Test/GH so far.

I've always loved doing 21's for biceps and delts so its cool!!

I'm sure it looks odd with a 10lb plate on the right side and a 25lb on the left side of the ez curl bar!

Lol!!
 
I rarely do just an arm day- the seldom time when I go to the gym and my entire arms are sore except arms

really though I pair chest and triceps and the typical back and bis

usually 6-8 sets of each at the end- for tris rope pull downs and skull crushers
Bis- DBs or bb
 
I do the pretty much the same routine every arm day.

Barbell curls, sets of 10 until I can’t do 10 adding weight every time, however many sets it takes.
Hammer dumbbell curls, 4 sets of 10 ish, each set it should burn and hurt like hell. Like extreme pump pain when done each set.

Tri Vbar push downs sets of 10 until I can’t do 10 adding weight every time. However many sets it takes.
Overhead rope tri extensions
4 sets of 10 ish, going for the ripping hurting pain each set, should feel like you are going to cramp up or something each set.

Behind the back barbell forearm curls
Seated wrist curls, up motion.

That’s it.
 
In the past I would do very heavy BB curls and skulls but my joints can't take it anymore.

These days I do mainly cable work for my triceps.

biceps, I still do lots of BB and DB work but I stick to the 10-15 rep range. Same with tris about rep range.
 
Great routines but I don’t see anyone doing forearm. Do you find that you get enough forearm from grip on pull or back days?

I have naturally tiny forearms. So I add forearm curl supersetted with reverse grip curl. Do this at end of pull day and can’t even turn the key to my house after.


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ranma54 said:
Great routines but I don’t see anyone doing forearm. Do you find that you get enough forearm from grip on pull or back days?

I have naturally tiny forearms. So I add forearm curl supersetted with reverse grip curl. Do this at end of pull day and can’t even turn the key to my house after.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I do forearms every arm workout. Can never be too big.
 
Kman said:
In the past I would do very heavy BB curls and skulls but my joints can't take it anymore.

These days I do mainly cable work for my triceps.

biceps, I still do lots of BB and DB work but I stick to the 10-15 rep range. Same with tris about rep range.
Click to expand...
Yeah exactly same here. I can do some fairly heavy ez bar curls but BB curls do not agree with me anymore. I love machine preacher curls now
 
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