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I've been working out for over 4 years now, and for the past 8-12 months, my arms have not grown. I've tried different programs, different lifts, taken different proteins, changed my diet. You name it, I've done it. I'm currently doing the Miami U football workout, and my arms still will not grow. Does anybody have any advice? I'm stuck.
Yeah, I remember your thread about that.
Anyway, here's my two yen on this. Yen number one is that while the compounds are good, your arms may need more direct work. So that means giving them a day of their own and THAT means you may have to give up the Miami U workout for the time being. You can do a hypertrophy phase and then go back to a power phase if you want; the choice is always there.
Yen two is that you're going to have to gain weight. Generally speaking, if you gain ten to fifteen pounds all over, you're going to get around an inch on your arms. Naturally, not all that weight will be muscle even if you eat clean, but depending on how long you've been training and if you have the genetics for it, you'll get bigger all over and bigger arms over time. If you want, try to re-arrange your bodypart split so that you can have a separate day for arms or combine them with shoulders if it doesn't tire you out too much.
Three-day split--chest/back, legs, shoulders and arms OR chest/back/shoulders, legs and arms.
Four-day split: legs, arms, chest and shoulders (after a day or preferably two, off) and then back. That way, your arms get hit directly once a week and indirectly another two days a week. Flex Wheeler did that in the off-season in his prime, and yes, I know he was juicing like there was no tomorrow, but if you cut down the amount of sets you do, it could work.
JMO...
Barbell curls and v-rope tricep pressdowns, for each exercise pick a weight you can lift 8 times at most, rest 60 seconds between each set and perform as many sets as it takes until you've reached 80 total reps.
Of course you won't be able to get the full 8 reps in each set because you'll be fatigued but this doesn't matter, just keep going until you reach 80 total reps, even if you're only doing sets of 3 towards the end.
Do this twice per week.
At the start of each new week you test how many reps you can perform in your first set, once you can get 12 reps in your first set you add more weight to bring it back down to around 8. Do not add more weight until you can perform 12 reps in your first set, you use your first set as a measure of progress. Progress may kinda look like (although it may not be as fast as the example so don't take it literally),
Week 1 - 100 pounds, 8 reps first set
Week 2 - 100 pounds, 9 reps first set
Week 3 - 100 pounds, 10 reps first set
Week 4 - 100 pounds, 11 reps first set
Week 5 - 100 pounds, 12 reps first set
Week 6 - 110 pounds, 8 reps first set
You'll still stop at 80 total reps at all times, you're simply using the first set as your measure of progress. The only thing you really need to record is how many reps you get in your first set, once it gets to 12 you add more weight.
You get the idea, basically just grab your 8RM and perform as many sets as it takes until you've reached 80 total reps, rest 60 seconds between sets. Once your 8RM becomes your 12RM you add more weight and repeat the cycle again.
Do starting strength, and on the third day, GVT one exercise for bis n one for tris. Done deal OP (srs)
[QUOTE=lionsman81;578782671]I've been working out for over 4 years now, and for the past 8-12 months, my arms have not grown. I've tried different programs, different lifts, taken different proteins, changed my diet. You name it, I've done it. I'm currently doing the Miami U football workout, and my arms still will not grow. Does anybody have any advice? I'm stuck.[/QUOTE]
Try a different work out plan all together. A lot of people do biceps and triceps together. For arm training, if you want to add more shape and definition, try training your biceps and triceps on different days. Remember the more blood you pump into them the more size you'll get. Without question try supersets and dropsets. Try this.
Monday- chest and biceps
Tuesday-lats and back
Wed. Off
Thrusday-shoulders traps
Friday-legs,calves, and triceps
Sat.-Off
Sunday-Off
Burn outs. Instead of doing routine just burn them out and leave the gym. Do not over burn thats how arms don't grow. Bi's grab the barball add your weight and burnout like 15-20 or more and quickly. Tri's seated extensions same thing. What this will do is spike the fluids to flow yet not overwork them all on a different rountine. Do this for 3 or 4 workouts and your arms will grow again.
I forgot to add do multi sets for per exercise to you get the burnout.
Heavy deadlifts + a few accessory arm exercises (skull crusher, curls, wrist curls) = profit.
have the same issue...
been trying get the roundness to my triceps for the longest.
right now im just at whatever routine i do i do it extra heavy... tried burning out, reps, all...nufn works
arms are the slowest when it comes to growing, just keep at it and don't over train and Football workouts won't help you with arm growth by the way. they focus a lot of compound and overall strength. Focus more on isolation exercises and lift heavy. Mine grows about 1/2 every 6-7 months or so.
So this may sound stupid, but I had an appendectomy back in August, and I lost like all the digestive enzymes and such in my stomach, blah, blah, blah, but anyhow, I was wondering if the reason my arms won't grow could be due to a lack of probiotics. I heard that probiotics are the key to digesting proteins and without them, you won't be able to obtain protein. I don't know if this is exaggerated, or if this is really true. I have also taken anti-biotics throughout my life (I get sick a lot due to my allergies and asthma) and that has also played a key role in the depletion of the probiotics. Would anybody be able to inform me more on this???
I say just do weighted dips to work your triceps, and a combination of heavy barbell curls and concentration curls.
[QUOTE=rickvick;578963721]have the same issue...
been trying get the roundness to my triceps for the longest.
right now im just at whatever routine i do i do it extra heavy... tried burning out, reps, all...nufn works[/QUOTE]
target the long head. decline skullcrushers are the best for this
[QUOTE=henmaniac87;579454031]target the long head. decline skullcrushers are the best for this[/QUOTE]
long head is best targeted when the elbows are up near the head.
[QUOTE=lionsman81;578782671]I've been working out for over 4 years now, and for the past 8-12 months, my arms have not grown. I've tried different programs, different lifts, taken different proteins, changed my diet. You name it, I've done it. I'm currently doing the Miami U football workout, and my arms still will not grow. Does anybody have any advice? I'm stuck.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dober3.htm[/url]
Are you gaining weight?
If you aren't gaining weight then you aren't eating enough.
If you aren't eating enough then you aren't adding muscle.
If you aren't adding muscle then your arms won't grow.
Not f*cking rocket science people.
[QUOTE=gomez26;579455101]long head is best targeted when the elbows are up near the head.[/QUOTE]
Can't exactly picture what you are saying, but the long head will get more stimulation when the shoulders are extended further, due to the long head of the triceps crossing both the elbow and shoulder joints.
[QUOTE=chinesemuscle;579074331]arms are the slowest when it comes to growing, just keep at it.[/QUOTE]
This.
The real question that people should be asking the OP is what do your arms measure at currently. The reality is that at a certain point, genetics are going to limit how big your arms are going to get. If this weren't the case, more people would be walking around with 20"+ guns. This is even more true for sub-200lb guys who don't have that added overall bulk to carry super-sized arms. Most guys under 200lbs are not going to see much more than arms past 18", [i]maybe[/i] 19" at most, unless you're a complete freak of nature of course.
So where are they at right now? If your arms are at 14" or less, then yes you're training needs to be reworked to focus on improving them. But if you're already at the 16"-ish range at 180lbs, you may be getting close to your ceiling, and you'll simply have to put on some weight to get more size there. My arms have continued to get stronger but have not gained much in size at this point anymore, while I've stayed generally in the same BW range, because I've probably hit my limit at this BW. If I want to get them any bigger, I'll probably need to get my overall BW well over 200lbs by this point.
Ian King: In Target Bodybuilding, published by Human Kinetics in 1999, Tesch reviewed twenty triceps exercises and identified which heads of the tricep were primarily trained by which exercises. The more a certain head is targeted, the more stars it gets. His summary is as follows:
French press with EZ bar:
Lateral Head: *
Long Head: **
Medial Head: *
[b]French press with EZ bar on decline bench[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
Supine triceps extension with dumbbell and neutral grip
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: *
Medial Head: *
[b]Overhead triceps extensions with dumbbell and neutral grip[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
[b]Overhead triceps extensions with dumbbell and rotation[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
Overhead triceps extensions with reverse grip
Lateral Head: *
Long Head: **
Medial Head: *
Standing French press with straight bar
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: *
Medial Head: **
Triceps pushdown with straight bar and narrow grip
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: *
[b]Triceps pushdown with rope[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
[b]Triceps pushdown with angled bar[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
One-arm triceps pushdown
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: *
Medial Head: **
[b]One-arm triceps pushdown with reverse grip[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
Bench press with narrow grip
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: *
Medial Head: **
[b]Parallel bar dip with neutral grip[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
[b]Bench dip[/b]
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: **
Medial Head: **
Pullover with EZ bar and narrow grip
Lateral Head: *
Long Head: **
Medial Head: *
Military press with straight bar, behind neck
Lateral Head: **
Long Head: nil
Medial Head: **
Standing dumbbell press
Lateral Head: *
Long Head: nil
Medial Head: *
[b]I have gone through the post and bolded the exercises that blast all 3 tricep heads to make it easier for you guys, you can pick any one of the bolded exercises as your primary tricep exercise and be confident that you are training all 3 of your tricep heads. Personally I prefer rope pressdowns or parallel bar dips (standard tricep dips).[/b]
[QUOTE=BombDonald;579487031]Can't exactly picture what you are saying, but the long head will get more stimulation when the shoulders are extended further, due to the long head of the triceps crossing both the elbow and shoulder joints.[/QUOTE]
He's talking about over head extensions either with one hand or both hands.
[QUOTE=TexAss;579484831]Are you gaining weight?
If you aren't gaining weight then you aren't eating enough.
If you aren't eating enough then you aren't adding muscle.
If you aren't adding muscle then your arms won't grow.
Not f*cking rocket science people.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I've been gaining weight
[QUOTE=lionsman81;579525661]Yes, I've been gaining weight[/QUOTE]
How much weight have you gained in the period you are saying your arms have not grown at all?
[QUOTE=TexAss;579530421]How much weight have you gained in the period you are saying your arms have not grown at all?[/QUOTE]
Between 5 and 10
[QUOTE=TexAss;579484831]Are you gaining weight?
If you aren't gaining weight then you aren't eating enough.
If you aren't eating enough then you aren't adding muscle.
If you aren't adding muscle then your arms won't grow.
Not f*cking rocket science people.[/QUOTE]
I came in here to post this.
From weight 182-201 I gained 0.5" on my arms.
If you add ~15-20 pounds you'll add between 0.5 and 1.0 inches on your arms. You can't get big arms without adding bodyweight, period. 3-4 pounds doesn't mean **** overall. You need to add serious mass.
How much weight have you gained and how much have your Row and Bench gone up?
Cause I guarantee if you put on 10lbs and add 50lbs to your Row and Bench your arms will be bigger.
[QUOTE=BombDonald;579487031]Can't exactly picture what you are saying, but the long head will get more stimulation when the shoulders are extended further, due to the long head of the triceps crossing both the elbow and shoulder joints.[/QUOTE]
yes thats what i meant - the elbows up near the head (ie the head that contains the brain :D) meaning shoulders extended. it didnt occur to me at the time the statement could be confused with muscle heads.
You cant expect your arms to get bigger, if you’re hovering at about the same body weight.
Sounds like you’ve probably reached your biggest arm size potential at the weight you're currently at.
Time to eat big!
[QUOTE=clive;580513231]You cant expect your arms to get bigger, if you’re hovering at about the same body weight. Sounds like you’ve probably reached your biggest arm size potential at the weight you're currently at.
Time to eat big!
[/QUOTE]
hey man, i though u said ur arm size dont change even when u drop 15lbs :D.
but yeh i agree there will be a limit, but its not the be all & end all, most ppl simply dont reach the limit of arm size at their bodyweight. there are many guys who do gain muscular weight without having their arm size change very much or at all, this is a training issue as u cant channel nutrients into ur arms! both factors are equally important for some guys, regardless that there may be other guys who dont have this problem.