Increasing Size of Arms with core lifts alone?

[Jem1021]

Okay so im on the 5x5 Mad Cow Program and its going great, ive gained 12 pounds in 12 weeks! I've since become paranoid that my arms could become smaller or less defined, due to the lack of isolation exercies i am doing on the program *except curls and extensions on fridays*. So im wondering, is it possible to obtain bigger/better looking arms without isolation exercies? or should i do more..

[-Lucifer]

Your arms will grow even without isolation exercises but not to their full extent. Add isolation movements and they'll grow much faster.

[eedre]

Bill Starr and Glenn Pendlay aren't going to come into the gym and kick your ass for doing bi and tri exercises on Monday and Friday.

Anyway, if you can handle it, do whatever you want to do - just make sure you know how to recover.

[Jem1021]

but there always watching......lol yaaaa okay sounds good, i always do feel like it wouldnt kill me on mondays to do just a bit more

[eedre]

but there always watching......lol yaaaa okay sounds good, i always do feel like it wouldnt kill me on mondays to do just a bit more

It will kill you... I add 12,10,10,8 Leg Press to Fridays along with the curls and extensions... I'm clinically dead for a few hours after the workout until I get enough food.

[user23960508710788]

Well do you want to be a bodybuilder, a powerlifter or are you some other type of athlete?

5x5, rippetoes and all these programs are strength programs NOT bodybuilding programs, they are designed to make a person as strong as possible not as muscular as possible.

I'm assuming you are a beginner since you have seen such great gains from it, the first few months you can do whatever you want in the gym and you will grow regardless, use it as your learning period.... do 5x5, do 30 rep sets, do whatever you want, you'll grow no matter what due to the initial shock.

After those first few months though, if bodybuilding is your goal, a 5x5 type routine is NOT going to cut it. The popular dogma around here is "squats and deadlifts only, RAWR!!!".... a lot of people trying to be all hardcore, that's fine and dandy but most people on these forums aren't all that impressive. You can be the king of an internet message board, or you can look really damn good walking down the street or on stage, it's your call. If you want big arms you need to isolate and hit your arms just as hard as your quads, just as hard as your traps etc.
In other words EVERYTHING needs to get hit just as hard.... trashing your back and then doing 2 sets of curls is just ridiculous if your goal is to build a quality physique. I'll put it this way, look at guys like Starr and Rippetoe.... do you WANT to look like them? I sure as hell don't.

[eedre]

Well do you want to be a bodybuilder, a powerlifter or are you some other type of athlete?

5x5, rippetoes and all these programs are strength programs NOT bodybuilding programs, they are designed to make a person as strong as possible not as muscular as possible.

I'm assuming you are a beginner since you have seen such great gains from it, the first few months you can do whatever you want in the gym and you will grow regardless, use it as your learning period.... do 5x5, do 30 rep sets, do whatever you want, you'll grow no matter what due to the initial shock.

After those first few months though, if bodybuilding is your goal, a 5x5 type routine is NOT going to cut it. The popular dogma around here is "squats and deadlifts only, RAWR!!!".... a lot of people trying to be all hardcore, that's fine and dandy but most people on these forums aren't all that impressive. You can be the king of an internet message board, or you can look really damn good walking down the street or on stage, it's your call. If you want big arms you need to isolate and hit your arms just as hard as your quads, just as hard as your traps etc.
In other words EVERYTHING needs to get hit just as hard.... trashing your back and then doing 2 sets of curls is just ridiculous if your goal is to build a quality physique. I'll put it this way, look at guys like Starr and Rippetoe.... do you WANT to look like them? I sure as hell don't.

Agree 100%, it all depends on your goals.

For me, I want to be as strong as possible while being big... but not hyuuuuuge! big. I've always been big, it's not lucrative to me.

[Jem1021]

well im no beginner, im very cut and have a very good look going at about 6 percent bodyfat, I just attempted 5x5 because i wanted to gain weight *currently at 187, wanting to get to 200* and i felt this program would help me get there as core lifts are known to build mass. Now that i think about it, i wonder if the 5x5 program is helping me gain all this weight,or the weightgainer i have been taking constanly the whole time. Either way after i hit 200, im going to want a new program for the bodybuilding look, any suggestions?

*On a side note*
Ya the common isolation workouts kept me cut as hell, but i never gained mass or got stronger, so i really think the core lifts are as good as peope "claim them to be" but then again like it said maybe its just the excess calories i've been consuming, hell now im wondering if i should go back to the bodybuilding workout in fear of losing the look lol

[F1eld]

yes you WILL get bigger arms from doing only compound lifts. You dont HAVE TO do isolation exercises. But they do help

[spirit3530]

You are either muscular or fat, which one is it? Who purposefully trains to be small and weak?

[Blindead]

Bill Starr and Glenn Pendlay aren't going to come into the gym and kick your ass for doing bi and tri exercises on Monday and Friday.

Anyway, if you can handle it, do whatever you want to do - just make sure you know how to recover.

They'll want to, though.

My arms have grown on 5x5. Not a ton, but better than when I did 20 sets of curls 1x a week. They look pretty small sometimes, but...are you in the gym to get strong, or to get bicept peakz?

[dantheman999]

My arms are big enough and i skip out on direct bi work all the time haha. I do lots of benching, rowing, and pullups though, and my arms grew with everything else.

But yeah, its not going to hurt you to throw it in. Just dont overdo it so that it takes away from your main lifts.

[-Lucifer]

How many times a day I will do the lifting to have a bigger arms?

'bout tree fiddy.

Nice spam by the way.

[Ironlife]

Your arms will grow even without isolation exercises but not to their full extent. Add isolation movements and they'll grow much faster.

I was trying to think of a long answer to this thread title, but ^^ this is short but exactly on the money..
Of course youll get growth out of your arms pushing and pulling heaps of weights, however the rate they will grow without isolations will be a lot slower.