How many types of curls in one day would be "too many"?

[xSlick1x]

I usually do preachers, standing cable curls with an ez bar like attachment, hammer curls, cross body hammer curls, and standing db curls all in one workout. Is that too many in one day for any reason or is it ok? I don't want to overdo it (it doesn't feel like I am) but I was curious.

[JourneymanDave]

I usually do preachers, standing cable curls with an ez bar like attachment, hammer curls, cross body hammer curls, and standing db curls all in one workout. Is that too many in one day for any reason or is it ok? I don't want to overdo it (it doesn't feel like I am) but I was curious.

IMO, that's overdoing it, even for a hypertrophy routine. Assuming you're doing some other heavy compounds that hit your bi's, like bentover rows, chins, etc., then doing a straight-bar curl and hammer curls (or your other two favorites that exploit different hand positions) would be plenty of bicep work.

Now, as a whole other topic, if you're just doing all of those lightweight isolations and not doing heavy compounds in conjunction then we'd have to have a different conversation. Just sayin'

[ZMan45]

I would give you two sets of curls. That's pretty much it. Otherwise it's chins. Biceps don't need blasted from 324 different angles.

[TrainFunction]

Your question is a common one. There are a million different exercises to hit your biceps, but what it boils down to is overloading each head of the muscle in the most effective way possible. Your biceps muscle has an inner and outer head. The head that gets hit the hardest is determined based on your hand position on the bar. The outer head gets hit harder when your hands are inside your elbows. When your hands are outside of your elbows, the inner head gets hit harder. So you should do one exercise with your hands outside of your elbows (usually I will do an EZ-bar curl or drag) and one with your hands inside of your elbows (usually I will do a narrow-grip overhead curl).
It's important to also do one exercise that targets the brachialis muscle in order to completely develop the upper arm (in addition to developing the triceps). Technically, the brachialis muscle is completely separate from the biceps, but since both the biceps and the brachialis function as elbow flexors, they are often lumped in together. To hit the brachialis, do a simple EZ-bar reverse curl or drag.

So a complete upper arm routine would look like this:

1) EZ-bar curl or body drag- 3 sets, 10 reps, each set is a 10 rep max
2) Overhead curls- 3 sets, 10 reps, each set is a 10 rep max
3) Reverse EZ-bar curl or body drag- 3 sets, 10 reps, each set is a 10 rep max

And that's it. Doesn't look like it's enough does it? But the truth is it's plenty. Do as heavy of a weight as you can handle with perfect form for 3 sets of 10 reps. In every set, you should feel like you would not be able to do an 11th rep if you had to.

I usually do preachers, standing cable curls with an ez bar like attachment, hammer curls, cross body hammer curls, and standing db curls all in one workout. Is that too many in one day for any reason or is it ok? I don't want to overdo it (it doesn't feel like I am) but I was curious.

[ExtremistPullup]

I usually do preachers, standing cable curls with an ez bar like attachment, hammer curls, cross body hammer curls, and standing db curls all in one workout. Is that too many in one day for any reason or is it ok? I don't want to overdo it (it doesn't feel like I am) but I was curious.

wtf are you doing 1 set of each that would probably be fine. I hope your not doing 4 sets of each.

After pull-ups I will mix up my curls each time, not not do them all in one day

[Mr-Tripster]

Personally i'd exchange the standing curls for a curls machine if you have it at your gym so you get an even load across the entire rotation. Then the Prearch with ez bar, then Prearch "hammer" curl using the rope that connects to the cables (the rope attachment used for triceps extensions...) Don't squeeze both of the ends together (usually plastic balls) as if they slip, most likely one will smash you in the face... seen it happen at my gym.

I personally do 2 strong sets per so that's 2 on the machine, 2 on the ez bar, 2 on the rope hammer curl, at last toss in the dbs across the chest. That should give you about 8 sets for both heads and 4 specifically to include the brachialis.

[KyleAaron]

One.

[lamagic]

For biceps, I only do 9 sets.

Here is my standard biceps workout:

Standing BB Curls (1 warm-up, 3 sets)
Close Grip Preacher Curls or Seated Incline DB Curls (3 sets)
Hammer Curls (3 sets)

That's basically what I do for biceps and have gotten good results.

[PeterGibbons316]

One.

lol, ^this

[acrawlingchaos]

One.

I'm going to have to go with this. If you are doing heavy compounds like the deadlift, bench and have pull-up /chin ups in your routine, you would have to ever do a curl to gain impressive arms.

You don't give us any indication as to what kind of volume you are doing with your arms or what other compound movements you are doing.

To determine if you are doing "to much", we would have to see your routine as a whole.

[gomez26]

I'm going to have to go with this. If you are doing heavy compounds like the deadlift, bench and have pull-up /chin ups in your routine, you would have to ever do a curl to gain impressive arms.

who/what do you base this on? while there may be some people who gain 'impressive' (subjective btw) arms without direct work, they are a minority and masses of serious trainees over the decades have proven that adding direct work gives additional development.

i know there are also a lot of ppl that only ever do arm work & nothing else (i dont count them as the serious ones), but we should be careful not to go from one extreme to the other. op's list is excessive imo btw.

[-Lucifer]

One.

lol, ^this

I'm going to have to go with this. If you are doing heavy compounds like the deadlift, bench and have pull-up /chin ups in your routine, you would have to ever do a curl to gain impressive arms.

Lol, no. You need to target the biceps directly, with different movements if you want them to grow the best. I'd say pick three types of curls (barbell, preacher, hammer @ 3 sets each). If you don't care what your arms look like then do just one exercise.

[acrawlingchaos]

who/what do you base this on? while there may be some people who gain 'impressive' (subjective btw) arms without direct work, they are a minority and masses of serious trainees over the decades have proven that adding direct work gives additional development.

i know there are also a lot of ppl that only ever do arm work & nothing else (i dont count them as the serious ones), but we should be careful not to go from one extreme to the other. op's list is excessive imo btw.

I was simply implying that none are needed for development. Though you are correct about avoiding absolutes. Some people may not have the arm growth they want without direct work, but you will have some arm growth without direct work. You would be hard pressed to find someone with an impressive bench and deadlift and small arms.

Zero curls are needed for growth. I am not saying curls are useless, they are not needed. Can isolation movements in the hypertrophy range give you more size then heavy deadlifts, absolutely. Once again, I simply stated that none are "required".

[Tyciol]

If you are doing heavy compounds, you would have to ever do a curl to gain impressive arms.

(=/)

[Engineer_Guy]

I'm going to have to go with this. If you are doing heavy compounds like the deadlift, bench and have pull-up /chin ups in your routine, you would have to ever do a curl to gain impressive arms.

Impressive is a pretty subjective description. What is impressive for you may not be impressive for someone else. To many people direct work is going to be needed for "impressive" development.

Zero curls are needed for growth. I am not saying curls are useless, they are not needed. Can isolation movements in the hypertrophy range give you more size then heavy deadlifts, absolutely. Once again, I simply stated that none are "required".

Curls are not needed for your training. It doesn't mean they aren't needed for others who have higher aspirations in BBing than you.

[ironwill2008]

Is that too many in one day for any reason or is it ok? I don't want to overdo it (it doesn't feel like I am) but I was curious.

Nobody can answer that question but you. If you're making consistent progress, then your training is appropriate for you, at least for now.


As an aside, I've never known any bodybuilder who didn't train his biceps with at least 2-3 sets of 2-3 direct biceps exercises. Whether or not this is 'necessary' shouldn't even be a question.

[chazzy1864]

Arms that rely on indirect work for their growth and development are usually very un-inspiring arms .

[FenderElectrics]

Everyone is different. For me I do my bi's on back day and after chin-ups, dead lifts and rows my arms are pretty spent and I usually do 3 sets of Barbell curls and my forearms are screaming so much at that point that I'm done.

[TrainFunction]

Personally i'd exchange the standing curls for a curls machine if you have it at your gym so you get an even load across the entire rotation. Then the Prearch with ez bar, then Prearch "hammer" curl using the rope that connects to the cables (the rope attachment used for triceps extensions...)

I'm not sure that you can assume that whatever curl machine he has at his gym is going to give him an equal load throughout the entire range of motion. MOST curl machines DO NOT provide consistent resistance throughout the range of motion. If you're looking for consistent resistance, you shouldn't be doing a curl. You should be doing a body drag.

[WADEAL]

In the sage words of Dr Jim Stoppani - "in bodybuilding everything works, but nothing works forever". There are hundreds of arm building routines (Jim's excellent Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength features more than most). The key is variety, in order to emphasise different parts of the arms (and any other muscle), good form and gradually increasing the weight, or reps. This is why when you see different champions' routines they will all be different and will all change depending upon their training phase and goal. The only reason for retaining the same exercises and reps for any length of time is to easily measure and compare your improvements in terms of weight lifted or reps completed. Even then, the same routine shouldn't be used for more than a couple of months to avoid the body simply getting used to it and refusing to adapt further by growing.

I use different exercises and rep ranges everytime and look to shock the arms. Back in the day Arnold suggested that he would drag some weights into the woods and do squats until he couldn't walk if he felt like it. While I'm sure he wouldn't do this everytime he trained it makes the argument for shocking the muscles. At the other extreme you can do HIT training keep the weight heavy and attack one working set. So what works for you AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME use it.

[adrian2pm]

so how wrong is the op routine? what if he has all the energy to do all those in one wo? is that overtraining?

[DJAuto]

I usually perform 2-3 types of curls. Optimal volume isn't something that can be formulated randomly. It requires trial and error.

[TrainFunction]

He's most likely not over-training to the point where it's going to cause injury, but he's wasting valuable training time performing several exercises that target the muscle in the exact same way. Your ENTIRE bicep routine should consist of two exercises (one for the inner and one for the outer head) that directly target the biceps brachii muscle, and one exercise that directly targets the brachialis muscle. That's it. If you can go through and perform 3 sets of 10 reps of each of these 3 exercises, and you feel like you could still do more, then you aren't using enough weight or you aren't performing the exercises correctly.

so how wrong is the op routine? what if he has all the energy to do all those in one wo? is that overtraining?

[adrian2pm]

He's most likely not over-training to the point where it's going to cause injury, but he's wasting valuable training time performing several exercises that target the muscle in the exact same way. Your ENTIRE bicep routine should consist of two exercises (one for the inner and one for the outer head) that directly target the biceps brachii muscle, and one exercise that directly targets the brachialis muscle. That's it. If you can go through and perform 3 sets of 10 reps of each of these 3 exercises, and you feel like you could still do more, then you aren't using enough weight or you aren't performing the exercises correctly.

thanks. i will cut down also..

[konigbohne]

I do two... EZ Bar Preacher Curls and Hammer Curls. Seems to get them burning just fine.

[apujols24]

Biceps are one of the few muscles that you can train alot on, and not hurt it. I usually keep doing curls until I can't curl anymore. And oh yeah, if I was you, I would stay away from the preacher curls. They put a TON of stress on your elbows ; just my 2 cents though.

[KyleAaron]

Arms that rely on indirect work for their growth and development are usually very un-inspiring arms .

If you feel that going from dead hang and heaving up your entire bodyweight over a bar with an underhand grip is not "direct" work on your biceps, I would suggest that you need to do more reps, or hang some weight from your body.

[Zerafian]

How many sets are you doing per exercise? If your doing 2 sets for each your fine but 3-4 then your over doing it for sure.

[Lacertus]

If you feel that going from dead hang and heaving up your entire bodyweight over a bar with an underhand grip is not "direct" work on your biceps, I would suggest that you need to do more reps, or hang some weight from your body.

I fail to see how adding weight would make it any more direct.

He's clearly saying that if your only form of training for your arms is through compound exercises (i.e. excluding isolation exercises), you'll usually end up with lesser developed arms. And he'd be correct.

Yes compound exercises can be prioritised, but I'd be surprised someone would consider any form of curling to be excessive.

[AirForceV]

Biceps are one of the few muscles that you can train alot on, and not hurt it. .

You speak from experience?




I will do 1 or 2 exercises, 2-3 working sets per. Biceps are hit on back days and just over all holding weight and moving it around.... No need to be doing 15 different curls. You won't have anything but tired and sore arms.