biceps/back question

[LuvsGorillas]

on back day i do 4 exercises for back and 2 direct bicep exercises like some curl movement followed by a hammer curl. I usually do the back exercises first then finish off the biceps with those but recently have started with those 2 first because i care about arms more than back and thought it would be better to start with those cause id be stronger but im wondering how much of a diff in arm size will this really make? i mean the biceps are gonna be worked very hard at the end anyway even if i start with back first, Is doing it this way better for arms or not really significant?

[TJP33]

the positive effect if any to the arms will be much less than the negative effects to the back.. bad idea in my book

[SXElifter]

I don't think this will do much more, if any, for the arms. Generally bigger exercises are done first, smaller exercises done afterwards. Definitely not saying to avoid isolation exercises, but compound exercises should be the bulk of it.

Didn't look at your stats/level - but if you're a beginner then I would recommend simply getting on a beginner routine and getting your nutrition in order.

[NuggetFit]

on back day i do 4 exercises for back and 2 direct bicep exercises like some curl movement followed by a hammer curl. I usually do the back exercises first then finish off the biceps with those but recently have started with those 2 first because i care about arms more than back and thought it would be better to start with those cause id be stronger but im wondering how much of a diff in arm size will this really make? i mean the biceps are gonna be worked very hard at the end anyway even if i start with back first, Is doing it this way better for arms or not really significant?

You should always finish with the bicep exercises. Your muscles does not care when it gets worked, as long as you are tearing the muscle down.

When you are working your back you're tearing your biceps a little (It's not the primary muscle worked) So when you're finishing your workout with some bicep work, your biceps are a little weaker than usual, and this does not stunt growth.

Now the reason you're suppose to work your back first, is because more muscle are involved when training back, so you should always start with the "compound" first and move on to the isolation after.

[cjobson]

Agreed with the above.
Usually you should start with the exercises for the largest muscle groups first (i.e. deadlifts for back), and then work your way down to the accessory exercises for the smaller muscles (curls for bi's). Basically you "taper" so that way you have more energy efficiency for each exercise.
As mentioned, biceps do play a small role in back exercises, and therefore are worked in addition to the back exercises. Bicep work is usually tacked on the end of back day in order to finish them off, basically. They're small enough to only require some isolation exercises in addition to the back ones.

[hanger1989]

With all due respect mate, that is a very daft way to look at things. Your back is far more important than your arms, your back is what supports your whole upper body. Neglecting it or thinking it's not that important is how you'll get injurys. There are lots of huge guys out there that don't even do curls, or any bicep isolation exercises, as there biceps get enough stimulation from back exercises like chin ups and bent over rows.

A lot of people that are working out primarily to look good, overtrain the show muscles, like biceps, chest and shoulders, and neglect other muscle groups like back, thinking that your back won't add much to your appearance. But they couldn't be anymore wrong. Having a big wide strong back will make you look a lot broader and stockier, something which women look for in men. It will also improve your posture greatly, another thing women look for.

[veggie530]

Daft is right. Think about it. Your back is now going to get a significantly worse workout because you've exhausted your smaller, secondary movers. Either way, your biceps are going to get stimulated appropriately. This way, your back is going to get less stimulus because your arms are failing.

Stop being that much of a "bro." Your back is more important and foundational to building bigger arms.

[JOoa0ky]

You can try it and see what happens, what tends to happen for me is make my rows feel more awkward when I try biceps first... therefore I don't even have biceps on back day anymore regardless of it being first or last.

I actually lump biceps in with leg day. Whether I do bis first or legs first doesn't really affect anything for me personally. Depends on my mood really. If I'm fired up and ready to get at it, I'll squat first because I don't want to waste the moment haha... Also if the squat rack is taken and I need to wait around then I'll just curl around until its my turn to go. Biceps don't really affect my squats is my point. Besides, if you friggin love curling, you can use it as a 'reward' no curling unless you do leg day since its a leg/bi day hahaha. Although if you do, do bis first you NEED self control... I do 4 sets for bis and 2 sets of reverse curling max. If you curl for an hour, you're just not going to want to do anything else after that...

[lukec17]

Agreed with what is being said here. Back is a large muscle group, and the energy and focus should be used for back. As stated previously, switching to biceps first would probably have a more negative effect on the back than a positive effect on the biceps.

[LVG99]

Instead of working biceps before back on back day, maybe consider having a separate day altogether for biceps if you want to work them fresh. So for example, have a back and triceps day, and a chest and biceps day. Or do a seperate day for arms altogether and don't do any direct biceps/tricep work on back/chest day.

[Dannylightning1]

check this out, give it a try and see what you think. my bicpes seem to get worked very hard since i have switched up my routine to this.

i do flat bench and incline bench, than i do seated close grip cable rows with my palms facing each other, my biceps feel a little pumped at this point, than i do 2-3 sets of curls with dumbbells and my biceps now a huge pump and feel like i just did a load of curls. after the 3rd set of curls my arms feel like they are going to burst. i have just started doing it this way so i cant say if i am making better gains on the biceps yet but i am pretty sure i will be.

i used to do legs/biceps on he same day. and i would spend a good 30-40 min doing curls to get the kind of pump that i am getting after benching and doing those rows, i was reading about doing rows like that with the grip i mentioned and how well that works the biceps so i decided to give it a try and i dont think i will go back to spending all that time on just biceps anymore.