Are biceps honestly the hardest muscle to grow?

[anikey]

I'm not complaining or anything. Ever since I've started my new routine in January, most of my upperbody has exploded. Especially my lats, chest and triceps. Shoulders growing really fast. Legs and back are doing fine. I am actually pleased with my progress.

However, the only muscles that haven't grown at all (i feel) are my biceps.

Per WEEK I do:

6x8 Wide Grip Curls
2x10 Wide Grip pullups
2x10 Chinups.

It's just surprising that my lats, for example, that only get worked out from pullups alone are growing really fast and the biceps are not budging. I know the biceps are smaller but not by that much. If biceps are 1/3 of your arm and my triceps are growing quickly, shouldn't the biceps grow a little atleast?

Is it just something to patiently wait for? Is my volume too low/high?

[boxer_bouncer]

You could always try reverse grip for your bicep workouts. That works muscle fibers that arent used as much when you do the regular grip exercise.

[Kilburn]

it's all genetics some people get fricken MASSIVE biceps really quick.

i'm like u, they never grow and i dont have the best peak either which just compounds the problem. i work mine out like 4-5x times a week to force them to grow. Just like some people do for calves i do for biceps.

[SuperDavid]

I do barbell curls twice a week and I'm not getting much in the way of growth!
Like you everything else is growing quicker!

[clive]

I think the bicep development in particular is very much down to your genes. Certainly they will grow to some degree with working on them. But if you haven't got the potential they'll just get to a point were they just wont get any bigger.
I seem to be the other way round to you as my biceps gown much easer than my triceps, we're all so different.

[tbush]

Per WEEK I do:

6x8 Wide Grip Curls
2x10 Wide Grip pullups
2x10 Chinups.

Try some variation, the only isolation exercise you're doing for them are the curls. Personally I don't feel pullups or chinups in my biceps at all and don't consider them an arm exercise as they are supposed to be for your back. Try different things like inclined dumbbell curls, hammer grip curls, reverse grip curls, concentration curls, preacher curls, spider curls, drag curls, cable curls, high cable curls, or any of the various machines you may have in your gym until you find something that works.

[SDFlip]

your biceps routine is kinda lame..... let em guess, you're doing Rippetoe's?

how about doing something with more volume and/or frequency?

curls and chins... that's it? how about adding some preachers, spiders, hammers, and cable curls?

[Uriel_da_man]

your biceps routine is kinda lame..... let em guess, you're doing Rippetoe's?

how about doing something with more volume and/or frequency?

curls and chins... that's it? how about adding some preachers, spiders, hammers, and cable curls?

Oh noes! Chin ups and rows are what build biceps best![/sarcasm]

[gunzandwheelz]

I'm not complaining or anything. Ever since I've started my new routine in January, most of my upperbody has exploded. Especially my lats, chest and triceps. Shoulders growing really fast. Legs and back are doing fine. I am actually pleased with my progress.

However, the only muscles that haven't grown at all (i feel) are my biceps.

Per WEEK I do:

6x8 Wide Grip Curls
2x10 Wide Grip pullups
2x10 Chinups.

It's just surprising that my lats, for example, that only get worked out from pullups alone are growing really fast and the biceps are not budging. I know the biceps are smaller but not by that much. If biceps are 1/3 of your arm and my triceps are growing quickly, shouldn't the biceps grow a little atleast?

Is it just something to patiently wait for? Is my volume too low/high?

I don't know why you are surprised your back is growing, hell sounds like you are doing back on bicep day. Like a couple others said your bicep w/o is not. You have to hit it from different angles/positions, preachers, hammers, etc. Small correction biceps are 2/5's of your arm not 1/3 and your tri growth has little to do with bicep growth. By your avatar you look like you have some decent genetics but looks like you have long biceps which can be a disadvantage. Be patient and hit them hard, Good luck

[axewars]

I don't know why you are surprised your back is growing, hell sounds like you are doing back on bicep day. Like a couple others said your bicep w/o is not. You have to hit it from different angles/positions, preachers, hammers, etc. Small correction biceps are 2/5's of your arm not 1/3 and your tri growth has little to do with bicep growth. By your avatar you look like you have some decent genetics but looks like you have long biceps which can be a disadvantage. Be patient and hit them hard, Good luck

+++

i have long biceps too, they're fussy as all hell, i hit 'em with back day, i hit 'em solo, i hit 'em with high vol, low vol, different angles, weights, etc etc, and it all does WORK.... but VERY VERY VERY SLOWLY. patience is the key, and yes judging from the avatar you probably won't have to be as patient as my unblessed a$$ once you start isolating them a little bit more.

[RaferAlston26]

Actually, Abs are the hardest ones. Anyways, maybe you should try doing bicep work more often. Once per week isn't that much. Try 2 or 3 times per week for 2-4 weeks then go back to once a week and you should see some gains. This is of course all based on articles I've read from T-nation.

[mmondo13]

I dont know about you, but my biceps recover very quickly. You should try hitting them at least twice a week if not 3. Like others have said get some more variation in there and isolate more. Dont just rely on back exercises for your biceps. I dont get why poeple always say concentrate on pull ups and rows for your bis. Just god damn work them.

[Vicom]

it's all genetics some people get fricken MASSIVE biceps really quick.

i'm like u, they never grow and i dont have the best peak either which just compounds the problem. i work mine out like 4-5x times a week to force them to grow. Just like some people do for calves i do for biceps.

How about training them seven times a week, twice a day to force them to grow?


Biceps are a small muscle. Of course they will grow slowly, but genetics come into play somewhat as well.

[awright329]

I hit bi's once a week but will hit 20-24 sets on each saturday. Here is a quick peek at my bi day

barbell curls
standing alternating
one arm cable curls
one arm preacher
Glass hammer curls
hammer curls
2 arm preacher
seated incline curls

I usually pick 5 of these exercises per time

[redrabbit]

... to gatecrash this thread - sorry!

To get bigger biceps is it best to do say, low reps:

3 sets of 5 reps bicep curls?

Is that alright, how would you recommend structuring the workout.

[jmonty]

how is your form on your curls?

maybe you should try like 3 sets of a few different bicep exercises, instead of just 6x8 of one thing. and perhaps vary your rep ranges.

I hit bi's once a week but will hit 20-24 sets on each saturday. Here is a quick peek at my bi day

when you were building your mass up did you do that many sets for bis?? just curious. i've been neglecting my bis unless i feel i have had plenty of work on the rest of my body for the week first. bis are far from my strong point but when working for mass i'm not sure if i want to spend valuable time in the gym on that muscle group.

[redrabbit]

how many different bicep exercises are there though?

I checked exrx.net and I only found:

Db curl
BB curl (any difference with db curl)?

Preacher curl (can't do this as I workout at home)
Concentration curl

[cljm]

Reverse E-Z Bar curls kill my biceps.

[Bushmaster]

I hit bi's once a week but will hit 20-24 sets on each saturday. Here is a quick peek at my bi day

barbell curls
standing alternating
one arm cable curls
one arm preacher
Glass hammer curls
hammer curls
2 arm preacher
seated incline curls

I usually pick 5 of these exercises per time

I was gonna suggest adding some volume but you beat me to it..

Personally, I'll only do three exercises for biceps but my rep range starts at around 20 and then I work down to 8-10 on my last sets.

I used to hit Barbell Curls as hard and as heavy as I could but the only thing I ever got from that was sore, irritated forearms.

[redrabbit]

is 3 sets of 5 reps too low for building mass on the bicep?

[DJAuto]

is 3 sets of 5 reps too low for building mass on the bicep?

No.

[Bushmaster]

is 3 sets of 5 reps too low for building mass on the bicep?

IMO, yes. (assuming you're talking about total work performed and not one exercise?)

I read somewhere once that the biceps were an "endurance muscle" and was designed to hold things in your arms for long periods of time - like women holding a baby or bags of groceries, etc, where as triceps and pecs were power muscles designed to violently shove an attacker away..

So I tried training my biceps like they suggested with higher reps and sets. I wasn't making progress any other way, so why not, I thought. And almost immediately I could tell that something was happening and that I was responding to that type of training.

Back off on the weight, up your reps, sets and number of exercises for your bi's and see if you don't like that better.

[redrabbit]

IMO, yes. (assuming you're talking about total work performed and not one exercise?)

I read somewhere once that the biceps were an "endurance muscle" and was designed to hold things in your arms for long periods of time - like women holding a baby or bags of groceries, etc, where as triceps and pecs were power muscles designed to violently shove an attacker away..

So I tried training my biceps like they suggested with higher reps and sets. I wasn't making progress any other way, so why not, I thought. And almost immediately I could tell that something was happening and that I was responding to that type of training.

Back off on the weight, up your reps, sets and number of exercises for your bi's and see if you don't like that better.

what I meant was 3 sets of 5 reps for each bicep exercise

e.g.
3 sets of 5 - bicep curl
3 sets of 5 - concentration curl
3 sets of 5 - hammer curl

Obviously wouldn't do all 3, but maybe 2 of them.

I thought that lifting heavy was best for building mass, whereas lifting lighter and for more reps was for endurance, stamina, and toning of the muscles.

Thanks

[Shangius]

For biceps go 8-12 reps for 2-4 sets.

[Bushmaster]

I thought that lifting heavy was best for building mass, whereas lifting lighter and for more reps was for endurance, stamina, and toning of the muscles.

Thanks

Try more volume with your biceps and see what happens. Maybe you'll love it or maybe you'll hate it.. Personally I love it, but you'll never know until you try.

[redrabbit]

Is there much difference between DB curl and BB curl.

I'm just wondering what I should do bicep wise.

I workout at home and only have weights and a bench.

Maybe one day I should do Db curl, and nother I should do hammer curl and BB curl?

I'm hitting my triceps really hard at the minute, so it would be good to also do the biceps, which I have not focussed on much.

Been concentrating much more on squat, deadlift, military press, clean and jerk, and bench press.

[Guardian]

Calfs and forearms tend to be the hardest to grow

Most people think there bis are growing slowly just because they dont stand out. The bis are only supposed to make up 1/3 of the arm size.

[anikey]

Thanks for the replies guys.

About varying exercises and things like that... I've been told (for my size) there isn't a point in hitting my biceps from various angles/with different exercises. I've asked about hammer curls and other exercises but have been told they'd do nothing for me because I don't have enough mass there in the first place.

Thats why I do boring old barbell curls.. the thing is.. my biceps are already killed from the rows, pullups,chinups... even the 2nd set of curls, I do with difficulty because they are sore.

[battousai216]

well i'm sure you've heard enough about the chinups/pull ups now so i won't comment on that but the barbell curls are an excellent exercise but they hit mostly the inner head, try adding incline dumbell curls to hit the outer head and it wouldn't hurt to add one or two more freeweight exercises

[battousai216]

oh, and about the varying exercies being useless sorry but that's just dumb saying there's no point to try to build mass because you don't have enough mass... i mean come on