My arms just won't grow!

[KarD786]

I don't know why, but my arms just don't grow in conjunction with the rest if my body. Right now I have an arms day but am starting to think id be better off with something like a push pull legs routine. My legs, back, and chest have grown incredibly but my arms seem to lack. Here is my bi/tri routine

Tri: 3 x 10 reverse grip machine pressdowns (I like this to get the blood flowing in my tris)
3 x 8-10 close grip bench
3 x 8 weighted dips
3 x 8 db tricep extension

Bis: 3 x 8 bb wall curls
3 x 8 kb standing curls
3 x 10 close grip easy bar curls
3 x 8 21's with v-bar on machine

I'm thinking it's either I don't respond well to isolation, or that i need to keep a different routine every week

[AnthonyStark]

You have overtrain the **** out of them. STOP!
Go with a push/pull/leg.

[Oxyuranus]

play around with different rep ranges. don't be scared to go heavy.

You have overtrain the **** out of them. STOP!
Go with a push/pull/leg.

lol'd.

[KarD786]

Ideally If I go push pull leg it's gonna be when I start college late august because three days a week would fit in perfect with my schedule

[Ramrod2615]

Do you stick with that routine constantly?

[KarD786]

Do you stick with that routine constantly?

Most of the time yes. Ill make small changes on biceps once in a while throwing in a different exercise but for the most part they stay the same

[George Costanza]

I couldn't grow my arms for 1.5 years. YEARS. Think about that.


Recently, last 2 months, I've started SUPER high rep stuff. along with moderate weight 10 rep stuff. They've grown .25 inches in 2 months after not growing for 1.5 years. 20+ rep stuff for arms seems to be working wonders for me. I'd look into trying it for a little while.

[KarD786]

I couldn't grow my arms for 1.5 years. YEARS. Think about that.


Recently, last 2 months, I've started SUPER high rep stuff. along with moderate weight 10 rep stuff. They've grown .25 inches in 2 months after not growing for 1.5 years. 20+ rep stuff for arms seems to be working wonders for me. I'd look into trying it for a little while.

Sounds like solid advice. I got one problem though. Weak weak forearms. My forearms give out on bicep and tricep work with too many reps. I use to weigh 220 and I cut with a retarded low amount of calories causing me to lose some much needed muscle

[martial-man420]

How big are your arms now?

Are you gaining weight?

[Ramrod2615]

Most of the time yes. Ill make small changes on biceps once in a while throwing in a different exercise but for the most part they stay the same

The following advice is based on what has worked for me:
Change up your routine periodically, youre definitely gonna plateau doing the same routine week in and week out.
Change the weight/rep range around.
Try going heavier or going lighter.
Change up rest time between sets.
Try supersets/drop sets/giant sets/partial reps/etc.

[George Costanza]

Sounds like solid advice. I got one problem though. Weak weak forearms. My forearms give out on bicep and tricep work with too many reps. I use to weigh 220 and I cut with a retarded low amount of calories causing me to lose some much needed muscle

Start light.


It's worth it and you gain the muscular endurance FAST. I had the same issue at first.

[KarD786]

Unflexed and unpumped I think about 11 or 12 inches. And there was a period where I would eat anything in sight and went from 155 - 170 but most was fat. Now I eat clean and count calories but weight gain is really slow. I gain muscle very slow compared to most of my friends. My genetics are just that bad, I'm not working out as hard as I think, or I have low test lol

[Tommy W.]

Actually your arms look in proportion to your body. You're gonna have to put on overall size to see your arms grow. Concentrate less on arms and more on a mass program right now. You're wasting your time with what you're doing.

[J_Bo]

Looking at your pictures, your arms are not disproportionately small. In fact, they're probably your best body part from what I can see. Just stay on a good mass routine, and eat a lot of good clean foods. Since you have lost a lot of weight, you're probably a bit apprehensive to eat, but that's what you're gonna have to do. Just keep it clean.

[KarD786]

Mind you all, I'm not one of those guys that only cares about arms I do all compounds (deadlifts, squat, bench) and hit every body part. Oh and btw I use almost the EXACT same routine on my chest legs and back and they have all been growing and getting bigger, especially my chest. But at the end of the day, people define if you lift by looking at your arms. It's sad but the truth. And I get real discouraged

[KarD786]

Well the pictures above are me before I started trying to put on weight about 4 or 5 months ago. The sad thing is everything looks noticeably bigger except my arms. I guess I'll keep working at it I love bodybuilding but having the small arms are a discouragement. I start cutting Monday on a very slow 3-500 calorie deficit in my strive to get to the single digits. Hopefully I can take it slow and avoid loose skin as much as possible

[mslman71]

I start cutting Monday on a very slow 3-500 calorie deficit in my strive to get to the single digits. Hopefully I can take it slow and avoid loose skin as much as possible

If I were your height/weight and age cutting would be as far from my mind as it could be. Certainly we all lift for our own reasons so you do what makes you happy, but from an older guy's perspective, you're in a great position to really build.

[KarD786]

Well like I said pictures above are from 4-5 months ago I have definitely gained a unreasonable amount of fat. I'll upload pics soon I'm on my phone right now. My gut looks horrendous and I'm in the mid 20's bodyfat

Edit: adding pictures now

[KarD786]

K these are my pictures now. If you look through my pictures before, I looked a lot better than now. but when I cut I think I'll look pretty sick especially my back and chest

sorry pics are small iphone pics r small

[gymratmd]

Could be nutrition - your body needs fuel to grow ... complex carbs and protein

[mslman71]

K these are my pictures now. If you look through my pictures before, I looked a lot better than now. but when I cut I think I'll look pretty sick especially my back and chest

sorry pics are small iphone pics r small

yeah, little bit chunky around the middle but not bad. Unless you're dying to have "teh rippeedd abzzzz" this summer, get your diet in order and bring your surplus down a little bit closer to maintenance and grow into your weight (IMO).

[ManVsIron]

I couldn't grow my arms for 1.5 years. YEARS. Think about that.


Recently, last 2 months, I've started SUPER high rep stuff. along with moderate weight 10 rep stuff. They've grown .25 inches in 2 months after not growing for 1.5 years. 20+ rep stuff for arms seems to be working wonders for me. I'd look into trying it for a little while.

That's because you're now stretching the muscle fascia, and that's making the belly of the muscle grow. -Which is really the only way to get bigger arms.

And contrary to popular belief, you can still lift heavy for 10-12 reps... which is what it requires. If people would stop training like powerlifters, trying to show off, they'd eventually realize this as their bodies adapted... building more strength w/ higher reps.

[Gxp23]

Actually your arms look in proportion to your body. You're gonna have to put on overall size to see your arms grow. Concentrate less on arms and more on a mass program right now. You're wasting your time with what you're doing.

what this guy said, read it, then read it again, then read it once more before bed, and again when you wake up, this is what to do.

[KarD786]

Yeah definitely chunky especially to what I was a few months ago. I do want some nice Abs but really I just wanna look decent with my shirt off while bulking. It's gonna be a very slow cut with a very low reduction in calories

[GHODT55]

youre arms do look kind unproportioned but you can easily get them up since you just started since youre not that advanced id say just work hard on your arms day fully hit them from different angles.

[oldballs]

my arms grow best in the 5-6 rep range. find your rep range.

[Delgod]

rofl @ wanting arms to grow while cutting

[Yodums]

I don't believe your excessive fat gain has anything to do with bad genetics and everything to do with a lack of knowledge of nutrition. You don't wake up one morning with a gut. It is progressive and completely unavoidable. How about you start by telling us what your maintenance is and how many calories you've been eating, including macros? Slow weight gain is fine. You're lucky to put on 0.5 lbs of muscle per week.

Another thing to look at is whether you're making progress on your exercises. Are your bicep lifts going up?

[KarD786]

Um.. Did I say I was gonna try get bigger while cutting? No so read before you try to get at me. It's a simple question. When cutting I hope at best to maintain as much size. As for the fat gain, it happened over the course of a few months where I really ate a lot of crap and didn't count anything. Now I realize what a mistake it was but it's something to learn from. For the past month its been very little weight gain but I've been slowly leaning out a bit. My maintenance is 2700 with my activity level so I was aiming for 3100 with 40% carbs 40% protein and 20% fat. I always had the problem of having a lot more grams of carbs that protein. From my past knowledge, I lose weight pretty easy hence why I want to cut on about 2300-2500. This time around I've definitely learned a lot about nutrition and I'm looking forward to my next lean bulk in a couple months. While cutting I'm really going to focus on strength gains trying my best to improve form and get stronger

[ARCfitness23]

Try adding some heavier movements, for me heavy straight bar curls and close grip bench along with my other movements that I kept in the higher rep range was what made the difference in terms of development, also focus on spending longer on a movement rather than adding more movements so that you can keep up the intensity I had the same issue and these changes made a massive difference