a call to arms

[Hulkeye]

so i have been following the max ot training principles for the last 3 weeks and i am feeling good about my progress, however, i have noticed from measuring that my biceps seem to be growing much slower than the rest of me. my triceps are developing great! i have made small adjustments in my routine using exercises i have success with and nixing the ones that i dont particularly enjoy. right now i am doing biceps once a week and hitting them pretty hard. i do 3 sets 6 reps each of weighted chins with 15 lbs weight, 3 sets 6 reps of db curls, 40 lbs weight, and 2 sets 8 reps of hammer or reverse curls, usually 35 lbs wieght. im wondering if i should do bicep early in the week and maybe hit it lighter at the end of the week? or does anyone have suggestions on bicep exercises that have been successful for them? remember, i am still following basic max ot principles so i am careful not to overtrain with max intensity. any suggestions? thanks

[maverick]

I think Max-OT calls for a minimum of 5 days rest for a muscle. Between your direct arm work and any back work you do, you should be covered. Your tricep is inevitably going to outpace your bicep, its twice its size and naturally will grow faster and bigger. 3 weeks is not a lot of time, give it another 3 and then worry about tweaking it.

Hello Hulkeye,

Well here is a tip from a bodyweight only dude. I don't have massive biceps, don't need them, but here is a workout I periodically do that really attacks my biceps and I think will really hit your biceps differently. Try it once as a substitute for the 3 sets of weighted chinups that you are currently doing.

#1 = do one set of maximum chinups, then with as little rest as possible,

#2 = do one set of imaginery chinups (not using a chinup bar), just doing the chinup movement in air, except imagine that you are doing a real chinup, and really concentrate on engaging the same muscles that you would if you were doing a real chinup. This is very tough. Best to look in a mirror when doing this. Do a single set of this imaginary chinup for a visualized 10 rep max at maximum tension. Remember to breathe fully during these reps as there is a tendency to hold your breathe if you are really exerting your maximum tension. Then with as little rest as possible,

#3 = go back and perform a single negative of a chinup as follows: chinup so that your chin is above the bar and hold that position for 20 seconds if you can. Then slowly and in a controlled manner, descend to the hang position, trying to do so no faster than 20 seconds. Then hang from the bottom position with a slight bend in your arms for the last 20 seconds. So the total time of this single rep negative is 60 seconds. You'll probably need a rest, but take as little as possible, then

#4 = perform what I call at Atlas bicep flex & press. Stand in front of a mirror with hands extended to your side. Now bring your fists towards your head with maximum tension as you perform a bicep curl like you would if you were flexing both of your biceps at the same time. I really mean maximum tension when I say that. Now release and return to the starting position, that being one rep. Perform 10 reps like this with each rep being your maximum tension ability at that moment. Remember to breathe.

That's it. If you are open to new ideas, give this one a try and let me know how it worked for you.

[armorforsleep]

i like max-ot type training for big body parts such as chest/back/legs. but for my arms, high volume works better. so you might want to try that.

[.V.]

3 weeks and you are worried about lack of progress? Too soon man. Measure your progress in 8-12 week periods. Then don't expect miracles - building muscle is a slow - life long commitment. But making the commitment and working on it is going to get better results than not doing it. So just hang in there.

[MAURER]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

3 weeks and you are worried about lack of progress? Too soon man. Measure your progress in 8-12 week periods. Then don't expect miracles - building muscle is a slow - life long commitment. But making the commitment and working on it is going to get better results than not doing it. So just hang in there.

true i think the reason that a lot of people give it up is they hope they are going to see changes overnight. i remember when i was a sophomore in high school i used to weigh myself every night thinking that maybe i'd have made a difference. if you really want results, though, you gotta just do it consistenly for months and even years and then you'll look back and realize how much progress you've made. in 3 weeks, you're not going to see any progress in size gains, maybe slight strength gains if you're new.

[.V.]

But then after long struggles there come those great months where everything just falls into place for a while, size and strength seem to miraculously go up. Gotta love those times. They are few and far between though and don't happen without the long term dedication.

One warning to new lifters - work hard, but don't push beyond your body's abilities trying to make miracles happen - that's how you get hurt and give up. Consistant, steady, slow progress - with the occasional jumps that give you encouragement and make you happy...that's how to do it.

[Dan C]

Bigger muscles can be the goal, the desired end result. But you should still use getting stronger as a means to that end, IMO.

Too many factors go into the size of a muscle at any given moment. But progressing in strength can only mean larger muscles! It's not a 1:1 ratio but it is a direct correlation.

So while the goal is hypertrophy, the focus should be on strength. How you lift (sets, reps, frequency) can still be geared towards you goals, but look to your training log when gauging progress, not the measuring tape.

[midgetcop]

To be perfectly honest, my biceps didn't start to get stronger until I cut *back* on the # of isolation exercises and just went with 6 total sets instead of 9.

As for size though, I wouldn't get to hung up on it considering that it's the size of your triceps that are truly going to increase the overall appearance of size in the upper arms. Sure, huge biceps look great, but in reality they are a relatively tiny muscle.

[Hulkeye]

thanks for the suggestions all, ill try that set this week pierini, im always up for new ideas and ive never done anything like that before so we shall see. thanks again. the real issue is that i know my strength is increasing, my numbers go up bi-weekly, im just not seeing the size but it seems like time may be the key. ill post again with some measurements soon so all can see, maybe someone will have another suggestion or maybe i do just need more time. thanks again