Good Arm routine

Gstyle24

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I can't seem to find a good routine that focuses mainly on arms. They are the one body part that I just can't seem to make any progress on. They will get stronger but size and any definition gains are minimal at best. The last 2 months I've been doing a 5 day split with 2 days being arms, and it went ok but nothing significant. Monday will be the start of it again but I was thinking of changing it up a bit, so any suggestions I'd appreciate!
 
RegisterJr

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You ever tried Mountain Dog? John Meadows has killer arm routines in his programs. It's not arm specific for the entire routine, but you could pull his arm days out of the routines and rotate them as many days as you like. If interested, PM me your email and I'll send several of his routines via email
 
Rodja

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Changing rep ranges, volume, or frequency? Adding in intensifiers such as drop sets, rest-pause, run the rack, etc.?
 
abformulations

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Changing rep ranges, volume, or frequency? Adding in intensifiers such as drop sets, rest-pause, run the rack, etc.?
This is the best advice all around not just for arms. ?
 
Driven2lift

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They have you covered there above.

I dont like that split listed above at all though.
Mountain Dog might be a good start for you.
If arm growth is still slow employ some of the changes rodja suggested on top
 

Gstyle24

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They have you covered there above.

I dont like that split listed above at all though.
Mountain Dog might be a good start for you.
If arm growth is still slow employ some of the changes rodja suggested on top
You don't like a 5 day split with 2 arm days?

I've been doing a lot of variations with the arm days (lots of super sets, rest-pause, lots of high rep sets with different exercises)
 
Driven2lift

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That's too much attention on arms.

The wise may tell you to try less direct arm volume and more compounds.

My arms grew just as fast or faster
 

Gstyle24

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That's too much attention on arms.

The wise may tell you to try less direct arm volume and more compounds.

My arms grew just as fast or faster
I've only been doing that routine 2 months... I've been doing what you just said all my life and it hasn't worked
 
Driven2lift

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I've only been doing that routine 2 months... I've been doing what you just said all my life and it hasn't worked
Would you mind posting your current routine?

Movement/Weight/sets/rest ?

Possibly a routine like MD but with extra arm attention on your off day?

MD should by all means make you grow
breezy11
 

Gstyle24

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Would you mind posting your current routine?

Movement/Weight/sets/rest ?

Possibly a routine like MD but with extra arm attention on your off day?

MD should by all means make you grow
breezy11
For sure, here it is, it's long so hopefully you can follow it:

Day 1: Arm Workout 1
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: OFF
Day 4: Chest and Shoulders
Day 5: Arm Workout 2
Day 6: OFF
Day 7: Back


Workout #1
Week 1
Exercise Sets Reps
Super-Set
Cable Push-Downs 3 20
Cable Curls 3 20

Dips (As many sets as it takes to get 50 total reps with your body weight.) 50 Total
EZ Bar Cheat Curls (Make sure your biceps do most of the work!)

Workout #2
Week 1
Exercise Sets Reps
Incline Dumbbell Curls (1 rest-pause set for 20 – 30 total reps. Use strict form!) 20-30 Total
Rope Push-Downs (1 rest-pause set for 30 – 40 total rep.s) 30-40 Total

Super-Set (Use the same weight for each exercise, and aim to hit failure between 10 and 20 reps.)
EZ Bar Skull Crushers 3 10-20
EZ Bar Close-Grip Curls 3 10-20

Reverse Barbell Curls (**** your wrists back at the top of each rep to make your forearms do the work.) 3 12
Diamond Push-Ups

Workout #1
Week 2
Exercise Sets Reps
Dips (Add extra weight if necessary.) 3 8
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 3 10

Super-Set
Machine Preacher Curls 4 20
V-bar Push-Downs 4 20

Super-Set
Hammer Curls 3 12
Overhead Dumbbell Extensions 3 12

Workout #2
Week 2
Exercise Sets Reps
Incline Skull Crushers (Aim for 12-15 reps for the first set, as many as you can get for the second set.) 2 Failure
Preacher EZ Bar Curls (Same protocol as the incline skull crushers.) 2 Failure

Super-Set
Rope Push-Downs 3 20
Rope Hammer Curls 3 20

Super-Set
Close-Grip Machine Presses 4 10
Machine Curls 4 10

Workout #1
Week 3
Exercise Sets Reps
Close-Grip Bench Press (try to use the same weight for all sets.) 5 5
Close-Grip Chin-Ups (with your body weight, stopping a rep before failure on each set.) 5 1 Rep Shy of Failure

Super-Set
V-bar Push-Downs 5 15
Dumbbell Curls 5 15

Workout #2
Week 3
Exercise Sets Reps
Pin-Press (In the power rack: set up so you have about a 12” range of motion, use a close grip, and come to dead stop between reps. try to use the same weight for all sets.) 5 5
Incline Curls (With the same weight; try to hit 15 – 20 reps on the first set.) 3 Failure

Super-Set
Rope Push-Downs 5 20
Rope Hammer Curls 5 20

Workout #1
Week 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Close-Grip Bench Press (Try to use the same weight for all sets.) 5 10
Close-Grip Chin-Ups (Try to use the same added weight for all sets.) 5 5

Super-Set
Rope Push-Downs 3 20
V-bar Cable Curls 3 20

Super-Set
Skull Crushers 4 20
Incline Dumbbell Curls 4 20

Workout #2
Week 4
Exercise Sets Reps
Dips (Work up to a top set of 5 reps. Rest, reduce the weight by 50%, and do as many reps as you can. Rest, and do a third set with just body weight for as many reps as you can.)
EZ Bar Curl (1 rest-pause set for 20-30 total reps.) 20-30

Super-Set
Straight Bar Push-Downs 3 15
Reverse EZ Bar Curls 3 15

Super-Set
Incline Skull Crushers 3 15
Dumbbell Curls 3 15
 
Jebrook

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Changing rep ranges, volume, or frequency? Adding in intensifiers such as drop sets, rest-pause, run the rack, etc.?



This is the best advice all around not just for arms. ?
Work all the way up the rack going sets of 10-12 each arm. Rest 90 seconds. On last weight where you can't hit rep range, immediately run the rack all the way down to girly weights going to failure every time with no rest at all, unless maybe a 10 second breather. On the way up the rack focus on strict slow curls and tight concentric squeeze. On the way down the rack do as best you can but cheat and swing as you fatigue to blast out every rep you can. Then stretch the bi's out reAl good and switch to regular triceps exercises. This blows my arms up! Only do once per week and only a couple times a month.
 

Gstyle24

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Work all the way up the rack going sets of 10-12 each arm. Rest 90 seconds. On last weight where you can't hit rep range, immediately run the rack all the way down to girly weights going to failure every time with no rest at all, unless maybe a 10 second breather. On the way up the rack focus on strict slow curls and tight concentric squeeze. On the way down the rack do as best you can but cheat and swing as you fatigue to blast out every rep you can. Then stretch the bi's out reAl good and switch to regular triceps exercises. This blows my arms up! Only do once per week and only a couple times a month.
I'm assuming this is for standing dumbbell curls... I would do that but at my gym I'm lucky to get a pair of dumbbells that I need, there's no way I'd be able to use the whole rack with nonstop sets like that with how busy it is. Plus nobody racks their weights!
 
Jebrook

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I'm assuming this is for standing dumbbell curls... I would do that but at my gym I'm lucky to get a pair of dumbbells that I need, there's no way I'd be able to use the whole rack with nonstop sets like that with how busy it is. Plus nobody racks their weights!
Guess you're stuck with small arms then. Lol. Just kidding. Find another way to improvise. You can dropset with one EZ bar and lots of 5lb plates. Or you could plan your arm workout during a low traffic time at the gym. The main thing is find ways to increase the stimulus to the bi's. There are a ton of different intensity techniques. Another one I like is to curl a weight with the straight or EZ bar that I can do moderately easy for a set of 12. At the top I hold the contraction and focus on keeping it curled up while I have a spotter slowly increase downward pull until I'm forced back to the starting position. I do a couple sets of as many as I can. Just another example of an intensity technique.
 

Gstyle24

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Guess you're stuck with small arms then. Lol. Just kidding. Find another way to improvise. You can dropset with one EZ bar and lots of 5lb plates. Or you could plan your arm workout during a low traffic time at the gym. The main thing is find ways to increase the stimulus to the bi's. There are a ton of different intensity techniques. Another one I like is to curl a weight with the straight or EZ bar that I can do moderately easy for a set of 12. At the top I hold the contraction and focus on keeping it curled up while I have a spotter slowly increase downward pull until I'm forced back to the starting position. I do a couple sets of as many as I can. Just another example of an intensity technique.
Hmm yes for some reason I always forget about those different variations... I get caught up with trying to see if I have improved my strength from week to week that I'll do the same exercises too. I wander if I should just wing it every time I go in now instead of having a certain routine set up from week to week...

I do like having a certain one 'arm day' to do super sets, etc... But before I had a nice 4 day split with chest/bis, lets, tris/shoulder, back/forearms

Can't decide on which I should do
 
Jebrook

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If arms are something you really want to focus on by all means give it a dedicated training day for a while. Be sure to include lots of different variations and focus on volume and pumping the muscle.
 
Rodja

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Out of curiosity, what numbers are we looking at here for the compounds (e.g. dips, CG bench, etc.)?
 

Gstyle24

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Out of curiosity, what numbers are we looking at here for the compounds (e.g. dips, CG bench, etc.)?
I'm not sure exactly on either.. CG bench maybe 135x10?

Dips I don't do until last because at the gym there's no belt to put weights on for it and so I just rep out.
 
Rodja

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I'm not sure exactly on either.. CG bench maybe 135x10?

Dips I don't do until last because at the gym there's no belt to put weights on for it and so I just rep out.
Buy a dip belt since dips are a fundamental lift (along with pull-ups) and so you can keep progressing on them. Focus on getting stronger for awhile before you worry so much about the size. A stronger muscle has the potential to become a bigger muscle with the appropriate volume and frequency.
 

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