overworking?

bi0hazurd

Active member
Every mon, and fri I add some iso workouts to my compound movements to increase size and strength of my arms. For biceps I do standing strait bar curls and my reps are 8/6 with as heavy weight as possible, followed by weighted chins 3x5 with increasing weights frequently, then finalizing with ez bar preacher curls same format as standing curls but with close grip. For triceps I first do close grip bench press two sets 8/6 heavy as possible, bench press lockouts 2 sets 8/6 on high peg to iso my tris, and skull crushers 2 sets heavy as possible 8/6. Am I over training? I hit them twice a week with no iso in between just compound movements. anything u guys would change or alter to increase size and shape?
 
wearedbleedblue said:
You're doing more than you need to for your arms but you're not overtraining them.
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He's definitely doing more than he should be doing for arms but I wouldn't say that he's not overtraining.

If you have some lifting experience you should be able to tell if you're overtraining. If you keep feeling fatigued when you hit the weights or if you can't get a quality pump, these are a couple signs that you're overtraining. You could even be doing less than what would illicit overtraining but still doing more than you require.

Personally, I do about 2-4 total sets for biceps per week and about the same for triceps. I do this because I already know I'm getting a lot of biceps work when I work my back and the same thing for triceps when I work my chest and shoulders (any time you straighten your arm against resistance, you're hitting your triceps). I like to add a few sets of arms-specific work to my routines so that my arm muscles are getting some work through their full range of motion. For example, when you do rows you're involving your biceps to a great degree but you're not working them through their full range of motion.

I recommend doing the minimum amount of arms-specific training because in my own experiences my arms get the most results when I do the least amount of direct work. If I could, I'd work arms all day long but it doesn't really work that way. Think of it like this... If a LOT of arm work got great results you'd probably see more people in the gym with great arms, right? ;)

Try just adding a few sets for arms per week (depending on how your split is) and see how it works for you.

More often than not, less is more. Just make sure that "less" is intense and deliberate. Be strategic.

Good luck bro! Shoot me a PM if you need anything.

Peace
 
Some people swear by very little direct work, other people swear by a lot. He's fine either way, it will just take time like all other things.
 
wearedbleedblue said:
Some people swear by very little direct work, other people swear by a lot. He's fine either way, it will just take time like all other things.
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Really it's whatever works for the person. For instance, Arnold's workouts would kill me. I'd be overtrained in a couple weeks of doing his workouts. But they obviously worked well for him.

That's an extreme example, but you get the idea.

Peace
 
I do very little arm work. However I do a lot of bench press, pulldowns, back work, and my biceps and triceps continue to grow (now if I can get rid of the fat around them!). I have been thinking of just adding a few sets for specific arm work once a week for a while though.

If that is how Type O Hero got his arms, then I am definitely all for it. Haha!
 
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